This is it, folks. The last day of 2012. I've seen some folks on the Social Media proclaiming "Thank God!" or "Worst Year Ever!" but I'm just not feeling that.
Why am I not feeling that? Well heck, let's go down the list.
First, I still have a healthy family. The Geekling is pushing 4 years old, and Shannon is pushing towards her goal weight. Me, while I'm not as healthy as I like, I've gone another year without smoking, and I'm down about 20 pounds from where I started at the beginning of the year. I've used my bicycle a little bit, and I've put some miles on my Nike + Watch.
Blog wise, I put close to 200 posts up on here over 2012, some of which were worth reading. Not the 300 I was shooting for, but a promotion at work cut into my writing time, but I believe it's still respectable. On the Geeking in Indiana front, while I did get rid of my self-hosted site, I have migrated everything over to Blogger, attached the domain name, and have it ready to go starting in 2013.
Event wise, I got to do a lot of really cool things this year. Some of the highlights were:
Finally, meeting countless new folks through Social Media. I mean, seriously, a lot of awesome people. I don't even want to try listing all of them, because I'm afraid I'll forget some. Just a lot of great people.
2012 was not a bad year for this guy, and 2013 is looking awesome as well. I'm not going to be posting as much this coming year, but I still have a plan. Tomorrow, I will be posting up some of my plans and ideas for 2013. Not resolutions, because resolutions are destined to fail. These are plans and goals. Things that I intend to accomplish next year.
Happy New Year, folks. In the words of @BgKahuna, "Be Awesome."
Tony Troxell
No, not one of those people who bite the heads off chickens. More of the current Geek. The kind of guy who dresses up in replica movie costumes on nights other than Halloween. The kind of guy who loves tossing dice at a table with his friends that have more than 6 sides. The kind of guy who will read webcomics late into the night on my phone, instead of sleeping.
Like I said, I've said all this before. I've written about attending conventions, costumes I've worn, working in Hollywood, the full nine yards. I have a Geekling that refuses to blink when she looks at a stone angel, and loves playing with her Daddy's stuffed X-Wing Fighter.
I'm a Geek.
I'm a Geek that has finally started getting the ball rolling on his dream blog.
I have finally just completely nuked the Wordpress blog, and in the meantime, I'm working within the constraints of Google's Blogger platform. Yes, the same platform that this blog is written on. So far, I think I'm making it work, but we'll see.
So, what I've finally started back up is my Geeking in Indiana blog. This is a blog about being a Geek in Indiana. Shops to visit, events and conventions to attend, and just different Geeky things I've done around here. Yeah, sometimes it'll be about events out of Indiana, but 98% will be based inside our wonderful state's borders. So far, I've uploaded most of my review posts from the old Wordpress blog, and I'm working on editing and updating those posts, as well as putting up new content.
Not only do I have that, but I have the Indiana Geeking Twitter Feed that I'm updating a bit more regularly. I'll be using that feed to whore out new posts, as well as interacting with friends and fellow geeks using less than 140 characters.
I've also got a Facebook Page for the blog. It's another place that I'll be posting about new articles, as well as talking about upcoming events, conventions, and other things of Geek Interest happening around the area.
For those who love it, I've got a Google Plus page that I've started, as well. I know I have some friends on the Plus, so feel free to add me to your Circles.
Finally, I've also got a map. Yes, a frakkin' GOOGLE MAP listing every place I've found on my web searching, thumbing through phone books, and driving around. The Map is being tagged as I review places with a link to the blog, and will hopefully be a good reference for my fellow geeks.
You know, I'm used to going out of Thanksgiving Weekend into the month of December. Is anyone else a bit thrown off with the 1st not coming until Saturday? Oh well.
This time of year stresses me out to no end. I've got a Geekling who thinks that everything she sees on television and goes "I want it!" will be brought to her by Sandy Claws on Christmas morning. Yes, Sandy Claws. She loves "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and has been quoted as saying, upon seeing a fat, jolly Santa, "That not Santa, Jack Santa!" Anyway, trying to gently let her know that there isn't a snowball's chance that Santa will be bringing her Gak is only met with tears and screaming, so I'm still working on that.
On top of that, our office hasn't moved yet, and we're still behind the Fashion Mall at Keystone. That makes traffic... fun. I am having to go out of the way, and come through the back entrance to the office park, to actually make it to work on time. And this is when I leave an hour early. Mall traffic just gives me anxiety, that's all there is to it. Probably comes from having spent 10 of the last 14 Christmas season's working retail.
Gift buying is also fun. I've got Shannon taken care of, and I think the Geekling is pretty good, but what about my brother and his family? My parents? The in-laws? Yeah, I'm looking at handmade presents. Well, I am for everyone but the nephews, because how can you explain to a six and three year old why they aren't getting a toy from their Aunt and Uncle? Yeah, you can't. I'm sorry. Everyone else will understand, I hope.
Holidays are just a time of stress and struggling with money. Yeah, I know this is a downer topic, but I can't be all Unicorn Farts and Rainbows, I'm sorry. The holidays are times of the type of stress that I won't put out there for anything, but stress none the less. They are times where I really wish I could get 4 or 5 extra jobs so I could buy people gifts from Dollar Tree and still be able to afford to eat and pay the other bills. It's the time where I start stressing about the extra 70 miles a week I'm driving because my workplace hasn't moved during the time frame that I thought we would be moving, so my budget has been thrown off. It's the time of year that we're hitting websites that offer Amazon Gift Cards as perks heavily so we can get a little extra scratch.
I know that I shouldn't be so materialistic, and feel like I need to be giving store bought trinkets to everyone that's related to me in some way, but I do. These are people who always support me, in their own way. They slip me gas money, they buy me lunch or dinner. They give an encouraging word, or they let me know when I'm being a putz. These are people that always give to me, and yet I can never afford to give anything back.
So, if you see me posting, asking if it's January yet, there you go. I'll make it, I'll try not to be moody, but it happens. I'll just try to keep it off of here.
Sometimes, I just sit here and stare. I stare at the same websites over, and over, and over. Refresh The Twitter and The Book of Face to see if anything is new. There are times that I'll even check Google Plus, that's how bored I get.
Motivation is a tough thing for me. I admit it. I can either get up in the morning and go for a walk, try to get some exercise and lose weight, or I can spend the morning with the Geekling before work. I can hit the gym after work, or I can haul my fat bum home to spend with Shannon. I could sit here and stare at a screen, trying to figure out what to write so I can disappoint people who visit, or I can watch Grumpy Cat videos on YouTube. I can try to figure out what's up with my Wordpress stuff, or I can get distracted by online contests that I probably won't win.
