Community and Giving

CWHL Twitch stream schedule (times are CST)

 
As I've mentioned in various other posts before, I'm a pretty big fan of Rooster Teeth (I'm 03K64Firefly on the RT site - big shock there, right?). They put out a lot of great content, from the Halo Machinima Red vs. Blue to the RWBY anime to the motion picture Lazer Team. However, one of the truly great things they do each year is the Extra Life 24 hour stream to benefit Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, and this has caused a ripple effect throughout the RT community.

Many of the RT community members hold their own 24-hour charity streams to raise money, and there's currently one happening today. As of 9am CST this morning, my lovely friend Audrey and a few others began their stream benefiting Children With Hair Loss, Inc. and it goes until 9am CST tomorrow morning. Their main goal is $500, but I'd like to see them surpass that; head over to the Twitch stream to see what shenanigans they're up to, plus they have really neat things to give away, and it's all for the kids!

CWHL is a non-profit organization that provides human hair replacement and hair care packages to children with varying conditions, including cancer and Alopecia among others, with the goal of being able to provide their services to families that are financially challenged.

Geeky Gifts 2015

With Christmas, Hanukkah, Boxing Day, and various other holidays coming up next month, it's time to delve into the fanatical, frenzied, and chaotic world of gifts. I work in retail; trust me, I understand why you just let out that guttural, and possibly feral, groan (or scream). Shopping during December for anything can be a major headache - and working it isn't exactly a picnic, either.

So here are some ideas to get you jump-started:

1. ThinkGeek - ThinkGeek has a little bit of something for everyone, from kids to tactical gear aficionados to gamers to science buffs (in fact, my order just arrived this past Wednesday of a few gifts I've already purchased from TG - I'm a huge fan of getting gift shopping done and out of the way).
2. Quantum Mechanix - Quantum Mechanix, or QMx, hosts various amazing items. From Firefly/Serenity to Star Trek to Star Wars to Battlestar Galactica (and quite a few other themes in between), they're likely to have something the geek in your life will adore.
3. Entertainment Earth - Entertainment Earth is easily one of the largest online retailers for all things geek, nerd, and pop culture.
4. Rooster Teeth - Rooster Teeth, the Austin, TX-based company behind the Halo-themed Machinima Red vs. Blue, the RWBY anime, and the feature film Lazer Team (in US theaters January 27, 2016), has a US/International store, a UK store, and an Australia/New Zealand store full of awesome things.
5. T-shirts - all of the above have t-shirts, but if you're looking for something a little more original, any of these various sites could be what you're looking for: TeeFury, teeVillain, Cosmic City, Once Upon a Tee, TeeTurtle, Devotees, Big Damn Browncoats, TeeMinus24, Qwertee, The Yetee, Shirtoid - NOTE: some of these are 24 hour sites, meaning the designs are only available to purchase for 24 hours. It is a good idea to always make note of the artist and see if they have their own site with the design available for purchase, just in case.
6. Trinkets and Baubles - If you're still not quite finding that perfect thing, or if you're looking for something with a more personal touch, Etsy might just be the way to go. Etsy is full of treasures, and when you really start digging to find what you're looking for, chances are you're likely to find it.

Test your knowledge

Howdy,

Have you always told your friends you know more about a certain series or movies then them? Well, I have the website for you.

Sporcle.com is a website with quizzes. Some are easy and some are super hard. Just type in anything from Sci-Fi to History and there will different quizzes and games to play. Its a great time killer, too, and makes you really think. I've done most of the Star Trek ones, but I always have a brain fart. You should try it out!

Let us know how you did - Tweet us, Facebook us, Heck! even Email us!

Stay Geeky!
~ TTG

Nous sommes Paris - We are Paris

Pour commencer, je voudrais présenter mes excuses. Je ne suis pas couramment le français, donc je suis en utilisant l'aide d'un traducteur; si cela ne fait pas de sens à certains points - qui est pourquoi.

Les pensées et les prières de TXTrekkieGurl sincères et moi-même vont vers le peuple de Paris en ce moment. Nous ne cherchons pas à faire une prise de position politique ou une déclaration avec ce post, mais voulons simplement exprimer notre solidarité avec nos frères et sœurs à travers l'étang pendant ce temps de la tragédie et de la perte.

_______________

 To begin, I would like to apologize. I am not fluent in French, so I am using the aid of a translator; if this doesn't quite make sense at some points - that is why.

The heartfelt thoughts and prayers of TXTrekkieGurl and myself go out to the people of Paris at this time. We do not seek to make a political stance or statement with this post, but merely wish to express solidarity with our brothers and sisters across the pond during this time of tragedy and loss.

  

If you'd like and are able to assist further, visit the IFRC page to donate and/or gather more information on how you can help.

Extra Life

Today I am doing a charity event call Extra Life, where you game for 24hrs to raise money for Cook's Children's Hospital.

I will most likely be playing board games and maybe a few video games via Laptop.


To donated 

Watch us live 

Enjoy your saturday,

~Stay Geeky
TTG

Happy Halloween!

When you see it...

Ice, Ice Cake-y

First, let me begin with an apology for two weeks ago. I COMPLETELY forgot to post anything and by the time I realized it, it was better to just let it go and apologize the next time (this time). At the time I was beginning a new position at work and I got all wrapped up in learning all this new stuff - I literally had one day of training, and everything else so far has been jumping in head first.

Oh, by the way, my new job is what I'm writing about this week: I'm now a cake decorator.

Now before you get excited and think, "Way cool! You get to make whatever you want, right?", the answer to that is no, not exactly. I don't work in an independent bakery, I work in a bakery within a retail store. We have certain things we have to make or keep on standby to keep the case filled, but we are encouraged to practice and experiment if we happen to have a little time.

But then there's customer orders, and that's really what can make or break you. I'm sure a good majority of you have ordered a cake a one time or another, so you understand what I mean when I talk about the designs in a book. We have some things that are generic designs which can be tweaked and changed however the customer would like it to look, and we have licensed designs - these color schemes are 100% not interchangeable; we can deviate slightly on the placement of any kits (the little toys that come on these cakes) to account for any writing, but that's it.

And sometimes customers will have you write awesome things on their cakes, such as:

Luke, this cake is from your father.

Most of the time though they just want Happy Birthday [person they're buying the cake for] or Congratulations.

One thing I've learned quickly: whipped icing is great for icing a cake and getting it smooth, but it's horrible for details and writing. It's too soft and once it warms up enough it gets even softer and starts to run a little. On the other hand, buttercream can be a pain to get smooth, but it's stiff enough to create whatever you want to put on a cake (I'm still learning roses, but I'll get there - eventually).


Today (Friday, by the time you guys read this it'll be Saturday) I got to make a Sesame Street cake for a little girl turning one, and with one-year cakes they get a free smash cake - a smash cake, for those who may not know, is a separate small cake decorated to match the main cake just for the child to rip into all by themselves so everyone else can still enjoy a slobber-less cake.

I'm two weeks in, but so far this job has been really fun, and I work with some of the coolest and most helpful people. It's a lot different from making and decorating cakes at home, which I do on occasion, but until starting in the bakery I only ever really worked with fondant to get a smooth finish on a cake. I can definitely take the skills I'm picking up at work and apply them to my free time.