Never Underestimate the Power of Humor

So, there was recently an election that didn't exactly turn out the way most of us thought it would (to put it lightly). There have been a laundry list of reactions to the election of Donald Trump to the highest office in the Country, from anger to confusion to apathy to full blown depression. It's that last one I want to address today. We all know that there are several groups of people who are now fearing for their personal safety during the Trump Times, and most of that fear is being expressed through outrage and protests and articles not unlike this one. There are those, however, who are reacting in a much more quiet, but no less intense way: deep, soul-sucking depression and hopelessness. If you are one of these people, or know someone who might be, please know that I am worried about you. There has been a rise in suicides since Election Day, especially among the LGBTQ+ community (a community that already has some of the highest suicide rates in the Country), and I could not sit by without addressing this sensitive and nuanced subject. Thankfully, I am not alone. The following essay was sent to me from someone who wanted to share their very personal story in the hopes of reaching someone who could use a little hope right now:

Pensacola Comic Convention Happened, and I was There

Pensacola Comic Convention (also known as Pensacola Para Con) was this past weekend, and I have to say that despite a bumpy start, I had a blast! Still a relatively small convention, PCC has grown significantly over the years and seems to be putting forth a lot of effort to bring their con to the next level. They had everything from media guests, vendors, live wrestling matches, and even the real BatCopter and BatMobile from the 60's TV show! There were certainly a few areas that could use some improvement, but overall I'm glad I went and I'm definitely looking forward to next year!

Is There Really Room for Self Love in Cosplay?

(Photo: CosCouture and Titan Cosplay)

Cosplay is a huge piece of the fandom pie. From once-a-year-at-Con cosplayers, to those who travel hundreds of miles every year to cosplay all around the Country, to sneaky cosplayers who construct costumes so subtle they can be worn to work, cosplayers (it seems) are everywhere. Some view cosplay as a way to embody their favorite characters and to bring their inner warrior or hero or evil genius out. Some just love the art of creating elaborate costumes and intricate armor pieces. Some revel in the spotlight and the attention they receive while wearing the costume of a beloved character. Whatever their reasons, cosplayers are generally a dedicated and creative bunch of people. Given, however, that the basic idea of cosplay is to dress up as a character (often from a comic book, video game, cartoon, etc.), and that many characters are drawn with a very specific, exaggerated, and sexualized physique, is cosplay really an area of fandom that fosters self love and body acceptance?

For me, this question came up when I found and shared this "breastplate" contraption to a social media cosplay group I'm a member of:

Chewbacchus Part Two: The Parade-er-ing

Peter & Angie Mayhew in Chewbacchus (Photo: NOLA.com)

Last week I took you on a backstage tour of the geekiest Mardi Gras parade around, The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus (check it out here). This time, I'm bringing you photos from the parade itself as it rolled down the streets of New Orleans delighting the masses. With the great Wookie himself, Peter Mayhew, and his lovely wife Angie at the forefront (followed closely by Andy Richter from the Conan show) the walking parade wound along a nearly 4 mile route filled with enthusiastic fans and revelers hoping to snag some nerd swag and snapping endless photos. Follow along for some of the photos of my favorite Mardi Gras parade, and one hell of a block party!

The Mardi Gras Parade No Geek Should Miss

It's Mardi Gras season here in New Orleans, which means tourists, traffic, king cakes, endless renditions of Mardi Gras Mambo, and (of course) parades. If you're a geek in New Orleans celebrating Mardi Gras and don't go to the Chewbacchus parade, you're doing it wrong. Period. No excuses. Seriously, even Peter Mayhew himself rides in this geek parade.

If you've been paying attention, you've heard me go on about Chewbacchus before; well, here's where I explain exactly why this relatively new parade has been growing by leaps and bounds every year and has a distinctly cult-like following (more on the cult thing later). Read on as I go on an exclusive tour of the parade's "den" (where many of the contraptions are created and stored), introduce a brand new sub-krewe, and give you guys a sneak peek of some of the awesome, hand-made stuff you'll see rolling down the parade route on Saturday (including some fabulous throws to look out for):

A New Year is Coming; Time to Hate Yourself!