In fact, I'm getting distracted by one right now.
Seriously, if I went to a doctor, I'd probably be diagnosed with adult ADD... ADD is Attention Deficit Disorder, and not Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, right? Okay, cool.
Tonight is really bad. I think it's because I've actually found some direction to my Wordpress issues, I have some tasks I'm trying to get done online, and I'm listening to Reel Big Fish on Spotify. I just can't focus. So, I'm switching to Mumford and Sons and we'll see how that goes.
Anyway, this week is Thanksgiving, and then this weekend is the weekend where I don't care HOW cheap a TV is, I'm not leaving the house and going around ANY form of retail. I enjoy the fact that my place of employment gives me Thursday and Friday off, paid, so I don't have to go out into the mad rush.
In the meantime, I need to start planning. Planning some more blog posts, planning my steps on Wordpress, planning on how to get my bum out there and become less of a fatarse.
Planning on how not to be a rambling mess on here.
Til tomorrow,
Tony
Don't you love it when you have a plan? You've had a long weekend at work, and you are looking forward to a relaxing bike ride with friends on a nice, cool evening?
You pull out your bike from the storage shed/closet where it was put when you moved into your new apartment and give it the once over. All the lights work, the fender strut that snapped off doesn't cause the fender to rub against the tire, so no harm, no foul. The tires are full, the seat is still positioned correctly, so you load it up into the car and go about your business for the rest of the day.
At a quarter 'til six that evening, you find the trail head for the Monon at 96th Street, and pull into a spot, glad to see your friends. You walk over, say hi, then unload your bike and helmet, standing around and talking waiting for everyone else to show up. Once everyone arrives, some self-shot photos are taken, and everyone saddles up and goes on their way.
Dang, you feel like you're totally out of shape. You immediately start lagging behind, and your friends have to wait for you ever half mile or so. You didn't think you got THAT out of shape, but you're determined to keep up.
Finally, close to 2 miles into a 12 mile ride, you decide to check something when you catch up to them, again. You reach down and squeeze the front tire, and your finger pushes in to touch the rim. Leaning back, you check the rear tire, and it's the same situation.
You just rode almost 2 miles on flat tires.
It was a lovely solo walk back pushing the bike, and I'll be checking it out this weekend to make sure I didn't damage the wheels.
For some reason, biking is not a good friend of mine. It never really ends well. Oh well, maybe next time, I'll be able to keep up better with actual air in my tires.
So, The Twitter has this hashtag thing that people do called #FollowFriday, or #FF for short, because those 140 characters are a precious commodity. I sometimes do those, sometimes I don't, but it got me thinking about today's blog post and what to write about.
Why don't I do my own Follow Friday for my friend's blogs?
I have a decent amount of friends who write blogs, so let's give them a little love on here.
So, for today's post, I shall start my first #BlogFollowFriday, and this will NOT shorten to #BFF.
Today, I'm going to be a wee bit self-serving, but just a tiny bit because it's a nice segue into this recommendation. You remember how I mentioned that I wrote a guest post last weekend, and that's what prompted me to write again? Oh, you don't? Well, read it. I'll wait.
Are we good? Then let's move on.
Anyway, if you are not familiar with the man, the myth, the legend that IS the BgKahuna, I'm wondering what's wrong? The guys is regionally famous in anywhere from 1.25 to 4.25 zip codes, and those regions might be located in Japan. Who knows, though? It's all part of the myth. He is rumored to be part-Cat Lady, part Unicorn Trainer, but still 100% Pure Awesome. He is a father, a husband, a clown, and a caring individual. He loves his bacon and his Trader Joes Beer, and he honestly believes it when he tells you that "You can donut!"
And he has a pretty nifty blog at BgKahuna.com. It's a wonderful little slice of Kahuna where he showcases his photography, cool things he does with his family, his thoughts, and his "There's Nothing To Do In Indy" posts, which is what I guest wrote for.
So, today's #BlogFollowFriday is the blog for BgKahuna. Check it out.
Movember: Day 15. I'm almost feeling a "Weird Al" vibe here.
If you haven't heard of Movember, then you honestly haven't come here from either my Twitter Feed, my Facebook page, or my Google + Page. It seems that many of my friends, not only here in Indiana but also around the country, are growing out their upper lip to either look like a creep, or try to raise awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer and testicular cancer. Face it, we have so much awareness for the ta ta's, what about the, well, man parts?
Yeah, there was really no tasteful way I could come up with to put that, and since I try to keep it clean here, I gotta protect my brand, so I avoided any "nuts" jokes.
Moving on.
The idea is that, starting November 1st, you start with a clean shaven face, and grow a moustache. You also register with the Movember Website, download the app to your phone, and attempt to raise money towards research.
I've actually been clean shaven for a few months now, to go with the bald head, but I figured that it's a good cause, so I joined up with the team for Do It Indy, and got to a growing. Now, here I am, 15 days in, kind of looking like, well, I have two weeks of pathetic moustache growth. I know that by the end of the month, I won't have any epic handlebar or anything like that, but there it is.
So, with today's post, I would like to ask for your help. Please visit my donation page and drop a little bit in for me, or the team. Every little bit helps.
So, lately I've been looking at here, feeling like I NEED to put something up. Obviously, however, I haven't been able to. I just... I honestly don't know why. I could probably put excuses up like I've been working a lot, or that when I'm not at work, I'd rather be spending time with my family. Either way, not much has been happening on ANY of the blog fronts.
However, today, I saw this comic strip posted up on the always awesome "The Oatmeal" webcomic site. It touches on content creation, and specifically touching on creating content for the web. Now, this creator actually creates for a living, as do many of the people I follow on Social Media, some of which follow me back. Heck, they might even subject themselves to the torture of reading this blog every once in a while. I don't know. However, I know a lot of them would understand that comic, so I made sure to share it.
It also got me thinking about these blogs again. I haven't touched this one in over a month. The blogspot for Indiana Geeking is pretty dead, since I haven't been able to go out and do anything, and have only been inspired by the recent acquisition of Lucasfilm, LTD. by the Walt Disney Company. I'm at a total loss on what to do with the ACTUAL Geeking In Indiana site, so I'm trying to work on that. Finally, I've actually got my family back, so I am planning and working on some short articles for the Troxell Pack site.
Anyway.
Lately, it seems that all I've been creating on here is excuses why I'm not creating anything.I didn't realize how rusty I had let myself get until over the weekend, a friend asked if I wanted to pen a short guest blog post for his "Nothing To Do In Indy" section of his blog. Since this is an awesome friend (seriously, look at the links to the right of this post. See the BgKahuna Blog? Visit it. Awesome.) that does awesome things on line, I was honored and excited to help contribute to his blog. At least, I was until I sat down to write the post. That's when I realized I was out of practice.
