Things that Make My Life Easier, Part Five

Here is a short list of pro-gimp stuff that has helped me out lately. All of it purchased by me, as I have promised I will always tell you if I have a stake in a thing I recommend. Sometimes I do this with single items, but here I am starting to gather small items of interest too. I know I am asking for trouble by labeling this with a number, but I am feeling optimistic!

Shop Tibet: this is an amazing store in Broad Ripple, Indianapolis. They do not have a web page as far as I can tell. This is a shame because they are a great store, with tons of stuff made by Tibetans, supporting Free Tibet efforts. There are plenty of things to find there, including a small but solid selection of books, prayer shawls (I love mine!), dharma items, jewelry... wonderful stuff all in one spot. And I did not punch the fellow patron that asked, "Does Tibet have winter?" but I did offer my sympathy to the lady that fielded the question.

Genie Bras: all the support of a sports bra, with the ability to wear it like a regular bra. No wires. I am not a big believer in "As Seen on TV" although the products fascinate me for some reason. This one is a solid, practical, and comfortable. Note: you do have to put them on over the head, so beware if that is a difficulty for you. The Minions and I got ours at CVS for about $20 for a pack of two, one black and one ecru-ish. They are great no nonsense bras. Note for wearing: they do not really offer much of a cleavage/decolletage view so think about your wishes in that department before you take it out of the drawer. 

Dream Water: this is a sleep aid in the form of a zero calorie drinking shot. They make a lot of claims, but all I know is that it worked. It was not as hard hitting as a prescription sleep aid, and I woke up feeling rested and alert. I did not remember my dreams any better, but maybe that comes with time or is a pipe dream itself. Make sure you have time for a good sleep, 7-8 hours, if you want to use it.

GimpyGamer: Favorite Nerd Resources

I have some ideas for little articles when I am sick or busy, and this one is sharing resources I use and why I like them. Hopefully these will either be useful or at least only minimally annoying! This post is not all inclusive, feel free to bring your own perfect nerd resources and leave them in the links for all of us to share in the awesome!


Right now I have a couple of posts brewing, one all ready to go except that I do not have a good name for the thing the post is helping us make!


This post's theme is nerddom. I am a gigantic nerd about a handful of things: movies, Halo, Mass Effect, Portal, Halo, Minecraft, Bioshock, the Whedon 'Verse, and of course, Halo - to name just a few. As I write this, I am losing hours, because I needed to get caught up on several of these sites!


Movie Bob 
Movie Bob is a big nerd of both geek culture and movies, so his reviews tend to parallel our thoughts after seeing a film, so he is the perfect movie reviewer for us! (Movie Bob is my guilty secret, because I have to go to Escapist to see his stuff - see Extra Creditz for more...)


We Nerd Hard
WNH is part of the This Week in Blackness BCCo Studios media empire, and is scheduled to make a come back next week (5/23/12). They cover tech trends, new gadgets, anime, current nerd media (Game of Thrones, anyone?), and gaming. If you have not, you should check them out!


Geek Feminism
GF kicks it old school, but with the understanding that social justice can influence our whole lives, especially our nerd endeavors. You will find topics like programming and sexism, gamer geek culture and LGBTQIA equality, and general geek commentary from a humanist, social justice perspective. Geek Feminism is useful, funny and poignant.


The Digitized Ramblings of an 8bit Animal
If you like to blow on your games before you play them, then this Southern gentleman is for you! Seriously, though, he covers a lot of modern releases with a sensibility I appreciate quite a bit. The only difficulty with 8bit's site is that most of the entries are videos without transcripts.


Border House
I love this blog. This is one of the few places where a geek can go to get informed on gaming culture while knowing that each piece will have a understanding of inter-sectional life in the real world. This was the one stop place for news on FemShep, and I love them even more for it!


Go Make Me a Sandwich
GMMaS recently moved to Word Press, so the above link is the new one. Posts are not regular anymore, but the writing is a resource too good not to mention. Now the action is at Gaming As Woman. If you want to know how some marketing and writing can come across to women that game, you need go no further than this site. I highly recommend it. Look for the series about female avatars/characters and armor/dress.


Nerdgasm Noir Network
Here is special treat for you, because NNN has multiple shows: Nerdgasm Noir, Character Select, and Operation Cubicle. You can watch the NNN live if your schedule allows, and it is a great time! There are eight or nine folks bringing the awesome here, and they are well worth the time.


Extra Creditz
Extra Creditz is a video series by a trio of game culture, study and production devotees. Their motto is "Because Games Matter." Come here to explore and learn. They cover everything from game pacing and how, at it's best it mirrors other art forms that garner far more wide spread critical acclaim.


Nerdist
Nerdist used to be just Chris Hardwick, but now he has a crew of awesome! I really wish that crew was more diverse, but I think that giving Felicia Day and Harwick a chance to make that happen will pay off for us. Hardwick is a comedian, geek, and pop culture maven.


