You Fancy Me Mad

A Nerdy Personal Blog

I’m Still Alive!

I just haven’t had the urge to blog really. There isn’t too much going on but I’ll catch you guys up on a few things. That’s if anyone even still reads this thing. I admit, I’ve fallen off of reading blogs too. I need to get back into the habit of it but I feel like a lot of bloggers have taken breaks lately.

On October 20th, I took part in the Baltimore Running Festival 5K! I’ve done a few other 5Ks before but they were charity/fun runs. This was my first “real” event with fancy chip timing and what felt like 100 other events happening at the same time. There was the 5K, Half Marathon, Marathon, and a Relay. I booked a room Downtown the night before that way I could get extra sleep and not have to worry about finding parking and dealing with closed roads. Honestly, it was one of the smarter things I’ve done. The best part was just having a place to relax and cool down afterwards. I was able to take a shower, do some stretches and just chill before heading home. As far as the race goes, I did really well! I was hoping to come in under 40 minutes and I did that. I finished in 39:14. Of course all I think about now is how close I was to 38 minutes but there’s always next year. The course was pretty flat and easy and featured runners of all levels. The celebration area was pretty great too. They did a really great job of making it feel like a festival and something you could enjoy almost all day, or until the marathon finished.



I’ve already signed up for next year and hope to improve on my time! October holds my favorite holiday and while I didn’t really do much, I did dress up. I went with Wednesday Addams! I bought the dress from Amazon for about $24, and grabbed the wig from Spirit Halloween for around $14 with a coupon. I have to say, I was really impressed with the wig. I know Halloween wigs can be hit or miss (mainly miss), but this one was pretty great. I received a ton of compliments on the costume and even went Trick or Treating! I attended a local Murder Mystery as well and had a great time with a group of friends.



That was about it really. I have a tattoo scheduled for this Friday, so I might post about that. It’s a coverup and I think people might have that interesting. Plus I have my 3rd round of laser hair removal this month! I can’t believe I’m already on my 3rd treatment. I still want to do another write up about that as well. I hope everyone is doing well and had a good October!

Check Out #TheCabin, A Way To Chat With Others

If you’re around my age, you probably remember the wonderful world of AIM, Yahoo Chat Rooms, and ICQ. I’m kinda bummed some of those options aren’t around anymore and wasn’t sure there was really any chatroom’s left. Besides the adult versions or the type that use video chat. That’s why The Cabin is pretty nice. I’ve checked out the web chat and it’s very easy to use and has a very basic set up. I don’t really need a ton of bells and whistles when it comes to a chat platform. It was a bit slow chat wise but then again I was checking around 9AM/10AM in the morning. #TheCabin has been around since 1995. Typing that makes me feel pretty old you guys! It was originally called Teen Cabin but as it evolved, the name changed to fit the fact that anyone was welcome.

If you could use some new friends, just want to talk to somebody, or want to try something different then #TheCabin is a pretty great place to do that. You might need to play around with logging on at different times to find a crowd. Aren’t time zones a pain? Then again, maybe a lot of people just aren’t aware of it! Now that you are, come join me.

As the internet has gotten more complex, user hostile and corporate focused it’s a breath of fresh air to have a place where your information isn’t being sold, where ads aren’t taking over your screen, and where you can be as anonymous as you want to be. They’re not a business, they’re not trying to make money, so they’re not selling you or to you. There’s no real name policy, and your age or what you look like doesn’t matter. You don’t even give up your email or create an account. You just join and say hi from the web, your iPhone, iPad or Android phone. And it’s 100% true. I didn’t have to supply an email address at all. Granted, I’m curious how you’d be able to report someone, and how they’d be able to take action without that information. But maybe it has to do with IP addresses and is above my brain capacity.

It’s the kind of place where you can just leave it open during the day in the background when doing other things, and check in once in a while. You never know who will drop by. Conversations ebb and flow throughout the day and night. If you use the app, you’ll see some of the overnight conversations! Some were happening around 3AM my time! See, time zones.

It’s the kind of place when you’re sitting in a waiting room looking to pass the time you can open it on your phone and see what’s going on.

It’s the kind of place when you need to get something off your chest you’ll find somebody to listen.

#TheCabin has been a close knit group over the years, hidden away from the rest of the internet. But with people needing a safe place to hang out we’re opening our doors to others for the first time. We’re looking forward to meeting the new friends that drop by and be a part of the world of #TheCabin. If you want to learn more about The Cabin, you can check it out here. They even have a Code of Conduct which is very important in this day and age.

If you want to check out the app, here’s the link for Iphone/Ipad and the link for Android.

9/11: Remembering John Patrick Hart

If you’ve been a reader of this blog, you know that this is something I post every 9/11. I think it’s important we remember the names of those who passed that day, and not just the cause of it. Last year I was able to visit the 9/11 Museum in NYC. While there, I found John’s name on a memorial and was able to view a video his family sharing memories. I couldn’t watch for long, because I started to get too emotional. Honesty, the entire experience was. I have no idea if the links below are still active, but if they are, take some time today to learn about the lives of those we lost that September day. And be kind to each other. (This section was added in 2017)

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A few months ago I signed up for the 2,996 Project. I had no idea who I would be assigned to. I didn’t lose anyone during 9-11 so I didn’t have a certain person that I wanted to blog about. I was assigned John Patrick Hart who was in the World Trade Center, Tower 2, 90th floor on that September day five years ago. I’m going to do my best to write about the man who was lost, and not the event that took his life.

