Call me a party pooper, but I have never been into Halloween. In fact, the last time I donned a costume on October 31st was back in middle school.
I was tempted to go all out this year — dress in a slutty outfit (because when else can I dress like a streetwalker and not be judged?), crash multiple parties, and drink myself to oblivion.
However, lack of planning on my part and total exhaustion from the past week has me rooting for a quiet night in instead.
So since I will not be dressing up this All Hallows’ Eve, I have decided to dress up my digital persona instead.
Then I asked myself: why not take it a step further and dress up the entire blog?
The original GeekInHeels.com:
GeekInHeels.com dressed up for Halloween:
If you are reading this post via RSS, be sure to click on over before November 1st to see the full effect!
…when your insurance provider refuses to pay for it:
$8,227.48
Only now do I truly understand how it feels to be stuck with massive medical bills after a beloved one has passed away. Oh wait, that’s essentially what happened.
This post is not a means to whine about my medical bills. It is a way for me to officially mark my signature in support of healthcare reform.
It is easy to be happy with the status quo when all is well. We always had good healthcare coverage through employers. It was only when, through a series of unfortunate events, we were no longer eligible for group plans and were forced to traverse the inhumane world of individual health insurance, then denied coverage for being pregnant, that my eyes flew open.
We received good — no, GREAT news this week. J was given a fantastic job offer and he will begin his new job next week. The new position comes with great health benefits and I will undoubtedly be included under spousal coverage.
But I refuse to be complacent again. Because I know that for every story that is like mine, there are hundreds, if not thousands, that are worse. Because there are models that work. Because there has to be a better way.
Today, Yahoo killed its once-ubiquitous free hosting service, Geocities.
Let us have a moment of silence for the thousands of ugly, not-updated-since-the-90s websites that have met their demise today.
My favorite web comic xkcd was quick to pay their respect as well:
Distracting background, scrolling marquee, garish colors, animated GIFs, broken links…it has it all!
My very first webpage was built via Homestead back in 1999. And I am DAMN PROUD to say that it, along with its successor, had all the elements of horrible web design listed above. I only wish I had saved a copy of it, or at least taken a screenshot.
Did your first website(s) suffer from bad design as well? How will/have you paid tribute to Geocities?
Yesterday J surprised me with tickets to Video Games Live at Beacon Theater!
According to their website, Video Games Live is:
An immersive event created by the game industry featuring the best game music performed by top orchestras and choirs combined with synchronized lighting, video, live action and audience interactivity. The first and and most successful video game concert tour in the world.
This will be a long entry full of photos and links. So before I go on any further, let me cut to the chase:
Video Games Live was the best concert I’ve ever attended.
Would it be sad to admit that VGL was the most fun I’ve had in months? Well I’m not afraid to admit that SO THERE.
I had checked the Beacon Theater website in addition to the VGL site to see if photography was allowed at the event. I was delighted to find that not only does VGL allow photography and videography, they encourage it and urges fans to post pictures and videos online.
Sounds like my kind of concert!
I enthusiastically brought along my new T1i, eager to try taking some low-light action shots as well as try out its HD video recording.
However, upon entrance, we were informed by security that the use of SLR/DSLRs were NOT permitted. Something to do with the press who were present and the conflict of interest, yadi yada yada.
Those bastards!
Luckily, we had brought along my sub-compact point-and-shoot (so please excuse the crappy photos accompanying this post).
We entered the newly-remodeled theater to find that the event was already fully underway. What we hadn’t known is that VGL features a pre-concert event featuring meet-and-greets, costume contests, competitions, and giveaways. D’oh! Let that be an important lesson to my future self and those of you who are still reading along:
If you are attending VGL, make sure to get there a few hours early!
J and I sadly looked on as the costume contest continued up on stage. These costumes were not as impressive as the ones you’d see at venues such as Comic-Con, but excellent nonetheless.
