September is a weird month for me in a couple ways. I’m not going back to college for the first time in five years and I’m actually making enough money to support myself in an apartment. I used to write monthly goals on my blog but then stopped for some reason. I’m bringing this back for my blog because I love reflecting month to month on everything I have accomplished.

~Planning Out A Trip to Universal Studios

Me and my family are prepping a trip to Universal Studios in February. Why February? Living in Minnesota for the winter means I need a break from the harsh cold weather plus it’s before spring break so I’m hoping to beat the rush.

~Rent Two Books from the Library

Libraries are often beautiful buildings I forget exist which is sad. I buy many books a month and I’m trying to do less of this. Ever since moving a couple weeks ago, I got rid of a stack of books I wasn’t planning on re-reading. To save money and limit clutter, I will be borrowing books from the library.

~Participate in D&D One Shots

Thanks to Twin Cities Geek, I was added to a local D&D Facebook group. Events are always happening for one-shot D&D campaigns. I always make excuses as to why I can’t go play D&D, but I do want to dabble more in dice-rolling RPGs. Also check out my article about my one-shot campaign, Monsters & Other Childish Things

~Yoga once a week

Most of my workouts are either cardio or strength training and yoga gets forgotten. I might save my yoga for Sundays since those are lazy days anyway.

These goals are ambitious, but I like being busy. I would love to hear your goals for the month in the comments.

It’s nice to sit in my newly unpacked apartment with high-speed internet to blog with. Not having WiFi for a couple days felt odd, but it’s all a part of the moving process. There’s been a lot going on lately, so I figured I’d write one post summarizing it all.

Geeky Barista Job

I wanted a part-time job that was more laid back than my full-time job. I applied to be a barista at a coffee shop attached to a board game store. I get 30% off of board games, Magic the Gathering sets, and D&D guidebooks. Plus I get to be around coffee a couple days a week with cash tips. I am finishing training this week, but I’m looking forward to working while socializing with the regulars.

Lady Gaga Concert

On Monday the 21st, I carpooled with a coworker to the Lady Gaga concert in St. Paul, MN. Lady Gaga is the queen of pop who puts on an energetic show. She performed songs off her new album, Joanne while also combining older songs including Poker Face, Love Game, and Born This Way. I won these tickets from my job which included being in a suite with my coworkers. We were above the stage where I took numerous videos of Gaga performing. It was certainly a night to remember.

R. I. P to Ellie.

Unfortunately, I’m ending my life update with a sad announcement of the death of my last cat, Ellie. She had lost a lot of weight in the last couple of weeks, but she was eating and drinking water. However, on the 21st, my mom texted me saying she thought something was wrong with her. When I called back a couple hours later, my brother informed me she died. I’m a little distraught about it because, within a year, I lost both of my childhood cats. Animals become a big part of your family, so there’s a big sense of loss when they finally pass. I’m glad she doesn’t have to suffer anymore.

Once I get my routine down with my new job, my goal is to write posts every other day. This may not happen all the time, but I do like writing on this blog and I don’t want it to be forgotten.

My convention schedule only includes CONvergence in Bloomington, MN because frankly conventions are expensive. A new affordable convention has popped up in the St. Paul area titled Minnesota Fan Fest and I’m excited to attend this year. Minnesota Fan Fest has a similar convention in Phoenix, AZ which I have never attended. This is the first year that Fan Fest will be in Minnesota and I have high hopes that it will be a fun convention. By the way I have 50% off any day pass coupons that I can give out to anybody interested in attending. Comment on my post if you’re interested!

Guest appearances include Zander Cannon, Dave Wheeler, Dan Jurgens and Barbara Shultz plus more that I haven’t mentioned. Zander Cannon created Kaiju Max a comic about monsters in a prison. I personally haven’t read Kaiju Max yet, but I know I’m missing out on a great story. Dave Wheeler is a local comic book writer and illustrator. Barbara Shultz is especially talented having written for Dark Horse, DC and Image Comics. The comics guest list alone is worth noting.

