Pick Up Line O'El Dia

My physical body must have expired and my katra gone to exist with my ancestors because I am witnessing one of celestial origin before me.

#GeekSpeak: @Maj_g's love that seems not to be (mass effect)

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy LaShaun. We play trivia together every Tuesday, and HOLY HELL this dude is good!! For reals, he knows a lot of random things, and is genuinely also a rad human being. I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT LASHAUN!!! </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @Maj_G

One of the most anticipated games of the year is set to be released today and despite my love for the series, I won’t be able to join in the festivities. I have both PS3 and Xbox 360 as well as the previous installments, and I could find some way to afford to preorder it despite my low income, so why won’t I be getting it? Because the Xbox 360 I have has been showing an error code 74 since March of 2010. For those who don’t know what that is, it is one of those infamous Red Rings of Death which plagued the original Xbox 360s. And mine happened just 3 months outside of the [extended] warranty, so Microsoft refused to extend any courtesies towards fixing it. What this means is that for a common problem that happens to Xboxes, I’m going to have to shell out $90. However, I am poor and have never made more than minimum wage, which means it will most likely take some time before I am able to get that done.

Luckily, most of the games I play are cross-platform, so if I really wanted to finish a title, I was able to simply get that title on PS3. I was able to do that for Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2, Wet, and Midnight Club: Los Angeles. And yes, I realize that not too long ago, the Mass Effect series joined those titles which bridged across platforms. However, there is one extremely important difference which makes the Mass Effect series different from continuing titles like Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Grand Theft Auto, or even The Legend of Zelda. That difference is a feature which has been a staple of EA Sports’s football titles since the late 90s, but hasn’t really been seen elsewhere – the ability to transfer a custom character from one game to another. However, Mass Effect‘s version is a bit more advanced. See, in the original Mass Effect, Commander Shepard makes 3 major decisions which can change the course of the entire series including how s/he is treated and who interacts with him/her for the entire series. Not only that, but there are a number of smaller decisions made  during side quests which are continually referenced later in the series (for example, one particular hero-worshipper meets up with my Commander Shepard in ME2 and recounts how I punched him in the previous title. Punching him was a momentary Renegade option my character had taken despite him being a Paragon).

So why am I griping about this instead of being in line for the midnight release? Because when BioWare made the Mass Effectseries available for the PS3,  they only made 2/3 of it available. To make PS3 owners feel like they aren’t missing out, there was an interactive comic which was made as DLC and allows the player to make some of the decisions which should have been made to properly enjoy ME2. However, as someone who had a chance to play 1 & a bit of 2 on the 360, I feel robbed of an incredible opportunity to replay a series that I love. Especially since I do happen to know exactly the experience I’m missing out on. I want to re-experience that  hopeless firefight and get to the end only to realize I must sacrifice a crew member. I want to prove to the other races that humans are worthy of joining their ranks after experiencing the doubts of [Shepard's] ability. Not letting me undergo the journey firsthand just feels like it cheapens the experience. And in this case, I can’t allow myself to settle.

#thatisall

Agree or disagree with LaShaun? Tweet him!

#Nerdsunite: Truth and transparency - Introducing the world's first relationship review application

So, I'm currently hanging in NYC working all this week with this super freaking rad startup that I am CRAZY passionate about, and we just adjourned the morning meeting where I found out that I can FINALLY tell you guys all about it. 

Nerds, I'd like to introduce you to my buddy Mirror.net. 

It hasn't launched yet (although it is this weekend), but I very literally cannot remember a time I have ever been more passionate about a startup. 

For reals, anyone in this space will tell you that we get pitched morning. noon. and night. on the most random, weird, and out there shiznat. Of course, I genuinely appreciate everything you guys send, and this is by no means a diss to anyone - but just VERY matter of fact that when something catches my eye like these guys were able to do ... you know they're onto something. 

Here's the rundown ... 

First up - let's get a song to go with this post. 

AHHH yes, girl talk. this works. 

Okey, so what is Mirror? And what the hell is a "relationship review application?" 

Here let me very literally draw a picture for you guys ... 

Since twitter has still failed to establish its value in the court of public opinion, lemme use Facebook as an example. 

This is social media as we currently see it; it is our lives lived with our best foot forward. 

