So I babbled on about how my identity is always changing in my most recent Nerd^5 video but I never really touched on any real aspects of my identity in it, which I had originally planned to do, apparently I am a scatterbrain so that didn't happen. There is a lot of stuff I can identify myself with, and I doubt I'll remember it all in this post but the ones that come to mind likely make up the majority of my identity...right?
Being Tuesday of Nerds to the Power of 5 has quickly become an important part of my identity. This group of... not just some of, but the best friends I have had in a very long time, has since February, cheerfully and possibly unwittingly helped coax me out of a shell that has been in place and hardening for 4 or more years. Week after themed week my shyness is ebbed away... I truly look forward to the day when my shyness is gone completely. To a lesser extent, being a Youtuber in general is helping me break out of my shell. While its not a large part of my identity, it is a niche I enjoy.
Being a mom, though a role I was thrust into kicking and screaming and full of apprehension at the age of only 18, is important to me, and important to my identity. My two kids, ages 4 and 16 months, mean more to me than I ever thought two tiny human beings ever could. Having someone so dependant and watching them grow into their own independent person, while at times can be a struggle, defines not only my life, but theirs, their fathers, grandparents and a host of extended family. "I'm a mom" is one of the first things I use to describe myself to others.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Imaginary Travel
So I'm a big fan of making up trips. I tend to overplan, which causes my trips to become packed with things and almost no relaxation, because I start planning things way in advance and keep finding new things in the area to do. Right now I'm trapped in planning an imaginary trip to the eastern United States. Other than being a marine nut, and having always wanted to go to the Aquarium in Georgia, I've never before wanted to go to the eastern US.
This whole (albeit imaginary) trip is so weird to me because it contains a few elements I've never had to think about while planning before.
Friends
While I have travelled to visit family, I've never travelled to visit friends, nor have I ever imagined myself having such good friends so far away. I've never had to travel very far to visit family as my extended family (which consists of a whopping 3 uncles and their respective families, all conveniently located in Metro Vancouver) live a mere 4 hour drive from my home. I suppose should the imaginary travel plans evolve into real travel plans, I'll be in close conversation with my good eastern friends in whats going to happen (it will be EPIC, thats all I really know for sure) but for now its pure speculation on my part.
Taking a plane. By myself.
I'm hugely afraid of planes. Like, I get freaked out if I'm greater than 3 stories off the ground. I don't get a lot of vacation time in a year, so logically to make the most of the Epic Eastern Trip, I would have to take a plane. Driving, while it would be nice, and might be the route I'll take purely for my sanity, seems slightly impractical considering the vast distance that must be traversed (some 4000 odd kilometres) So it might be that I'll have to buck up, grit my teeth, take a couple sleeping pills, and board that jet plane. All by myself.
Being an a relatively young adult from BC in the US
Its not a big secret that Canada has looser laws about drugs than the US, and its not a big secret that the loosest laws of all exit is BC, so its really common for BC adults in my age range to get stopped by the US... what are they? cops? state troopers? I don't even know what they're called, but we get stopped, a lot, in the US under the assumption we're all potheads.
In addition, the whole miles vs kilometre thing is bound to cause me some issues (90km/h does not= 90 mi/h!) luckily, Canadian speedometers come with a handy inner circle of miles per hour in smaller font that the regular kilometres per hour. But still, I'm scared. Plus, all American money looks like $20 bills. I'm going to look like a moron, probably on more than one occasion, either by hading over the wrong amount, or examining my money too closely to make sure I'm hading over the right amount.
Thats really all I can think of for now. And looking at the costs (almost $900 for the round trip via Tango Airlines) vs taking a car (hotels, gas and food, plus at least 2 days driving time each way) it probably equates to about the same. Though, if I'm by myself, thats a lot less food I have to buy than if I'm bringing my 3 men along too.
All I need now is a passport.
This whole (albeit imaginary) trip is so weird to me because it contains a few elements I've never had to think about while planning before.
Friends
While I have travelled to visit family, I've never travelled to visit friends, nor have I ever imagined myself having such good friends so far away. I've never had to travel very far to visit family as my extended family (which consists of a whopping 3 uncles and their respective families, all conveniently located in Metro Vancouver) live a mere 4 hour drive from my home. I suppose should the imaginary travel plans evolve into real travel plans, I'll be in close conversation with my good eastern friends in whats going to happen (it will be EPIC, thats all I really know for sure) but for now its pure speculation on my part.
Taking a plane. By myself.
I'm hugely afraid of planes. Like, I get freaked out if I'm greater than 3 stories off the ground. I don't get a lot of vacation time in a year, so logically to make the most of the Epic Eastern Trip, I would have to take a plane. Driving, while it would be nice, and might be the route I'll take purely for my sanity, seems slightly impractical considering the vast distance that must be traversed (some 4000 odd kilometres) So it might be that I'll have to buck up, grit my teeth, take a couple sleeping pills, and board that jet plane. All by myself.
Being an a relatively young adult from BC in the US
Its not a big secret that Canada has looser laws about drugs than the US, and its not a big secret that the loosest laws of all exit is BC, so its really common for BC adults in my age range to get stopped by the US... what are they? cops? state troopers? I don't even know what they're called, but we get stopped, a lot, in the US under the assumption we're all potheads.
