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favorite things food knitting nerdly shopping technogeeky travel

Tokyo on Our Own

Prince Hotel PJs

The hotels in Japan all seem to come with Pajamas! Yukata, I suppose, but these are like extra long, button-up sleep shirts with 3/4 length sleeves. (Maybe they are full-length sleeves on a non-monkey armed person? Unsure.)

I of course had to try them out! And also there are slippers! They fit size 8 lady feet! They do not fit size 13 man feet.

Also: bidets. I had to work up the courage to try it, but, you guys? I think they are really on to something. They don’t understand how to sell a ticket online because they have been perfecting the bathroom experience.

Also: the hair dryer was incredibly underwhelming. I thought I had come to the land of my hair people (I have twice as much hair as your average human … and each strand is twice as thick … drying my hair is exhausting …) and so I was super excited about the hair dryer sitch. Alas, hotel hair dryers in Japan leave just as much to be desired as the ones in the US.

Breakfast at the Tokyo Prince Hotel? Awesome spread. Western food! Eastern food! Something for everyone at the buffet. So I did what any Asianish-American lady would do: served myself up a bowl of piping hot steamed rice, snagged some butter from the Western toast station, and added some sugar (meant for coffee, I’m sure) from our table. Breakfast butter-sugar rice! (Ok, so probably that has an actual name? I just know it as ‘how I like to eat rice at breakfast.’) Also I loaded up on bacon and fresh fruit. (Tip: fruit is really expensive in Japan. If you have a hotel breakfast buffet, take advantage!)

Y’all, I ate butter-sugar rice every morning we had a breakfast buffet. So good. Also a complete abomination? But so good.

Probably we stopped in the hotel basement Lawson (I LOVED that the hotel had its own Lawson!!) for some bottled water and snacks.

Before we headed out, we swapped out the husband’s sim card for a Japanese one. We had ordered it beforehand and had it shipped to us, just to make things easier. So we had internet and maps and access to google translate everywhere we went! Pretty awesome! And a world of difference from our 5th anniversary trip to Italy where we rented a blackberry so we’d have access to email. EMAIL. No internet. JUST OUR EMAIL. 10 years ago. The world is such a different place, in just 10 years!

Our hotel was a bit of a walk (15 minutes?) to the Hamamatsucho train station, but we had our maps, the weather was perfect, so off we went!

At the station, we struggled with the ticket machine for a bit. From his research, the husband knew we wanted Suica cards, and that we’d start out with $20 on them and add more as we needed it. The menus weren’t super intuitive, but we eventually figured it out and got our cards. (We later learned from another couple on our trip that you can order Suica cards ahead of time and have them shipped to you in the US. Probably for a nice up-charge, but, no fighting with machines!)

So we found the right train, hopped on board, and a few stops later we were in Akihabara. Nerd capital of the world, so, yeah, of course that’s where we started.

First stop was the Mandarake Complex, 8 floors of anime collectibles. Each floor was small, but crowded with … so much. Some of it I recognized, some of it I didn’t. Totoro, that fried egg with a butt, vintage video games, comics, just all completely unnecessary but oh-so-fun stuff! We stopped at a wall of capsule vending machines and found the perfect souvenir. Seriously, this little guy still goes with me everywhere I go.

Next up was Yodobashi Camera. So spacious! Floors and floors of department store goods, not just cameras. Also books, stationery, beauty products, refrigerators, phones, watches … if you want it, they have it.

Lunch at McDonald’s, nothing to write home about there …

And an owl cafe! Not sure why it’s called a ‘cafe’ (they do have a vending machine for drinks?) but they delivered on the owl front!

We rounded out Akihabara with a stop at Don Quijote. If Yodobashi Camera is spacious and classy, Don Quijote is … brash and cluttered? But you have to stop in, it’s like nothing else. The aisles are mazes, the store is floor after floor stacked on top of each other, you never know what you’ll find. It is claustrophobic, but also amazing! Snacks, toiletries, clothes, halloween costumes, toys, they got it!

