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My Happiness Project: Twelve Commandments
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When the sun is shining and it’s 70 degrees outside, it’s much easier to work on happiness. Being outside in the sunshine (with appropriate sun protection) does wonders for the human condition. I believe that building my happiness when it’s easy will help me deal with the little things when times are rough. My happiness project has been slow going, mostly due to grad school hell, but I have finished my 12 commandments! (Yay minor progress!)
1. Trust my instincts
2. There is only love
3. Say yes to play
4. Breath deep
5. Smile
6. Let it go
7. Enjoy the process
8. Find beauty
9. Be a hero
10. Be the good
11. Smile
12. I am enough
In April: #1 Trust my instincts
#12 I am enough
Pure Geekery Interviews: Int Eighty of Dual Core
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I’ve had a few posts on here about work being a bit rough lately. I posted some of my ways of dealing with it (which kind 
of fizzled out entering week three). I eventually had to step down from my derby team’s roster because I couldn’t attend practice enough. I was going to either hurt myself or someone else. Luckily, I’ve been able to keep posting regularly because no matter how late I get home, I can open my laptop and write. Plus, its cathartic for me. Helps get all the random thoughts out of my head so I can concentrate better at work and sleep a bit better.
That’s the thing with us geeks, we’re creative types. Just because we’re exhausted, doesn’t mean we relax. Most of us have our own little side projects we pour ourselves into. And work may try to get in the way, but we power through. I wanted to talk to someone who’s been through that, and come out victorious. So I emailed Int Eighty of Dual Core if he’d be willing to answer a few questions and he graciously agreed. Here’s what he had to say, all links in the responses are his:
A TV Revolution
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Image Credit: NBC/Entertainment Weekly
Warning: This may contain spoilers. But seriously, the show has been on since September- it’s not really a spoiler at this point. However I promise not to elaborate on anything from the last few episodes. 
What would you do without power & technology? Without lights, cell phones, tv, and computers? As the NBC drama Revolution nears the end of its first season, we’ve found out why the power went out, but not what caused the experiment in th e Tower to go so terribly wrong. I’m not going to go in to a detailed description of the plot (there are plenty out there), but here’s the gist: 15 years after the power went out, the United States has broken down in to 6 “areas”: the California Common Wealth, Wasteland, Plains Nation, Georgia Federation, Monroe Republic, and Texas (I was going to make a joke here, but it was too easy). Charlie Matheson and her family and friends are on a mission to stop Sebastian Monroe and his Monroe republic from gaining more power and taking over the nearby areas.
The show is the brainchild of Erik Kripke (who also created Supernatural) and he doesn’t disappoint. He does a fantastic job of constantly surprising the viewer, while not dragging anything out for too long. His ability to constantly develop the plot and keep viewers interested is more akin to a series of novels (or a cable show) than an NBC drama, and it works. Plus, who doesn’t love seeing David Lyons (Anyone else remember him as The Cape?) as the perpetually crazy and melodramatic Sebastian Monroe.
As a girl who loves dystopian literature and movies (I’m a sucker for the Hunger Games, 1984, Lord of the Flies, etc. There’s probably something very wrong/awesome with my brain), Revolution tops my list of TV escapism. I’m excited to see how the characters of the Monroe Republic develop in the final episodes of the season and in the future.
Noms Review: Red Bull Limited Edition Flavors
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Before I get into the review, I feel I must confess my love of Red Bull. It’s the kind of bias I feel I should disclose. It gives 
me the best effect (alert but no jitters) and I like when I go to their website they feature athletes instead of bikini girls. It’s also iconic, and has a singular flavor. Let Monster and Rockstar concoct a wide range of flavors, Red Bull is classic. Which is why I was surprised when I saw the new limited edition cans at the grocery store. I initially assumed it was some new packaging for some kind of event, but no they were new flavors. So naturally, I picked up one of each.
I brought the new flavors to D&D night for a taste test to get a wide variety of opinions. We also mixed the new flavors with different types of vodka, because let’s face it, if we didn’t it’d be like reviewing peanut butter without thinking about jelly. Plus, with the kind of semester Claire has been having at school, and the quarter I’ve been having at work; we needed it (which is also why we used the adult Sippy Cups from the theatre where we saw Intergalactic Nemesis).
Free Comic Books?!
Image Credit: Marvel website
Free Marvel comic books, you say? On my tablet/phone/computer?! Have no fear, fellow comic geeks- ComiXology and Marvel wouldn’t leave dedicated fans hanging for long!