I'm getting back on the horse, I'm going to try to get posts out more regularly again, get myself geared up to create content for other places as well.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll feel this way, and I'll have something up here other than excuses.
Yeah, I guess this has taken a back seat to life, hasn't it?
I'm still here, and I'm still surprised that I have anyone else here too.
Life has just been nuts the last few weeks. The promotion has been great, and I'm on my first evening of flying solo as I sit here and write this, but my writing time has been sorely diminished. I'm at work most of the day, filling my brain with knowledge that I have forgotten, or plain didn't know, and then go home exhausted from learning it all. Add in events like Pie Wars, seeing friends, setting up an apartment move, getting things ready for my family's return from California, and I'm just not writing as much as I used to.
However, what this means, at least in my head, is that after the first 200 posts, I'm going to stop focusing on quantity and looking at quantity. Actually fleshing out thoughts and writing about them, as opposed to trying to scrape up something every day, or every other day, to put up. I guess one can say I'm still trying to find out what this blog's voice, what MY voice, is out here. In the words of Spencer Sokol, I'm "Just stupid enough" to believe it.
My major focus now, however, is getting Geeking in Indiana back up. First step is remembering how to get the domain name re-attached to the little sub-blog, so it's up and out there. I figure that, as long as it's hidden and not available, I have no incentive to work on it. If it's out there, and available for the public to see, then pride will make me work on it and focus a bit more. I really like the idea, but I keep coming up with excuses. The excuses need to end.
For those who are hanging with me, thank you. I'm not sure WHY you are, but thank you. As always, keep your eyes open for me on The Twitter, and make sure to check out "The Pony Hour" podcast from my friends @BgKahuna and @TheJoshMalcak. Disclaimer: I have yet to see a Pony, and they are normally well under an hour. Seriously, "Like" their page on The Book of Face.
Take it easy, folks. I'll see ya when I've got something to say. Tony
I might not have been a fan of it at the time, but being school aged wasn't all bad. My brother and I would get off the bus at the end of the day, grab a snack and watch after school cartoons, and then do homework in our rooms before, and sometimes after dinner with our mom and dad.
Okay, sometimes I'd fake the homework thing, but let's not ruin this image, okay?
The point is, this was a normal thing for us, and we didn't think twice about it. Not once did it go through our child minds that there were kids who didn't have a home to go to, but a shelter. That there were kids who wanted to learn, but had no desk of their own to study at, or pens to write with, or even clean sheets of paper to write on.
Indy School on Wheels thought about that, though. They saw that there were more than 3,000 homeless children in the city of Indianapolis, and in 2001 they started visiting homeless shelters to help these kids with tutoring and support for these kids who might not be seeing that bright of a future in front of them.
I'm a father, and I've been right on the verge of homelessness myself before. I would never want the Geekling to have to grow up thinking that nobody cared enough to even give her basic tools for school so she could better herself. To have to go to class without a backpack, or other supplies. So when my Social Media friends started talking about doing a fundraiser for them, I had to lend a hand.
Thanks to some good friends at the local Half Price Books, I was able to get them some of the books on their Wanted list, namely two sets of Harry Potter Novels. Then, last weekend, after hearing that Target had put their Back to School supplies on deep clearance, I was able to get my folks to hit some of the Targets around Anderson and Muncie, and ended up with a good load of stuff for them from that.
The haul. Hopefully gonna help some folks out.
On top of this, on this coming Monday, we are going to hold "Pie Wars: The Pastry Strikes Back" with all proceeds going to benefit this outstanding group! Pie Wars is going to be a pie competition/opportunity to eat pie and hang out with great people. Being held from 6PM to 9PM at the Indianapolis City Market, this has the makings of a great event, and I know I will be there. For the competition, I'm planning on making a Bavarian Cream Donut Pie, which is what happens with Donut Jokes go too far on The Twitter. For general consumption, since Marion County Health Codes prohibit home made pies, I am planning on seeing what Concannon's in Muncie might have that is very tasty.
Sorry, I'd go for a bakery in Indy, but I only know Marsh. Muncie/Anderson/New Castle is where I grew up.
So anyway, click on the banner above to pre-register for the event through Eventbrite. Hurry, because time is running out! And once you've done that, if you like, please think to check here to see their Wish List of what they need most to help these children.
Help Indy School on Wheels. Children should be free of these kinds of worries.
Avast, mateys! This here be the Nineteenth Day of September, which means it's Talk Like A Pirate Day!
Okay, seriously, it is actually International Talk Like a Pirate Day today. So, instead of my planned Workout Wednesday blog post about the Nike + Sportwatch GPS, instead I'm going to show you some pirate pictures.
Yes, pirate pictures. More specifically, of a pirate bathroom.
That's right, a pirate bathroom. This was above the toilet.
We purchased a house back in 2006, and the bathtub in the guest bathroom never worked quite right. Plus, the previous occupant had absconded with the curtain rod for the shower curtain, and we really didn't feel like messing with it. So, what does a pair of creative geeks with no children and a lot of collectibles do?
Yeah, that's right. We went there. And he's RIGHT beside you when you're
going to the bathroom. Staring at you.
Shannon had a pirate costume, and we had some stuff from Pirates of the Caribbean, so this happened. Above the toilet was a pirate-esque sign and a pair of sconces that we found at TJ Maxx that perfectly fit the bathroom. In the bathtub went a cheap skeleton with some parts of Shannon's costume, and a treasure chest made by a good friend of mine, Andy Bowman. We would also swap things around in there from time to time, adding skulls, small props, and coins, although the skeleton always stayed, to remind you that dead men tell no tales Disney lawyers watch everything and take no prisoners.
Some people put lighthouses and fancy soaps. We had a skull and a ship.
Around the sink we had a light up halloween pirate ship, nautical type... things, and a skull with cursed Aztek gold. Later on, we had lights above the mirror put in that matched the theme, along with a towel bar and toilet paper holder that looked closer.
It was one of those things that, given the time, we probably could have gone all out with, but life took us in a different direction, and the pirate bathroom and our house is just part of our history now.
Yes, that sword was real.
But at least we could say we had a cutlass in our bathroom. That's something, right?
Enjoy your day, have fun, and I'll see you on Friday, ya scurvy dogs!
Last week was my first week moving from Front Desk/Receptionist to Supervisor at Ye Olde Place of Employment. I was thinking that it wouldn't be too bad. I just wouldn't be able to type up blog posts in the morning at the Front Desk. No biggie, I type them the night before, and schedule them the next morning, right? Well, not exactly.
