Being Dana Scully: My first LARP experience

When it comes to geek culture, I cast a pretty wide net. I play video games and board games, create cosplay, read science fiction and comics, collect action figures, write, draw, review… the list goes on. One hobby, however, is generally absent from my repertoire: LARP. LARP stands for Live Action Role Playing. Participants create their... Read more »
By Lauren Faits,
December 6, 2015 at 11:18 pm • 

The best places to celebrate Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Chicago

It’s officially December, so my Star Wars fever is burning out of control. The entire world (minus my day job co-workers) is going crazy for The Force Awakens. I have my opening night tickets. Of course, I’m thinking about cosplay. I’m also hiding from spoilers as actively as I can, but it has been TOUGH.... Read more »
By Lauren Faits,
December 1, 2015 at 9:03 pm • 

6 Reasons Why Codsworth is the Best Fallout 4 Companion

**WARNING: THIS POST POTENTIALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM FALLOUT 4. **     As you may have gathered from my TOTAL ABSENCE, I’ve been playing Fallout 4 like crazy. A few of my friends have finished it, but you know me. I have to explore every inch of The Commonwealth before I let the experience end.... Read more »
By Lauren Faits,
November 22, 2015 at 4:25 pm • 
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Photos from Lakeshore Beverage's Return to the Throne

Daenerys Targaryen amidst the Dorthraki arc. During the costume contest, she chowed down on a bloody heart. HARDCORE.
It happened again! My friends at Lakeshore Beverage invited me to run the costume contest at another OH SO COOL Game of Thrones beer party. Brewery Ommegang celebrated the re-release of the its first two GoT brews. Both are now available in a sweet gift set for the holidays. …You know, in case you were... Read more »
By Lauren Faits,
November 14, 2015 at 9:21 pm • 

This GEEKend: Raks Geek, Rock Band, and a Game Design Symposium

I’m gonna keep it brief, geekhearts, because today is FALLOUT DAY. My geek guy and I have TWO copies of Fallout 4 so we can play at the same time. I failed to score any Nuka Cola Quantum (WEEPING,) but hey, I probably shouldn’t be drinking irradiated soda. This GEEKend is starting early, with multiple... Read more »
By Lauren Faits,
November 10, 2015 at 8:19 pm • 

6 Reasons Why Photobombing is the Worst

Friday night, my friends and I got together for Lakeshore Beverage and Brewery Ommegang’s latest Game of Thrones beer event- Return to the Throne. It was a fantastic time. Unfortunately, several of the photos taken by Geek Girl Jess are unusable. Why? PHOTOBOMBING. Photobombing is the worst. In case you haven’t heard of this “trend,”... Read more »
By Lauren Faits,
November 8, 2015 at 3:01 pm • 
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This Halloween GEEKend: Walkerween and 3 Sheeps Brewing

Just like zombies themselves, the zombie craze refuses to die. The Walking Dead and now Fear the Walking Dead are keeping the zombie party theme, well… alive. So, it’s no surprise that my Halloween 2015 events list includes multiple zombie jamborees. This is obviously only a small fraction of what Chicago has to offer geeks on my... Read more »
By Lauren Faits,
October 29, 2015 at 2:30 pm • 

Sober October: Why I'm doing it and how it's going

October is almost over. My favorite holiday, Halloween, will mark the end of a successful experiment: a month without alcohol. I dubbed it “Sober October.” Sigh, I thought I invented the name, but I guess I didn’t. There were several reasons behind me trying a dry month. Topping the list was MONEY. I love whiskey tastings,... Read more »
By Lauren Faits,
October 26, 2015 at 9:31 pm • 

This GEEKend: Chrono Trigger music and Han Solo show

The hardest part about my current day job is being the biggest geek in the room. My previous gig was FILLED with science buffs, Trekkers, X-Philes… as of today, nobody in my office but me even bothered to get opening night Star Wars tickets. Harumph. At least I still have Geek Girl Chicago and all of... Read more »
By Lauren Faits,
October 22, 2015 at 12:30 pm • 
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This GEEKend: Gaming at ValorCon

I love going to conventions (obviously,) but I get tired of repeatedly commuting to Rosemont and Yorktown. LeakyCon came through Chicago proper once, and it was AMAZING. Conventions on Chicago college campuses do really well, too. Every other con I’ve tried to attend in a downtown Chicago hotel, however, has torpedoed itself. Perhaps it’s time... Read more »
By Lauren Faits,
October 16, 2015 at 2:00 pm •