Wil Wheaton
Wheaton is a great example of someone that has been around since e-mail addresses had things like in them and took as long as snail mail. He is doing great things out here, and I think you should take a look. He is a great resource for nerd culture in general and specifically things like pop culture, gaming, and brewing.


Halo Waypoint
This is where I go to get my official Halo news. There are tons of well done fan sites, but if I start down that rabbit hole this will become a "Great Halo Sites" article, and while that would be awesome, it is not what I am trying to do right now.


ThinkGeek
This is where we go for almost all of our geek shopping needs. From some laptop peripherals to an Aperture Laboratories shower curtain, the house is full of stuff from ThinkGeek. Also, they have a bonus point program and they make it easy to spend those points. On the few occasions (over years, mind you, and purchases any time we were flush) we had a problem with a product, they were very responsive and nice while fixing it!


Jinx
If ThinkGeek does not have what I am looking for, then Jinx is my very next stop. Special mention should go to their huge amount of Minecraft gear and toys. They also have a "leveling up" system, but I have no experience with it.


Minecraft Home Design
This series, along with the Medieval Minecraft building series, are so helpful in learning how to build what you want to build rather than just what you think you can throw together before you get 'asploaded! So if this is your thing, be sure to check out Durandal of Aegis.

On Social Justice Blogging - Jumping in the Pool Head First - Advice

I have thought long and hard about trying to become part of the social justice blogging community. As a reader/lurker over the past handful of years or so, I have watched the public side of some very ugly shit (ableism, racism, fat hatred, identity policing…) going down on various sites. I assume that what went on behind the scenes was much, much worse. I also figure that any community is made up of people, and sometimes people are like that. 

Yet, I still have things to say and a desire to say them – even if they are only ever seen by some family and friends. And you!

I think that it is inadvisable to trust someone just because they share a common interest, even when that interest is supposed to be the “tide that lifts all boats.” So I will make what connections I can based on personal observation rather than assuming that someone with an SJ cause is going to know, understand, or care about what I hold dear. I expect to be treated the same.

I know that I will be distrusted by a lot of folks because I am white, and I get that as much as I can. I am also bisexual, disabled (although I pass occasionally), born and raised lower class (not so much now, but that stays with you in ways that are surprising and disturbing), pervy, nontheistic, and poly. This is not an Oppression Olympics entry; I just want to lay it out there here and now. Where I am privileged I will endeavor to be the best ally I can be and promise to improve at each opportunity.

At home, I have a saying, "The reason we do not argue when I am wrong is because I think before I flap my jaw and when I am wrong I apologize and shut the hell up!"

What is your advice for speaking your piece with strength, compassion, and integrity while weathering whatever storm may blow?

I may be late getting to comments today. I have a physical issue that is kicking my metaphorical ass and I am going to go look at a car today. Cross your tentacles if you care to do so - I could really use a car! This is the reason for the super early post and my anticipated absence.

Here is a sneak peak at what I have cooking for you, Dear Reader: a vitriolic crip rant I wrote one lonely night, a review of a product called Pill Glide, some thoughts on blogging while avoidant, some more Things That Make My Life Easier (with something catchier to call it, perhaps!), my experiences with Moore and Me, some neato links, and a small series of articles detailing my politics and why I think they are the correct choices for me.

Things that Make My Life Easier: UV Monkey

Here we are again, with another installment of “Things that Make My Life Easier.” Some people with SLE/Lupus are mildly to very photosensitive. I am one of those 'very'  people. Some medications can make you photosensitive or more so if you were already dealing with that situation. I am taking one of those medications.

Recently I was gifted with a UV Monkey, from ThinkGeek.

This is a small, round device with four colored panels around one circular central panel. The whole thing measures barely an inch and a half across. It can be put on a key-chain, but since I am unsure about how durable or fragile it really is, I keep it in a pocket in my purse.

The colored panels correspond to different UV Index ratings, and you are able to determine the reading by matching one of those to the middle circle, which changes color to let you know what the rating is in your current location. Level 1 is a UV Index of 1-2, Level 2 is 3-5, Level 3 is 6-8, and Level 4 is 9 – 11. Once you have been sensitive to UV light for a while, you start to get a handle on what your own particular tolerances are and how to manage them. I may do a separate post on how I manage, but I do not have any really nifty secrets (hell, my skin will burn and blister sitting in a car!).


I have only used this a few times so far, but I see the potential for it and it looks good. Cloudy days are the ones that screw with me, when I forget that UV rays are not blocked by clouds. Sigh. This will help me remember.


If you have photosensitivity, I recommend the UV Monkey if you have $9.99 (currently on sale for $7.99) plus shipping. In the long run, it is probably cheaper and definitely more comfortable and convenient than treating the sunburns, headaches, and nausea that can result from over exposure!


*Note: The UV Monkey is also useful for knowing when is best to charge solar devices.

UV Index