Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
I’ve been trying to figure out what to put in this blog post for the last two days and after not being able to put words together, I’m just going to type until there aren’t any more things to type. It starts with THANK YOU. Thank you to the people who came out for Geek Go Glam. Thank you to the sponsors who made it happen. (High fives to Think Geek Solutions, Quirk Books, WattPad, Kombucha on Tap and High Voltage Magazine!) Thank you to the human volunteers that came out and helped us put all the details together.
And of course: Thank you to my love Megan, AKA The Nerdy Girlie for being an incredible co-host and friend throughout the entire process. I am constantly amazed by the beauty of your soul and spirit and you have added so much to my life. I really believe that I’ve become a better person because of that woman.
Life handed Megan and I very major blows about three months ago at the exact same time. Having a broken heart is a lot like having a limb removed, because you find yourself so sad and so vulnerable, grasping for a hand in the breeze that isn’t there. In so many ways, Megan’s hand was the hand that got me through those moments, both physically when we were together and emotionally when we were apart. And it could have caused a lot of different things to happen, but the thing it really did was make us incredibly close. And it gave us the courage to take on a grand distraction. Geeks Go Glam started as that distraction. But in the end, it really came together because she and I came together to support each other. And I’m incredibly proud of that.
San Diego Comic Con can be an exhausting endeavor, but it’s about these moments in time that get lost on us during the rest of the year when our lives get busy. It’s about coming together and celebrating the things that make our hearts sing. For me, my fellow lady geek bloggers are one of those things.
SherlockeDCC was an incredible success in its third year for the same reason. And we at the Baker Street Babes owe so many people thank yous for that too. I promise to get to that in a future blog post. Instead, I’m going to focus on the now and say: as I go about the last 24 hours of this Con, I am reminded to hold some hands for a few more hours. Hug harder and longer, because we can. And to wish each other beautiful blessings of bravery and grace on our journeys during the rest of the year. Live long and prosper, my friends. Thanks for being part of my journey.
I love San Diego Comic Con. It’s the one time of year where I can pack all my nerdy tee shirts and know that they will actually get worn over the course of the long weekend. But, I’ve always found myself thinking:
Wouldn’t it be fun if before we sleep on the street for Hall H or sweat our butts off waiting for lunch in the Gaslamp if we all got dressed our best and had a classy party to celebrate the start of the weekend?
Introducing Geeks Go Glam. The classiest party at 2015 San Diego Comic Con!
Geeks Go Glam is the only party at Comic Con where tuxedos, dresses and high heels are not only encouraged - they are part of the fun. Come in your best nerdy black tie or glamorous nerdy ensemble.
So what’s going to happen?
There will be live music, a tea party offering of tea, coffee and delicious snacks, a photo booth, a raffle with amazing prizes from your favorite chic nerdy retailers and lots of dancing with other glamorous geeks.
I would never do this crazy thing alone. The first annual Geeks Go Glam party is hosted by The Nerdy Girlie and Being Geek Chic! Megan is my sister in nerdery and one of the most glam geeks I know, so it only makes sense that we would partner up for the fun.
The party will be hosted at the San Diego Public Library’s outdoor atrium. It’s 18 and up and super affordable. Tickets are only $15.
We’d obviously love to have you, so buy your tickets now: geeksgoglam.com
My friend Megan is a crazy talented blogger and just a sweet friend, BUT, while I could talk forever about the joys of hanging out with her in the Hall H line, what you really need as a first time SDCCer isn’t my silly stories. I think what you really need is her wicked amazing San Diego Comic Con Guide.
What’s so great about it you ask? Dude. You don’t even know. This woman has compiled literally every single tip you need for before the con, during the con and after the con. Here’s just a tiny, tiny sample of what you’ll find:
Did I mention that her guide has about 25 other sections? You can find her complete San Diego Comic Con Guide here. And if you are really smart you’ll follow her on Twitter too @thenerdygirlie - because you know she’s going to be tweeting up a storm in just two short weeks.
See you at the Con!
Craving some Homer Simpson strawberry “D'Oh!nut” cookies, My Little Pony rainbow cake, Great Gatsby lemon cupcakes, or Hobbit hole sugar cookies? This week’s Lady Geek will show you how to whip up these goodies and more. Gwen (yes, like Gwen Stefani, but she prefers Gwen Stacy) blogs about her adventures in the kitchen over at A Geek and Her Oven.
We caught up with Gwen to talk about her geeky self-discovery, most interesting kitchen experiment (it involved Gideon Emery!), and her evil super power that, she assures us, she’ll use for good. So read on!
Oh! And be sure to follow Gwen on Twitter: @ageekandheroven.
Q: How you discover your passion?
A: My passion for baking came when I finally decided to make baking my career. I wanted to try to find a niche with it. Everyone makes cupcakes and cakes but I wanted to try to do something different. That’s when I started experimenting with food replication. I found food from cartoons (mostly sweets and baked goods) and figured out in my own little way how to turn them into real life creations. Unfortunately, my business didn’t work out but I still wanted to carry on doing the fandom food creations so now its just a regular part of my blog. I show my readers how to create fandom food using really easy things like boxed cake mix.
