Ask a Nerd Girl
It’s been a year and a half since the last “Ask a Nerd Girl” – yikes! I tried to answer all of the questions, I apologize if I missed any. Thank you so much to everyone who participated. Y’all asked some great questions and it’s been a lot of fun answering them. You rock my socks.
Stuart E: What do you consider to be the difference between a nerd and a geek?
HNG: I wrote an entire blog about this AND we discussed it during our most recent episode of Podthingy. I recommend checking them both out!
Samuel S: is there a point where you feel that you are extremely angry at everyone for no reason and is it healthy for the mind?
HNG: At everyone? Not really. I certainly get frustrated about certain events going on in the world. To be honest, I don’t get mad very easily, I don’t really see the point in holding on to anger. Like Yoda said, “Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
Joe D: A train leaves LA at 10a.m. traveling north carrying toxic chemicals while another leaves SF at the same time traveling south carrying high powered explosives. They are going to crash somewhere in between. Which super hero arrives first to save the day and why?
HNG: The only superhero I can think of who could foresee the crash happening is Dr. Manhattan. That might be a big enough deal that he would care enough to stop it. Superman and The Flash could reverse time and prevent it from happening.
Margaret K: I’m sure you’ve been in situations where you’ve been the only nerd girl around, hot or otherwise. In those cases, how did you deal with it and what did you do during the times you just wanted to be girly?
HNG: I’m a tomboy so it’s very rare that I want to be girly. For most of my life I either didn’t have many friends (I was a Navy brat) or I had a group of guy friends that I hung out with and one or two girlfriends. That changed when I went to college and even more so after college. I have more girlfriends now than I’ve ever had in my life and I adore them to pieces. I don’t really know how to be anything other than myself, take it or leave it. For a long time I was one of the few girls at the conventions I went to and, being awkward around other awkward people it was, well, awkward. I’ve witnessed the surge of the nerd girl and the cosplay revolution and it’s been a fascinating and delightful journey.
Jeremiah F: Who is your favorite character in the Star Wars expanded universe that does not appear in the first 6 episodes?
HNG: I haven’t spent much time in the SWEU but I do like Mara Jade and I like the idea that the Skywalker/Solo kids are flawed characters.
David D: What are you allergic too?
HNG: Blueberries. Horribly allergic.
Sean K: What’s your degree in?Did you like the cookies? Have you studied swordplay?
HNG: Theatre. (yeah, THAT really came in handy) YES! Only insofar as I did for theatre/stunt/staging fighting classes. I would like to study it for real, if for no other reason than to be prepared for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.
Ben R: Are you a football fan? If so, who’s your team? If not, whynatte?
HNG: Yes! My favorite team is the Chargers (it’s a hard team to be a fan of) but I also root for the Niners and the Packers due to family tradition.
Byron W: This may seem like an obvious one, but why “Hot Nerd Girl?”
HNG: To be honest, I’m not a fan of the moniker. And if you ask anyone who knows me personally, they’ll tell you it’s an odd title for me. Not because it isn’t true, but because it’s not how I act and/or see myself. I’m quite a prude and I’m very laid back so the “hot” part doesn’t really fit my personality. The “nerd girl” part does though. The moniker is entirely my HNG Podcast and college friend Darcy’s fault. He came up with it and talked me into it. I didn’t think anyone would ever read my blog or care about anything I had to say so I agreed. Joke’s on me
Ivan O: Do you play any instruments?
HNG: I wish! Only my voice. I did years of musical theatre.
Robbie E: How many yoyos is too many? #tacklingthebigquestions
HNG: One can never have too many yoyos. I own two, an old Rusty Surfboards neon yellow one and a Yoda one.
Steve N: Is it that you don’t like to cook or you don’t know how? I’m happy to offer lessons.
HNG: Both. It’s not something that interests me. A few people have tried to teach me but I’m pretty hopeless. I am good at making alcoholic beverages though
Mike S: i have two questions … one … how would you suggest i go about robbing a bank without leaving forensic evedence so i can afford to plan my wedding and the second .. .can i get an autographed 8×10 ?
HNG: Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! The first question really isn’t my area of expertise, as much as I would love to be badass enough to know how to do something like that. I could probably help you out with the second question though. Is there a particular picture you want from one of the photo shoots? Email me at princesstrek@hotmail.com
Ron M: What are your favorite comic book characters? Does that work?
HNG: That works My favorites are Thor and X-Men. I discovered comics after a particularly painful military-related move in the middle of my 5th grade school year. I had no friends but my brother and I discovered a comic book store down the street. I had been watching the X-Men cartoon so I got really into the X-Men comics. I grew up listening to my Norwegian relatives talking about Norse mythology and I was always really fascinated by it. The day I discovered there was a comic book character version of Thor I was hooked and he became my favorite.
