When real things happen to imaginary people

Co-worker to me: So you're going to have to be like mortal enemies with [other co-worker] now.

Me: What?

Co-worker: He was bit by a dog, so he's going to become a werewolf, right? Don't your kind hate werewolves?

Me, straight-faced: Nooooo, vampires don't HATE werewolves, we just think they're kind of silly.

The take-away from this is that my co-workers apparently support me becoming the Vampire Witch Queen of the universe. Good to know.

I give you Cupcake Goth Vs. Frosty The Snowman.

(Hint: I win.)

	Obey the Cupcake, Frosty. Don't argue.
	Cupcake conquers Snowman The Snowpocalypse will happen according to MY wishes.

Wandering through the cafeteria, I just saw a woman dressed in black "wet-look" leggings (so, high-gloss spandex), a cream/khaki thigh-length sweater (which I think had sequin details), and a pair of those open-toe high-heeled "boots". She looked like she had lost a fight with an American Apparel store. And of course, she stared at me like I'm the crazy person.

Clicky-link of coveting! I want this Baby Vamp ring set (You knew that was a clicky-link, right? Okay.) A tiny set of vampire fangs to wear as a ring! How ridiculously cute is that? I may occasionally (well, frequently) roll my eyes and fling my hands about in despair at what is being perpetrated under the cloak of my favorite genre, but I've got to admit, the upswing in popularity for all things vampire-related sometimes means finding pretty things.

Last night I went to the "Paint It Black" YA author tour that featured Ellen Schreiber, Nancy A. Collins, and Claudia Gray. It was very fun. I mentioned to Ellen that all of my copies of the Vampire Kisses books had been signed already, because I mailed them to a friend to take to her reading in Ohio. She said "I remember that! You have that cute website, your friend gave me a card for it!" So yay, Ellen Schreiber has looked at the GCS site! She then signed my volumes of the Vampire Kisses manga that I brought with me, and asked if she could take a photo with me.

One of the things I asked her during the Q&A session was if she was a Goth or was previously a Goth, or if she's just done a lot of research, because she's done a good job of representing the Goth subculture in the Vampire Kisses books. Nope, she's not one of us gothy types (tho' she was a drama geek, and hung out with Goths), she just does a good job with research.

SFDs! I didn't have time to take a photo this morning, and I haven't yet tried to take a cameraphone pic in the poorly-lit restroom. So you get the text version. If I'd had time to pin a mini tricorn onto my head this morning, this would be quite the pirate-y gothic lolita outfit.

( Behind the cut tag, red velvet! )

EDITED TO ADD: I've been getting "So what are you supposed to be?" questions from well-meaning, but clueless, co-workers all week. Today, a guy asked me that while I was waiting in line to order lunch. Before I could say anything, the worker at the counter looked at him like he was crazy and replied "She dresses like that all the time!"

http://channel9.msdn.com/shows/WM_IN/Jillian-Venters-A-Goth-inside-the-Deathstar/

Half an hour of me burbling and waving my hands while talking about what it's like to be a Goth at Microsoft, the life of a technical editor, and other random things. The first 7 minutes and 15 seconds are about tech-y job stuff, and then the interviewers started asking me more Goth-focused questions.

The embedded video on the page is Silverlight-based, but there are download links for iPod, MP3, PSP, WMP, WMA, WMV, and Zune at the bottom of the page.

When you have time, please go watch it! I had a lot of fun doing it.








(Shallow vanity-based disclaimer: the lighting and camera angle are not my favoritest ever, but on the whole, I think I came across okay.)

There is a guy talking on his cell phone who sounds EXACTLY like Christian Bale in the role of Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. I am equal parts amused and creeped-out by this.

Dear fellow commuter on the Connector bus,

I'm sure you thought you were being very subtle about taking my picture. You weren't. A Helpful Hint for you: pointing the back of your iPhone directly at someone and then fiddling with the front and sides of it, all with an intent look on your face? Somewhat of a dead give-away. Doing that, looking at the screen with an even more intent look, and the pointing the back of the iPhone at the person AGAIN, but at a slightly different angle? Even MORE of a dead give-away. Next time, just try asking if I would mind if you took a photo.

Only slightly exasperatedly yours,

Cupcake Goth

P.S. I've seen you on the Connector bus before, and have caught enough glimpses of your laptop screen to be aware that you are a MASSIVE M:tG geek. That will never, EVER stop being funny to me.

Every morning, my route to my office from the bus involves walking through the lobby of another building on campus. This morning, as I was trundling through, one of the receptionists (a tall, striking young lady who looked like she could be Tyra Bank's sister) stopped me.

"Girl, I see you every day, and I just have to tell you you have the best style I've ever seen! It looks good on you - you're like a modern Mary Poppins! Work it!"

And then she snapped her fingers in the air. No, I'm not kidding. Full-on finger snap in the air. I don't think I'd ever seen that done in a non-ironic fashion.

I smiled, said "Thank you very much!", and walked to my building, trying not to giggle. But it was a nice way to start my work day.

I just made someone walk into a wall. Someone was staring a little too goggle-eyed at me to notice where the turn for the hallway was.