Many years ago, I found solace on the internet. I found friends where I had none, a community out of nowhere. And these people, like most people, listened to music. I love music, and always taking new suggestions, I watched the little meter on AIM tick down as I downloaded a copy of a song called “Rootless Tree” by some guy that I thought I had heard of before, but never properly listened to. The gentleman was Damien Rice. I started...

Not only is this week Speak Out With Your Geek Out, but Thursday on the internet means only one thing: It’s Indie Thursday, the day we celebrate independent bookstores. This week is a special Indie Thursday, because I have a guest post up today at Jenn’s Bookshelves, a kickass book blog. I figured why not spread the love further and talk about my love of books for Speak Out! Being a Geek is just another way of saying you’re...

As “Speak Out With Your Geek Out” week continues – you can read my previous post here - it seems only fitting to begin with my longest, most geeky hobby. Online roleplaying. How It Happened I started role playing online well over a decade ago, around the year 2000. I was in Middle School, and as anyone who has ever attended Middle School will tell you – it sucked. I was in the sixth grade, and we were doing this...

I grew up in a House of Geek. Some of my earliest memories involve watching Star Trek with my dad. I knew how to make the Vulcan Salute before I knew how to ride a bike. When they first introduced me to Garbanzo beans, he told me they were little Ferengi heads. My mom is a geek in her own right. Sure, she thinks Star Trek isn’t very exciting and really doesn’t know anything about Star Wars; and okay, she can barely work her email...

I admit it. I’m going a little stir crazy. It’s hard being away from home in a hurricane – not just because of worrying for my family and friends, but also because…well, I’ve been riding out storms since I was a kid. It’s weird not being there. Hurricanes, for all the Big and Scary they can be, can be fun. Thankfully, we have the internet! I present to you, Manda’s Digital Hurricane...