Chris S: I see that you do a lot of volunteer work to support the Armed Forces. If you had to pick a favorite branch of service, which would it be and why? And as a follow on (though not meant to influence), have you ever personally witnessed a Marine Corps Ball? Thank you for entertaining through your Facebook page!
HNG: I grew up a Navy Brat so it would be hard for me to choose another branch; however, my brother is an active duty Marine which certainly complicates my loyalties! I have great love and respect for all branches. I have never been to a Ball for any of the branches. My brother almost took me one year when my SIL couldn’t go but he opted to go solo.
For anyone who is interested in how I volunteer, I work with an AMAZING organization called Operation Gratitude.
Glad you enjoy the facebook page!
Chris S: What is your favorite / funniest story from attending a convention like ComicCon or WonderCon (or any others)?
HNG: I met Brent Spiner at San Diego Comic Con in 2012 and he was the sweetest guy. He waved me over and we chatted for a few minutes and he helped me take a picture on the sly with him (which he wasn’t supposed to do it because he was technically “sold out” of pictures with the fans). I was ecstatic but also really bummed because I have a TNG book that I’ve been collected signatures in but I didn’t have it with me and he was only there that day. So I brought the book with me to SDCC in 2013 just on the off chance that he’d be there. He was. Once again he waved me over and when I started telling him that he probably wouldn’t remember me he stopped me and said that he absolutely remembered me and that I was a hard person to forget. Now, this was hugely meaningful to me, not just as a Trekkie, but as someone who has always done my best to blend into the background and not be noticed which resulted in a lot of people from my past not remembering who I was later on, the fact that he remembered me was a really big deal. He signed my book and I was a happy camper. I forgot to tell him that we share the same birthday though (Groundhog Day) so I’ll have to see if he’s there again this year. And hopefully he doesn’t think that I’m stalking him – ha!
John P: What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen sparrow?
Rick S: What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Andrew D: African or European ?
Bruan A: AAAUGH!
Brandom E: Must be on metric system!
HNG: Airspeed can be predicted using a published formula. By inverting this midpoint Strouhal ratio of 0.3 (fA/U ≈ 0.3), Graham K. Taylor et al. show that as a rule of thumb, the speed of a flying animal is roughly 3 times frequency times amplitude (U ≈ 3fA).5
We now need only plug in the numbers:
U ≈ 3fA
f ≈ 15 (beats per second)
A ≈ 0.22 (meters per beat)
U ≈ 3*15*0.22 ≈ 9.9
… to estimate that the airspeed velocity of an unladen Swallow is 10 meters per second.
You have to know these things when you’re a nerd, you know.
Tom M: I cannot beat the unladen swallow question.
HNG: Sure you can.
David H: Why in Toy Story does Buzz stop talking when adults come in the room, when he thinks he’s an Astronaut not a Toy ?
HNG: Uhhhhh…..because they are so much bigger than human children and he’s not quite sure how to react to them? Instinct? Storytelling convenience?
Andrew D: If it was you who’s mind was read and spawned a creature ala ghostbusters what would appear?
HNG: Ugh. Something to do with zombies and the Violator. A zombie Violator. That’s my worst nightmare. Stay Puft I can handle, no problem.
Dane P: What’s the meaning of life, the universe, and everything?
Shawn D: What does the answer to life the universe and everything mean?
HNG: 42.
Mike C: How did my daughter become a clone of you? Not a bad thing, but really spooky thing…
HNG: Obviously I don’t know your daughter (she sounds awesome!) but if I had to give a generic answer, I think it has to do with it becoming more socially acceptable to be a nerd. The lines are so much more blurred than they were when I was a kid.
Scott M: Why is Star Wars considered SciFi when it is really a mythological hero tale set in space?
HNG: We’ve discussed this on Podthingy a couple of times and I don’t consider Star Wars sci-fi, I consider it fantasy. Since it takes place in space and has weapons like lightsabers and blasters, it’s easier for the masses to consider it sci-fi. Despite the very first words you see “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” I think that most laymen think of it as taking place in the future. Drives me nuts too
Charlotte J: Will you marry me!!?? Mmmmmmmwahahahaha!!!! Xxx
Phillip M: Single?
Martin N: Dinner?
Scott N: Can I get your number?
Jeanne W: Clearly people on this page are reaching for the stars by requesting marriage. How about a date? Or more appropriately what would someone have to do to get a date?
Eric C: Will you marry me?
Adam E: if i could ask you anything, it would be… inappropriate.
Scott G: “Wanna?”
Zack H: Ummmm yeah Imma shut up
Pete M: Wanna hang out?