We snagged some adorable toothbrush covers, they are open-mouthed cats that eat your toothbrush head when it’s packed away in your bag. But also, they eat the bottom of your toothbrush and stand it straight up on the hotel bathroom counter to dry. They are adorable and genius.

My fitbit history tells me that took us over 10 thousand steps, so we likely called it a day and headed back to the hotel to meet our tour group and for our Gate 1 welcome dinner!

We tried everything! Even liked some of it!
Categories
favorite things life nerdly texas

Writer groupie extraordinaire

When I was little, I dreamt of growing up to be a librarian.

To spend all my days in a building of books?! What could possibly be better?

I read my first real-live chapter book the summer after my second grade year. I had moved mid-year, and my second grade teacher had given me “Tee-bo the Talking Dog on the Trail of the Persnickety Prowler.” For real. That’s a real book.

And. It. Was. Awesome. It opened a whole new world to me, this idea that reading was so fun! I had been a very diligent “read to your parents for 15 minutes every week” kind of reader. But, those weren’t real books. Tee-bo the talking dog? Now that was a real book.

And so it started. I devoured all the books, as fast as I could. If it had one of those medals on the cover? Even. Better.

I read everything and anything through elementary, middle and high schools. Our house was always full of books. (Funny story: many of the books came from garage sales. We had a whole collection of sci-fi that must have come from one sale: Arthur C. Clark, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury. There was no Philip K. Dick. None. I had NO IDEA who Philip K. Dick was until like 3 years ago. All because that one guy either really hated Philip K. Dick, or else really loved him and wasn’t giving up the books.)

And then college hit. With so much reading of the not-fun kind, I lost my reading mojo. For years – it was probably like 5 years after graduation before I really started reading again. (I did pick up the Lord of the Rings books because, hello, movies, but that was probably about it.)

Grown up life doesn’t quite allow for all the reading, all the time that I would like, and as an obliger (got that from a book!) I found that joining book clubs is really the push I need to keep me reading. And a plus: you get to talk about books with other people that love books!!

But with the husband’s new writing career? Now I get to hang out with actual writers. And I get to read their stuff before it’s famous! Sometimes, even before it’s launched out into the world!

A year ago, I had the opportunity to crash a writing retreat the husband was on. An adorable little Texas town, impossibly far away (seriously, I live in Texas, how can I drive for 9 hours and still be in Texas??), and friend of the arts.

And it was awesome!! I didn’t attend classes, but I caught meals and evening keynotes with the attendees. I hung out with actual authors and publishers. (Seriously, they were so awesome, halfway through I realized I needed to stop monopolizing their time so that, uh, actual writers could get a minute of their attention. Oops, I just wanted to convince Jaye that she also needed purple hair. Which totally happened a few weeks later. Squee!)

And the attendees? All aspiring writers, some with books out. And so I bought all the books.

That conference is where I found my true reading passion: as a writer-groupie.

Writers have so much working against them. First of all, they have to, ya know, WRITE a BOOK. That’s hard, y’all. Takes a lot of dedication. A lot of practice and skill.

Then, they have to endure 53 people telling them that they do not want their book. I can barely handle a stranger on the sidewalk giving me side-eye, but to actually have someone tell you that your blood, sweat and tears aren’t worth their time? Beyond soul-crushing. That hurts. Every time.

And then! If you are so lucky as to find a publisher! Your editor tells you all the things that are wrong with your baby. All the ways in which you failed to produce a perfect manuscript. Ouch. A gut-punch after the high of landing a publisher.

And then! When the book comes out! A 1-star review on Amazon. That’s enough to ruin a day.

And I just … I love books. I love the windows into other worlds. I love the windows into others’ souls. I can only be me, living my life, but books … books let me get a peek into others’ lives.

And so by extension: I love writers. There was a world where their book did not exist, and then they willed it into existence. That’s magic.

