Queenkv’s Brainpickings

Less than two weeks to go before I’m flying to St. Petersburg. I still have a ton of editing and writing to finish. I also have to work on new subjects for new lectures.

I’m sure I will be working on these presentations on the plane. In the meantime, I’m trying to get a better idea of what to expect in St. Petersburg.

Some travel prep notes:

• Travel Document Systems e-mailed my Russian Visa. Woot! It was an adventure trying to apply for a visa at the Russian Consulate in San Francisco. I’ll blog more about it – soon.



• I bought a new battery for my MacBook at the Apple Store in San Francisco



• I borrowed some international converter plugs from Suzanne. I guess I’ll see which one works in St. Petersburg.
• I’m learning some Russian phrases thanks to the one-minute lesson podcasts by Radio Lingua.
• My bedtime reading is the Lonely Planet Guide to St. Petersburg.

I’m still trying to answer the question: “Who get’s to be my ‘Plus One’ on my St. Petersburg, Russian trip? Right now, it looks like I’m leaving Andre behind thanks to the new results of my informal poll.

Louie: 4 votes.
(Louie wants to thank Samantha, Mark, Sara and Dad.)

Andre: 3 votes
(Andre wants to thank Colin, Rink and Andrei.)

My blog poll has been extended to Twitter and Facebook friends as well as young readers offline.

So. Thanks for voting!!!

One of the few pictures of me from our Vegas trip. I’m usually the gal behind the camera, silently shooting.

My long weekend in Sin City feels like a lifetime ago. After working on the weekend shows, I suspect I’m ready for another vacation. I’d love another getaway with island cocktails and a luau, like the one we attended at the Venetian.

In the meantime, I’m happy to watch other people add some spice to their ‘real lives’ by diving into a Bollywood musical. This music video put a smile on my face.

I’m quite happy to catch up with this Comic Con music video by the Guild. My hubby and I would love to check out this geekfest some day. Maybe I’ll dress up!

The Guild also plans on selling this song on iTunes tomorrow! Yup – I plan on adding it to my playlist

Despite turning my back on the iPhone – I am still an Apple girl.

Before grad school, I feel in love with the iMac suitcase.

Now – I can’t live without my MacBook. Still, the devoted, quirky Mac culture is the target for plenty of nerd jokes. I think I’ve avoided being the punchline of Apple nerd jokes…so far.

New Apple Friend Bar Gives Customers Someone To Talk At About Mac Products

What gadget do you need your life? What is your ‘must-have’ tech toy?

Check out one of the last photos on my enV phone.
My hubby ordered a new Droid X for me last week – before the went on sale. We beat the hype and got our new smartphones the next day.

Joy!

I know we could have waited for Apple to deliver iPhones to Verizon either by the end of this year or next year. But why wait when you have an amazing gadget operating on Google’s operating system?

Check out this beautiful 8 MB photo by Droid!

I’m looking forward to the return of my guilty pleasure, “The Guild.”

The web series makes its season premiere Tuesday. Joy!

[ From http://driftlessareareview.wordpress.com/]

The show covers the quirks, relationships and complications of a group of online gamers. Felicia Day plays Codex and she is brilliant as a producer, writer and actor. As I watch each episode, I’m always impressed with the slick production quality and the show’s talented ensemble of actors. With dialogue and comic timing that reminds me of Joss Whedon’s works, I keep clicking around for the next episode.

<br/><a href="http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/season-4-trailer/y08waqri?fg=sharenoembed" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','www.bing.com']);" target="_new"title="Season 4 - Trailer">Video: Season 4 &#8211; Trailer</a>
I’m also looking forward to Wil Wheaton’s return to the Guild as the snarky, evil gaming rival, Fawkes.

I love this song.
It’s the only song I know by Europe. But it’s awesome. It’s something you sing when you’re ready for something big…

World Cup.
Black Diamond Run at Squaw Valley.
Election Day.
Season premiere of Burn Notice.

So – I also enjoy Freezepop’s version of this 80s anthem.
Rock on. Rock on.

Over the last few weeks, my schedule in the newsroom was a roller coaster ride of responsibilities.

Last weekend, I tracked grass fires and fireworks for the evening news shows. During the week, I produced slideshows and logged a news conference on a scary house explosion for the website. I suppose it all adds up to a typical week for the gal who produces shows and web content.

When I survive the work week, I hit the road in search of new flavors and comfort food. Thank God for my hubby and friends who enjoy eating and drinking.

Happy July 4th!
I’m heading back to the newsroom in a couple of hours. So, I celebrated Independence Day early at Raley Field.

It was so nice to watch the fireworks show at the ball park. Tonight, I’ll watch the other fireworks shows on a computer screen.

Happy Fourth of July!

Go Team USA! One week ago – I gave up on cautious hope and believed our team could go all the way to the World Cup finals.

It was a wild ride. It was a bit stuffy inside the Graduate in Davis….but I knew I was in the best place to watch the match.

Still riding on a wave of patriotic athleticism, the Daily Show interviewed Team Captain Landon Donovan and coach Bob Bradley.

It’s a great conversation about the sport, the World Cup and the fans.
USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!