Sunday night went okay, I put a post up that updated Monday morning. However, no scheduled Tweets went out for it. Eh, no biggie. However, come Monday night, brain was toast. Broken. It was like that the rest of the week, as well. I would get off work, come home, make dinner, then crawl into bed and either read a book, or watch Star Trek: Deep Space Nine on Netflix until I passed out.
No blogging. No Twitter. Nothing.
Then, on top of that, I've been spending my whole shift in the Supervisor office, at my desk, learning paperwork, doing supervisory things, and re-learning the client. With the exception of Monday, I haven't been able to do my walks around the lake, and even though I'm now fitting in pants that haven't fit me in three years (!) I'm feeling myself getting softer around the middle again.
Now, I know this is important. I need to get this stuff down, so the rest of the supervisor team can stop covering for the missing supervisor/trainee supervisor. However, I need to also focus on what's important to ME, and since my family is STILL out of town, that is my blogs, and my exercise.
This weekend, I was going to work on them all again, but I was invited out to my folks place to help with some minor tech troubleshooting, and to try to get some supplies for Indy School on Wheels. So, while I wasn't able to get any walking or writing done, I was able to procure a bunch of supplies for this organization, so I'm marking that down as a win. So, I get home, schedule some tweets for a couple of friends, and then I sit down to write.
As I'm working on this post, I get pulled away for a few hours by the ever-awesome @BgKahuna and @TheJoshMalcak to help with their podcast, @ThePonyHour. (Edited that sentence because I've been informed that Prima Donna Kahuna never gets second billing ) Yeah, I get to play "Cameraman Tony" for them, helping run the recorder and occasionally cracking wise for them. It's a good time, and I love those guys to death, but it really set me back on this. I'm not complaining, though, because hanging around them really energizes me, and it's given me the energy to get this done.
So, this week. I'm back to a blog post every day. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I'll be posting here, and Tuesday and Thursday I'll be posting on Geeking in Indiana. I'm going to be stepping out of the office for a walk around the lake every day, if for no other reason than keeping my sanity and walking off these french fries I had for dinner.
Wish me luck this week, folks. Writing, exercising, hopefully doing some light cleaning, and re-wiring my "entertainment center" are all on the docket for this week.
Good day, everybody! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I know mine was spent writing, and walking, and doing various sundry items before a new exciting work week full of training, new toys, and a metric ton of new responsibilities!
So during the Colts game yesterday, I was reminded and how little time I have left in this apartment, and how much I do NOT want to move into another apartment when this lease is up. I won't go into details, but if you read my stuff on the Book of Face you will have seen a rather blunt/foul mouthed rant from me about my neighbors.
But anyway.
I'm still in a rut on apartment/house hunting. Everyplace is EXPENSIVE. I mean, I got a modest boost in pay when I got the bump up at work, but I don't want to blow it just finding a new place to live!
I guess I am asking a lot though. Looking for a rental house/duplex, not apartment, that is child friendly with an in-unit washer and dryer, in a neighborhood around that area where I don't feel like my car is going to get broken into, or my family will get robbed.
Hey, I've worked in that area, and I've had a store manager robbed, and I've had to deal with countless groups of shoplifters and thugs threatening me as I kicked them out. I am not a fan of that area, especially the farther into the loop you get on Michigan, and that is not where I want to bring my wife and daughter.
I would really like to thank @CS_indy for location's that he's text me over the last few weeks, and I need to head over to check them out.
However, does anyone else have any advice? Perhaps a realtor? Do they help with finding rental properties? I'm sure it's gotta be better than the scam artists on Craigslist.
I'll see you all on Workout Wednesday, and wish me luck this week! Tony
Good day, everybody! I hope your week went well! I know mine has gone pretty awesome, but unfortunately it’s the type of awesome that I really can’t write about on here, so we’ll just suffice to say that it was a good awesome, and an awesome that is going to require some change of priorities.
First, I’m not going to have as much time to write any more. I’m still going to have spare time at home, at least until the family comes back from California, but my free time at the old workplace is becoming extinct. This does not bother me, however, as I’d rather earn my paycheck than spend time writing for personal projects.
Yeah, I know, I’m a bit weird like that.
In addition, I’m no longer working in the morning, but after a training period, I’ll be working in the evenings. Sadly, this means that my lunch time walks around the lake might be nearing an end. However, it DOES mean that I’ll be able to hit the fitness center with the evening crew after work, so I’ll be active, and hopefully be a bit more social as well.
Plus, this position pays more as well. This means that, on my time off, I might be able to attend things that I have not won tickets for, but I have, in fact, actually PAYED to attend! I’m just not going to be able to hit events on a Friday night, or one weekend a month.
And, as an added bonus, I’m ending up with an iPhone and a company provided laptop. I was SO tempted to go for the Samsung Galaxy S3, but since I have an Android phone, and part of my new position includes familiarity with iOS, then I figured it might be wise to get one.
So in short, it looks like I’ve got a new routine to work out, and I’m going to be relying a lot on scheduling posts.
Good day, everybody! Happy Wednesday that probably feels like a Tuesday, thanks to the Labor Day holiday and the short work week!
You know, unless you work retail, then it feels like some weird day that’s not on the calendar. Yeah, I used to be a register jockey. I know how it is, and I know how you feel.
Today, I’m going to do a bit on my quest for fitness and losing weight. When I say “quest” I guess what I really mean is “This thing I start, and then stop, and then realize I’m a fool for stopping and start again, and then blow out a knee or ankle and stop, and then whine about on social media, and then…” I’ve seriously tried not to do that, and only post when I’ve got something going on.
View of the lake as I make my way down to the path surrounding it.
Well, over the past few weeks, I’ve learned that there is a path leading around a lake just beside our office. Yes, I understand that I’ve worked here for two years, and while I’ve heard of people taking a walk around the lake, I thought they were taking the roads, or walking in the grass, which was not appealing to me. Yet, when I looked out the window one day, I saw what looked to be a sidewalk, so I went out to explore.
It turns out that there is a concrete path around the lake. If I do one lap around it, and then back to the office, it’s about 1.41 miles. If I do two laps, and then come back to the office, it’s about 2.45 miles. Needless to say, as long as it’s below 85 degrees, and not raining, I’m walking around that lake during my lunch hour, instead of stuffing my face. I’m not really pushing myself on these walks, averaging a 15:30-16 minute mile, because I have to be back in an office for a few hours when I’m done, and I don’t need to be too ripe or sweaty. I like it because it’s nicer than just walking on a treadmill, there is actual scenery to look at, I’m getting a bit of sun on my bald noggin, and it just plain gets me out of the office building for a little bit. The down side is, I’m wearing through pants and underwear a bit faster than usual, along with wearing down the tread on my shoes.
