I really enjoyed this month’s Utah Blogger/Geek Dinner. We had over 25 people show up this time. You can see all the photos here:

Blogger/Geek Dinner: July 2008 – a set on Flickr

Of course, I forgot to take a picture of myself. If any of you snapped a photo of me at the dinner, please comment with a link to it here.

I used the AirMe app on my iPhone to take and upload all these photos. It is good program for events like these because it will upload the photos to Flicker, put them all into a photoset and add tags for the location and weather. It made documenting the dinner SO much easier.

This month we had the dinner at Paradise Bakery. The kind of restaurants that let you stand in line and order and then sit down with the group with your food are SO much better for these events than the ones where you have to deal with waiters. I need to find places like this all over the city so we can have our geek dinners in comfort EVERY month.

• @arcade30 A friend of my own heart!!! August is the brewing time for costumes for us as well! Halloween is our FAVORITE holiday! #
• Photos from the UT Blogger/Geek Dinner: http://tinyurl.com/566l8c #
• @kittygutz BTW, I couldn’t find Crystal’s twitter account. Which one is she? #
• @kittygutz Thanks! I’ve added @solysombra to my list. It was so nice talking to you guys last night. Hope to see you at other geek events! #
• @jeremyfranklin Mike and I have been having the SAME problem. We’re in Sugarhouse. Where are you? #
• Finished working for the day. Now time to clean and take care of family errands. #
• @mdjensen Mike downloaded that yesterday and it works pretty well. Faster than with my old Treo. No email support though. :( #

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• My iPhone thinks it’s in MN, not UT. I tried a restore yesterday to no avail. I know others have had this trouble. What up, Apple?!! #

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• I have bought all my turnips. After almost three years of playing this game, I STILL love Animal Crossing. Looking forward to AC: City Folk! #

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I rarely look at my blog stats anymore. It’s not because I feel that they are worthless, but I tend to obsess about them to the point that I don’t work anymore, so I have learned to ignore them. Who knew that there was a goldmine of hilarity awaiting me there?

Colleen Wainwright, The Communicatrix, looked to her Google search results for inspiration for a talk she had to do at an adult-themed reading. I have many times looked at those strange search results, but I never thought of writing a song about them! Here is the definitely NOT SAFE FOR WORK video:

My favorite:

Cleavage!
Bouncy Cleavage!
Monster Cleavage!

Excellent work, Colleen! You had me laughing this morning!

• @mdjensen What have I told you about self-diagnosis? If you trust Google more than your Dr. Time to get a new Dr. #

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• @libel_vox If you don’t make time for networking, you end up without any work. You have to maintain relationships to keep a steady flow. #

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It looks like we have a late runner in the race for the presidency. Why had I set my hopes for a woman president with Hillary when I could have voted for Paris instead?!

If you have no idea what Paris is talking about, here is the McCain Ad she was talking about:

Via: BIBLE VERSUS: A RESPONSE TO MCCAIN

Sometimes when we have car trouble it brings to mind every time I’ve ever had car trouble in my life. Even though it’s such a little thing in my life now, it used to be a life and death kind of thing when I was younger. When I have car trouble, my mind knows that it’s just an inconvenience, but my heart goes into my throat.

I can tell myself that it’s just a radiator boiling over, but it makes me feel like the Golf is unreliable. Sure, it’s a twelve-year-old car. Maybe it’s time for me to consider it unreliable.

All it took was a little water and anti-freeze to get it going again. It hasn’t over-heated since, but now my faith in that car has been shaken.

Is this cat deaf?

I can’t get my cat to even come out from under the bed when the vacuum comes out of the closet, much less when I turn it on.

The idea of vacuuming a cat sounds crazy to me, but it’s OBVIOUS that this cat loves it!

I’m shocked and amazed!

