Hamilton's Nerd Strip

[pyat]

We got a new stove today. velvetpage made upsidedown pineapple cake, and it was verrrrrry yummy.

Stopped by Bayshore Hobbies this afternoon, and ran into doc_mystery, who pointed me to the new branch of Conspiracy Comics that's opened just a block away. With Bayshore, 1-Up Games, the novelty candy place, Westdale Bookworm, and Conspiracy all in the same single block stretch, Hamilton seems to be developing a sort "nerd hole" or "geek ghetto." I, for one, am thrilled. I picked up Changing Breeds for World of Darkness, as prep for an upcoming game.

shadow_maze, mrs_dm, doc_mystery and their kids later came over for Chinese food and a round of Axis and Allies, the first time I've played that board game since about 1998. Indeed, it had a flyer for the 1998 Bayshore Hobbies game sale inside the box, along with pages of handwritten story notes from iamradar! I was the Allies, and by the end of Turn 2, I pretty much had the Axis powers (as played by doc_mystery and shadow_maze) on the ropes.

Bed now, but first! a quiz!

Your result for Your Role in Future World...

Oswald Cabal

10% Heroism, 10% Leadership, 10% Wits and 10% Static!

You are like Oswald Cabal! Whether bringing forcible peace to the barbarian nations of the Earth or shooting people to the Moon with SCIENCE(!), you know that the choice is Nothingness... or All. “Which shall it be, Passworthy? Which shall it be?”

Take Your Role in Future World at HelloQuizzy

Comments

[bandersnitch.livejournal.com]

I like "Geek Ghetto"

I will have to take an afternoon stroll to frequent these places at least once.

...a week.

[madmanofprague.livejournal.com]

Holy crap that's a big helmet.

New Stove!

[ankhorite.livejournal.com]

Congrats! My poor dear savant_da_rat suffered through most of 2008 without an oven, all my fault, mea culpa, mea culpa, and I'm glad he's forgiven me as evidenced by a frenzy of cookie- and brownie- baking. Gas, or electric, for you? And if the latter, what kind of top?

We have a gaming shop with many tables right next to a Chinese buffet... but no comic book shops in sight. :(

I got "Johnny Rico" (http://www.helloquizzy.com/results/your-role-in-future-world/?fromCGI=1&var_Heroism=15&var_Leadership=0&var_Wits=0&var_Static=10) which I'll post over at my own LJ in the morning. Space grunt, big gun. Nice graphics in the test!

Re: New Stove!

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Electric, because there's no gas line and because I wanted a smooth top. I know I have to keep it cleaner, but keeping it cleaner involves wiping up spills with a damp cloth as soon as the surface is cool, not taking burners apart and applying steel wool and elbow grease, so I'm happy. Oh, and it's self-cleaning. Which is good, because I made the upside down cake in such a way that molten butter and sugar spilled all over the inside of the oven and now I need to clean it. :)

New Stove! Which Meant New Pots

[ankhorite.livejournal.com]

Same decision here for all the same reasons. Several times, we gave up on cleaning the burner pans and just got new ones.

Sadly, though, we had to replace the set of topaz glass saucepans that were among my first kitchen purchases as a young woman setting up my own household. ("Visions" by Corning; looks like we could have made big bucks selling them (http://www.tias.com/cgi-bin/google.fcgi/itemKey=3923449634).)

But you can't use those on a ceramic/glass top; they explode especially if they are older, and these were about 30 years old. I made Savant throw them out rather than risk giving them away to someone who might not know about their homicidal habits. It hurt.

For Giftmas, from various friends and family members, he got Emerilware saucepans which are stainless steel, copper core, aluminum bottom, and Just Right for smoothtop cooking, supposedly. They're made by Allclad and cost enough that they were spread out over three different people, Santa-wise!

I wouldn't know if they're better than the Visions, though everyone says so. Don't cook. Nevah. Just cuz I've bought pots in my life doesn't mean I've ever used them.

Re: New Stove! Which Meant New Pots

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I have a nice set of stainless steel cookware that I got for Christmas last year, so I didn't have to worry about the Visions issue. I considered asking for Visions, but decided against it precisely because I was hoping to get a smooth-top range at some point.

Re: New Stove!

[savant-da-rat.livejournal.com]

FWIW the gaming shop does have some comic books, but it's not a comic book shop per say; they dedicate about 20% of their space to comics. Only good comic book shop I know of is a state away, but I'm sure that's because I haven't been looking.

Geek ghetto?

[pxtl.livejournal.com]

It's Westdale. More like Geek Soho. But either way, Big B didn't last very long, and I'm perpetually shocked that 1up is still in business since I never see anyone in there.

I'm pessimistic that our little strip of geek boutiques will stand the test of time.

Re: Geek ghetto?

[pyat.livejournal.com]

Before Big B, there was another place, wasn't there? In the same storefront?

In any case, Bayshore and the Bookworm have been there for ages, and are likely to remain.

Re: Geek ghetto?

[doc-mystery.livejournal.com]

I'm a little surprised about 1Up too (it's their second store), since they never have anything I want and seem disinterested in ordering anything for me. Everytime I go there the till monkey is outside having a smoke, and has to butt out to go inside.

I didn't know that Big B is out of business, either. I haven't been their in eons, as they have few things that interested me (i.e. they got out of RPGs, board games), and my last purchase there was some D&D plastic minies and some Pokemon cards for my 5 year old.

::B::

[doc-mystery.livejournal.com]

Somehow that flier made it into the plastic tub I was carrying games, camera, my book, etc.

I'll bring it back next time.

::B::