In addition to that, I’ve also been watching my intake. Normally, breakfast is just a protein shake with my morning vitamins. Honestly, this holds me over pretty well through the lunch hour and the rest of the day, so I’m not tempted to hit the vending machines for some treats after the walk. I get home, and I make something decent like meat and veggies, and I don’t make a ton of it. I don’t even make enough for leftovers the next day, as I might then be tempted to go ahead and eat it all that night. Because of this, I have some pretty bare cupboards, I have a craving for salty treats that I just ignore, and I swear I was smelling and craving Long John Silver’s a few nights ago, because I’ve been avoiding deep friend items like the plague.
Because of the past few weeks, I’ve actually dropped from 269.9 to 258.8 lbs. I started keeping track after GenCon weekend, when I chowed down too often on items from The Ram and Scotty’s Brewhouse, and it also includes me cheating and trying the fine treats at Dig IN last weekend. I’m pretty happy with those results. I’m not losing a ton of weight fast, but that’s not the ultimate goal, is it?
View across from the .65 mile mark. I work in the taller building on the right, the one that looks like a brick attached to a silver Pringles can.
My ultimate goal isn’t to run marathons, or 5K’s, or anything like that. My ultimate goal is to feel better, and be able to keep up with the Geekling and her endless energy reserves. I want to weigh less than I did in High School, which was 235 lbs. I want to fit into my old pants, which I like, and then have those old pants not fit me anymore.
I’m not the only one in my group of friends that is feeling this way. Over the course of the past year, Shannon has dropped over 130 lbs, and is still fighting to lose a bit more before starting to work out. I think she’s fighting to achieve her dream of being a Roller Derby girl. I know that the Clown Prince of Indy Social Media, @bgkahuna, is also on a weight loss quest, as shown here. Those are the top two I’m thinking of, though I know I have many, MANY friends both on Social Media, work, and real life that are looking to drop a pound or three.
I’ve tweaked what I’ve been using as well, to keep track of my miles, and I’ll let you know about that on Friday. Many of these are social, so if you want to friend me, feel free!
Before I go, I’d like to remind everyone that I’m still updating blogs daily, I’m just updating a different blog on Tuesday and Thursday. If you want to see some of my more Geek-related blog postings, please visit the Geeking In Indiana Blog, and make sure to follow the Indiana Geeking Twitter account for any updates, and Geek ramblings!
Today I'm going to do some musings on this labor. This blog. Yeah, I do this often. Feel free to move on, but I figured that today was a good day, since there is really nobody online anyway, since it's a day off work, and nobody needs to kill time and pretend that they're busy.
I've actually had *INSERT WITTY TITLE HERE* for a little under a year, but I really started using it in January of this year as a little personal challenge. Mainly, to see if I could actually keep going with a blog over the course of 2012. Personally, I don't think I'm doing too bad with this. This will be post 196 on this blog, which is about 160 more than I thought I was going to do.
Now, I apologize, because I know I've repeated myself sometimes. I sometimes joke about it, but I really am broken in the brainpan, and I will forget things. I will forget to wear pants, I will forget birthdays, and I will forget whether or not I've written on a topic. Sometimes, I will remember to go through my post list to see if it's something that I might have written on, but since I'm so vague on a lot of things, I can't always tell. Someday, I will figure out how to get all that documented so I can check it easier. Perhaps making better use of labels? I dunno, anyway.
One thing that DOES blow my mind is that people read this. Yeah, I know everybody says that, but seriously! This is what I like to call my "Vanity Blog." It's where I post things I do, things I like, and just random mental musings that, for some reason, I think people would want to read. I wasn't expecting anyone to read it. Hell, my PARENTS didn't even get the blog address until late last week.
And yet.
Last month, the month of August, I got 908 views on my website. Nine. Hundred. And. Eight. Yeah, that's only about 29-30 views a day, but I'm a blog about NOTHING. I'm not a daddy blog, I'm not a tech blog, I'm not a movie blog, I'm not a geek blog. I'm a Tony blog. I write about Tony things.
And about 30 people a day seem to want to read about Tony things.
I think that is equal parts awesome and intimidating. It makes me want to make the Tony things a bit more exciting than sitting here and reading books about Cast Member experiences at Walt Disney World. It makes me want to do more stuff like Dig IN, GenCon, and Fringe. No, it's NOT enough to make me want to do things like RibFest, or any of the races that this city is known for, but it DOES make me want to get out and do more. It makes me occasionally embarrassed about my wandering style, my occasional inability to make a point, or get to a point, or make any sense, or bacon pants.
Don't get me wrong, I don't do this blog for views, and trust me, you aren't making SQUAT financially with a blog like this, so it's obviously not about that. I just do this for fun, and sometimes it's fun to look at the number of people hitting your page, or the top search items that bring people here.
For the record? It's folks searching for "Indianapolis Comic Con." Seriously, Con organizers, get on this.
Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is Thank You.
Yes, you. I'm serious.
Thank you for visiting this blog, reading my disjointed ramblings, and sticking with this.
Thank you to my social media friends who click on the links that I post up, and sometimes comment, either on here or on the social media sites about what I write. You guys are awesome.
Thank you to my real life friends that sometimes stumble across this as well, be it on Google Plus or Facebook. Yeah, not many of my real life friends use Twitter.
I’ve said before, that I love food, but I am one lousy “foodie.”
If I am given something that looks delicious, it is not my first instinct to pull out my phone and take a picture of it to post on Filtergram or The Twitter. No, it is my first instinct to take said deliciousness and insert it into my face, so it can rest happily in my belly. Presentation is lost on me. I like food with flavor, and a lot of it. Now, with that being understood…
Dig IN: A Taste of Indiana is held at White River State Park on 08/26/2012 and it offers up samples of local foods made with local ingredients, local brews, and local wines. It is a fine time of food and fellowship, especially due to the social media presence. However, try as I might, I wasn’t able to score a set of tickets to this event via contest means, and since I’m still very tight financially, that was the only way I was going to be able to go. Oh well, such is life, right?
Well, along comes awesome bald man @CS_Indy who knew that I really wanted tickets to the event. He had happened to win some tickets himself, and he said he wanted to give them to me. After initially protesting, then being threatened by being “blocked for life,” he put the tickets in my name in “Will Call” and told me I was heading over. So on Sunday, I hopped into the Cardis and drove down to White River State Park.
