Jennerosity

This week was pretty geeky actually . . .

• I got to put up a secret password protected page on my blog¹
• I actually went to a DnD game night without my husband.  I think that’s a first for me!
• We decided that we will be attending PAX in September²
• I downloaded a zen garden onto my iPod Touch³
• I’m going to WordCamp Vancouver tomorrow!  So stoked about it.⁴  Comes with very good timing too as I’m hoping to have another website to work on soon!

There are my geeky 5 things to share on Friday.  What geeky things have you been up to this week?

1. it’s going to be up for only another few days [↩]
2. though we haven’t actually booked our passes or hotel yet, we will be very soon! [↩]
3. I only got the lite version because my replacement credit card STILL has not arrived and with my other one frozen, I can’t upgrade to the paid version. [↩]
4. Except the part where I have to wake up at 6am in order to get there on time. [↩]

This week on 5 Geek Things For Friday, I thought I’d share a few Geeky things I’d like to do, just for the sake of doing them.

1. Hack someone’s wi-fi. I don’t even have to let anyone else know I did it, but just for my own satisfaction of knowing I could do it.¹

2. Hack our router for improved wi-fi. Which is why I keep saving every lifehacker article that describes different ways of improving your router signal.

3. Watch the LOTR extended editions back to back without breaking for sleep.² Mostly just need a mildly serious flu and/or time to burn to make this happen.

4. Try out all the Altoid tin hacks I keep seeing and saving online.³

5. Read⁴ the entire Wheel of Time series⁵

1. Luckily for me, I have plenty of neighbours within range with secure networks for me to try on. I’ll likely pick the one with the most obnoxious name. [↩]
2. I think every geek either has done this, or says they want to [↩]
3. Yes, I promise, one day I WILL get around to tackling these projects! [↩]
4. I reserve the right to interpret ‘read’ loosely to include listening to the audiobook versions [↩]
5. though I’m going to wait until the final book is published before I begin [↩]

This week, gaming stuff has totally been on my mind.

1. I got really excited about the fact that Scott Kurtz is now on the west coast (Seattle).¹

2. I finally got around to making a ‘gamer’ list on twitter. Makes it much easier to follow the gaming conversations that I’m finding increasingly interesting.²

3. I *think* I finally settled on a 4th edition character sheet. It might even save me from needing to spend so much time shuffling through all my power cards.  This theory will be tested on Monday night.

4. I found an etsy shop who will do custom sewn dice bags. She also has a bunch of pre-sewn ones you can choose from.  She’s now been favourited.³

5. I wrote a blog post all about using Evernote for gamers.⁴

1. I don’t actually follow his comic anymore though. My husband, who does, will probably be disappointed since midnight in his old time zone was a few hours before in ours, and now he’ll be reading the comics on the actual day they get posted. [↩]
2. I think soon I’ll be at the point where I no longer view my ‘all friends’ column, or push it way over to the right, and just focus on my specific groups and searches. [↩]
3. I keep saying I’ll sew one myself, but these are so nicely done and reasonably priced I can now snap out of it and just buy one when the time is right. [↩]
4. No, posting about one of my own posts is not cheating, it’s just boosting my SEO! [↩]

Most of the writer’s that I know tend to categorize themselves as either a Pantser or a Plotter¹ and I am definitely a plotter.  Really, I’m only happy when I’m plotting².  While I’ve used a number of plotting tools in the past, I still haven’t THE ONE.  You know, the one system that just feels so right and aligns itself perfectly with the twisted machinations that go on inside my head when I’m plotting out a story.  In an effort to get back into my neglected manuscripts, I’ve been exploring the different plotting tools out there, trying to find which one might be the best fit.³  Here is the current short list of 5 that I am considering:

