Nerd SATs

So...having a recognizable character on your arm is something I really wasn't prepared for. I mean, most people seem to dig all the visible tattoos, but Wonder Woman has just brought something out of people. They feel they need to see it and see it in its entirety, which means me lifting up my shirt sleeve, or alternately THEM lifting it up, which I find off-putting at best. When I got the peacock on my left arm, I was introduced to this, but now it's at an unprecedented high: people will touch you if you have tattoos. People will make uncomfortable conversation with you about your tattoo. People will be caught staring and say awkward things like, "Hey Wonder Woman!" Not "Hey, Wonder Woman!" as if they are noticing her and doing so aloud, but like they are calling me Wonder Woman.

I have gotten some awesome responses from kids, who see a cartoon on my arm and pretty much respond with their little kid version of "rad" or just gasp and say "ooooh." Ladies ask me about my tattoos in general, and once a lesbian asked me a ton of detailed questions in a semi-flirtatious way, but it's grown men who make it weird. Just, why, dudes? Why make it weird? "Nice tats" by the way, sounds to me like "nice tits" which is gross (not something I've ever heard directed at my small Bs, but gross nonetheless), and I've only heard that from men. Last night, a whole table of fanboys at the bar were fascinated by Wonder Woman. Two had the guts to actually ask me about it, and they both provided me with a hilarious story for you.

Fanboy number one looked like a cross between a doofy skater and Judah Friedlander. He came up to the bar right next to me and created this fake reason for being so close to me. He squinted his eyes at the bottles as if he was looking for something and made it super obvious, so I asked what he was looking for (mistake numero uno). He was looking for a liqueur named "Hypnotiq." At a dive bar. It looks like this:

Why yes, the bottle is bedazzled.

He said that it was kind of like Alize, and that you mix it with Hennessey to make what's called an "Incredible Hulk." I had a patented Sweet Lady look of disgust/confusion/surprise and was speechless, and the guy looked down at me (because he was tall) and said, "Oh, you don't know what Alize is do you?" Like in a "isn't that cute" condescending way, to which I replied, "Oh no, I know what it is, but couldn't you just drink Nyquil for cheaper?" And he felt what people in the 19th century would have called chagrinned, or maybe vexed. This attitude problem of mine is not new. It's the reason I was single more often than I was in a relationship before I met M and convinced him to marry me, but I digress... he then said what he really meant to say before he came up, which was "I really like your tattoo." I think the Incredible Hulk drink quiz was part one of Fanboy Table's ploy to find out if I was a real nerd. Because later, when part two went into effect, it all seemed so clear.

Fanboy #2 was a nerd by-the-book. Glasses, pasty, hoodie, graphic-T, awkward, and with a speech impediment of some kind. I get back from the bathroom, and before I can get to my chair, I have this nerdy guy come right up in my personal space circle and say the following:


"I saw your Wonder Woman tattoo earlier and, um, I was wondering which artist inspired it."

This, dear readers, is nerd code. He wants to know if I am actually a fan of the comics or if I am a lesbian/feminist/tough chick who's just into the pop culture reference. I know this because when, after a beat, I replied with, "Actually, I had a couple different artists in mind," he spoke over me and said "or is it just the female empowerment thing." So I told him the truth, that I wanted the piece to reflect both a 70s version of her as well as a 1940s version, and that the composition was inspired by a Terry Dodson Wonder Woman poster, plus I wanted to reference the TV show too:

60s-70s style


Golden Age comics style - 1940s

The Terry Dodson poster

Lynda Carter as TVs Wonder Woman.

Here's what I've got so far, for those that forgot:

At this, the nerd boy had a visible reaction. The reaction was like as if he'd won a bet, won the lottery, won something, but also was forced to bottle up his celebratory instinct. When I said "Terry Dodson" he did a little jump and made a little noise. I surmised that he and his friends had a little debate over whether I knew comics or was just into the symbolic WW. And he went out on the nerd version of an epic journey for truth. Then I was like, his super friend and he wanted to talk comics and specifically artists, because everyone knows who Captain America is, but few people know the cadre of artists who brought him to life by name.

So, after all these years of being queen nerd, crown weighing down all chances of thinking myself even remotely cool, I get the late-in-life Nerd SAT exam. And you know how I approach exams. They are the nerd version of a fight. I win all my fights.

We left soon after that, and nerd boy #2 tried to catch me on the way out, with purse in hand, and asked if I liked some random obscure artist, like a final exam. He actually had to raise his voice for the last part of the question because I was walking out the door. But I just said "bye" and now he will never know. I swear there is a movie in this somewhere.

I wonder if they had seen a guy with a comic-related tattoo that was wearing chucks, a hoodie, and glasses (my swanky Saturday night attire), would they have entertained the notion that he didn't know comics and was just into getting a fun tattoo? Would they have gone on a similar mission to uncover the nerd-poseur in their midst?

Sigh...probably NOT.

Meanwhile, your nerd quotient goes down with every tattoo, even the nerd-related ones! Who knew?

Blythe!

I've been fascinated with Blythe, the doll, for oh, about 17 years. I remember in the early 90s seeing a picture of one at some kind of art show and I loved it immediately. Blythe dolls are an early 70s creation. They stand about a foot tall and have these super large eyes that blink and change direction when you pull the cord attached to the back. They weren't really popular when they first emerged in 1972. Their production only lasted about a year. Some 27 years later, the doll has had a resurgence in popularity and Hasbro allowed a Japanese company to make the dolls again. And they took off like wildfire. Originally inspired by the art work of Margaret Keane, who painted kids with big eyes, Blythe now has a whole army of people who are fascinated by her.


Original Blythes from the 70s are rare, but sought after, and can be worth hundreds of dollars.
The Takara remakes are also worth a pretty penny. Ashton Drake, the US company that is replicating them, charges about $60 for their Blythe. All of them have slight variation in skin tone, shiny-ness, and eye color, but the basic shape of the doll is the same.

Here is a 1972 Kenner Blythe:
I think she struck me as interesting because most dolls are happy faced, and she seems to be kind of pensive. Also, I loved Margaret Keane and mod 60s style, so she fit into a lot of my design requirements. What has happened since the resurgence in the 90s is a total explosion of Blythe. People who are into Blythe not only buy the dolls, they remake them, which is amazing! They not only buy clothes, accesories and wigs for her:


They make them over completely, changing eyes, sanding the faces to reapply makeup. Here's goth Blythe:


To do this, of course, you have to kill Blythe. Some models easily come apart with a little prying. Others require cutting open her head! There are tons of websites devoted to helping you figure out what doll requires which kind of surgery to get apart. And then, what you can do is limitless. Some go as far as to resculpt the face, to give lips a new shape.


Eye chips allow you to play with eye color, and with an airbrush, you can change little white Blythe into any number of skin tones.

There's a number of Flickr groups devoted to Blythes of color with names like Black Blythe is Beautiful.
This is one of those beautiful cultural moments where people take something aimed at one group of people and totally transform it to fit their own needs and desires, ignoring the intentions of the creator. A whole subculture has grown out of this. People who make and sell clothing, wigs, trade techniques and post images on Flickr and Blythe websites like This is Blythe, What's Blythe. There are tutorial sites like the Pucci Collective, and YouTube has tons of videos explaining how to customize your doll. But...well, most of the big Blythe aficionados don't refer to Blythe as a doll. It's not like they think she's a real person, like they are divorced from reality (at least not most of them), but they seem to participate in the fantasy of her realness. They call her "my girl" and sometimes name her, giving her a personality. Some photograph their Blythes in tiny dollhouse like settings, like kitchens or living rooms, as though she has her own life. She has long days at work, has to get ready for tonight's party, that kind of stuff. And though Blythe is definitely big in Japan, and probably has a few fans under 18, most of these websites seem to be by middle aged women. Fascinating.

Oh yeah, I'm one of them now. I don't call her "my girl" nor do I play with Blythe, but the idea of a customized doll was right up my alley! I had a fantasy of transforming her into a mini-me, but that didn't happen. Once I found a cheap enough doll, I did what I could with what I had. I didn't want to cut it and open up the skull, so I decided to just do minor adjustments. Here's my original doll, the Aztec Arrival Blythe:

I, being me, made her all gothy. I cut her hair, painted her face (girl needed some eyebrows, for sure), and made her a tiny little dress.



I think these would be great dolls to give a kid who doesn't see herself in the dolls at the store. You could make a really beautiful gift for someone by customizing the doll to look like a kid or just look like they could be related!

If I have time and money, maybe one day I'll get more of these babies. But for now, Vampire Blythe will be my little companion. I don't have the heart to pack her up yet, so she might be the last thing to get boxed up before our move.>var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
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Let's Get Nautical - Finds

I really like nautical themed things, but living in a city like Long Beach means everyone else does too. I am not so into boat shoes and cardigans that drape, that's a little too Nantucket nautical. I'm mostly into the navy blue and white color scheme, with a green or red to brighten things up. Stripes. I like anchors and fish or whale patterns. Any sea creature, really. I just realized that octopi and seahorses are also OK with me. Also mermaids.

Anyway, I'm moving! To a place that is hopefully not saturated with nautical themed items. I can fully indulge...come with me, won't you?

Hey Sailor ladies tee for $16 at emandsprout/Etsy
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Mermaid hanging hook, $16 at Monkey&Squirrel/Etsy

Sailor Locket $24 at Freshy Fig/Etsy

From Plasticland:

Bottoms Up stainless steel water bottle for $20

If you want to go corporate, LL Bean has just unveiled their summer line, and it's totally nautical:

They're $70 freaking dollars, but they are soo cute. And they are skimmers so they will be good for walking through puddles, not that I'd let a $70 shoe anywhere near water:

Coastal Rain Skimmers (other colorways available)


Hmm..3/4 sleeve, cute bright color, navy blue anchor, yep, I like this one. It's $50. Maybe by the time I move and get settled, it will be on sale.

Harborview cardigan


The other versions of this are cute too. I particularly like the whales!
If I could still wear a bikini, I'd already have this:


From Delias, marked down from $36 to $10!

Delias also has a peacoat selection that's affordable. It's great to invest in one good peacoat, but for fun colors, I like to go cheap. This, of course, may change once I live somewhere cold.

This was $109 and is marked down to $79. It comes in 7 colors!

Devin Military Peacoat:


This one is also marked down, to $39.99.

I like the low belt, but it wouldn't really work on someone with ample hips, like me. Maybe that's why it's on sale. Get on it, slim ladies!

I feel like lots of things on this page are $70, which is ridiculous because I can't really afford them, but the cuteness is there. If you have $70 handy, these are sweet:

Chooka Posh Dots Rain boot

Conference

Remember how I'm a professor? I'm supposed to go to conferences to keep up with the field (and also to present my work in the field, but that's another story). Conferences can cost a lot of money if they are not in your area. Actually, just the registration fee can be up to $100, so it can be a pretty penny even if you live down the street. I have therefore avoided some of the cooler, more interesting conferences. I just couldn't rationalize the travel, hotel, and food costs. But every year, the American Studies Association has its annual conference. That one I try to go to when I can. Last time I attended was in 2007 for the Philadelphia conference. It made sense because it coincided with a trip to visit M's family and a chance to have an East coast celebration of our engagement. I didn't make it last year, but this year, I'm going. Oh, I'm still broke. In fact, I listed myself as "student" and "ASA member" so I could get the cheapie $25 registration fee. But I'm not staying in a dump, and I'm taking Jetblue right out of Long Beach, which is very convenient. One day, I'll look back on it and wonder if it was worth it. That day will probably be the day I get my credit card bill. But dammit, I feel isolated in my work and my vocabulary is going to shit (obvs.). I need a conference to jump start me again.

The theme this year is "Practices of Citizenship, Sustainability, and Belonging." There aren't a lot of sessions on digital culture, which is my bread and butter. In fact, I believe there are only two and one of them includes two faculty from my graduate institution (one of whom is on my dissertation committee). This, of course, doesn't mean I'm not excited about a variety of sessions and panels. Here's just a few that I'm really looking forward to:

• Death, Destruction, and Ruin in Nineteenth-Century America
• Old/New Technologies of Belonging: Books, YouTube, Mobile Devices, and the Sensuousness of Sustainable Futures
• Race and the Beauty Industry
• Bad Citizenship and Good Games: Video Gaming, Criminality and Citizenship
• Zombies and Vampires: Identifying American Anxieties over Alterity and Belonging

Yes, that's right, a session on vampires. I randomly chose to leave late on Sunday (an unbelievable 5:45 pm-totally uncharacteristic for me) and what was waiting for me? A Sunday morning panel on vampires. Ironically, it's at 8am, which is just downright insulting to the vampires who probably wanted to attend. Mad props to the ASA for examining the trend before it passes. That's a rarity for academic conferences.

Conferences can be weird, fun, intellectually stimulating, and sometimes intensely boring. You can find out something that changes your whole perspective on what you do, meet someone that understands your obsession with whatever it is that you call your "research interest." You may also realize that there are people who ask questions that intend to insult and injure--and they love going to conferences too. It makes presenters nervous as hell, it makes the other audience members kind of roll their eyes or be uncomfortable (and it just makes me angry--see pic above). When people talk about how online communities are so different from "real" communities because people can feel more comfortable insulting you in a virtual environment, I often think, "Have you ever been to a conference?"

The best thing about conferences is the camaraderie and the connections you make. This can be taken all sorts of places. Places I've never gone, if you're wondering. Mostly I love meeting up with my friends and talking with them about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the various sessions we attend. My friends are all over the country now, so it's extra nice to have a good excuse for getting together. We can even write it off on our taxes at the end of the year!

I'm also looking forward to real fall weather! Please don't be too scary, DC weather. I'm fragile.

Finds: Sweet Tees

Ah, the semester is about to begin. Time for back to school clothes. I'm making an effort to dress better this semester. Not better like nicer stuff, because I have always dressed professionally. What I mean is better in terms of being more interesting. Less Target (my go-to place for work clothes) and more stuff you just can't find anywhere. Plus, because the a/c and heat can be unpredictable all over campus, I'm gonna need to explore layering a bit more. I have a bunch of 3/4 sleeve shirts, sweaters, and cardigans. I have cute blouses and jackets. What I don't have are good t-shirts. I want to do the t-shirt under the blazer thing, like professors do on TV. The cool ones anyway. Ooh, or under a button up shirt. So 90s! I'm looking for hot or fun or super nerdy Ts. I do have a reputation to maintain. As an aside, I finally got my evaluations from last semester's courses. Mostly good stuff. A few "too much reading" and "midterm was hard" and one random "Go Lakers," but a lot of people happy with the class and my enthusiasm (read: nerdlove) for the topics. One student even wrote "I want to marry [sweet lady]." Rules! Anyway, gotta think about what to wear...

Here's a few Tees I found:

Tiger Tee
Fierce statement for the workplace, but it can be subdued. I definitely wouldn't wear it tucked in to white parachute pants. WTF?

Then Buffy Staked Edward...The End.
So the Twilighters know where I'm coming from.

Birds Alight at Design By Humans

I like the basic red-black-white color scheme.

Wonder Woman Tee
It's more subtle than the other ones I found with her face and body. I mean, I have her face and body on my arm. It's a bit much with the shirt, but remember, I'd be wearing it under something. I doubt the students will see my upper arm all semester.

Peace, Love, and Vampires!
This is only available in mens sizes, but I tend to cut my t-shirts at the neck to make them all boat neck, so it would work.


Bringing back some X-Files love. Of course, I'd have to cut this one up so it's a little more femmy. Boatneck for sure, maybe cropped a bit.

Got any links to cute shirts? Not boring work clothing in general? Let me know!! I could use some!

Think Geek

My latest favorite web catalogue is Think Geek at ThinkGeek.com. Some of the geeky things I love:
Digital Measuring Tape. Because I hate writing down measurements and I always forget when I don't write them down.
LOL Cats poetry magnets! Hai Doods!

LED Emoticon lights for the car. This is my favorite. You control it with a remote control and it can show 5 different messages. It is apparently not legal in some states, though.
This next one is for Brande. A DIY drinking straw! Utilitarian straw art.
Ooooh, this is a bluetooth laser virtual keyboard that allows you to type on any flat surface. It's $160 and totally not necessary but it looks SO cool.

BEHOLD:

There was no "guys guide to dating a geek" which leads me to believe that this site is for straight geek dudes who want supermodels. It made me sad. But then I thought about how they're never going to date supermodels. And I laughed. Here's the description:

"Geeks are human, yes, but sometimes they seem like a different species. They have social interactions that don't resemble anything else found in nature; they have language aspects and conventions that go against rational thought; and they many times have a unique body odor"

Sounds a lot like academics. No wonder I dig this site.

I'm totally geeked out for now.