You have LinkedIn to give a snapshot of your work history, and Facebook acting as people's primary resource to connect with you on a personal level. 

These are our two little lives, as told by us, the way that we want the world to see us ... pretty dandy isn't it? 

This digital profile however fails to give you an ACTUAL representation of who this person is, and what they are about.

What Mirror does is provide a perspective from a collective of individuals in your life as told through THEIR eyes - not yours. 

The reviews can come from friends, or past dates - but bottom line, THEY create the profile for you ... you have ZERO control of your online reputation in that regard. (haha scary shit, right?) 

A few weeks ago I put out a notice asking for guys that I had dated to contact me if they were interested in taking a part of this. 

If I am going to preach transparency, and PREACH openness ... how could I not be involved in something like this?? After all, the bottom line of why I lifecast and why I do what I do is because it is a way for me to better myself and to hold myself accountable for my actions. (Remember, we can never understand our current state of consciousness until we step outside of it. Documenting my life helps me TRULY understand, wow! I thought this ... but I meant that ... wow, I didn't know I was being that way!!) All of this shit is always unintentional, but very matter of fact that this is what we all do! Welcome to life!! Reality is perception, why do you think eyewitness accounts when a crime takes place are so unreliable? 

You're never going to understand how or why you are the way you are right now ... BUT if you are willing to be exposed in a certain capacity some extreme learning can come from it, and speaking from first hand experience it friggen changed my life FOREVER!!! I'm so grateful for lifecasting, and so grateful for this site and what I do. 

Anywho, so one of the people I heard from when I sent out that announcement was Coldplay cutie. Remember him from last summer? Here's the post I wrote about him, and here is the Mirror review he wrote about me: 

Here is what the new Mirror landing page will look like ... 

and here is the landing page on my review ... 

It is ALL anonymous, so I hid my review handle so people can't trace who I am on the site, since then obvi it would give away the identities of some of the dudes that I've dated. I still heart privacy of others. 

The reviewer stays anonymous on Mirror. always. always. always. 

Then, you can view my picture (which people are given the option of uploading three pics of you, and again - not how you CHOOSE to represent yourself, but what you ACTUALLY look like) ... 

This person chose my avatar, which is smart because obviously I use it on every social network and every anything ... 

They are then given the option on the review of highlighting positive qualities that the person possesses, in my case he chose "quick witted, hard working, intelligent, and optimistic." 

Then, they asked to select the person's faults - and yes, you MUST select two. Dudes, no one is perfect, and again this is TRUTH AND TRANSPARENCY. Coldplay cutie said that I "needed to think more about others, and needed to be the center of attention." 

Does it hurt to read that someone selected those qualities about you? FUCK YEAH! It does!!!  ... but get. over. it. Remember, if it hurts it's because it is resonating inside of me in some regard, so now I at least have a next doable action in working on bettering myself ... ::thinks to self:: ah yes, I can tone it down in certain social settings ... dually noted. This is something that I might not have registered in my current state of consciousness, but I am grateful to at least have, and after a few reviews come in if EVERYONE is saying that, you will CERTAINLY have a good idea of what you are "really like." 

Each profile has a unique identifier to differentiate each review. Obviously, you'll also have the age, and location of the person, but again, this will give you yet ANOTHER example of how people perceive you. 

Here is my unique identifier ... 

HAHAHA internet addict. Yep! Good one. 

Next, they are directed to comment on you in the relationship. You guys read the post on Coldplay cutie, but here is what he said about me ... 

"My head wasn't really into her, although I gave it my best shot, because she's a great girl. However she never disconnects from the internet. She NEEDS to date a fan of her site. It is the only thing she is interested in." 

<editorsnote> Mom and dad, stop reading here ... we're going to get a little more in depth, and I don't need to pay for your therapy. Love you! But go away. </editorsnote> 

Did that hurt to read? Certainly! I thought at the time that I disconnected from this site and social media as a whole. Of course as you all also know, I have been working on bettering myself with the Modern Day Shaman, and have even made it a habit to not bring my phone out with me while I'm on a date (not like first or second date - but if I'm TOTALLY into a guy after a few dates, and I know he's not like a serial killer) ... I do not, do not, do not, need to give away any attention to my social media accounts. It is something that I genuinely picked up on that I was doing, and have since corrected. FTR, Coldplay cutie and I dated last summer (which is also noted on the review).  