Daniel D: On a date.
Pope T: Without getting smacked?
Jon T: Will you marry me?
Chris L: Want to go grab a beer or glass of wine
Sid W: Would you like to get coffee if you ever are in seattle-bellevue, WA?
Jorge A: When r u coming to Chicago to visit me
HNG: Y’all are so sweet and I’m very flattered but I’m spoken for.
Michael W: Will you be my date to Dragoncon this year
HNG: Not sure I can afford to get out to Atlanta. Mama Jedi and I looked into going to the most recent one and it just didn’t work out money-wise. It’s in my Top 5 list of Cons that I want to go to though!
David B: Seeing as you’ll get at least a dozen proposals . . . Do you want to go on an adventure? Do you want to do weird things with strange people?
HNG: I always love adventure! I wish I could go on more of them. It depends on what the weird thing is
Dire F: do U want to go on an interdimensional treasure hunt?
HNG: Sure. You set it up and I’ll happily join in.
Charlotte J: Would you ever consider going on a one way mission into space? X
HNG: Yes. Most people I know have a hard time with this. They would like to go to space but aren’t willing to make that sacrifice. I would do it. I wouldn’t even have to think about it.
Blair C: Do you like to travel, and if so where’s your favourite place you’ve ever visited? (Technically two questions, but I only used one question mark so I think that’s fair!)
HNG: I haven’t been to many places outside of the Continental US. I’ve been all around the US, Hawaii, Cancun, and Aruba. I would say favorite so far was Cancun because I got to see a lot of pyramids and archaeological sites and I really wanted to be an archaeologist when I was a kid. I would love to go to Europe.
Bub V: Where’s my sandwich?
HNG: Wherever you put it after you made it for yourself.
Jonathan T: What *does* the fox say?
HNG: Oh, you like that show? CANCELLED!
Matthew G: Why do hot dogs come in packs of 8 and the buns in packs of 6?
HNG: So that you’ll have to spend more money. Bastards.
Ryan H: Hao murican bohltz //?? L O L WILD
HNG: *smiles and nods*
Rickyroo R: You think michelle fairley is bluffing about the omission of lady stoneheart?
HNG: Part of me hopes so and part of me hopes not. I was surprised Lady Stoneheart wasn’t in the finale but it wasn’t my favorite storyline so it wouldn’t bother me greatly if it wasn’t included. After Arya and the Hound’s final run-in with them, the show has pretty much dropped the entire Brothers Without Banners storyline anyways.
Bradley S: Do you ever rub your feet together when you’re tired? If you have not tried it, you should!
HNG: Can’t say that I have, at least not intentionally. But I’ll try it.
Matteo A: Why is america more accepting to comic/nerd culture than we british are?
HNG: Having never been to Great Britain, I’m not sure I can answer this properly. That being said, Doctor Who has been a cultural staple over there for 50 years now. That’s pretty darn nerdy.
Matthew R: If I could ask you anything, I would merely ask for a photo with you!
HNG: I go to pretty much all of the SoCal conventions and I’m starting to branch out a bit. Where are you located? I’ll happily go to any Convention that invites me as a guest. It’s the plane tickets/hotel rooms that add up and make it so that I can’t go unless I’m invited.
Arnab L: Do you play football(soccer)?
HNG: It’s one of the few sports I never played (outside of PE). I dabbled in a lot of sports, basketball, baseball, street hockey, gymnastics. But I primarily focused on track and dance.
Becky S: Wheres the beef?
Adam R: can you pass the pepper??
HNG: Believe it or not, I don’t eat either of those foods so no, I can’t lol
Kevin M: Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?
HNG: Do you ask that of all your prey?
Michael G: Do you even lift
HNG: Weights? Only when I go to the gym which is rare with my schedule.
Gavin S: Where am I?
HNG: Ellensburg, Washington
Angela B: I can’t resist this one, and my husband suggested it- Do you want to build a snowman?
HNG: YES!
Jim M: What is your favorite fandom? If you were put on the spot and had to name one, what would it be?
HNG: Star Trek.
Daniel B: How much wood could a woodchuck chuck of a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Ryan N: How much wood could a woodchuck chuck, IF a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Bryan A: He would chuck, he would, as much as he could,
And chuck as much as a woodchuck would
If a woodchuck could chuck wood.
HNG: What Bryan said.
Christopher B: If I had a TARDIS, I’d ask what Eleven asked Amy at the beginning: “All of Time and Space. Everything that happened or ever will. Where do you want to start?”
HNG: The future, anytime in the future. I just really want to know what’s going to happen and I hate spoilers.
Yaseen Z: why on earth would you ask that?
Daniel K: Why do you ask?