• Heading to CodeAway. #
• Leaving CodeAway. Great turnout this month! #

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Before every CodeAway, I panic. I’m worried that no one will show up and it will just be me and Mike hanging around for four hours. When I look at Upcoming.org and see that only two people have RSVP’d, I especially panic. Somehow, yesterday, it worked out. I didn’t panic. I told myself that even if it’s just me, Mike, Scott and Charlie, it will be awesome fun because Scott has something new to show off and Charlie is ALWAYS funny. Fortunately, the crowd showed up and I didn’t have to panic at all!

You can see all the photos here:

• CodeAway August 2008 – a set on Flickr

I am so grateful to the Utah Geeks community. Without them, Mike and I would have moved far away. With them, we feel like we aren’t so weird doing this Internet stuff. Our families might not be able to understand it, but our friends are right there with us and able to give us tips and pointers.

Thanks, everyone!

• @charlieoliver It’s Sunday and you used the letters K2. Did you mean K2 The Church? We got stuck in their parking lot last week. What up?! #
• @redG You can’t measure a forum by its members, only its usefulness. #

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• I’m going to Sprague Library (2100 S 100 E) to work. I need to be around people to get stuff done. Anyone up for coworking? #
• @Jerekeys Sometimes it’s healthy to listen to people who don’t believe what we believe. Maybe you’re follower is trying to grow. #
• Heading to Sprague Library to work. If you want to cowork, meet me there. 2100 S 1100 E #
• At Sprague Library deep in the basement. #
• The Internet is slow as molasses at Sprague Library. :( #

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• God, I miss Twitter IM. Seriously, I would totally pay a yearly fee to reinstate Twitter IM. How’s that for monetization?! #

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• @ mdjensen Believe it or not, there are some new energy drinks that have alcohol in them. Probably one of those. http://tinyurl.com/6xvvf3 #

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• Made it to Vegas. Trouble with LV Hilton Internet. :( http://snipurl.com/3h90u #
• Happy Anniversary to Mike and me. It’s our 18th! #

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• @ TheLaughingImp and @mdjensen Isn’t it funny that all three of us have anniversaries today?! Ours is our 18th! #

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• We’ve been waiting at our table at Planet Hollywood for 20 mins. No service yet. :( #
• @ charlieoliver Thank you so much for this! http://tinyurl.com/67236u #

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Note to self: Make this clock for myself. Get over your fear of the drill and just be willing to try this. It reminds me of my childhood and learning to tell time.

• Retro Bottle Caps Clock | myLifetime.com

I have been looking for a clock like this in the antique stores. Why didn’t I just think of making my own?

Via: Craftzine.com blog: HOW TO – Make a Retro Bottle Caps Clock

This is the only reason I might ever be tempted to play Sims 2. I played the DS version of Sims 2, but I didn’t care for it. I tried playing the original Sims, but there was far too much dish washing, showering and maintenance for it to be fun for me. Part of the reason I’ve loved Animal Crossing so much is because I don’t ever need to make my little character take a shower.

I guess I’ll have to wait until November when Animal Crossing: City Folk comes out on the Wii. I have been waiting for this game for over two years. I guess I’ll have to wait a little longer and I’ll let Sims 2 Ikea alone.

Note to self: Time to get my stencils back out and make myself this t-shirt:

Ministry of Silly Walks Stenciled Tee by ofenjen from Flickr

I have so many things to stencil right now. I really need to get crackin’.

Via: Craftzine.com blog: Ministry of Silly Walks Stenciled Tee

• Twitter’s so slow it feels like a Sunday. #
• Getting ready for some dim sum in Vegas with Stacey & Dan. SO glad they came down! #

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Just seeing the Atari logo fills me with joy. It represented so much fun to me and honestly it never failed to produce. Unlike amusement parks and dance clubs, I haven’t grown out of my love for video games. They still fill me with joy, even the olds ones that I loved so much like Adventure and Centipede.

Here is a video of someone playing Adventure on Level 1:

Did you even know there was an Easter Egg in Adventure?! This video shows you how to access it:

I found this history of Atari and just clicking through made me happy.