He discusses in very black and white what it is like to date me, at that time, in the state of consciousness that I was in last summer. 

Again, has this changed? Yep! But I'm still in my own skin and looking at life through my own eyeballs; I'll be curious to read more recent reviews. 

Next up, they are asked to review the relationship as a whole ... 

 That part actually REALLY pissed me off; I never cheated on Coldplay cutie ... we weren't friggen officially dating!! Last summer I still had a fuck buddy, which I talked about openly, so sure - Coldplay wasn't the only guy I was sleeping with, (but always always always used protection with. ALWAYS - and not "just the tip for a second) so how can you be "cheating" on someone if you've 1) never had that convo and 2) only went out 4 times. So lame. (To date however, I have not had a fuck buddy since last summer, ANNDDDD have given up casual sex. Translation: If I am having sex with someone in any capacity it is because I am building a connection with them, and not just boning.)

Next, he discusses my dateAbility a bit further ... 

NEXT up, is the part that I CRIINNGGEEEEDDDD over - the sexAbility, aka what the person is actually like in bed: 

That masturbation part made me laugh because I remember saying that ... and now I get why I had to give up casual sex last September (a month after he and I dated). 

Adequately fulfilling? Ouch. Coldplay cutie and I didn't have good sex ... like at all. We were different people, and he had never had a girlfriend before, which as every lady knows is an investment in a guy to teach them certain things. 

As I've said before though, dating has an ebb and flow. (Something that I only recently started exploring. You not only can't rush things, but men have a different way of courting chicks they want to get serious with versus ones they are just looking to bone. And vice versa for chicks, btw. I'll DEF treat a fuck buddy different than a guy I want to actually date, however, females have sex on a more emotional level, so in some capacity even a fuck buddy I will at one point think about dating. Damn you oxytocin!!!)

I actually really appreciated reading his honest perspective of that, and have DEFINITELY taken note on toning down my sexuality when it comes to guys. (Which is REALLY hard for me, btw, because I have such a high sex drive ... but I am learning, I am learning.) 

What you now have right here is a review of what I am ACTUALLY like, not what I think I might be like. Of course too, people change ... and things happen ... what's rad about Mirror is that when multiple reviews come in, it will populate similar to your Facebook timeline.

Your most recent reviews will appear first, and then going back. Coldplay cutie and I dated at the end of last summer, now 7 months later hopefully the next guy will write something different ... but who knows! Either way, if I keep getting over and over that I am being overly sexual, or that all I do is talk about TNTML I will DEFINITELY have a better idea of what my problem is dating wise, and am then provided with a next doable action in bettering myself. 

I learned from the 103 dates in 9 months that attraction and that "butterfly" feeling that I got from each of the guys I liked was that there was something in them that resonated in me. If you're dating a series of assholes and douches, what in you wants or expects to be treated like that? In very black and white terms (based on the OKC algorithm) I picked the ONLY 4 emotionally unavailable guys in the bunch. What did all of that say about me? And about where my own head is at? 

This is now why I've been working with a dating coach, and have a Modern Day Shaman ... it's all I know to do! CLEARLY there are some issues that I am still dealing with, but at least now I have this information to empower myself with and hopefully figure out a way to break the pattern. 

Have I done it yet? I don't know. I'm still single, and the thought of falling for YET ANOTHER emotionally unavailable guy completely freaks me out ... but I'm dating, and I'll figure that part out. At least with a site like Mirror however, now I can also get anonymous feedback on what the guys thought of me AFTER or during the fact. (There is an option to select if you are still dating, or if you are no longer together.) 

To write a review on Mirror you must provide Mirror with three pieces of information ... 

1) The person's phone number

2) The person's email address

3) The person's Facebook URL

You have to have two of the three, and they ping the system using this fancy pants technology that can check to make sure it actually IS their information. 

It's SO FREAKING RAD!!!! 

Mirror does not publicly post their phone number, nor does it collect it for marketing purposes - rather, they collect it to enhance their search capabilities. You can not only search by someone's name, but by their phone number, and email address. 

There are currently two verticals for the site - friendship, and relationship reviews. Another vertical will be announced at a later date, but people will not only be able to see how you are in a relationship, but how you are with your friends!! 