If you missed it the first time, ComiXology and Marvel have returned their “700 Free Marvel #1′s” after the original March release crashed the ComiXology platform. This time, you have to sign up by 11:59 ET tonight and Marvel will send out emails beginning on Thursday April 11 with links to the content. You will have 48 hours to download your issues, and then a lifetime to bask in the fantasticness of free comics. (I’m a poor grad student, anything geeky and free is awesome in my book.) So get on over to Marvel’s website and sign up today!
Engineering as a Creative Outlet
Take a moment to picture a software engineer. What is the image that comes to mind? A pasty guy sitting in the glow of a monitor, endlessly hacking away at his keyboard? Someone who is the lone wolf type, probably lacking in social skills? Strictly logical, and a little Spock like? A bit of an overinflated ego? Afterall, that’s the stereotype that we’re given in movies and TV. It’s the kind of stereotype that I feel makes STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields unattractive to most girls. I say girls because we start getting this image when we’re young. When we’re being asked what we want to be when we grow up.
But that stereotype isn’t engineering. Well, maybe the ego part. I did say last week “I’m over here making miracles happen” which is probably a bit of an overstatement for getting something done within a crazy short deadline. Engineering isn’t a dry, strictly logical field. Engineering is creative, you are literally creating something from nothing. You start with a blank screen and create something that (hopefully) makes people’s lives easier. After reading an article about how to keep your software engineers happy, I’ve realized we (as a society) don’t focus on the creative side of engineering nearly enough. I feel if we did, girls may be more interested in STEM.
When I was in school, engineering equaled math. I did not like math. I did not do well in math. Why would I want to go into engineering when all I’d be doing is solving equations all day? I seriously thought that’s what engineers did when I was in Middle School and the beginning of high school. I didn’t think about engineers building and designing things, I thought that’s what designers did. Designers have the important job of coming up with look, feel, and usability of the end product. Engineers design what makes that design work. Ideally, the designer and engineer (and several others, but lets keep it simple) work together to make something amazing. You can’t be a lone wolf and be an engineer. It doesn’t work.
It’s time we start focusing on the collaborative, creative process that is engineering. We don’t need to do this “for girls” either. Don’t sequester girls away and give them a different message than the boys. While engineering still may be male dominated, as a country we’re not very interested in it. When talking about engineering don’t focus on the math part (like seemed to be the trend when I was in school) focus on the building. Focus on the creating. Talk about the awesome user interface of the iPhone, and then talk about the creative problem solving that went into making it work.
Teachers, plan a field trip to your local Maker Faire. Talk to the makers. These are people who are passionate about their projects, that kind of passion is contagious. Take that excitement and hold a Maker Faire for your students. Create them a Maker Space. Parents, if ask your school to so this. And if they won’t, take them yourself. Help them make things.
Most importantly: Make it fun.
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Knowing Your Limits: Why I Won’t Be Bouting This Season
It’s been a rough few weeks. I’ve been at work 60+ hours. I’m ignoring my own advice and not eating well. I’m not staying active. I’m not making derby practice. If I’m there, I’m exhausted before I even lace up my skates. My head isn’t always in the game.
Prime form at the end of last season. (I’m in the middle) (c) Mark Sheehan
And that’s why I’ve decided to step down from the Party Crashers, the Circle City B Team.
Playing roller derby has given me many things. It’s given me the knowledge that even the kid who was picked last in gym can be transformed into a competitive athlete. It’s given me the strength to stand in front of hundreds of strangers in fishnets, short shorts, and knee socks. It’s given me the compulsion to cover everything in stickers. It’s given me the confidence to start this blog, because even if it failed at least I was trying something new. And most ironically, it’s given me the ability to recognize when I’m stretched too thin.
Roller derby is a full contact, intensely physical, intensely mental game. You play offense and defence at the same time while being pushed around by players of all shapes and sizes. And when you don’t train hard, you fall hard (repeatedly). You put yourself and your teammates at greater risk for injury. There’s also all the behind the scenes stuff like committee work, hanging posters, and doing promotional events.
I’m going to spend this season refocusing. I’ll still be skating, just not on one of our competitive teams. I’ll be spending less time at practice to spend more time lifting weights, maybe some cardio, and playing YourShape on my Kinect (I only logged two hours in my competition with Tony from Geeking in Indiana in March. Pathetic.) Being away from home less often will allow me to cook more and eat better (and by extension help my husband eat better, which is important because he will be playing derby competitively).