I pulled in around 11:30 and had a lot of fun finding parking for the event. I finally asked directions, and was pointed to the underground parking garage by the Eiteljorg. After paying my $5, which isn’t bad for event parking, in my opinion, I hiked out of the garage and over to the event, which wasn’t really THAT far, but walking up a ramp heading out of a parking garage is a bit of a workout.
Arriving at the event, I found out that what we thought were standard passes were actually VIP Passes, which got you in at 11AM instead of the 12PM start time for the masses. Well, I grabbed my pass, took a look at the map/menu, and made a bee line to the item that I had been craving and desiring the most, before the crowds got there.
I need to learn how to take better photos, and to take them before I go "FOOD!" and dig in.
That’s right, it’s a slow cooked Bison Taco, filled with Indiana Pico, and a Goat Cheese Slaw, courtesy of J. Fords Steakhouse out of Terre Haute, IN. As you can tell, instinct kicked in as the taco has a big bite out of it before I took a picture.
Now, honestly, almost everything was a blur. That, right there, was my high point. It was what I was fixated on during my entire quest to attend this, and it was consumed well before the public even got there. Plus, I started out taking some photos and notes, and then I started running into friends, and my brain just went bye bye.
Walking Taco
Yeah, I’m just shy of 200 posts, and I still need to get the hang of this whole “blogging about events” thing and “people like pictures” thing. Sorry.
So anyway, after this, I do believe I grabbed a “Walking Taco” from Goose the Market/Smoking Goose. This was a taco in a bag that you got to assemble yourself, choosing your own toppings and salsa and the like. Then, when you were finished, there was a pork rind in the bottom. I don’t know why, but that’s what everyone was talking about. Me, I just thought, “Oh, a pork rind. Cool.” CRUNCH. Anyway, it was tasty, but the bag was falling apart before I had the chance to finish it, so I couldn’t enjoy the whole thing. Everybody else was raving about it, however, and the line quickly swelled to Disneyland-like proportions soon after the event opened. Goes to show what I know about food, right?
To complete what I like to call my “Taco Trilogy,” I also hit the Joseph Decuis booth for what they called a “Wagyu Tongue & Cheek Taco.” This was a VERY close second to my holy grail of the Bison Taco, with fresh jalapeno, a flavorful sauce, and… well, it was gone before I even though about getting my phone to grab a photo, or taking notes about it.
Other things that I consumed too quickly to get a photo of:
·Gourmet Cookies from Just Rennie’s. Large, thick cookies that were actually very light, and not heavy at all. Delicious, but I always question the wisdom of including Oatmeal Raisin as an option when there is Chocolate Chunk available.
·Chilled Peach Soup with Smoked Duck Salad from R Bistro. This is one of those items where I didn’t think about it, I just tried it. I’ve never had duck, and if I really thought about it, that combo with peach soup just wouldn’t sound that appetizing. However, luckily I didn’t think about it, so I tried it and I enjoyed it! Go me, and go R Bistro!
·Strawberry and Banana Soup from Second Helpings, complete with a bit of cookie. Very cool, very light, it was a breath of fresh air in the heavy, almost oppressive heat of the day.
·Great Organic Garden Gazpacho from Traders Point Creamery. Something else I’ve never tried before. So, is gazpacho like a very smooth salsa without the bite? That what I got from it. I liked it!
·Fermented Garden Kraut from Fermenti Artisan. Sadly, this did not sit well with me. I just was not able to stomach it. Just my personal preference, though. No fault of the chef!
With the heat, this was
the best beverage I had.
Another awesome thing was the alcohol. I tried beers from Mad Anthony Brewery (Summer Day Wheat I enjoyed, their lager just wasn’t my style) and the Flat Jack Pumpkin Ale from Flat 12 (I need this. Seriously. I need more of this in my life.) Oh, and the Indiana Wineries? I tried something from them all, and I was happy with what I had, although I was travelling with a crew that actually knew about wine, and I’m standing there, clutching my little tasting glass like a sippy cup, looking clueless and going “SO WHAT IS SWEET AND FRUITY AND DOESN’T TASTE LIKE GRAPES?”
For the record, it was often Blackberry. I like blackberry.
Finally, there was also the Social Media component, and the swag. There was a Tweet Up at 2:30PM, but I was also running into people well before then. I ran into Twinkle VanWinkle, Slick LaRoo, Robby Slaughter, Kathy Slaughter, Sara Croft, and Ed Trauma all before the place got too packed. Then, during the Tweet Up, I saw them all again, along with Ryan Puckett, Amber Recker, and others folks who, sadly, I did not catch the name of.
Pint glass, wine tasting glass, VIP Pass, on top of a T-Shirt.
After picking up some swag for myself, plus a Free T-Shirt for my most excellent provider of the tickets, I meandered off by myself. At this point, it was blessed hot, I’d been standing in direct sunlight since 11:30AM so I was getting VERY toasty, and it was packed. I mean, seriously sold out, tents shutting down because they were running out of food, packed. At this point, I wandered over to the cool tent, grabbed a bottle of water, then did a quick pass through the Artisan Section where I grabbed a Lemonade Marshmallow from 240 Sweet (Yum!) before heading out.
However, on the way out, I did remember to grab one last photo:
I sure will. However, I will make sure to have sunscreen, a VIP Pass, a plan, and I’ll remember to take more pictures.
Before I go, I will leave you with this little video. It was taken by Twitter Friend Slick LaRoo for an AWESOME local blog she reports for called DoItIndy. If you don’t read this, do so. They love the city, and it shows, letting you know all the events happening inside 465, and encouraging you to #BeUrban.
Seriously, visit their blog. They let me use this video, return the favor!
Tickets and... programs? Playbills? What's the preferred nomenclature?
I am not much of a live theater person. Sure, I did a couple shows of Godspell when I was in High School, and I’ve seen “Spamalot” at the Murat back in 1997, but past there I haven’t had much on my Radar. So I guess that is why Indy Fringe has never been on my radar.
According to their website, Indy Fringe started with a planning meeting back in 2001, when it was decided to bring a Fringe Festival to Indianapolis. It’s still going strong today, scattered throughout theaters along the Mass Ave. District on the Indianapolis East Side.
Now, like I said, this is the sort of thing that isn’t on my radar. When I say it’s not on my radar, I mean, at all. Sure, I’ll see friends post about it on The Twitter, but it’s not something I would think about attending. I’m not familiar with Mass Ave. besides MacNivan’s, Mass Ave. Toys, and catching the occasional Weird Al concert at the Murat. However…
An awesome friend from The Twitter had won VIP Tickets to the show, and was looking for people to attend shows with since her husband couldn’t hit them all with her. After some discussion, I found out that one of the shows caught my interest, so I headed downtown after work and, by some miracle, found parking near all the theaters on Mass Ave. and was able to figure out the electronic meters.
