Jen Desmarais

Jen Desmarais is the creator of the sex education game Blush and co-author of "Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers" and "Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests." "Crushing It" was her first solo novel. You can also find a short story by Jen in "Nothing Without Us Too", and a novella in "The Mystery of the Dancing Lights". Co-founder of JenEric Designs, she creates unique geeky crocheted items. Her blogs The Travelling TARDIS and How I Taught My Dragon have been nominated for the Prix Aurora Awards over 2018-2023. She lives in Ottawa with her author husband, daughter, son, and their library of over 3000 books.

Will Friedle

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We got to meet some amazing people last weekend at Ottawa Comic Con, and none more so than Will Friedle (Twitter). He was so great with the woman ahead of us in line, who told him that she had a major crush on him when she was growing up. “That’s adorable!” he replied, all smiles. I love when actors are so amazing with their fans.

And OUR interaction with him. Oh wow. I was wearing the shirt that my sister designed for me (Geeklet on Board), and the “d” at the end is comprised of a pencil and a d20, to represent our love of D&D. Will got all excited about the d20, and asked if we watched Critical Role, which we have not yet. Apparently he is a guest star in the show. I want to see it even more now.

I also explained why I was wearing the shirt, and he got all excited that we are expecting. He said “And how is little Will treating you today?” I said the first name that popped into my head at this point: “Actually, Wilhelmina is treating me quite well.” Then I quickly corrected myself, explaining that we were NOT going to name her Wilhelmina, but that I couldn’t come up with another female ‘Will’ name. So he asked our name possibilities, and pulled a d20 out from his pocket! He rolled for each one, and the results were all really low. Maybe we’ll see her and end up naming her something completely different! I have no idea. (We have since thought of one: Willow! What do you think Will? What does the dice say? Update: Will says that the dice rolled a 19!)

He also asked how long we’ve been married, and said congratulations when he heard that it was almost 7 years. He’s getting married on September 25, 2016. I wish him happiness and joy!

We also managed to squeeze two pictures in with the TARDIS. Will was a real pleasure to meet. I highly recommend going to see him at any and all conventions you go to!

Will Friedle2small

I love his face in this one!Will Friedle3small

P.S. Bracelet is by Popsquatch Designs. You can buy stuff from them at CON Creative Ottawa Nerds on June 11!

Blush: Pubic Hair

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Dr Lindsey Doe has a fantastic video about pubic hair growth which you can watch here. However, if you’d like to read about it instead of watch it, here are my answers to a few questions.

Image from static.independent.co.uk
Image from static.independent.co.uk

Question

Why do we have pubic hair?

Answer

For many reasons! To reduce friction, decrease skin abrasion and injury, protect from bacteria (like eyelashes protect our eyes, as Dr Doe pointed out), and a visible sign of puberty. (and more!)

Question

If pubic hair does all that, why is there such a big industry dedicated to removing it?

Answer

For many reasons! Well, sort of. The biggest ones for today’s society is embarrassment and fashion. We body-shame ourselves (and each other) into the belief that pubic hair is an awful thing to have. And with bikinis getting smaller, the likelihood of pubic hair being visible is higher than it was a century ago. Sports athletes often shave for sports reasons (you can tell I’m not a sports person, right?).

Of course, the hair removal industry is mostly centered around Western Europe and North America (Canada and the US, specifically). There are other cultures that don’t have a problem with pubic hair.

Question

Is it so bad to remove pubic hair?

Answer

It is up to you. Going through the hair removal process can cause small abrasions on your skin, allowing for bacteria to enter your body. It also increases chances of ingrown hairs, unless you use a high tech epilator. Being hairless (or mostly hairless) can mean that there is more friction during sex (or even just walking!), which can also cause injury to your skin. As Dr Doe says, if you wish to remove your hair, do it because you want to.

References

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyITfS3MGFk

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/04/war-pubic-hair.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pubic_hair – I don’t usually recommend wikipedia articles, but this one has so many great sources that I can’t help but use it.

Influences on Reality

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Fiction has had a lot of influence in our daily life. Just look at all the gadgets that Star Trek suggested would be the way of the future, that we actually have now in 2016! Tablets, communicators, cell phones, etc. But I’d like to look at the places that have been influenced by fiction.

1. Stargate Command

Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado is the base for NORAD, but there’s rumour that there is a door that has a sign saying “Stargate Command”. Unfortunately, since the US military moved back into the mountain, only tours with “a mission-critical rationale for visiting the mountain, where the tour is essential in performing their daily functions in defending the homelands” may enter the complex. Darn.

2. Platform 9 and 3/4

Any Harry Potter fan would enjoy visiting King’s Cross station, and they’ve even set up a trolley halfway through the wall between platforms 9 and 10. The station also has “Hogwarts Express” listed on their screens at 11 am on September 1st. I would love to show up on that day at that time, dressed as a witch. Anyone want to do that with me?

Image from www.cdn.collider.com/
Image from www.cdn.collider.com

3. 221b Baker Street

Although the Sherlock Holmes house doesn’t exist at this address, there is now a Sherlock Holmes Museum that you can go visit. When Doyle wrote the series, Baker St only went up to #85!

Image from www.res.cloudinary.com
Image from www.res.cloudinary.com

4. Ghostbusters Firestation, NY

There is a fire station in New York, Hook and Ladder Company 8, that was the setting for the Ghostbusters headquarters. They have some cute little nods to the movie, both inside and out.

Ghostbusters_Firehouse_2_(2007)
Inside the building. Image from wikimedia.

 

Outside the station. Image from bradstudios.

Let me help you plan your trip. You can contact Jennifer Desmarais through Orleans Travel. jennifer.desmarais@orleanstravel.ca

Blush: Sexplanations Recommendation

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When Dr Lindsey Doe’s channel Sexplanations went live almost 3 years ago, I was super excited to hear about it. She has uploaded tons of videos since, and although I’m not a religious watcher of her channel, I think its a fantastic resource! She’s adorable, hilarious, and educational all rolled into one package. Highly recommended!