1. Spreadsheet – it seems like plotters would naturally gravitate towards such a robust tool of formulas & calculations, and yet, I shy away from it.  I think I feel a little intimidated by the vast complexity that it offers.  I ain’t no slouch, but I’m also not an expert.  I know that if I took the time to learn it well enough to bend it to my needs, it would ultimately be the best fit, since I can make it do almost anything I want.
   Pros: Free & very customizable.  Also very portable, since every computer I use has a spreadsheet program.
   Cons: I’m worried about how much time it would take to set up.⁴  I  know I’d have to actually learn more about spreadsheets. ((See point re: laziness))  And it feels a bit . . . stuffy or confining.  Plus, it isn’t as shiny and cool as some of the other options.
2. Evernote - This is a very handy little program/web app that lets you capture almost anything you can think of.  It has just enough features to elicit the ‘oooooh cool!’ response from me, and yet not enough to make me throw out every other cool program/web app that I use.
   Pros: Free & very portable⁵.
   Cons: I feel restricted by it’s nesting structure!  You can only have notes in your notebook and no sub-folders.  I know they let you tag things and do smart searches, but that’s all too vague for me to make it work with the structure I want.  Plus, you can’t put tables in.⁶  I know that a more robust option is Microsoft’s OneNote program, but it’s also about $100 last I checked. (And I’m kinda cheap.)
3. Liquid Story Binder -  So, aside from opening the program, I haven’t actually attempted to dive in and use it.  But from the feature list, it’s all kinds of shiny writing goodness.  And, in theory, I’d love to dive in and really grok it out.
   Pros: Lots of cool features!
   Cons: Possibly too many features and then it would become a time suck and/or, I’d have to try really hard to learn it.  There is also a cost involved.  And, I’m not sure how portable it would be.  Which means I’d have to install it on my work computer and then synchronize files, and I haven’t checked how easily that could be done.
4. PageFour -  Just discovered this one the other day, and so far it looks pretty good.  Not too many features on it but it does have a nice structuring option.
   Pros: There is a free version!  I tried syncing it at work and home and it works perfectly.  Some good search functionality and the ability to see which words you may be overusing.
   Cons: The free version would not be robust enough for me.  Still no tables!
5. Wiki - When I started plotting, I started out using a wiki and liked it fairly well.  But, I’m not sure that it’s the best tool for me.  It uses a browser which is just like an invitation to distract myself online.
   Pros: There are free ones out there.  Can be pretty easily customized.  Interlinking important elements is very easily done.  It’s also an easily portable option since all you need is a web browser.  I can have it open among my normal web-browsing and/or work tabs and write discreetly at work (on my breaks, of course!)
   Cons: The wiki that I started out using doesn’t seem to work with Chrome, which is the main browser that I use.  I could switch browsers, but right now just the writing wiki isn’t a compelling enough reason to make me switch back to firefox

Ok, if there are any plotters out there who think they have a solution for me, let me hear it in the comments!  Recommendations or comments on any and all of the above are definitely welcome!⁷

1. though it’s really more of a spectrum than an ‘either/or’ situation [↩]
2. and to be quite honest, yes, my plotting does extend beyond the written page . . . [↩]
3. Yeah, I know . . . I should be actually writing instead of mucking about with all the tools [↩]
4. And this is bad mostly because I’m lazy [↩]
5. It even has an iPod Touch app that you can use on the go [↩]
6. I like tables.  They are like the non-scary version of a spreadsheet. [↩]
7. Unless you’re going to recommend Scrivener.  Not only do I not have a Mac at home, but there’s no chance of switching to a Mac at work, so it would cut down on my opportunities to write/plot. [↩]

Yup, today’s the day!  Last day for Canadians to file their tax returns and pay any tax they might have owing to the government.

I have a weird love/hate relationship with tax time.  On the one hand, because of the personal financial plans of myself and my husband, tax time usually represents a time that we get money back to boost our savings.  It’s also a good time to review our financial plans and make sure we are keeping on track with our values and goals.  On the other hand, I prepare income tax returns at work, which is often frustrating and stressful.  I’ve done this for a few seasons, and while I’m glad for the opportunity to learn more about how our tax system works, I’m also very glad when it’s over, the pace at work calms a bit, and I only get yelled at for things that relate to insurance, instead of getting yelled at for things that relate to taxes too.¹

This year, I really wish that instead of charging some of our clients to prepare their taxes, I could educate them and show them how truly simple it is to do their own taxes.  I know this goes against the traditional business model, but for a few of our clients, even the $40 basic fee, is money they could be using for other more important things.² That being said, if anyone is in the financial position to be able to afford having someone else prepare their income taxes and needs someone to do that for them, I have no problem offering my services and charging for my time.

Anyway, on to more geeky things . . . things I look forward to spending a little time on, after tax season :)

1. Re-doing our book & movie inventory³
2. Potentially purchasing a bar code scanner to assist with #1 above⁴
3. Having more time to blog . . . at work (shhhh!  Don’t tell my boss!)
4. Attending WordCamp Vancouver!⁵
5. Plotting for NaNoWriMo 2010.  Both my particular novel⁶ and coordinating the VanCoWriMo 2010 events with my fellow MLs.

1. Ok, I’m exaggerating, there is usually only minimal yelling. [↩]
2. I do try to discount the tax returns for those in need as much as I can, but because I’m not the only person preparing taxes, there has to be some consistency with the pricing model we use. [↩]
3. I think I could handle working as a librarian one day. [↩]
4. we could do it by hand, but this would be much faster [↩]
5. Yup, one of my co-workers arranged a swap with me.  I’m working the Sunday prior to WordCamp, but I actually don’t mind Sunday shifts since they are entirely solo. [↩]
6. which I really need to start planning ASAP!!! [↩]

‘The stress level is mounting’ edition.¹

1. Tickets just went on sale for WordCamp Vancouver and I’m really hoping that I can get the day off to go on June 12th!²
2. I started taking an Art Journal class . . . online :)
3. We had an event of incredibly unbelievable odds take place at our house on Sunday.  The number 1 was rolled on 20-sided dice, 5 times in a row.³
4. My mom gave me a jar of spaghetti meat sauce on Monday.  Those of you that know me will wonder why this is important to me since I’m not a foodie and don’t like cooking.  It’s because she said I could keep the jar after we use it since she doesn’t like that kind of jar.  And this means I can finally make a Sun Jar!⁴
5. There are new photos in my flickr photo stream courtesy of my husband.  They are of a certain arcade we visited in Japan.  Enjoy!