Calvin and Hobbes shaped the majority of my childhood.

Now that the holidays are coming to an end, and the New Year is fast approaching, the yearly onslaught is upon us. Every year, around this time, we are subjected to more and more ads telling us just how unhappy we are and promising that their products will make us complete and healthy members of society. I'm referring, of course, to the tradition of making New Year's Resolutions and the insane amounts of adverts aimed at subtly nudging us into making them by promising to help us actually keep them.

While spending less money, eating better, exercising more, and falling in love (because deciding you're going to fall in love with someone at some point in the next 365 days is a super healthy goal, and not at all one of the fastest ways to prematurely jump into a bad relationship) were among the Top 10 list of resolutions, according to a study by the University of Scranton on Statistics Brain, the #1 New Year's Resolution for 2014 was to lose weight. That's about as disheartening as it is unsurprising. We have been conditioned to hate ourselves, and that is super sad. Here's the thing: You wanna be more healthy? Great! Be more healthy. There, done. You don't need the pressure of media and adverts to make you hate yourself as motivation to change how you look. No one needs that. It's not inspirational, it's cruel. If you really feel like you need to make a New Year's Resolution, resolve to learn to love yourself for who you are, to be more kind, donate more of your time to those in need, to learn something new, or to simply be more thankful for what you have instead of focusing on what you want. This may all sound like a bit of New Age, hippy, after-school special rubbish, but I'm of the opinion that if you're going to bother to make resolutions then you may as well make them count. Personally, I don't think you need to make any resolutions. You can certainly chose to change something about yourself that you're not 100% proud of, but you can do that at any time of year. So, despite all the adverts subtly telling you all of the ways you're not perfect, and how much you should change to meet the standards of other people you'll likely never meet, I leave you with one of the greatest memes ever created. Any time you begin to feel down about yourself, take a look at this fantastic piece of motivational support, crack a smile, and go on about your day, you brilliant, sexy beast, you!

Super Great

Holiday Break Is In Full Swing!

Happy Holidays from She-Geeks!!

No real post this week as the holidays have drained me, but I'd like to wish all of my readers a very Happy Holidays!! Whatever you celebrate (even if it's nothing at all), I hope you all enjoy this festive time of year in your own, geeky way!!

This was the geekiest Yule greeting I could find :( The Solstice needs some more geek love!

 

My Dream Kitchen is Star Wars Themed

I love cooking. I love baking. I love throwing dinner parties (though the general consensus is that they will, in fact, be the death of me one day). I am a big 'ole fan of Dance Cooking in particular.

Yep, that's me and my favorite spatula.

Basically, the kitchen is where I largely find what little zen I can. It should come as no surprise then, that my kitchen is the room I most often dream about giving a badass makeover. I have a lovely vision of a posh, clean-lined oasis with a country sink, subway tile accent wall, simple but spacious cabinetry, and hammered copper fixtures. Truly, it's going to be glorious when I win the lottery and can finally afford to remodel the room where the cookies come from.* 

Just because my vision would put the studio kitchens on The Food Network to shame, however, doesn't mean it wouldn't also be a geek haven. Oh, no! One of the best things about being an adult (aside from eating dessert for breakfast or breakfast for dinner), is being able to express your geek love however much or little you may want. So, in addition to being classy as hell, my dream kitchen is also Star Wars themed, because I can. Here are my top 10 items to keep your geek kitchen chic whether you're on the Death Star or a Rebel Base:

Get Your Nerd Groove On

I adore music. All kinds of music, from Tchaikovsky to Bad Religion and from Kate Miller-Heidke to Tech N9ne. What I also love is when people get super clever, and super nerdy, with their music (be it an original or a parody). So, here are just a few of my favorite nerdy songs from my music library: