Friday, December 17, 2010

Day 03

Today's challenge was really easy for me. I seriously thought about it for about .5 seconds.

Day 03: Your favorite new show that started in 2010

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Day 02

Today's challenge:

A show that you wish more people were watching.

This one was a difficult one for me, because I could look at it two ways. A show that I wish everyone was watching, or a show I wish my friends were watching... because I watch some REALLY popular shows that my friends don't. So I am going with that:

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

30 Days of TV- Day 01

So, my friend Brenda convinced me to try this "30 Days of TV" thing that has been going on. Basically the next 30 posts will be about TV (I can't say 30 days, as I will be in Wisconsin for Christmas and St. Louis for New Years Eve), answering one question each day. So, hopefully I don't bore you to death.  But, let the fun begin.

Day 01: A Show That Should Not Have Been Canceled

Friday, December 10, 2010

This Is Neither Geeky Nor Lesbian.

I tend to write about think geeky and/or lesbian, but I am diverging for a moment, so bear with me. Today's blog is about faith.. or rather my lack of it.

I am an atheist. This is not a shock to my friends who know me. But it's also not something that I proclaim from the rooftops (unlike my lesbianism, which I would tattoo across my forehead if I didn't think I already looked like a flaming dyke). I believe in a total separation of church and state. I laugh at Flying Spaghetti Monster jokes. But this does not mean I hate religion. I respect other's right to believe, as long as their beliefs don't infringe on how I live my life (aka- gay marriage laws. I dare you to find one atheist who is against gay marriage) . I have some very good friends who are religious and not crazy, so I know people like that exist. I am very well versed in most religions. In fact, I probably know the Bible better then most of the crazy Christians out there.

My place of work ( a university) has been holding panels on various subjects, all titled "What does it mean to be _____ in America?" I had already sat on the gay panel, and last night i was asked to sit on the religious panel, representing those who have no faith. I agreed, and didn't think much about it.

I was on the panel with various religious people, including those representing conservative Jewish faith, three types of Christianity, and one Muslim man. I was the only woman, and the only Atheist. The moderator would ask questions, and we would answer them based on the faith (or lack of) that we represented. I made sure I was very respectful and never directly addressed the other panelists, even if I didn't agree with them. It was going well until the question was asked about creating laws based on faith based texts. I was honest and said that I A. did not think that morals and values had to come from religion, and B. I thought laws that were based on faith were not appropriate. Well, you would have thought I was Satan eating Baby Jesus.

All of the sudden i was being attacked by the OTHER PANELISTS. That's right- the other religious leaders were turning to me and arguing with me about faith and atheism. Then the audience jumped in and started yelling at me. I was literally being attacked from both sides. I won't get into the details of other things that happened, as I like my job and don't feel like putting it out there for everyone, but needless to say: it was a rough night. The only person defending me on the panel was the man representing Protestant Christians. The ONLY ONE. One of the other men even came up to afterword and said he hoped that I found Jesus and God someday. I did get support both from the moderator and my boss's boss. She was there and was appalled at what happened.

I never thought it would be easier to come out as a butch lesbian then an atheist.

Geek On.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Playing As The Bad Guy

In the past few weeks I discovered something about myself, in terms of gaming. It's something I knew deep down in the back of my head, but never fully acknowledged.

I enjoy playing as the good guy.

That in itself isn't a revelation. I mean, who doesn't love being the hero? Who doesn't love sweeping in and saving the day? But with games nowadays, there is more then one way to win the day. And that does not always mean being the good guy. In fact, sometimes it means being a downright bastard.

The games I play the most- the Mass Effect series, the Fable series, and the Dragon Age series- you can win the game multiple ways. You can be a true paragon, or an evil renegade bastard. Sometimes there are even achievements for playing as the bastard. Now, this doesn't mean you are evil. Far from it- sometimes it just means that you are playing as an "ends justify the means" sort of character.

I sat down to play through Dragon Age: Origins again, and as I flipped through the achievements, I realized that I had about 3-4 I needed to get. The consisted of being a total bastard though- killing the Dalish elves, killing off the mages, and pouring blood on the ashes of a holy figure. The last one would be especially hard, as my current romance, Leliana, would attack me and leave the party if I did that. Thinking about actually doing any of these just gave me the willies. In the end, I ended up saving just before I had to make the decision, played as a bastard, got the achievement, then immeadiately reloaded and played as the good guy. This required about twice the amount of time, but in the end I felt better.

So with all the choices that games have to offer, why do I hate playing as a renegade? I am unsure, but I know some of my friends just revel in being a bastard online. I can't seem to do it. I also have an aversion to romancing more then one character. This is especially true in Dragon Age: Origins, where you get an achievement for romancing all the characters. I flat out refuse to do it. First of all- it takes most of the game to get to that point, so it's not a short 10 minute segment. You have to put actual thought and time into it- and end up really caring about the relationship. These three series are some of the few where I can play as a female character- and gives me the option of romancing another female. I see this so little in my real life- including other video games and tv shows/movies, that romancing someone else almost feels like cheating. I like my romances with Liara, Leliana, and whatever random female villiager I can connect with in the game. I don't like the game tempting me with other romance options just for the sake of 10 achievement points.

I guess in the end I just enjoy being the Lesbian Hero.

Geek On.