More recently, looking worn out at scrimmage. (I’m the one in white) (c) Mark Sheehan
I love being a part of the derby community, and being a member of my league specifically. Even though I’m stepping down from the B team, I’m still going to have the opportunity to skate. I’m still going to be able to be involved and volunteer on committees and at bouts. I’m still part of the team. A team who, while bummed out, has been a source of support following my announcement. And for that, I’m grateful. Because above everything else, derby has given me a fantastic group of friends whom I treasure greatly.
Aside: You can buy tickets for the first bout here. Come watch and say “Hi!” I’ll be easy to find, most likely in the suicide seating (the floor around the track). I’ll be in my jersey, look for Ctrl Alt Destroy number 404.
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App Review: Zombies, Run!
The gym has always been the Claw to my Gadget, the Wicked Witch to my Dorothy, the Gideon to my Ramona Flowers. I got a membership last year, and I try to go a few times a week, but can barely stand to drag my ass to anything but yoga. I ran competitively for years, but stress fractures took me out of the running for a while and since leaving derby, my cardio ability has plummeted. I took to the App Store in search of a way to make the treadmill more fun (does that even exist?), I came across Zombies, Run! (Android, iOS, Windows Phone), an exercise/game app hybrid.
Zombies, Run! is based on a fantastic concept: You complete “missions” as you run, listening to a story and retrieving items on the missions that you can sue to build your base at the end of the workout. You start out as a passenger on a helicopter on the way to drop supplies to Abel Township, a human base, in a world overrun by the undead. Your helicopter is mysteriously shot down and you have to run to the base and earn your keep by becoming “Runner 5”. Your job is to collect supplies and investigating zombie attacks, where you find out more about the place you’ve landed and the people who live there. You have to option to turn on zombie “chases” where you’re encouraged to sprint and not get eaten by the hoard. The app also has an online component where you can register and track the distance and time of your runs.
Running has become more enjoyable now that I have the goal of investigating Abel Township and collecting items to increase my base size and population helps me complete my goal of a 30 minute run every other day (you have to option of a 60 minute workout as well). The missions last about 30 minutes and after that you get transmissions from Abel Radio, where you learn more about the world you’re in. The missions incorporate music from a playlist you select on your device (I currently use my Hunger Games playlist- the mood is fitting) and alternate between transmissions and songs. There are other ways to play, including 5k, 10k, and 15k modes, and stories from New Canton, a neighboring township, that can be purchased.
The downsides of the program are few and honestly probably have more to do with user error or the fact that my phone is really beaten up (the case literally holds it together). The apps states that you can either track your distance using GPS or your pace with the accelerometer only one can be used at a time, which is annoying. Neither work very well on my phone, but the GPS probably can’t get a fix because I run inside and there’s a good chance that the accelerometer in my phone doesn’t work properly.
The one problem that I would attribute to the app is that it occasionally crashes mid-mission and doesn’t always restart from where you left off. This interrupts mission completion and can be pretty annoying. It hasn’t happened that often and really isn’t a major problem.
Overall, Zombies, Run! Is a fantastic app for those who enjoy gaming and need some motivation while working out. You don’t have to be a runner to use it; walkers are welcome too and I believe it would work ok on the elliptical or bicycle (the GPS and accelerometer features may not work the best on an elliptical). I haven’t explored all the online features yet, but they seem to be a promising addition, if I can get the accelerometer or GPS feature working.
Overall, I would give Zombies, Run!: 8/10
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Citadel DLC: You are Perfect
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Non Spoiler Rant
I have to rant a bit before I begin. I HATE the idea of DLC. I understand it for multiplayer. There are servers to maintain after all. But if it’s part of the campaign I feel it the content included in the price of the game. Maybe locked, so you have to get certain achievements to get it. And maybe give people the option to pay for it if they don’t want to invest the time in earning the content.
I’m Commander Shepard, and this is my least favorite business model on the Citadel.
I’ve avoided DLC for this reason. It’s not a model I want to support. And then Mass Effect happened. Suddenly, here is a world I care about. One that I want to explore every corner of. And I can’t, unless I give EA my money.
So I did. I also gave EA money so I could get an online pass (I bought the game used) so I could get my readiness rating up. Another business model I don’t want to support. Now that I’m playing through my second time of the series, I’m likely to give them even more money to get missions I decided not to buy in my first play through. If you have suggestions on what I should buy for this trilogy, and what I should just watch the YouTube videos for, please let me know.
Now, onto the Citadel DLC specifically. Obviously, spoilers below….
