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Nerdery Week - It's been decided, so mark your calendars. Nerdery Week shall take place on February 17th - 23rd. Seven days of complete nerdiness interconnected through this world we like to call the internet. You'll meet new people! You'll see where they sit! You'll see all the garbage they keep in their respective workspaces!

But TKT, I'm still confused and a bit scared and there's that thing with the paste. How do I get involved in NW?

Simple, friend:

1. Take a picture or two (or eighteen).
2. Post it on your blog.
3. Write about your workspace.
4. Slap 'Nerdery Week' somewhere in the post's title.
5. Link back to other people engaged in complete Nerdery nerdism.

On paper this may sound boring as all get-out, but I really don't think it'll disappoint. I'm endlessly fascinated when I see the places where people do their thing (writing, blogging, playing video games, losing auctions, etc). It's an extension of a person's character and I think it'll be fun to celebrate that which makes us all nerdy.

Yes. Even you over there folding your arms and pretending that you're not a nerd. You are. Deal.

Power Up - I know there's nothing people love to read more than what game I'm playing on Xbox 360 these days, so I think I'll just come right out and say it. I'm completely taken by Call of Duty 4. In a word: WOW. After completely dominating The Simpsons Game it's a crazy change of pace. One week I'm trying to get the Krusty Koupon off of a billboard high above Springfield, the next week I'm carrying a wounded soldier across a radiation soaked amusement park. Sweet mother of invention, this is the stuff dreams are made of.

Eels - I know I don't need to plug the world's greatest band, but they just recently released two albums that are perfect for those of you wanting to see what they're all about. For the uninitiated, might I suggest: Meet the Eels? It's a collection of their best stuff from their first 10 years and it's like a primer into their fantastic world. There is some potty-mouth on there, but hey...that's what those parental advisory stickers are for. As a bonus, you get a DVD with a bunch of their music videos. Now that's value!

Their other release is called Useless Trinkets and it's two discs (2!) of b-sides and songs they've done for soundtracks. As if that weren't enough, there's also a DVD with their 2006(?) Lollapalooza performance on there. What more can you ask for?

Answer: Nothing. There is nothing else to ask for.

Goodhalo - Well, it's getting there. I'm hoping to have this monster edited and in enough of a fighting shape to begin submitting to my Top 5 agent-types sometime next month. Ambitious? Yes. Necessary? Most definitely. Plus, I'm itching (itching!) to get working on the second book in the series. It's going to be like 85 pounds of awesome in a 3 pound bag with handles.

Travis: Celebrating 3 Years of Quality - It's going to be my little guy's 3 year mark on Monday, so we're having a party for him on Saturday. Therein lies the problem... Family from out of town are crazy sick. We're talking antibiotics sick. Also, there's supposed to be a major snowstorm hitting us...oh, say Saturday or so. Even though we're not doing a full-scale dinner/activities/all day event, we're worried that people won't be able to make it. Regardless, we've decided that no matter what, this kid is going to have a party that will tear the socks right off of his little Fred Flintstone feet (like I have) and make him explode with happiness. Thy will be done, lil' TKT. Thy will be done.

Dave Attell - I get to go see stand-up comedian Dave Attell tonight at the Pantages in Minneapolis. Holler!

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I love the theme of “My Heroes Have Always Been...” this week, but unfortunately, I had promised to do a follow-up on my trek to see George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon put their hands and feet in the Grauman’s Chinese Theater cement. And a promise is a promise...

To back-up a bit, this all started with the “confession” here that I had had the opportunity to meet my crush, Mark Wahlberg, but passed it up for fear of finding him “less than” the prototypical romance hero bad boy I needed for my writing. Some people understood my logic; others did not. I remained on the fence myself, wondering if I’d made the right decision.

Then I heard an announcement for this Ocean’s 13 event, and in addition to thinking it would be great fun for my friend’s visiting exchange student, decided it was also a way to test the waters and see if these guys jump-started my romance writer’s brain--or not.

So...off I went last Tuesday, in a group of five. We arrived and joined a line we hoped went somewhere. It did--we were moved with a crowd to a secured area in the street, which actually had a pretty decent view of the event, and only one set of heads in front of us, so we were happy. Here’s a view from where we stood:


However, fate had different plans for us! A security guard came by, offering VIP seats to foreign visitors, so we pointed out our exchange student, and what do you know? Our whole party got tickets and sent on our way, across the street. (Looking at the previous area photo, we moved to group on the left.)

Now, here’s the rub: this time, there were lots of heads in front of us (and, it turned out, lots of camera blockage). Which would require lots of jockeying for position, and handing our cameras around. But what I quickly realized was that while I wouldn’t always be able to see, when I could see--YOWZA!

The crowd seemed quite nice, and the one difference between them and your average Southern Californians being their unabashed starstruck-ness. So when I spotted Matt Damon’s wife, I said as much, and instead of people’s eyes glazing over, all southern California cool, I got a lot of “Wow, where? Oh, yeah, that’s her!”

So the event started. I took this picture, and may I tell you, that while I’ve always thought Brad Pitt to be a 10, in real life, he is a 12, okay? GOR-geous! I mean, I think that low guttural sound I kept hearing was me moaning...



Here’s a picture of the guys putting their feet in cement. It was taken by my friend (as was the stage shot at the top of this blog):


After a time, I wandered around a bit. And found myself in an incredible position, behind the stage area, with a direct shot of George Clooney (with his back to the cameras) saying something deliciously wicked to Brad Pitt. His eyes were glittering, his brow was arching, and his mouth was pursed in that perfectly evil smile of his. I’ll never know what he said, but wow, the way he said it! He was every bit as sexy and smooth as I’d dreamed.

After the ceremony ended, the guys came toward the crowd barriers. My friend took these two:




(And notice the women hugging each other behind Brad, and that horrendously awful boil on the guy's hand in front of George!)

I took this one as Matt Damon signed an autograph down a bit from us.


Matt stopped and signed an autograph for our exchange student and talked very briefly to her, which was terrific. Even though I had the camera in my hand, I was suddenly stunned by his presence...his looks, his smile, his voice. It short-circuited my writer-girl senses!

So...summary time. Did seeing these guys in the flesh help or hurt my romance writing? Help. Big time. So if anyone knows Mark Wahlberg, tell him I’m up for a meet!

Tina
www.tinaferraro.com
Top Ten Uses for An Unworn Prom Dress
How to Hook a Hottie, January, 2008
The ABC’s of Kissing Boys, Spring 2009

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