Yeah, I’m not the brightest bulb in the chandelier sometimes.
So, after meeting up with Rhi, and feeling like a creeper as I’m stalking her on one side of Mass Ave. as she’s walking down the other, calling me… “No, look to your right. Keep turning… too far. Back to your left.” Yeah, that wasn’t creepy at all. Anyway, after we got coordinated, the evening of entertainment begun with the first show, “Don’t Cross The Streams: A Cease and Desist Musical.” It's a show about a theater group in New Jersey that wants to put on a show based on the very popular 80's movie about a group of paranormal investigators. Just as they get started, WHAM! Hit by a C&D by good old Columbia Pictures, and insert hijinks here as they look to work around it.
If you EVER have a chance to see this musical, do so. The characters were great, and the person portraying Louis Tully did a DEAD ON Rick Moranis. The pacing was excellent, the changes they made were hilarious, and all in all, the geek in me was sucked in and the ADD was able to be ignored for an hour.
When that show let out, Rhi and I hauled ourselves over to the next show, "Imagine That." This show was a piece about a man, his imaginary girlfriend, his brother, and a counseling session. This piece was interesting, and while it had some comedic moments, it came off to me as a serious piece that, while still entertaining, didn't hold my attention as well. However, since I had been up since 6AM, I don't blame the artists as much as I blame my lack of caffeine and dropping blood sugar.
When they let out around 9, and after a futile attempt to find a quick bite to eat, we headed over to the last show, "And I Am Not Making This Up!" I have a feeling that I would have enjoyed this one a LOT more had I been awake. The stories and the performance were both interesting, but her voice was a bit too calm, the theater a bit too dark, and the seats a bit too comfy for someone who had been up all day. However, I did catch all of her show, which was entertaining. I just wish I had grabbed a nap during the day so I'd have been more attentive!
We finished up the night trying to find some food. We found some pub grub at the Mass Ave. Pub. Unfortunately, it was after the cooks had left, and our waitress wasn't too familiar with the menu or how to work the deep fryer. Luckily, it was I with the iron stomach who found the undercooked chicken, and was able to warn Rhi before she bit into a piece. Luckily, the next round of chicken was fully cooked, and the mozzarella sticks were decent, but when we saw another table get nachos, we were kinda bummed because, well, nachos are awesome.
Little mis-steps like that, and the lack of sleep aside, it was a great evening, and I'm glad Rhi put up with my tired arse. This is something I think I'm going to try to hit next year, making sure I'm well rested and more mentally prepared for live theater, especially for three back to back shows with totally different vibes.
Thanks again to Rhiannon for inviting me along and covering for the post-show snacks! I owe you and Kevin for this! I really appreciate it!
A good rainy morning to you all! Did we all have a great weekend? I know I did! Sure, I have blisters on my heels, and I’m sunburned, and I’m sore, but I regret nothing!
I had a lot going on this weekend, and I’m not going to write about it all today. In fact, today’s post is going to be rather short, to let you know what the plan is, starting this week.
Starting today, I’m going to be guaranteeing an update on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I might post on other days as well, and since I know most of my readers come from my Tweets, postings on The Book of Face and the Plussing of Google, I know you’ll catch everything just fine.Since I’m pushing 200 blog posts, I figure it’s okay for me to slow down for a little while so I can put some focus into other projects.
Those other projects are, namely, Geeking in Indiana. I’m going to start updating that on Tuesday and Thursday, starting tomorrow with reflections on GenCon, and what I did while I was there. This is how it’s going to be for the next few months, especially as I work to get the actual geekinginindiana.com and tokarrai.com websites up and running.
So, to run down, my plan for the week is:
·Tuesday on Geeking in Indiana: GenCon: A Social Event
·Wednesday on *INSERT WITTY TITLE HERE* - A Sampling of Indy Fringe 2012
·Thursday on Geeking in Indiana: GenCon Game Review: Big Bang Theory Party Game
·Friday on *INSERT WITTY TITLE HERE* - Dig IN: A Taste of Indiana 2012
Starting next week, we’re going to just follow a similar format. If I’ve done something cool, it’ll go up on this personal vanity blog. If I’ve done something Geeky, it’s going to go up on Geeking in Indiana. Also, when my family gets back, family activities will go up on The Troxell Pack.
First, I would like to thank everyone for their offers of help and information pertaining to yesterday’s post about trying to learn Wordpress and Gimp. And for frak’s sake, NO, Gimp is not “that leather bound creature from Pulp Fiction,” Mr. I Hate Bananas. It’s going to make learning this go a bit easier, and I really appreciate it.
This is going to be another full weekend. First, Keystone Crossing is going to have a Food Truck Block Party today from 11-2 in the parking lot just south of the 9000 building, and Tony is going to get himself some NY Slice. Also there is going to be the Scratch Truck, Scout’s Treats, Mac Genie, Nicey Treat, Der Pretzel Wagen, Byrne’s Grilled Pizza, Taco Lassi, Slider Station, and Duos. That’s a lot of tasty trucks in this complex. Then, this evening, after work, I’m heading down to Mass Ave. to catch a show at Indy Fringe. It’s something called “Don’t Cross The Streams: The Cease and Desist Musical” that a friend is bringing me to, and it looks to be interesting.
Saturday, I did win tickets to Linkin Park/Incubus through DoItIndy, but sadly I will not be able to make it to the show like I was hoping. Looking at my budget, the amount of money I have for gas, it’s just not in the cards. However, I have passed the tickets on to my little brother’s former college roomie, and someone who was another member of his wedding party, so I know that they are going to be enjoyed. And no, I did NOT take money for them. I won them, they were free, so I am NOT being bitten by Karma by taking money for them! So, Saturday will instead be used for cleaning, laundry, and relaxation. Oh, and trying to put GenCon thoughts on paper for Geeking in Indiana.
Sunday is Dig IN: A Taste of Indiana at White River State Park. You might remember how I was shooting to be a Gastronaut for that event. Well, while I was not chosen, I was given tickets by the ever awesome @CS_Indy, so I’ll be attending that on Sunday from Noon to 5PM. It has been asked that I represent the “Big Boi Balds” so I’m hoping I don’t bring shame and dishonor to that name, whatever it might be. I’m looking forward to an awesome day of local meals and beverages, meeting more social media people, hearing some good local music, and I see that they have something about “urban gardening” which I’m also very interested in, especially if they can cover things pertaining to apartment gardening.
Then Monday, it’s back to the office, and I try to start distilling the weekend into blog posts.