I love this place I have arrived at, where I can rub shoulders with the magic-makers! Where I can beta-read things and be a tiny, tiny part of the magic. And where I can be a voice of encouragement, because the writer-life is hard enough, man. And the reader life … well, I for one, don’t ever want to run out of books.

Categories
girly nerdly tv/movies

Feminism and Star Trek

Those of you who know me, know that I’m kind of a raging feminist.

When did this happen, you might ask? I can trace it back to when I was 5 years old and my dad told me I couldn’t be a cub scout. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how a feminist is born.

But I digress.

So, Star Trek portrays a future in which humanity has transcended all the things that divide us and it’s just all a happy joy fest.

Or … does it?

It’s been 30 years since Star Trek TNG, and the actors seem much more willing to talk about the dirt.

Like, why did Beverly Crusher leave after the first season? Because Gates McFadden wouldn’t shut up and stay out of the writers’ room. She kept pointing out that Beverly Crusher is a doctor, a research scientist, no less. With a genius son. Which surely means that she would have intellectual discussions with her genius son. And would it kill them to put some of those intellectual discussions on screen?

Yes. Yes it would. One writer in particular issued an ultimatum to the show runners: she goes or I go. And so she went.

But the fans! The fans would not have it. She came back for season 3. And lo and behold, that writer was no longer there.

That is a principled feminist. She lost her job over it. This story has a happy-ish ending in that she did get her job back, but she had no reason to think that would be the case when she was fighting her fight.

Enter Marina Sirtis. Now, I know when actors get on stage in front of thousands of people, they put on a show. And at a Trek convention, it’s reasonable to expect representation in the crowd from the Red Pill community. So I won’t hold her to all of her words, but based on the things she said on stage … she sure didn’t sound like a friend to woman-kind. She very much sounded like she is fighting no fight, and is quite content to watch others duke it out.

Statement 1: She admitted that the TNG crew is quite clique-ish, and they don’t let new people in. Except for Karl Urban and Nathan Fillion. Because new, good-looking men are always welcome – but not new ladies.

On the surface, that does sound very feminist. Men have harems, right? So we ladies should have harems, too!

But, lets couple that with …

Statement 2: Women producers are not helping women! They rise to power, and then they aren’t any better than the men! They aren’t hiring more women.

Well, consider this: If a woman has risen to power, but has only ever surrounded herself with men in the process (which, may have even been instrumental in her success, even) then how will she hire more women? She doesn’t know any.

Feminism means different things to different people, I get that. We all have different ideas as to how we all get a seat at the table, and whose responsibility it is to make sure everyone gets an invite. And there’s certainly something to be said for not turning every moment into something combative.

But as for me, I’m tired of waiting. I’ll take a fighter. I’m happy to know there are others out there making a difference, and I’ll keep fighting my fight in my own tiny bubble of the world.

 

Categories
nerdly travel tv/movies

Viva Las Vegas!

Engage!

San Antonio reached an unheard of 105 degrees, so the husband and I decided to find someplace even hotter to spend a few days. You know, to make San Antonio seem downright tolerable.

 

Or maybe it was the 30th anniversary of Star Trek TNG and we bought tickets months in advance to the big Star Trek convention?

Either way, Vegas in August is hot, y’all. Do not go outside. You may spontaneously combust.

Luckily, there was not much venturing outside for us as we stayed at the Rio, where the massive Trek party was held. That’s right, 5 days of insane introvert fun! We met no people and made no new friends, despite the fact that we spent 5 days with thousands of likeminded people! Introvert mission accomplished!

5 days of Trek is … a lot of Trek. The casual fan may wonder, what can you possibly do for 5 days?

Well, there’s panels! Panels with TOS actors. And with TNG actors. And with DS9 actors. And with Voyager actors. And with Enterprise actors. And with Discovery actors. And with the movie actors. And with the NEW movie actors. And with writers.

So … that’s a lot of panels.

And then there’s the autographs! Which means lots of waiting in line for autographs.

And then there’s the photo ops! Which means lots of waiting in line for photo ops.