Evelyn L: W H Y ?
HNG: Why not?
Brandon E: If the world was ending, would you rather do a Video Gaming marathon or a TV/Movie Marathon? More specifically?
HNG: TV/Movie Marathon. I have a very bad right wrist and ridiculously small hands so it’s quite painful for me to use a gaming controller for more than a few minutes at a time (bummer, I know). Star Trek.
Michael S: If you could go on holiday for a month to a science fiction / fantasy universe, which one would you choose?
HNG: The Federation. Or Middle Earth.
Benjamin F: Who would you like to have as your enemy? The Empire or Klingon?
HNG: The Klingons. The Empire’s reach is far too vast. Klingons are more contained.
Joshua K: Ever hear of the Iron Druid Chronicles?
HNG: Yes, but I have not read them.
Epochil I: Star Wars or Star Trek?
Jose G: Star Wars or Star Trek?
HNG: Star Trek. But I love both.
Paul F: At what age did you consider yourself “hot”, besides being a nerd?
HNG: I still don’t consider myself “hot.” In fact, growing up I didn’t think about my looks much at all until people commented on it every once in a while in High School. Except on HNG, my looks really don’t come up very often and if it does, it’s usually in passing or as a joke. And even on HNG, I think people realize pretty quickly that that’s not my focus.
Cal O: What was the name of that one guy? You know, the one that owned that car…
HNG: Doc Brown? Batman? Michael Knight? James Bond?? Dean Winchester?? The Ghostbusters???
Ben J: What makes you happy?
HNG: Being by myself. I’m an introvert all the way. I’m happy spending time with the people I love but then I have to go back to being by myself for a while. Socializing drains me even if I’m having the time of my life.
Tony A: Are these the droids I’m looking for?
HNG: These aren’t the droids you’re looking for. Move along.
Steve H: Wow what a loaded question, but I will play it safe: If you had to chose to have known only one of these Franchises which one would it be: Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly
Rick S: Pretty sure we already know the answer to this one. Lol
HNG: I’m sure Rick is thinking about Star Trek and he’d be right. It’s my first love. I truly do love all three of the choices though.
Otis: What is your opinion of rabbits? Follow-up question: Do you share a common distrust of turtles as I do?
HNG: “Bunnies aren’t just cute like everybody supposes. They got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses, and what’s with all the carrots? What do they need such good eyesight for anyway?”
Depends, are the turtles teenage mutant ninjas or koopa troopas?
Jason F: Are you happy with the sound of your own voice on Podthingy?
HNG: It’s the happiest I’ve been with my voice on anything recorded so far. I do think I sound weird whenever I hear my own voice and sometimes I laugh weird and it makes me cringe. But we use really good mics on Podthingy so my voice doesn’t come across too bad.
Ian S: Why can’t I find anyone local as cool as you?
HNG: I’ve met soooo many cool people. Male and female. Rarely do I meet someone I don’t like or who rubs me the wrong way. They are out there!
Benjamin W: Will you come to Awesome Con DC next May?!
HNG: If I get invited as a guest I would love to
Stephan V: How do you take your coffee?
HNG: I don’t drink coffee. I drink tea. Earl Grey. Hot.
Visakha S: how geek is your bedroom?
HNG: I’m not allowed to put much geeky stuff in my bedroom; however, I do have one bookcase packed full of nerdy books. My office is where all of my posters, collectibles, etc. are. I love my office.
Robert L: Would you like soup or salad with that?
HNG: I usually go for the salad. Gotta get veggies in there somehow.
Anthony G: If you could write a graphic novel using any character you wished, what would it be?
HNG: Delilah, the superhero character I created. Or Maggie from my short story “Montaku”.
Mike M: How do you feel?
HNG: Exhausted. All the time. I don’t sleep much.
Michael B: Are you going to the Star Trek convention in SF in December? Are you going to the Evolution Expo this weekend in Oakland?
HNG: No to Evolution Expo, I’ve got my two BFF’s in town this weekend. I used to attend that Star Trek Con when I lived in San Fran and I’d love to go back some day. Probably won’t make it this year though
Emily H: What do you consider to be the most annoying and/or horrible thing about geek culture right now?
HNG: Hmmmm…..I’ll tell you what USED to annoy me was the fact that movie studios thought they could make shitty superhero movies and that nerds would just take it and spend all their hard earned money on crap. Now they’ve realized that the movies have to be good and they are making them accordingly, even if they do veer from the comics, as least the spirit of the story/characters is intact most of the time.
Ron S: What is six times seven?
HNG: The answer to life, the universe, and everything.
Heather H: Out of all the series/fictional universes you like, if you had to live in one (as a protagonist, meaning a powerful being not like a random peasant in Star Wars), which would it be and why?