Have a great weekend, folks, and keep an eye open for my bald fat arse and say hi, if you want! Tony
Have you ever had those weeks that just seem to fly by? This has been one so far, but now that I’ve brought it up, and put it in writing, I have a feeling that Thursday is going to hit the emergency brake. Such is life, you deal with it, and move on. Besides, if the day feels like it’s going slower, that’ll give me more time to write, correct?
So, I was working on Geeking in Indiana last night, and I was working on my list of things that I need to get done. Every piece on that list is annotated with the need to learn how to do it. I need a banner image? I need to learn how to put one together in Gimp. I want static posts? My old theme isn’t available, so I need to put together a new one. Some of these will go up after I have the site back up. Some of these keep the site from going up. However, all of them I have to learn at some point.
I hate asking for help on these. I’ve actually brought it up to friends in the past, but I rarely follow through. Something like this is a skill, and it’s a skill that I need to learn. Asking others to do it for me isn’t going to help me if the site goes down again, and I’m not going to learn. Plus, since it IS a skill, it means that it’s something that people need to be compensated for when they help me. Even if they say they’re helping, this is their livelihood and I owe them something, at least in my head. However, I can’t offer anything more than limited free publicity, and that doesn’t put food on the table.I hate the phrase “It’ll look good in your portfolio!” because that’s the cop-out of someone looking for free work.
However, I AM going to ask for a little bit of free help here. I’m going to ask for some advice.
I’m working on the website using the current version of Wordpress. I’m working on photos using Gimp. If you have worked with either of these, what do you recommend as a good resource for study? What should I really learn to help out? Do you have any books that you recommend, or any websites that you keep bookmarked for reference?
Yes, I know that I could host these sites on the free Wordpress site, or on the Blogger site, but I like the thought of having room to grow, and of having control over my site. Unfortunately, control also means dealing with your own problems. However, I’m going to do what I can to work around them. It’s like home ownership vs. renting an apartment. It’s much more satisfying to own your own home, but it’s also more work.
I would like to apologize for the radio silence yesterday. I had to actually WORK at my job, and that took a lot of time out of my day. However, there was overtime involved, which is always appreciated, and I volunteered to help out, so you’re not going to hear me complain.
A few days ago my place of employment made some announcement about where our office is going to be. You might have heard it, and I’m not going to go into too much detail since I’m still trying to keep some semblance of separation between my job and my personal online life. However, it has been announced that our office will be moving from Keystone Crossing to 96th and Michigan Rd. in a few months. So, this has changed my moving criteria around a bit. Despite my desire to move near some of you awesome people on the East Side, in some of those beautiful historic neighborhoods, I’m just not sure about the advisability of driving from one corner of Indy to the opposite corner of Indy every day.
One major issue I’m having is that I am in no way familiar with that part of town. I don’t know what apartment complexes are good, what apartment complexes make The Cottages of Fall Creek look like a high end, luxury complex, and what neighborhoods are decent to find a small home to rent. I also have some co-workers and supervisors who are having these same questions. People who got apartments in the Castleton and Keystone area so they were close to the office, and now are looking close to the new office for when their lease is up.
So, here is the updated wish list for a new home for the Troxell Pack:
·Price: $600 or less
·In the area of 96th and Michigan. I’ve heard near Butler might be good?
·House or apartment? Yes
·Safe neighborhood, family and specifically child friendly.
·At least 2 bed/2 bath. More bedrooms = more money, so I can live without an extra guest room/office.
·Oh, my credit is lousy while my rental history is stellar.
Once again, you are all awesome, and I appreciate the info I have received so far in this hunt. My lease is up at Avery Point, and I have to be out by the 31st of October, so I really need to buckle down and find someplace!
Goodness gracious, what a weekend! It was a big enough weekend to make me dust off the phrase “Goodness gracious,” for crying out loud! You see, it was GenCon weekend.
I will be writing a LOT through the week at Geeking in Indiana about specifics on the con, but I at least want to give my “fans” some tidbits here.
First, this is the first time in years that I’ve hit a con for more than one day. When I was in High School, I used to hit Starbase Indy for two of the three days, but that was also a small con when compared to GenCon, in a hotel instead of a convention center, and I had a hotel room to rest in when needed. Attending San Diego Comic Con back in 2001 was comparable, but that was only a single day, not three days.
GenCon ran Thursday through Sunday, and I attended Friday through Sunday. I pulled into the con at about 8:30 Friday morning, got my 4 Day Badge, and then headed around the con, checking out games and exhibits, enjoying costumes, and meeting up with friends. I had Scotty’s Brewhouse for lunch and dinner, had a chance to try the Dragon’s Milk Stout from New Holland, and was able to catch up with friends that I haven’t seen in years. I believe I finally wrapped up that day around 11:00.
Saturday morning, I kind of overslept, but still pulled in about 9:30 in the morning. Saturday was full of costumers, checking out more than the edges of the Exhibition Hall, meeting some friends from Social Media, mainly The Twitter, and totally ignoring some things I wanted to do so I could meet and hang out with new friends and old, something that I don’t consider a failure. Saturday evening was dinner with friends at The Ram, and then a show by the great Luke Ski over at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, attached to the old Union Station. I love that guy, in a purely platonic fashion, and his new setup with video is excellent. After the show, I escaped around 11:30PM.
Sunday was family day, so I headed over to my brother’s house and rode in with him and my nephew. After picking up their badges, we were able to start walking around and looking at about 10:30. We mainly did the circuit of the Exhibition Hall, looking for Pokemon and Yu Gi Oh cards for my nephew, and Batman stuff for my brother. The mission was accomplished, going so far as getting a custom Yu Gi Oh card with my nephew’s picture on it for him, and my brother picked up some art of Batman and Spider-Man from a local artist in Artist’s Alley. However, after looking at much of the same things over and over, my nephew started getting bored, so we jetted at around 1:30. Hey, you can’t blame the kid. He’s six, and one can only look at the same booths selling Steampunk, cards, and minis for only so long.
However, after a couple of 14 hour days on my feet, since I didn’t sit down much, my trick ankle is being, well, tricky, and my knees are screaming at me for abuse. Yet, I regret nothing. It just means that I need to get in better shape for the next year. Plus, I need to plan ahead. I really like hitting the con for the full term, but I need to actually look at events so I can participate in some of the gaming that is available, and some of the programs by buying the advance event tickets. In addition, I felt almost naked not walking around in some manner of costume, so that is going on the agenda for next year.
Once again, for more details, keep an eye on the Geeking in Indiana blog this week and next, as I try to get some of my thoughts and impressions into postings that make sense!