As for my blog, I had always wanted to blog about my geeky life. My previous blog was so topic heavy that it didn’t allow me to include any of my personal life in it. Once my business failed, I decided to turn the blog over to a new name and a new direction. Thus starting my passion for blogging about all the geek stuff in my life. Now I can share all the things I am passionate about other than baking which actually makes blogging a heck of a lot easier for me now!
Q: When did you discover you were ‘geeky’?
A: As a kid I really loved things that are considered geeky now, I just didn’t really know that that was a thing. So I just brushed it off as being interest and things I liked doing. It actually wasn’t until I was fresh out of high school that my long time friend introduced me to comic books. She forced me to read Birds of Prey and I did and I fell in love with comics. She’s also the one who took me to my first convention and helped me make one of my very first cosplays. So I guess it wasn’t until then (then being around 2007-2008) that I discovered I was geeky. I am definitely a late bloomer to finding out a lot of things. I actually didn’t even know what Star Wars was until about that time as well. But I have her to thank for it because if it wasn’t for her I probably would’ve lived a very boring life!
Q: Most interesting experiment in the kitchen thus far?
A: My most interesting experiment had to have been when I was on a roll with creating character flavors for cupcakes. I had been on a tweeting spree asking my favorite actors from shows if their characters were cupcakes, what flavors would they be. I had gotten a response from Gideon Emery who plays Deucallion on MTVs Teen Wolf. He told me ‘Red Velvet, deadly!” so I did it. It was great I even included ‘Wolf Bane’ as a decoration for the photo. Unfortunately, that post was deleted when I was converting my blog over but it was still a fun experiment.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: Oh man, this is tough. I think…I would pick Elijah Mikaelson from The Originals. That guy is so dashing and sophisticated I think that he might pick the drink for me instead of having me pick one. With his centuries of being alive he’s probably tasted some great stuff. But since I have to pick I would probably assume he’s a wine kinda guy. Unfortunately I am not well versed in wine..which is why he would probably pick it out for us haha. I would like to say that my second pick would be Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries and he and I would just have numerous bottles of Bourbon.
Q: Choose a superhero power.
A: I cant remember the technical comic book term for it but I would want to be able to manipulate peoples surroundings. Basically make them see what I want them to see. I would use it for good though. That kind of power is often synonymous with being a villain. But I wouldn’t be a villain…
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, history scholar, tea drinker, fashion devotee, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. Follow her on Twitter: @emmalynnbauer
Editor’s Note: My real life friend and internet sister in nerdery and I both took a trip to London in 2013. How delightful! We are swapping tips today on how to get the most out of your next trip to England.
As you all know {and hopefully you enjoyed reading over on The Nerdy Girlie} I just returned home from Christmas in the UK. I had such an amazing time and learned so much about international travel on this trip, that I thought I would share some of my NOOB tips with you!
DO write down EVERYTHING you want to see and do and then rank them in order of importance. Once you start booking day trips and tours, time for the little things begins to run out.
DO purchase as many of your tours, train and Tube {Oyster Card} tickets as soon as you book your trip. Tours and trains sell out so it is good to plan ahead for these things BEFORE you arrive at your destination. I booked my Stonehenge trip with London Attractions Tickets and all worked out great.
DO map out as much of your day as possible. I was able to purchase an international data plan for my iPhone so I had a bit of internet time I could use. But having a game plan ahead of time made things go a lot smoother. Before leaving on your trip download MapsWithMe. This FREE app lets you use a map of the city you are traveling offline. It was a life saver for us!
DO take the Heathrow Express train into Paddington Station from the airport. It is a fifteen minute ride and costs around 20 pounds. A cab from the airport to near the same place cost the four of us 80 pounds plus tip. Quicker and cheaper.
DO plan on seeing at least one small town outside of the city. This was my favorite part of our trip and it gives you a bigger picture of what the UK is all about. Use the National Rail’s website to purchase your trips online before you leave.
DO check with debit and credit card company’s to see if you will have a fee for using your card overseas. And DON’T take out too much cash. Almost all places take credit and it will be easier to re-coupe your losses if cash is not involved.
DO, if your trip is longer than a day or two, get an Oyster card for the Tube. Add as much or as little money as you need. Re-load at your own discretion and then keep for future trips!
DO walk as much as possible. While in London or any of the towns you visit, there is so much to see! While riding the Tube is quicker, you miss seeing a lot of the little things. For our trip I planned on seeing as much as possible in a particular area and then taking the Tube to a further destination and repeating.
DO tip your cabbie and waitress. Though they do not rely on tips as much as Americans, the going rate for a tip in the UK is 10%.
Fandom MUST SEES in the UK:
Harry Potter
*Kings Cross Station
*Millennium Bridge
*Christ Church, Oxford
*Warner Brother’s Studio Tour
Sherlock
*221B Baker Street and Sherlock Museum
*Speedy’s Cafe/221B of the show
*St. Bart’s Hospital
Check out the Sherlockolgy website for ALL of the filming locations for BBC’s Sherlock
Doctor Who
The Doctor Who Experience, Cardiff
Tower of London
The Who Shop
The Globe Theater
Head over to my blog The Nerdy Girlie to see what your very own Being Geek Chic creator Liz, says about her time in London, complete with her favorite tips and tricks!