And again, like with the relationship review component, there HAVE to be at least two faults that the person fills out about you. Again, none of us are perfect, and this is a GREAT way to capture information on how you can better yourself. 

I can already hear you guys from this side of the monitor ... 

1) How is this legal? 

Through section 230 of the Communications Decency act of 1996. Remember a few weeks ago I was telling you all how I was talking to my corporate lawyer father about the legal definition of the word "truth?" Yep! This is what i was referring to. 

2) What if someone posts something negative? How is this monitored? 

First up, let's talk about facts (since I heart tangibles) ...

90% of all Mirror reviews are positive or constructive. It's incredible actually, and I can speak to my own self in that I have only written ONE bad review (which was actually denied from being posted on Mirror). That's the thing with Mirror, they not only have an approval algorithm, but there is a human that still views everything by hand before any reviews go live.

I ADORED the majority of the guys that I dated, and would LOVE to talk about how great they were, things for just one reason or another ended up not working out, but again, that is something I am working on myself. 

Mirror isn't scary, it is only reflective. It isn't life as told through a highlight reel, but life as told by people SEEING YOU LIVE IT!!! 

Knowledge is power, and a mirror is only a reflective surface - it's up to YOU to hold yourself accountable for your actions, so bottom line, stop sucking!!! 

People are fundamentally honest, and willing to share said honesty as long as they can be anonymous (which again, Mirror is). 

<tangent> This is something that I've noticed in taking public transportation for almost 450 days, people are fundamentally "good people." Although you have anomalies here and there ... getting hit with a brick, anyone anyone ... those are one offs. I can't BEGIN to tell you how kind people are, and how many random acts of awesome I have been witness to every day taking public transportation. People want to know that if they are ever in need someone will be there for them, so they in turn reach out to people who are in need. I won't write a "bad" review because I genuinely don't have those kinda people in my life. Even when it comes to online dating!!! I attracted those scenarios in the first place!!! </tangent>

Don't believe me? Write some reviews for yourself. They'll be launching this weekend, and I'll be updating you all on my progress in using the service. I can't BEGIN to tell you how much this excites me, and how EXCITED I am to learn even more about myself in a more transparent environment.

Here's to personal growth! It may not be easy, but the journey is the destination and I am merely enjoying every minute of the ride. 

#thatisall

Stay tuned for more info on Mirror. Going. To. Be. Huge.

HUGE HUGE HUGE!!

Oh and PS. their founders are really really really ridiculously good looking. Like seriously, THAT should not be legal. ::sigh::

UPDATE: Coldplay cutie just emailed me saying he knew we weren't exclusive, and I didn't cheat. He claims that he selected the wrong option. ::facepalm::

#NerdPr0nz: Behind the Scenes with @MeowMistiDawn

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Misti Dawn. She's formerly the nerdiest girl in porn who is now trailing her own path and making a name for herself on her own. She's recently discovered that her husband is a pathological liar ... literally ... and is now trying to piece her life back together one post at a time. I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT MISTI!!! </editorsnote> 

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @MeowMistiDawn

Well, its been a rollercoaster of a two weeks now but I feel like I am in a much better place. Knowing the relationship was never really what i thought it was makes it much easier to move on with my heart. I wish him well for sure but he has gone to a place and doesnt want help. What can you do? 

Work has really been going well. Jen, the girls, and I have the Live show Friday. I got the part of Nina for Sanity not Included, and some editing work. The podcast is coming. Everything seems to be coming together at the perfect time thanks for my amazing friends I have made out here. Really changing directions in life has been amazing. Scary, hard, but exciting. Although it is fun to use the term fisting and see people get shocked, got used to nothing being shocking for a while.  

Saturday we all went to Dr. Suzys radio show. Dr Suzy has been nice enough to help me through all of this. She has been amazing and supportive. I really felt like for the first time I found therapy that felt right. Oddly enough, it was Eros and Venus day which last year Michael and I play. Insane what can change in a year. Hal Sparks actually came in, we'd been talking for a bit on line and ran in to each other here and there but this was the first time we really got to hang out and talk. Impressed. I had no idea he was from Kentucky either. Was nice to have a good conversation with someone and i instantly felt very comfortable around him. Maybe its my new state of no one is a romantic interest to me right now so I just dont care about, well that kind of walls. 

