geeky dork
Another one off my list!
Took a cross-country trip from LA to Seattle (that counts as cross country right haha?) for the Penny Arcade Expo Convention (PAX) and I’ll say I had a blast! Sure it’s not as fast as a plane or even a car sometimes but not having to drive, being able to see some incredible views, and meeting some cool people – it’s a great experience that I think I’d want to take again every few months or years to sort of “recharge.”
Photos and videos to come!
I think I finally learned how to consistently ride a unicycle about 50 yards. It took a quite a few nights of practice to get to where I am now- about 10-15 hours total, but was definitely worth it. Seeing this video just makes me smile.
The most difficult part about learning how to ride a unicycle was getting back up. Every. Single. Time. It’s not like a bicycle where you have training wheels or can just stand it up. With a unicycle, you need to hold on to something while you’re learning so that you’re able to mount it correctly.
When I first started practicing on the sidewalk and the street, I only had a lamp post to help me mount. I probably fell off of my unicycle every minute I was on it. But whenever that happened, I’d just tell myself three things: butt down, back straight, and keep pedaling.
Little by little, I went farther and father. When I went farther than I thought I’d ever been before, I measured the distance (using 8 to 5 steps, go band!) on my way back to the pole. Five yards, ten yards, twenty yards. Forty-five yards. Each time I arrived back at the pole, I realize it’s actually not that far but then my mind puts a positive image in my head and tells me, “Hey! Listen! Just imagine you riding around, seeing smiles or weird looks on peoples faces when you ride by, and maybe even riding it at CicLaVia one day! Or even juggling at the same time too.” And so I keep getting on and trying.
Yay.
Lessons learned:
Three down, twenty-two more to go!
I was talking my coworker, Chris, one morning and I asked him what I should cosplay as for an upcoming convention. His response to me was “a Chansey and you should have Pokeballs that light up and play the Poke Center theme.” I took that and made it happen:
Built with an Arduino Uno, 6 red LEDs, a momentary pushbutton, a piezo buzzer, clear acrylic balls, spray paint, vinyl, and lots of jumper wires.
Here’s a photo of me and my group:
(Forgot where I got this image but if you know, please tell me so I can give credit )
Two down and 23 to go!