A few photo teasers . . .

1. Because I prepare taxes, and we’re down to the last week before the filing deadline for Canadians, so it’s busy and stressful.  I would like to clarify though, I’m not an accountant, this is just a service our office provides. [↩]
2. And if any of my co-workers are reading this, please take the hint and switch a day with me. [↩]
3. Four rolls were by the same person, who then had to throw his dice away.  He literally flung them from our back door (sorry to my neighbours who were wondering about the projectiles that came flying in their general direction). [↩]
4. Well, after the jar is emptied, thoroughly cleaned and I buy the other supplies.  But I’m still one step closer than I was in July 2009 when I first found the article in my google reader. [↩]

I feel like this is just squeaking in under the wire, but I’ve still got hours left before it’s Saturday.  Guess I’m just kinda tired.  This week’s geek things are as follows . . .

1. Geek triumph! – I figured out what LLAP meant at the end of every Leonard Nimoy tweet.¹
2. Geek rivalry! – It’s Canucks vs. Kings in the NHL playoffs and this means I’m cheering against Wil Wheaton’s home team.²
3. Geek deep thoughts! – One of those totally random thoughts popped into my head this week . . . common themes between the Transformers and Superman.  Feel free to pick up and run with this in the comments.
4. Geek air! – Adobe Air, that is.  I played with an Adobe Air Character Sheet generator for the 4th edition DnD campaign I play in.  You can import from other sources, but you can’t seem to save it.
5. Geek longing! – People are getting all geared up for the Northern Voice conference at the beginning of May.  I know there’s literally no chance I’ll be able to go.  Cue, cute geek pouting here.³

1. I know that some people must have figured it out right away, but I was a little slow on the uptake. [↩]
2. Gotta think up some good smack talk to send to him on twitter but I’m terrible at coming up with smack talk. [↩]
3. Lucky for me, there will likely be lots of tweeting about it, so I might be able to vicariously attend by employing search terms and monitoring tweetdeck. [↩]

This week has been pretty busy with painting, so I thought I’d do a post about the Geek things that I’m not doing this week, but wish that I were.

1. Attended the F5 expo and seen Malcolm Gladwell’s session.
2. Watched some Star Trek: Deep Space Nine¹
3. Gone to see Clash of the Titans, How to Train Your Dragon, or Avatar
4. Bought an iPad
5. Redone my 4e character sheet & power cards using the cool character sheet that my Vizier of Nameology found and is using.

Bonus: Had sushi with Wil Wheaton.  Though I think the fact that I even know that Wil Wheaton was in Vancouver and had sushi here this week, makes me pretty geeky.

1. Which I totally would have done this week if we still had access to the dvds.  But, since they are still boxed up while we finish painting, I’ll have to wait. [↩]

In honour of the holiday this weekend, I thought I’d post my first themed Five for Friday post.  So here is a list of 5 ways to celebrate Easter with a bit of geek in it.

1. Do an entirely RPG style Easter egg hunt.  When it’s all on paper, you can have as elaborate a treasure hunt as you like. You can incorporate treasure chest, secret doors, and evil creatures that all have real chocolate eggs as treasure.  Then your participants can roll for initiative and then race to see who can uncover the most loot.
2. For those craftily inclined . . . modify (or make from scratch) a stuffed Rabbit of Caerbannog¹
3. If you have a house full of geeks, then do an egg hunt with little geek things hidden inside the plastic eggs –  a new set of dice or some miniatures would fit nicely inside.
4. Create a treasure hunt with clues put inside plastic easter eggs.  Or, perhaps just sets of coordinates to follow for those ‘geo’ inclined.
5. Decorate your eggs with a geek them.  Need inspiration?  Check out these photos by flickr user rakka.  ((I’d love to do some thing year, but we’ll be spending out time applying paint to walls instead of eggs this weekend.))

1. “He’s got huge sharp…..He can leap about…..LOOK AT THE BONES!!!” [↩]

I hope that my blog will continue to have content beyond these short little lists.  But until tax season is over, this is probably all that you’re going to get, so here you go.

1. The Firebird has risen from the ashes.¹
2. We’re having people over tonight for the sole purpose of playing some geeky games.
3. We got to go to Princess Auto this week and buy stuff.  ((For those who haven’t a clue, Princess Auto is heaven for anyone who likes tools or little doo-dads.  Unfortunately, my big purchase there – an iPod dock – doesn’t actually work with my model of iPod.))
4. I voted for The Legend of Neil² and The Guild in the Streamy Awards and you should too!³  Or you should at least go check out those shows because they are hilarious!
5. I was cleaning out cupboards at work and found a big hardcover dictionary and a book about investing the Warren Buffet way and my first thought was “Sweet!  Score!”  ((And then I brought both home.))

Got any Geek things from your week to share?  Feel free to add them in the comments!

1. And I was an active participant in making it happen since I totally had to help feed wires through holes and straighten the monitor :D [↩]
2. And I get an extra geek point because I had to go and double check that the show started with “The” and then capitalized it accordingly. [↩]
3. I know you’re only supposed to vote for one, but I seriously couldn’t pick [↩]