After reading some information on Mr. Hart, it sounds like he was a one of a kind guy. He met his wife of 10 years when she was a flight attendant. She would always be showing off pictures of her two children on an airport shuttle. John would then make it a point to always take the shuttle she was on. After five trips he finally asked her out but there was a catch. He explained that she would have to bring her children. They went out for pizza and had fun bowling.

He was a dad would lend a helping hand at his children’s t-ball games. His sister, Jeanine, said that John was the type of dad that whenever he walked into a room, all the kids would just run to him. He would arrange his work schedule around his kids activities. He made sure his family always came first. He knew how important family was since he came from a large family of 5 siblings and had 4 children himself.

John was a typical guy in some aspects though. He was a huge “Cheese Head” who was a lifetime Green Bay Packers fan. During opening season of deer hunting in Wisconsin, you’d find him out there on his annual hunting trip. When in front of the TV, it would always be sports or shows about wars.

He was in New York City that day 17 years ago to teach a management class. The class was on the 90th floor of the World Trade Center’s south tower. After the plane slammed into the building he had enough time to call his wife at home to let her know he was OK. They think John had enough time to escape the Tower but his wife Laurie said that John felt that it was his responsibility to let those who were arriving for class know they didn’t have to stay.

In my eyes this man was a hero. He helped Laurie after her 1st marriage fell apart and adopted her two children. Not many men would step up to the plate like that. Not many men would ask that the children come along on the 1st date. This dad could have been any of our fathers and he reminds me of mine in a way. A father who always made sure he had time for his kids but did whatever he had to in order to make sure they had what they needed.

I don’t know if any of his friends or family are reading this but if you are, I want to let you know that even though I don’t know you or him, I could tell he was special just by reading the various articles I found. I’m sorry that you lost such an important part of your lives but I know that his spirit lives on inside you.

On this 9-11 I’ll be attending a local memorial service, I’ll be lighting my candle in honor of Mr. John Patrick Hart.

To see a list of other tribute post just click here.

You can find the new list and website here

Sideshow Is Now Carrying Loungefly Bags!

Imagine my surprise when I was clicking around the Sideshow website when I saw that they started carrying Loungefly! If you aren’t familiar with the brand, they make some really awesome and nerdy bags. You’ll find Star Wars, Marvel, Disney, and many more brands. I have a Black Widow wallet myself, along with an Avengers bag! I always get compliments when I use them. The bag theyr’e currently offering aren’t in stock but are pre-orders. Don’t worry though! They’re due out in the next few months. Here’s what you’ll find so far!

Marvel Captain America Cosplay Crossbody Bag: $68

Marvel Captain America Cosplay Mini Backpack $64

Star Wars Phantom Menace Backpack $40

Star Wars Ewok Backpack $68

Marvel Spider-Man Suit Mini Backpack $64

Star Wars X-Wing and TIE Fighter Backpack $40

Star Wars X-Wing and TIE Fighter Mini Backpack $56

I think that’s all of them! They’re expected to be in by November which means they could make awesome Holiday gifts! I’m not sure which one is my favorite. I really like the Ewok bag. It’s just really adorable and different! How bout you? Do any of these bags grab your eye?

I Started Laser Hair Removal

I swear I was just going for a consultation and the next thing I know I’m on a table getting lasered! All kidding aside though, it’s something I’ve been thinking about for awhile, so I am glad I tried this procedure from Touch Up Laser . This might all be TMI but I have pretty thick and dark hair. I suffer from ingrown hair no matter if I wax or shave. Yes, waxing lead to less but they still happened. Then there’s the whole having to let things grow to keep waxing and well, in the summer time I want to be able to just hit the pool whenever I want. I don’t want to have to schedule around waxing and other bullshit. I don’t want scars or dark marks due to ingrown hair. After doing some reading, I came to the conclusion that I was pretty much the “perfect” candidate. My skin tone and hair type/color played in my favor. I found a local place, did some research, and on Saturday stopped in. I met with a nurse who took a look at the area I wanted treated (bikini obviously), answered any questions/concerns that I had, and took my medical history. I met with the office manager (I’m guessing that’s her title, she was in charge of the finance aspect of things) and we went over pricing and payment options, plus things like a lifetime treatment guarantee, how many treatments are needed, and all the paperwork. Honestly everyone I met with was very nice and knowledgeable about their part of the treatments. I felt 100% relaxed and any questions I had were answered. Plus I received tons of compliments on my tattoos which is always nice.

This wasn’t my first time dealing with lasers. Many moons ago I had a tattoo removed, so I was kinda familiar with it and knew what to expect. The laser felt just like the one I had for the tattoo removal. It feels like being hit with rubber bands. There is the smell of burning hair which is worse than the laser in my opinion. It’s always the weirdest part. I want to say it took maybe 15-20 minutes from marking the area and doing prep to finishing up with the laser. There was no pain or issues afterwards. It’s been a few days and still, no weird reactions or anything which is always a good thing. I just have to make sure I exfoliate the area a week after to help clear out the hair and keep any ingrowns at bay. I then go back every 8 weeks for the first few treatments and then it goes to 10 weeks near the end. I have to make sure I keep the area out of the sun and I can shave, but no waxing since that removes the hair and they need the area to go through the various stages of growth. Fun stuff, right? I think I picked the perfect time to start though since most of my beach/pool time is over.

I’m really curious to see how this goes. I’m confident that it’ll work but I’m not expecting miracles either. Like anything else, for every success story you read there’s another one where someone was disappointed with the outcome. I’ll probably wait till my 3rd treatment to post any updates. I can’t imagine I’ll have to much else to write about after the next one in September. If anyone out there tried laser hair removal, let me know in the comments!