In addition, the whole miles vs kilometre thing is bound to cause me some issues (90km/h does not= 90 mi/h!) luckily, Canadian speedometers come with a handy inner circle of miles per hour in smaller font that the regular kilometres per hour. But still, I'm scared. Plus, all American money looks like $20 bills. I'm going to look like a moron, probably on more than one occasion, either by hading over the wrong amount, or examining my money too closely to make sure I'm hading over the right amount.
Thats really all I can think of for now. And looking at the costs (almost $900 for the round trip via Tango Airlines) vs taking a car (hotels, gas and food, plus at least 2 days driving time each way) it probably equates to about the same. Though, if I'm by myself, thats a lot less food I have to buy than if I'm bringing my 3 men along too.
All I need now is a passport.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
So Nerdy: Furry
Who doesn't like a first blog post? And heck, who doesn't like a first blog post that talks about the [3rd] nerdiest thing known to man (read: geek chart )?
So I don't really keep it a secret, nor do I shout it to the clouds that I'm a furry. I'm no creepy pervert furry, as most of the outside world is quick to label all furries as. I'm not a babyfur, nor do I have any manner of creepy fetish associated with furryism.
I just like cartoons, thats it. I'm just a grownup that like drawing cartoons.
There is one part of furry I have enjoyed since the early 90's, long before I ever found out what furry was. I personally didn't think was weird at all until I had 'officially' been an furry for a few years that I realized just how niche it is. Ever since I saw the original Ninja Turtle movies, I've wanted one of those costumes.
So over the last 3 or 4 years, since I found the furry subculture I've found that there are a bunch of other people who have costumes (aka: fursuits) and have entire conventions around grown ups who like cartoons (fursuit not required).
So I've spent some time and some money on attempts to create my own fursuits. First there was Orlith, my dragon character. Her costume turned out like crap, but it taught me a lot, I've since ditched the crappy body part, but I have the head still, as crappy as it is, smiling away in my basement. Then there was the fursuit that never was, Rehka the Red Panda. While I did manage to make a sweater of her character, I was so particular about the shade the fur had to be, I never got past sculpting her head (which turned out even crappier than my Orlith head somehow O_o) I trashed maybe $10 worth of foam and plastic on that.oh well, you live you learn.
Now theres dear old Nameless. The costume born of frustration at not being able to find the right colour of fur material for Rehka the Red Panda. Her body is almost done, I just need to finish sewing, but she is as of yet headless. I learned an important lesson from Nameless: don't bother with duct tape dummies (a kind of poor mans dressmaker dummy). Especially if your pregnant.What a waste of duct tape and newspaper that was! I got a much better fit just by tracing out patterns from my clothes, the dummy was all but useless, plus I made it look like I had a dead body in the house, which was weird.
Sorry about the rambling, I wanted my first post to be something I was familiar with, something that no one really knows about me and something i could kind of vent about all in one... tah dah! Perfect topic! ^_^
~Rehka
(PS: if you care, my character (known as a fursona in the furry world) isn't Rehka the Red Panda anymore, its turned into Rehka the White Mouse of late. costume i will attempt as soon as i have the money for it i suppose ;) )
So I don't really keep it a secret, nor do I shout it to the clouds that I'm a furry. I'm no creepy pervert furry, as most of the outside world is quick to label all furries as. I'm not a babyfur, nor do I have any manner of creepy fetish associated with furryism.
I just like cartoons, thats it. I'm just a grownup that like drawing cartoons.
There is one part of furry I have enjoyed since the early 90's, long before I ever found out what furry was. I personally didn't think was weird at all until I had 'officially' been an furry for a few years that I realized just how niche it is. Ever since I saw the original Ninja Turtle movies, I've wanted one of those costumes.
So over the last 3 or 4 years, since I found the furry subculture I've found that there are a bunch of other people who have costumes (aka: fursuits) and have entire conventions around grown ups who like cartoons (fursuit not required).
So I've spent some time and some money on attempts to create my own fursuits. First there was Orlith, my dragon character. Her costume turned out like crap, but it taught me a lot, I've since ditched the crappy body part, but I have the head still, as crappy as it is, smiling away in my basement. Then there was the fursuit that never was, Rehka the Red Panda. While I did manage to make a sweater of her character, I was so particular about the shade the fur had to be, I never got past sculpting her head (which turned out even crappier than my Orlith head somehow O_o) I trashed maybe $10 worth of foam and plastic on that.oh well, you live you learn.
Now theres dear old Nameless. The costume born of frustration at not being able to find the right colour of fur material for Rehka the Red Panda. Her body is almost done, I just need to finish sewing, but she is as of yet headless. I learned an important lesson from Nameless: don't bother with duct tape dummies (a kind of poor mans dressmaker dummy). Especially if your pregnant.What a waste of duct tape and newspaper that was! I got a much better fit just by tracing out patterns from my clothes, the dummy was all but useless, plus I made it look like I had a dead body in the house, which was weird.
Sorry about the rambling, I wanted my first post to be something I was familiar with, something that no one really knows about me and something i could kind of vent about all in one... tah dah! Perfect topic! ^_^
~Rehka
(PS: if you care, my character (known as a fursona in the furry world) isn't Rehka the Red Panda anymore, its turned into Rehka the White Mouse of late. costume i will attempt as soon as i have the money for it i suppose ;) )
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