Jason David Frank will also be attending who you may know as the Green Power Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The Power Rangers was one of the cartoons I would watch on Saturday mornings with my brother.

Like all conventions, I am prepared to spend some money on the creators and artists tabling. I’m still unsure if I’m going to meet Jason David Frank yet because usually I skip the celebrities because of the cost of getting a picture or an autograph. For all of my local readers near the MN area, I highly recommend checking out this convention. Also I do have coupons for 50% off any day pass for Minnesota Fan Fest given to me by Kristin Rowan Director of Marketing. Comment below if you’re interested and I hope to see you all there! Minnesota Fan Fest will be on August 19th – 20th at the Saint Paul River Centre.

I remember attending my first con in the summer of 2013 and feeling that I belong there. CONvergence holds a special place in my heart for introducing me to conventions. While I love attending conventions, they can also be exhausting. CONvergence is a four-day convention, but even three-day conventions are tiring. I wanted to come up with a list of tips on having a good time and taking care of yourself along the way.

Drink Water

Being dehydrated is the worst feeling. I know when I’m dehydrated because I get these horrible headaches. I find it most helpful to bring a backpack with a holder for a water bottle.

Have a Backpack

The first year I went to a con, I only brought my purse. This was a rookie mistake because I bought stuff and had nowhere to put it. I could run out to my friend’s car to drop stuff off, but that’s just a hassle. I usually bring a string backpack because it’s lightweight, but holds all my gear.

Protein Bars/Protein Snacks

Snacking is absolutely necessary to have the energy to last all day and possibly all night. I find that if I eat more protein, it keeps me more full. I always pack cashews or protein bars for every con.

Don’t Spend Your Money Right Away

My rule when spending money at a convention is to walk around and see all the booths and artists. In the back of my mind, I’ll keep track of things that I may want to purchase later. Nothing is worse than seeing something you want to buy and having no money because you spent it all already. Additionally, I’d also recommend coming up with a budget. I like to pull out cash and after it’s gone, then that’s it.

Visiting Artists Alley

I love walking through the art area of a convention. I prioritize spending my money at the artist’s table or purchase comics written by someone based in Minnesota. I find that when I spend money this way, it’s more meaningful since I had an actual conversation with that creator over their art and/or comics.

Take Lots of Pictures

I am so glad I took pictures from my prior conventions because sometimes I take a day and browse through them all. There is so much to see at a convention and pictures are saved memories. Bring your phone fully charged or a digital camera.

Conventions are one of my favorite events to attend in the geek community. I feel so at home at a convention and I’m already counting down the days till my con next week. My goal is to make it to either C2E2 or Planet City Comic Con in Kansas City.

The 2017 convention season has begun since last weekend I attended my first con of the season. MSP ComiCon is run by volunteers which is pretty impressive. I always sit with the Twin Cities Geek table so I am considered an exhibitor at the convention. I have never paid to get into this con and I get free lunch that’s cooked by the volunteers for this con. This con is one of my favorites and I always meet new creators each time I attend. I made sure to bring cash with me and I wanted to show off the comics and books I purchased.

Kim & Kim #1 by Black Mask Studios

Kim & Kim details the story of two young women who hijack some bounties and get into trouble. This comic emphasizes powerful female relationships while taking place in this punk rock, sci-fi adventure.

Lake Lurkers by M.P. Johnson

Lake Lurkers is a horror novella about creatures living in Lake Harriet which is located in Minneapolis. I have been trying to read more horror and I like how this takes place in areas around Minneapolis. I can’t wait to read this.

Big in Japan by Timothy Price

What would happen if a rock star/band traveled to Japan to fight a Godzilla-like creature? Once I read this book, I’ll let you know how it turns out. My first impression of this book is imagining Led Zeppelin battling with the Kaiju from Pacific Rim. This seems like a cool premise for a book.

RoboCatz vs. Thunder Dogs by Justin Cermak

Robot dogs are destroying robot cats and vice versa in this epic comic. I am rooting for the robot cats of course.