Pretty soon, the lights dimmed and the main attraction began…
Here is a short, 18-second clip of the first set. As you can see, this is not your typical symphony concert. The lights and accompanying video created a beautifully choreographed visual background to support the auditory experience.
Some other highlights from the night included…
An arrangement of music from the Final Fantasy series, played by the one and only Martin Leung! If you recall, he gained worldwide recognition via YouTube for playing the theme to Super Mario Brothers on the piano…BLINDFOLDED.
We even held a Skype chat with the great Raph Baer, who invented the video game home console!
Koji Kondo, celebrated video game composer (best known for his work on the Mario and Zelda series):
The second act was a bit more rambunctious (and as a result, more FUN) than the first. There was a lot more audience participation — including a performance from an audience member who had won the Guitar Hero challenge during the pre-concert festivities — and a setlist that derived from more current, popular games. Martin Leung reappeared onstage to prove that he can, in fact, play the theme from Super Mario Brothers blindfolded. After this amazing performance, he even took requests from the audience!
Laura Intravia, aka “Link Flute,” also made multiple appearances during the night.
The concert ended with a bang: a Blizzard-themed montage that included exclusive footage and music from the upcoming Diablo III. But it didn’t end there. The three encores were some of the best performances of the night: music from the Castlevania series, Final Fantasy VII (with cosplay pictures running in the background), and Chrono Trigger!
All in all, Video Games Live was an amazing experience and I definitely want to do it again next year! I highly recommend that you check out the tour dates and catch a performance for yourself!
J took this picture last night while playing around with the new camera. I’m not sure why (as the dog is completely out of focus), but I instantly fell in love with it.
The image, straight out of the camera:
After some post-processing on Photoshop:
Since purchasing the Canon EOS Rebel T1i, I have been completely overwhelmed by the plethora of photography resources available on the web. There always seems to be more to read, more to experiment with, and more to be learned.
Not to mention, photography is one expensive hobby!
What are your favorite photography resources on the web?
It is pouring in New York today. The all-day, unrelenting, cats-and-dogs-replaced-by-rhinos-and-hippos kind of rain. I had made plans to go out, but exhaustion from working all day at my mother’s store combined with the thought of myself stumbling around drunk in this weather has led to flake out and keep myself warm, dry, and sober at home.
Warm, dry, and sober with my Google Reader, that is.
So if you’re also home this Saturday night and looking for a distraction, this post is for you!
Livebrush is a FREE, easy-to-use Adobe Air app that lets you create your own designs, styles, and decorations without the need to purchase expensive vector-based illustration software.
Personally, the best feature seems to be the brush tool which responds to the speed of your mouse movements. I can’t wait to start trying this out!
I know that the majority of my blogger friends use Blogger. Here are some eye-popping themes that are coated by the best flavor there is — FREE — brought to you by a great and trusty resource!
I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that South Korea, one of the most outwardly sexually-conservative countries in the world (I guess the key word here is outwardly) has a sex-themed park.
Let’s let that sink in for a moment before clicking through to the gallery. Here’s a sample for your viewing pleasure.
The best part has to be all the ajummas (a term used to describe an adult Korean female of married age) included in these snapshots.
Don’t believe me? Take a look at the very last picture in the gallery. It’ll make your day (especially if you’re Korean).
One of my new favorite spiritual blogs, Devotional Christian, is giving away 22 Christian books!
Go check out the promotion page for the full list of books.
To enter for a chance to win, write a blog post, tweet, or post a note to your church’s website about Devotional Christian. Then fill out this form, and that’s it! A winner will be chosen via random.org on November 8th.
I like books, gadgets, spicy food, and art. I dislike shopping, hot weather, and the laws of entropy. Although I am a self-proclaimed computer nerd, I still have a love for handbags and makeup... and I am always teetering on high heels. To learn more about me, visit the "About" page.
I like books, gadgets, spicy food, and art. I dislike shopping, hot weather, and the laws of entropy. Although I am a self-proclaimed computer nerd, I still have a love for handbags and makeup... and I am always teetering on high heels. To learn more about me, visit the 