And then there’s all the people that are dressed up! Which means a lot of people watching.

And then there’s the vendors room! With that one toy you wanted when you were a kid but couldn’t afford because, well, you were a kid. Still in the package, even.

And then there’s the trivia challenges and auctions and tv and movie prop displays.

It’s a little hard to believe, but … we didn’t even do all the things. Turns out maybe 5 days isn’t quite enough, after all.

 

Categories
food nerdly travel

farewell tour: renaissance festival

The Maryland Renaissance Festival is always a much anticipated event in our household, so we were delighted when the BFF and her gang invited us to go with them this year. The parents were up for the adventure, even if they didn’t quite know what they were getting into.

We met the 495 on-ramp at a dead stop, so after a few minutes, we decided to try a different route. The husband asked Siri for a non-495 way to the festival, and soon we were on our way – through – the dreaded city.

We took some wrong turns in the city, but the husband managed to find a route that got us to the festival. We were still nice and early, so we got half-decent parking, and we got to enjoy a few hours at the faire before it got too crowded.

We met up with the BFF and her 2 and a half boys (husband+baby+about-to-be-a-baby), and got started on the festivities. And by ‘festivities’, I mean food! Because that’s what the ren fest is all about! Turkey legs and sausage on a stick and fried stuff and cheesecake on a stick and more fried stuff and ice cream cannolis and some more fried stuff!

And then we got busy with the shopping festivities! There is so much stuff to buy! From chain mail bikinis to hand-carved wooden goblets, and wooden swords to blown glass ornaments, there’s a little bit of something for everyone.

And of course, through the whole time, there is always the costume watching! Some costumes are impressive, some are confusing, and a few even have something to do with the renaissance. There seemed to be an influx of ladies with weird baby-hands in their overflowing bosoms, I’m not quite sure what that’s all about. Who wants to think about suffocating babies?

We watched some shows – a comedic, 30 minute version of Henry the V, and the parents watched the first 2 acts of a Midsummer Night’s Dream. The BFF and crew tried a go at the sword swallowing show, but didn’t stick around long. Which is about what I did the first time I watched the sword-swallowing show. It’s not for the faint of heart – it sounds cool in theory, but it’s mostly just disturbing to actually watch.

After the festival, we hurried to Leesburg to shop at the Virginia store downtown. The parents wanted some Virginia-y souvenirs, and that’s the perfect place to find them.

After a day of eating junk, we topped it all off with a stop at Windy City Red Hots for dinner. It’s a small place, but luckily it was pretty empty when we stopped by, so we were able to snag one of their 2 tables. And we got hot dogs! Not just any hot dogs, they definitely have a superior dog. And it comes with a pickle! What could be better than that?

Categories
food life nerdly texas travel

yeehaw and darn tootin: tourist edition

The sister had one day of fun before she had to head back home, so we went downtown to see the Alamo and the River Walk. She wanted to see the Alamo because, come on! It’s the Alamo! And the River Walk because of something about Cloak and Dagger. Which makes me wonder, why has she even seen that movie?? She was born in 1990. I’ve seen the movie about a thousand times because it was somebody’s favorite (maybe b2?), but I don’t even remember anything about it.

Even though my new home is in the boonies, we made it downtown and found a place to park in less than 30 minutes. Yay for 70 mile an hour speed limits through the heart of a city! Unless you don’t know where you’re going, then good luck to you. Just keep moving!

We wandered through the Alamo, and I recounted the story as best as I could remember. William B. Travis! Santa Anna! All the women and children hiding in one room! Nobody came to help! Everybody died! But, they slowed the Mexicans down long enough for Sam Houston to get into place and then he wiped out Santa Anna! Texas independence!!