H.E.N.C.H (Helping Evil Nefarious Criminals Hire) by James Person & Chad Freund

Supervillains usually always lose against the heroes, so how about trying to hire villains for other job positions. I’m doing a terrible job explaining this comic because it’s more interesting than how I’m describing it out to be. I am linking the H.E.N.C.H. Facebook page so you can learn more yourself.

That is everything I purchased from MSP ComiCon this year. I am actually slightly overwhelmed by all the comics I have yet to read, but I know I will get around to reading everything eventually.

Hello geek friends and blog followers! As you can probably tell.. my posts have been somewhat irregular. I am thrilled to announce that I officially graduated from college at Winona State University! My B.S. is in Exercise Science with a minor in nutrition and I am currently in the process of relocating with the boyfriend to Minneapolis/St. Paul area. I wanted to reflect on my years at school and post plenty of pictures.

Freshman Year: Exciting, Overwhelming, and Lots of Socializing (2012 – 2013)

I look so young in all three of these pictures. The first picture was right before my family left me at school. I remember seeing them leaving and crying for a good hour. I was scared and I didn’t know what to expect. Eventually, I grouped with my floor mates and I figured everything out.

The one thing I will miss about freshman year is how exciting everything is. I’m in a fresh town to explore, new people, to meet and I took a lot of pictures. The last picture was with one of my very first friends I met in college. College forces you to meet so many new people at once and it’s overwhelming in that way.

Sophomore Year; Lonely, Battling Some Insecurities (2013 – 2014) 

The first photo is confusing, but during my sophomore year, I felt alone. There were friends I made in my freshman year that I wasn’t friends with in my sophomore year. Some say that you find your “group” in college, but it wasn’t until my junior year of college that I felt happy with my friend group. That’s okay. College is a different experience for everyone and I happened to have my own journey in meeting new friends.

I did join Astronomy Club my sophomore year of college which I really enjoyed along with volunteering at the local humane society. These experiences helped get me through.

Junior Year; Independent, Delighted, and Full of Memories I Will Never Forget (2014 – 2015) 

This was my absolute favorite year in college. I found my friend group, started a new relationship (the boyfriend & I have been together for 3 years since October!!!) and started my new major. My favorite memories this year include: meeting my boyfriend, “welcome week 2014”, visits to the St. Paul science museum, the homecoming parade, hiking in White Water National Park with a friend, Free Comic Book Day, and Living in Winona for the summer and so much more. My junior year of college would be a year that if I could relive all over again, I would.

Senior Year; BROKE (2015 -2016) 

It’s common for most college students to have that one year in school where they struggle to pay for food. That was my senior year. I took trips in the summer of 2015 that left me without much money. I don’t have anything else to say about this year so let’s move on.

Super Senior Year Impatient! (2016 – 2017)

I was impatient because I was taking a 5th year to complete my degree and overall, I was ready to move on to the next chapter of my life. I am so proud of earning my degree! It didn’t feel like I was graduating until I walked into the gymnasium filled with loved ones. I waved to my mom as I found my seat and that’s when I had the epiphany of being done with college. I started to tear up because I am sure in a couple months I will look back on these years and miss each year. Eventually, I want to write a post about the life lessons I learned from college. In five years, I feel like I have grown in so many ways.

I am so ready for whatever comes next.

I just got back from celebrating Easter with the boyfriend’s family. The boyfriend’s family lives near Milwaukee which is about a 4-hour drive from our college campus. Besides Easter, there is a lot of other life stuff that happened so I’m going to throw that into this blog post too.

First off, this past week I finished my internship hours for college! I am all set to walk in the next three weeks. I am anxiously awaiting graduation and a little afraid of the unknown. I have been applying for jobs because I need to make money, but I’m also going on a road trip with my family in June. I’m looking forward to the road trip while also enjoying moving back to the Twin Cities area.

As far as Easter, me and the boyfriend took a day trip to Racine, Wisconsin. Racine is right by Lake Michigan and downtown Racine had a bunch of cool art galleries, boutiques, and smaller cafes. We also went to this restaurant that’s right on Lake Michigan for beer and food.

I can’t believe I’m graduating from college soon!! The countdown has begun.