HNG: I would love to serve in Starfleet. Be the Captain (or, perhaps even better in terms of getting to go on away missions, First Officer) of a Starship. And I would REALLY like to have magic or a superpower so what does that say about my love of Star Trek? Ha!
Michael B: My favorite trek is DS9. What’s yours and why?
Deepak R: Voyager, DS9, TOS, TNG?
HNG: That’s a tough one for me, I like all of the series (yes, all of them) for very different reasons. Gah. Probably TNG.
Zechariah B: Favorite graphic novel?
HNG: Right now I’m digging Taking Eden and I’m really enjoying Devil Inside.
Dustin B: Of everything you like, what do you like the most?
HNG: I know I sound like a broken record, but Star Trek.
Clifton R: How does awesome feel?
HNG: I don’t know, you tell me!
Joseph B: If you could have dinner with one fictional character, who would it be? Why?
HNG: Galadriel. I want to hear her talk about everything she’s seen. The War of the Silmarils, migrating from Valinor to Middle Earth, the rise and fall of Morgoth and when she realized that Sauron was a threat. Etc.
Craig N: In honor of his recent 50th bday, what’s your favorite Joss Whedon story (single episode/comic arc or issue/film/sing-along blog) and why?
HNG: Oh man, it would be hard to choose one just for each series, let alone lumping them all together. I’m going to maybe surprise everyone and say his Astonishing X-Men Omnibus. My friend let me borrow his and I fell in love with it and two years later I still haven’t given it back to him. I feel kind of guilty about that but I just keep going back to it. One of these days I’ll get my own copy.
I’m going to cheat and pick a second one. The episode of Firefly in which Malcolm is slowly suffocating to death and it flashes back to when he met each of the characters. That was a brilliant hour of television.
Eric S: Who would you rather bang , Han Solo or Luke Skywalker ?
HNG: Han Solo.
Ben B: Considering myself a very imaginative and creative person, I always like to ask this of other people like that…. What inspires you?
HNG: Rain inspires me. I love rain. I miss the Pacific Northwest.
Jason D: How did u become so awesome?
HNG: I’m not so sure that I am. I don’t really know how to be anything other than myself and I’m actually pretty dorky.
Shawn D: Favorite author and favorite book (not necessarily the same)
HNG: oooOOOooo…tough one. My favorite poet is easy. Robert Service = brilliant. Favorite author….. probably JRR Tolkien. Favorite book…… ugh. I don’t think I can do it, I can’t choose.
Michael C: Captain Kirk and Captain Picard…. Unarmed mortal combat. Who wins? Go!
HNG: Kirk. He’s been in more brawls. He’s got street cred.
Jason M: What is your favorite color
HNG: Green.
Thomas S: How old are you?
HNG: Old enough that I can do anything I want.
David R: How much money do you make? Not being snarky, I’m genuinely curious about internet celebrity and how lucrative it is. Or isn’t, as the case may be.
HNG: I don’t really make any money from HNG. I don’t have any ads on the blog or anything. I do sell some calendars each year but any profit on that (which isn’t much) gets wiped out by Comic Con tickets. I get asked every once in a while if this is my job and I wish it was but it isn’t. I work full-time and do this on the side which is why my blog posts aren’t always consistent.
Jessica D: How do you afford your amazing trips
HNG: I don’t take amazing trips but I wish I did! I’m actually pretty broke in real life. 99% of the Cons that I attend are local to where I live in SoCal. I went to Las Vegas Comic Con once. Anywhere else I go it’s usually for a reason like a wedding or a family reunion.
Kevin L: If their was a new Star Trek tv show how could you see it being done ( in the future past deap space 9 or before enterprise ) not necessarily one of these 2 just your thoughts thanks
HNG: I’m enjoying the reboots and I liked Enterprise, but I‘d like to see something in the “current” ‘verse. I’m excited to see Tim Russ’ Star Trek: Renegades.
Greg B: What was the first song you ever danced too?
HNG: At a dance recital? I vaguely remember a dance about ladybugs and a dance about getting ready in the morning. My brother and I had a cassette tape of the TMNT movie soundtrack that we listened to constantly. Our poor parents. We were obsessed.
Sean E: What kind of music do you like? Name some of your favorite bands.
HNG: Favorite band of all time is Queen. Freddy Mercury was the ultimate. I’m mostly a rock chick but my tastes are pretty eclectic. I tend to like individual songs more than artists. I listen to a lot of musicals. The only thing I don’t really get into is hardcore country or hardcore rap.
Carl A: If you were writing a sci-fi book, how would you go about coming up with new, unheard of, and cool sounding names for the alien beings?
HNG: When I write fantasy I like the names of my characters to mean something so I keep my old baby name book nearby and I have a couple of etymology apps on my phone. When I write sci-fi I’ll sometimes go there but usually it’s whatever name pops into my head. If it’s something I made up I’ll usually google it really quick just to make sure it’s not a company name or a product or bad word in another language or something.
Chris L: How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop?
HNG: It took me 127 licks once when I was a kid. No joke, I counted.
Chuck A: Ok here’s your question. If you had one bottle of polyjuice potion to use. Who would you spend an hour being?
HNG: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Jared S: Three questions in one. All superheroes…you can marry one, one night stand one, and kill off only one? GO!
HNG: Thor, Gambit, Razorback
Michael P: “The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t,”……………………………….can you explain this to me! and why while reading that sentence for the first time 20 odd years ago I pebbledashed the kitchen wall with sugarpuffs!
HNG: It’s Douglas Adams so I’m not sure that it’s supposed to make sense so much as it’s supposed to mindfuck us lol. However, I kind of always interpreted it as ‘sometimes stuff doesn’t make sense but that’s kind of awesome.’ Ships float, bricks sink…but WHY? You have to look beyond the surface and dig deeper to find out and if you put in the effort to do that, you’ll discover more than you ever dreamed you would.
Nicholas P: If you could be a dinosaur what kind of dinosaur would you be?
HNG: One of my many nicknames is “T-Rex” so I’ll stick with that. Also, I Like Dinosaurs.
Larry R: What do you do for a living?
Deryck D: What’s your day job?
HNG: Administration.
Nick C: Can you sing the Superman, Star Wars & Raiders of the Lost Arc theme songs with out getting them mixed up?
HNG: Of course! What self-respected nerd can’t?!
James C: If you could be in a Star Wars fan film, would you be and if you could choose, what role would you like to play?
HNG: Sure, why not! I think it would be pretty awesome to play Mara Jade.
Eric J: Do you have any calendars left? I keep meaning to get one.
HNG: I do! I had to order a few for Long Beach Comic Expo and I have a few left. Once these are gone I don’t think I’ll be ordering any more though. You can order it here: https://www.shoplocket.com/products/GZgn7-2014-hng-calendar
Clinton J: What do you think of Michael Bay’s TMNT?
HNG: I’m very weary of it. I prefer to reserve judgment until I see the final product but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned.
Scott S: 1) What is your NAME? 2) What is your QUEST?
HNG: 1) Tracy 2) To nerd harder.
Jerry B: well aside from the non stop barrage of questions that have no meaning and I do not need insight to be a nerd girl… Marriage proposals are a dime a dozen… Have you ever considered doing a charity auction to benefit make a wish or something auctioning a date? Yes there are plenty of nerds on here that would pay you just to talk to them!
HNG: I do have a significant other so probably not a date; however, I would be totally down to do some kind of hang out, go to a Con, go to a movie, hang at a party type of thing. I think that would be a lot of fun and if the profits went to something like Operation Gratitude than I would be thrilled to do something like that.
William S: What is the correct spelling of Iago Montoya?
HNG: You mean Inigo Montoya? From The Princess Bride?
Jonathan Q: Favorite Babylon 5 character!!!
Jamie R: Your take on Babylon 5 over all vs Deep Space Nine. GO!
HNG: I never really got into Babylon 5 so I don’t have a favorite character and I would choose DS9 over it any day. Sorry, B5 fans. However, I was in a stage version of the episode “Intersections in Real Time” and it was pretty awesome, torture and all.
Matt S: What do you think of the direction that DC is going with their “cinematic universe”?
HNG: Gah. I don’t know. It makes me really nervous that they are sort of putting this in Zack Snyder’s hands. I really like the look of Snyder’s movies but there’s always something fundamental missing. My Podthingy cohost John Mulhall says it’s that his movies lack soul. DC needs someone like Kevin Feige to keep everything consistent and en pointe.
John J: Who’s the better Captain Kirk, Pine or Shatner? Do you think Firefly would be ruined if it was brought back?
HNG: That’s tough because they play the character so differently. I guess I’ll go with Shatner just because he is the original and the archetype, even though he was an ass to me in real life.
I’ve answered this question about Firefly before and no, I don’t think it would be ruined. I think some of its magic lies in the fact that it died far too soon and I really dig the EU in the comics. If you haven’t read the comic about Shepherd Book’s past, READ IT. But I selfishly always want more.
PJ M: Favorite moba position?
Philip H: Blizzard username, to play WoW?
Jason R: Horde or Alliance?
HNG: Sorry, I don’t play WoW or other online games. I just don’t have time
Josh B: If you could choose any secret from any story and the author of said story could explain it to you…what secret would you choose to know? Ex: who is jon snows mother?
HNG: Jon Snow’s mother is a good one! I’ll steal it from you.
Alexander N: What is your favorite trilogy? And along the same lines, what is your favorite “Universe”?
HNG: It’s a close tie between Wrath of Khan/Search For Spock/Voyage Home and A New Hope/Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi. Favorite universe id Star Trek.
Mark Y: Do you like anime?
HNG: Not particularly. I do like a few things, like Princess Mononoke and Fist of the North Star but anime was more my brother’s thing.
Otis: If you could marry, have kids, and live a life with one superhero, who would it be? and why?
HNG: Thor because I’m a good little Norwegian girl.
Chad S: I posted earlier on your wall the pilots …. Han Solo, Sulu, and Wash. So tell us who is the best pilot of the three and assuming they might actually exist in same space time to be able to have a practical and demanding test of skills against one another. Go! LOL
HNG: There is no way I could answer this! All three have proven their mettle. Random fun fact: in real life I have sat in both Sulu and Wash’s pilot chairs. The actual chairs that their butts have been in. In fact, my butt was in Wash’s seat on the set of Serenity before Alan Tudyk’s was. Take THAT, Tudyk!
Mike S: Who’s your fav Firefly character ?
HNG: Zoe.
Daniel P: What book/series would you most like seen made into a movie/series/mini-series, which of those, and why?
HNG: I used to tell everyone that, if I worked in Hollywood, I would bring Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series to TV but now a bunch of the Star Trek: DS9 guys are doing that on STARZ so I had to scratch that one off my list. Now I would say Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series.
Sean K: If you could own one set of armour what would it be? One Melee weapon?
HNG: I can haz Mjolnir? Ok, there’s a chance I wouldn’t be worthy. Can it be superhero armor like Colossus? I always kind of liked the old Samurai armor and katanas.
Sara C: Are you in favor of marijuana legalization, at least medical if not full recreational?
HNG: I have no issues with marijuana, period. I personally don’t use it but I have seen medical marijuana in action and I would like to have that option should I ever need it.
Bill M: Star Wars or Star Wars Special Edition?
HNG: I like some of the improved graphics (explosions in space) but I dislike or am indifferent to most of the add-ins so I’ll stick with the original.
Scott S: What was the biggest influence on your nerdom growing up? I’m raising a little girl and would not mind it at all if I could get her out of the princess phase and into the Star Wars phase.
HNG: You’ve touched on my biggest fear about parenthood. What if I get a kid who’s into princesses? I don’t know what I’ll do or how I’ll cope. Girly things are so beyond me. I’m sure I’ll rise to the occasion but I’d rather not have to I grew up with Star Trek. My parents watched it when I was a baby and TNG came on when I was really young so I have no memory of a time in my life without Star Trek. Also, The Goonies, The Neverending Story, Flight of the Navigator, E.T., The Princess Bride, Legend, Ladyhawk, The Last Unicorn, The Secret of NIMH, The Last Starfighter, etc. – these were all staples in our house. I was a tomboy so sci-fi and comics were a natural fit. My parents were really good about reading to me and teaching me to read at a very young age so I’ve been a voracious reader all my life. I think a huge chunk of it was just my personality but my parents were really great about letting my brother and I follow our bliss. I think they also felt guilty for moving us around so much.
Daniel N: Who’s your Captain?
HNG: ME!
Michael B: I’m thinking of a number between 1 and 10; what is it?
HNG: Nine. And if it’s not Nine then it should be because it’s my favorite number.
Chessa H: Who’s your Doctor?
HNG: 1) Ten 2) Four 3) Eleven 4) Nine 5) Five
Craig S: I figure this question should be helpful for lots of people, not just me. I had plenty of friends in a few different cliques in college, and in the years after when I stayed in town. Now, in the real world, in a new town, friends are hard to come by. My co-workers are alright, but not nearly nerdy enough, and we’re not that close. I’ve never been to a convention before, but would like to start. How do I start? It seems like conventions are not something to show up to alone. Meetup.com or something? I don’t just need new acquaintances. I need new true friendships.
HNG: I’ve mentioned before that I’m painfully shy and I don’t like going anywhere alone. I tend to keep a few trusted people around me, usually Mama Jedi, my friend Hayden (Geek Outlaw), and occasionally my sister-in-law or my friend/HNG Podcast cohost Darcy. I used to be so shy that they would literally act as my protective wall against the world, a place that I’m often terrified to venture out in. I’ve gotten much better about this in the past few years which Mama Jedi and Hayden will gratefully attest to. Part of the reason for that is that I slowly started making friends with some of the artists and exhibitors that I would see consistently at all of the local Cons. If I started to get overwhelmed or panicky, I would make a beeline for one of their booths and hang out for a few minutes. In one case in particular, this resulted in teaming up with and becoming friends with Podthingy cohosts John Mulhall and Blayne Alexander. Oddly enough, if I sense that someone is even more shy and awkward than I am, I tend to rise to the occasion to make them feel more comfortable. As a result, I fare much, much better if people approach me and not the other way around. In fact, it is almost unheard of for me to do the approaching. That seriously way too long explanation was me saying that I don’t go to Cons alone so I don’t blame you for not wanting to; however, I have met people who do and, if you’re ok with that, then there’s no reason why you can’t go alone. Sitting in panels and wandering around the Floor isn’t very conducive to chatting anyways. Panels are hush hush and the Floor can be really loud. The artists like talking to people one on one, so you should be fine.
I’ve also made friends waiting in line for panels. The people in line with you are obviously interested in the same thing you are so talk to them! Usually Hayden starts the talking and I join in after a few minutes once I’ve pumped myself up.
I know a few cosplayers who have made some of their best friends just by showing up at Cons in costume, finding people dressed as characters in the same universe, and they started meeting up at Cons and then hanging out outside of the Cons.
I’ve never done a meetup but I have a friend who does and he loves it! You could also put out a notice on Craiglist.
Jared F: What are you PC’s specs?
HNG: Well, now, that’s getting a little personal, dontcha think?
Scott L: What is your favorite meal you mom made for you growing up?
HNG: Plain pasta with melted cheese on top or bratwurst and sauerkraut.
Dan H: I’d ask how to win your heart but I’d want the answer privately, and I’m not sure I’d like the fact it involved changing the quantum frequency of the universe. So instead I’ll ask whether you have a favourite fan-fiction/show/writer.
HNG: I’m not really in to fan fiction. I enjoy Steven Moffatt’s TV show writing even though I want to punch him in the face sometimes.
Omar A: Do you have any minions on the west side of Los Angeles? Would you like one my queen?
HNG: I’m not really into minions haha! But thanks for the offer
David D: Lemonade or Limeade?
HNG: Pop.
David B: “Are you my mommy?”
HNG: “Go to your room. I mean it. I’m very, very angry with you. I’m very, very cross. Go to your room! I’m really glad that worked. Those would have been terrible last words.”
Ken H: Who Shot First?
HNG: Han!
Joshua A: Crunchy or smooth peanut butter and what brand??
HNG: Any kind that is smooth. Not into chunky.
Mark G: So you think the human race is doomed? If so how will we go out? Who could save us?
HNG: I hope not. I hope we have the collective smarts to prevent that from happening. But yeah, probably doomed. I would imagine we’d exploit the planet’s resources until it’s no longer a viable ecosystem to support life and we end up in a situation like The Road or WWIII like in Star Trek. Maybe the Vulcans will spot us and introduce us to the rest of the galaxy.
Marlon B: best way to encourage a girl to explore her love of Sci-Fi/Fantasy or Science & Math without seeming heavy handed or sexist.
HNG: Introduce her (or him, if applicable) to one thing at a time. Get them to watch Star Wars. Not their thing? Try Firefly or Harry Potter or Jurassic Park or Cosmos or Avengers. Try different things until one of them sticks and then go from there.
Julian G: Biggest fear? if not already on here. Mine is that magneto was right…
HNG: 1) Zombies 2) The Violator 3) Creepy dolls
Honorable Mention: Fire Marshall Bill
Nolan S: Who would win: Han solo or Malcolm Reynolds?
HNG: I don’t know but I would REALLY like to see that. Shirtless.
Larry N: Coke or Pepsi. Tpol or 7 of 9? Wars or trek? Is there life out there? Favorite Enterprise? Does Sam seem like a big baby to you? 3.5 or 4th? Obvious answer is Pathfinder. Should I go to Gencon?
HNG: Either, as long as it’s brown, caffeinated, and not diet. Seven of Nine. Yes. NCC-1701-D (I mean, come on, the saucer separates! How handy is that?!) Sam Winchester? 3.5. Alrighty. Yes.
Jeremy D: What’s your (1) super hero power of choice?
HNG: Ability to fly.
Dennis Q: What makes color-forms stick?
HNG: Adhesion.
Richard G: Have you read Dan Simmons Hyperion?
HNG: Nope, but I’ll add it to my list!
Ola A: If you wrote the next big sci-fi TV series, what would it be about and what would be the name of the show?
HNG: I’d base it on my short story “Montaku”
Ange C: What is your reason for being?
HNG: To nerd harder.
Thanks again for the great questions, everyone!
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