• Gamasutra – Atari: The Golden Years — A History, 1978-1981

Now, the Nintendo logo has replaced my beloved Atari, but the love of the game is still there.

Via: WWdN: In Exile: have you played atari today?

Yesterday, PostSecret had two secrets that ended up being about the LDS Church. You can see them here:

It reads:

Every Sunday I sneak off to an LDS Church. My family has no idea where I am. I don’t know whose approval means more to me, theirs or the Lord’s.

The other secret was the polar opposite:

It reads:

I am so scared that this (like everything else) will not be the answer.

When I went to the local Unitarian Universalist church, there were so many people who felt betrayed by the LDS Church and had been abandoned by their families. The animosity that these people expressed over the religion was uncomfortable to me because I have many friends who are LDS. It’s hard to not have LDS friends when you live in Salt Lake City, Utah. The hatred and anger that these people felt free to express was counter to the teaching of the Unitarian church, which allows for free and open spiritual growth:

“Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth”

I’ve seen happy and productive lives of intelligent people within the LDS faith. I’ve seen agonizing rejection and hatred of people within the LDS faith. I’ve seen it work wonderfully. I’ve seen it fail miserably.

What would I say to these two people who sent their secrets flowing on the wind?

Beats me…

PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.

• Thanks @mdjensen for info about iGeoCacher, the new geocaching iPhone app. http://tinyurl.com/5g2elk #

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Maybe I’m clueless, but who are they talking about in this comic?

• The Joy of Tech comic… laughter is the best tech support.

Is it just a random guy or are they digging at someone in particular? They are usually pretty good at making their “victims” look like themselves, so maybe this is just some random guy.

Whenever I talk about the Quotations Page, I feel like I’m this guy. I’m really proud of our site, but in the whole of society, it doesn’t make a big dent.

• After I’m dead I’d rather have people ask why I have no monument than why I have one. — Cato the Elder

Who do YOU think they SHOULD be talking about?

Counterfeit Swatch by Laura Moncur from Flickr

In 1985, I bought this watch at Smith’s Food King for $20. I was so excited! My friend had a Swatch and I wanted one SO bad, but they were $45. When I saw this one at the grocery store, I jumped at the chance to buy it.

When I took it to ZCMI to buy a new band for it, however, the clerk there told me the sad truth. It wasn’t a real Swatch.

You can tell it’s not real because it only has one thing on the band instead of two. Click the photo to see the notes on Flicker so you can tell a fake Swatch from a real one.

My mom felt so sorry for me, she said she would help me buy a REAL Swatch if I saved half the money.

• The Joy of Tech guys left a comment admitting the comic is about someone, but won’t tell who. Who do YOU think? http://tinyurl.com/5cfy58 #
• Pink is kickin’ butt with her new song! http://tinyurl.com/5kud64 #

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Sir Swatch by Laura Moncur from Flickr

This is most my beloved of my Swatches. When I found out that I had spent my money on a counterfeit Swatch back in 1985, my mom said she would help me buy a REAL one if I saved up for half. It took me weeks of going to ZCMI and looking at their selection to decide on this one.

If you look closely, you can see that I am wearing Sir Swatch in my graduation photo. I must have looked at the face of this watch for hours and hours, waiting for school to get out or work to be finished.

If you notice, the crest on the face spells the word Swatch. There is an “S” on the upper left, a “W” on the upper right, an “A” on the lower left, a “T” divides the four areas of the crest and the “CH” are on the lower right.

God, I LOVE this Swatch. For the last few years, I thought this watch was broken because I had replaced the battery and it still didn’t work, but when I took it to the Swatch store last week, the guy there was able to get it going.

I was so happy I hugged him.