So, I'm done moving and have to get up early to pick up MC Lars up from the airport and work. Hello new world. Nice to meet you. 

Nerdily Yours, 
Misti Dawn
#nerdsunite

MistiDawn@MeowMistiDawn.com

MeowMistiDawn.com

Twitter.com/MeowMistiDawn

#NerdsUnite: Losing your life support- the tale of a habitual phone loser & hoarder

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Jennifer. She's a muse for hire and social media writer and consultant that is passionate about comic books and video games. Um, hello? Nerd-goddess? Is that you? This chick is the shizzy shiznat, and she has a lot of adventures. So, like, go follow 'em! </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @scandalous

Remember back in the day when Zach from Saved by the Bell pulled out that huge brick and started talking on his cell phone and everyone just swooned?  (I mean where did he manage to put that thing anyway? Wink wink nudge nudge)

Nowadays a phone isn't just a luxury or a toy carried by fancy cats with big hair.  It's more uncommon for someone to NOT have a phone than to have one.  So uncommon that I can probably count the amount of friends (including myself) who have phone numbers memorized.  This is not good.  It's really not good. 

Enter the habitual phone loser and hoarder.  Yep that's me.  I don't know what it is about my phone, and one year it even was my purse too  An embarrassing fact to admit: on average, my phone has either been lost or stolen once or twice a year.  It's... not a pretty tale for my pocketbook.

Last weekend was yet another adventure in that realm.  Joy.

My son and I decided to go to a thrift store and were playing around.  My oldest son lives with my dad in the suburbs.  He has the opportunity to go to better schools there as I am currently living and working downtown.

Going to a thrift store with me is a guaranteed adventure in sillytown.  Add little mini me to the mix and you can kind of get the idea.

We were looking for things that his little sister and brother would enjoy.  They live with their dad which is another story. We saw a rejected toy from Playfish with a strangely placed plastic hole in it.  I have no idea what it was for but my son had an idea as he started to pull the plush back over it.

"What are you doing?"

"Mom he needs to hide his pee pee."

I took my cell phone out and started filming him.  I put it back into my pocket and we continued to walk around.

Afterwards we saw a plastic slide.

"Ethan go slide down the slide!"

"No Mom."

"Ethan it's a SLIDE.  You're a kid.  Now go over there and have fun."

He remained put and crossed his arms.

"Fine. I'm going to do it then." I said as I gave him my cell phone.

Ethan watched me as I walked over to the slide.

"Man I really hope my big butt can fit on here."

Two other kids were watching us at this point.  They were laughing.

My son had my phone and insisted that he film it too.  I looked at the Nintendo 64 controller in his hand and had an idea.

"Ethan either you get on that slide and start acting like a kid already or I'm not going to get you that controller."

Begrudgingly he got up on the slide.

"Start having fun already!"

He laughed.  My hero and I have such a great time together.  So much of a good time that things got carried away.  Like... literally... because that's one of the last things that I remember.  Because as I was going to look at something I must have put my cell phone down.  And the next minute, it was gone.  Really gone.  Like, looked all over and still couldn't find it gone.

I had a spare cell phone at home.  And, I'm not going to even lie, there were some pictures on it that I probably wouldn't have been too keep with everyone seeing but that really didn't bother me.  What bothered me the most were the Christmas pictures I'd taken of Ethan that I hadn't posted or sent to family... and these 2 videos.

So now what?  Now I get to deal with the joy of yet another cell phone disappearing.  Of having to learn a whole other format of OS.  Of having to change a myriad of passwords.  Of losing an abundance of text messages from relationships past.  Of losing... memories.  All because I.. couldn't remember how it happened in the first place.

How many people here can actually say they remember five friend's phone numbers without looking at their cell phones?  How long could you last without having your cell phone?  How would YOU react if you lost your smartphone and all of the content you've done over the past 6 months?

I encourage you to share more in my adventures living and loving downtown paired with technology, art, dating, and more of this Little Girl in a Big City on my blog. Or if you want even more, you can find more about me on my.. about me page (imagine that).  But don't expect me to have your number memorized anytime soon.

#thatisall

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