It was early, so the river walk was pretty dead, but we found a place to eat lunch. The sister doesn’t like Mexican food, but I doubt whether she’s ever had Tex-mex. The parents were raised on Arizonan-mex, which is not the same kind of food you find in Texas at all. For one thing, Tex-mex isn’t ever a man-vs-food style heat challenge like Sonoran food often is. And another thing, Tex-mex includes chili! As someone who grew up with Sonoran-mex, that’s just blasphemous and silly. But, it is what it is. And, it’s yummy!

So, suffice it to say, we ate at the Rainforest Cafe. Because what says San Antonio like the Rainforest Cafe?! We were seated by the animatronic pandas, and decided to split the chicken parmesan. Which worked out well, as we are both tiny people with tiny appetites. Ok, so she’s a tiny person, I’m just a small one. 🙂 And I never get to split anything!

Given the fact that the Rainforest Cafe isn’t an Italian place, the chicken parmesan was surprisingly good. And we still didn’t clean our split plates! I was closer than the sister, as I’ve got 6 inches and 40 pounds on her, but it was still more food than I could eat. And I can put down an 8″ Deli like nobody’s business, so it was definitely a generous portion. No wonder America is fat.

After lunch, we hit the mall to do some shopping, and caught Batman at the IMAX theater. I had already seen it (duh), but the sister hadn’t, and she doesn’t live near any IMAX screens. So Batman it was! She liked it better than the husband did, but she, too, was bothered by the Ra’s al Ghul story not adding up. Because she reads comics. All of them. While I am conversant with many of the major characters in the major comics, she actually reads the things. It sure does make a geek girl proud. /sniff

We grabbed some Yummi Japanese on the way home, and the sister introduced me to Ramune. Which is just soda in a glass bottle. With a marble in it. And also tamago. Not only does my sister out-nerd me, she out-japaneses me, despite the fact that I have the Japanese name. Just goes to show, you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.

After our gyoza and sushi, we slept in the new house on air mattresses that Amazon left on the front porch for us. Despite the fact that they are 4-in-1 mattresses, they clearly only have 3 configurations: 2 twins, 1 twin, or 1 king. I guess maybe math isn’t a requirement for marketing majors?

Categories
nerdly shopping technogeeky travel

procrastination: it pays off!

The husband and I have been planning a trip to Phoenix for months. We’ve carefully planned out our itinerary: a Star Trek Convention, an Easter Pageant, some theater (Nine), a Cowboy show, the Grand Canyon, the Phoenix Zoo,  the Arizona Science Center, and the Pueblo Grande Museum.  Do we know how to party or what?

We purchased the Star Trek tickets ages ago (priorities!), but I hadn’t booked the theater tickets or the cowboy dinner.  It was on the to-do list, but I just kept putting it off.

I signed up for the Phoenix Groupon and Living Social emails when I knew we were going to be in the area, as that strategy paid off for our trip to Vegas last year.  (Half-price Gameworks day passes and Atomic Museum tickets!)

So, what should appear in my email inbox but a Groupon for the Cowboy show!  Followed shortly by a Nine deal.  I’m still holding out for Grand Canyon, Zoo and Science center deals.  Here’s hoping I get lucky!

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nerdly

don’t even try to out-nerd me …

I took the husband to our local comic book store the other night, and I picked out a comic before he did.

The husband was content to leave empty-handed, but when he saw me holding an issue of Spin Angels, he quickly ran and grabbed a few Batgirls he was eyeing but was too afraid to go to the checkout counter with.  So I did his dirty work – who cares if a girl buys batgirl, right? – and we went home to read our comics.

Mine was better than his.  Even he thinks so.  🙂

Categories
nerdly

don’t even try to out-nerd me …

I’m writing a firefly murder mystery for the husband’s birthday party.  I knitted him a jayne hat, bought some strawberries for kaylee, and even found the ingredients for the nastiest sounding drink I ever heard of.  (Root beer + yoo hoo = seriously sick guests.)

Seeing as the party’s tomorrow and I haven’t quite finished the story, guess I better get moving …

Categories
life nerdly technogeeky

51 visitors!

I got 51 visitors on Friday!  I am so on my way to becoming internet famous.