• Best laugh of the day. Blogess: Other bloggers get invited to go on CNN. I get an angry transvestite army. http://thebloggess.com/?p=635 #
• Trek and Monty Python Funny! http://tinyurl.com/o2sot #
• Trek and Frasier Kinda funny… http://tinyurl.com/golrr #
• Gotta stop dinking around and get ready to go to the Utah Open Source Conference. #
• Headingcto the UT Open Source Conference. #
• @ThomAllen Missing you at the UTOSC. You coming tomorrow or Saturday? #
• @JesseStay Because identi.ca is NOT ready for prime time and will not be until the SMS feature is available. #
• @JesseStay So, let me get this straight… You’re taking a stand FOR Open Source by NOT attending the Open Source Conference? Hmm… #
• OMG! The guy at the AI presentation is NOT a good presenter. Where’s my cyanide pil?!! #
• @libel_vox Yeah, I gave him the PERFECT opportunity to dumb down his lecture for us and he is now talking about passwords… #
• @anntorrence A negative on the cyanide blow dart. I decided to mock him behind his back instead. :( #
• @libel_vox is kicking butt on his presentation at the UTOSC! #

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Valkyrie by Laura Moncur from Flickr

When I was deciding which watch to buy in 1986, I chose my beloved Sir Swatch. This watch, however, was a close second. It didn’t win out because it was pink. The primary colors of Sir Swatch won out in the end. Plus, I was going through an Anne Lennox phase and I was much more interested in wearing a men’s watch.

I just got this watch on eBay, so now I have BOTH. I’m such a lucky girl!

• WWII Museum in NH. I MUST see it!! http://tinyurl.com/6x7sar #
• I knew Mr. Rogers was awesome, but I didn’t know HOW awesome! http://tinyurl.com/66zlut #
• I’m bringing my DS to the UTOSC and hiding out in the halls if the sessions are too complicated for me. Find me and we’ll play Mario Kart! #
• @tomjohnson It’s best to get it done. Don’t expect to get any work done today, though, no matter what they tell you. #
• Sitting in the hall at the UTOSC. All the sessions too techie for me. Mario Kart anyone? #

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I won this watch in an auction last week on eBay. It represents the 80’s to me more than a lot of the other Swatches because of the primary colors, shapes and design.

This design of this watch reminds me of Mondrian paintings. He did his work in the 30’s and 40’s and it took that long before he became a design fad. Honestly, I still love the primary colors, thick black lines and basic shapes of that style of design. I know it’s out of style now and represents the 80’s, but I still love it.

In 1987, I used to spray my hair with Studio Line hairspray from Loreal. The bottle was decorated just like the Mondrian paintings. I swear I just used that hairspray because it was cool, not because it worked any better than any other hairspray.

Here’s a commercial for Studio Line Hairspray:

I think this is the commercial that Sigue Sigue Sputnik sampled from to create their commercial between the two of their songs on their album Flaunt It. They actually auctioned commercial time between their songs on their album. Loreal was one of the companies to buy time and the other was i-D Magazine.

You can hear that commercial here:

• Pick Me! » Studio Line by Sigue Sigue Sputnik

It’s funny how this watch represents a painting style, and the painting style represents a hairspray and the hairspray represents a band. It all is mixed up in one big soup in my mind. Back in 1987, I wanted that Swatch, but in the big scheme of things, I couldn’t afford to buy all the ones I wanted when I was a teenager. Now, however, through the power of eBay, I can.

Update 12-04-12

Speaking of Mondrian, Nailasaurus just did a manicure that I would have LOVED in the Eighties:

She said it was inspired by this painting by Piet Mondrian:

My sixteen year old self is salivating over that manicure and I would have LOVED to be able to do that back then! Why can’t it be 1987 again, but with all my memory and skills I’ve earned since then?!

• Note to self: Make freezer jam. http://tinyurl.com/5qa4u3 #
• No Heroics: New Superheroes Sitcom. http://tinyurl.com/5ve54j #

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I knew this watch only as the paisley Swatch. My friend, Dawni Burton, had a Swatch just like this. A boy had given it to her as a gift. I remember wishing that there was a boy that liked me enough to give me a Swatch.

Mike won this watch for me on eBay. I finally got my wish.

• Totally fun dinner at The Puck. Trivia, food and Blue Hawaiians. #

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