So, what do you do?

That’s pretty much the question that defines the average working American professional. The required answer should be brief and easy to grasp: “I’m a designer for BigBoxCompany.” “I’m a developer for ABC Corps.” Short, simple, easy to grasp. To the majority of people you interact with, you are your job title. After grad school, for a very long time it was “I’m a designer” while I created any number of things in a sundry of visual and interactive media projects at various companies. Still: a designer. Simple, easy. People like designers. If they are especially interested, they can even go above and beyond the call of polite society and ask what kind of designer you are.

But, as life often does, it got complicated. Now I’m a researcher-designer-writer all wrapped up in several managing roles. Read more →

Credit: Rosaura Ocha

We’re a geek marriage.

Our first date was watching pirated Doctor Who episodes over chinese take-out. My husband, Levi, will gleefully recall how, evidentially, the sexiest thing I ever said to him was “Can we play a round of Halo when we get home?” We stand in line for up-coming releases together. We help each other through whatever game we’re playing, non-playing spouse on game FAQ duty. ThinkGeek and other gadget stores feature prominently in our gift-buying rituals. We take photography classes together. Any fine dining experience will include a food science discussion. We’re even doing Project 52 together, blogging in tandem. (And his articles are way cooler than mine.)

My only question is, how do normal couples do it? Or rather, how do couples with no shared interests or passions find ways to bond? I’ve known plenty of the stereotypical “opposites attract” couples, but I’ve always assumed there had to be some interest or hobby they shared. There are happy couples who share no interests and just have his and her things, but it seems like weekends would become a tug-of-war over time and resources.

The Rules

But sharing so much has its downsides too. We’re geeks, which means we are easily lost in our intellectual fascinations and do nothing part way. We have to remind each other to share time away from the gadgets, and it can be easy to fall into Live-In Gaming Buddy rather than Beloved Spouse. He’s a Trekkie and I am a devout fan of the Jedi. (A serious flaw I graciously overlooked in our marriage vows.) It can be hard to make sure both sides of our relationship–both the geeky friends and the romantic partners–are nurtured. There’s a few impromptu rules we’ve delveloped over the first couple years of our relationship: Read more →

Credit: Punk In Writing on flickr

WebDesignerAid recently featured me on their article, 45 Geeky Girls to Follow on Twitter. I’m always surprised when anyone notices me, frankly. I don’t treat my Twitter as any kind of branding tactic or anything but a way to get to know people. I’m aware that some people follow me because of my association with Envato, but I always figure my highly casual and random content has to disappoint them. I’m glad somebody can enjoy the nerd value of my tweets. Big thanks to WebDesignerAid for thinking of me!

It’s only fair that I add my own favorite geekly (girl or otherwise) Twitter people (Otherwise known as Tweeple, for those who can use that term with a straight face.) Some of my favorites include:

Lady Geeks

@feliciaday : Topping my own personal list for geek ladies. Felicia’s an actress, a writer, a gamer, and pretty much the spokeswoman for female geeks everywhere. I’m a big fan of her work on The Guild, Dr. Horrible, and others.

@skellie : Another one who would be on my own list. Skellie directs the Tuts+ Networks for Envato and seems to have a never-ending stash of energy and ideas for blogs.

@gailcarriger : Author of the Soulless series of novels and serious steampunk fashion afficianado.

@DanielleLaPorte : Who always has something interesting and inspirational to say to get me off the couch and working on a new project. Read more →