I love when I can show off my cat lady-ness in a fashionable way. Below are some items on my Cat Lady Fashion Shopping List this week!

My Current Cat Lady Fashion Shopping List

1. These Adorable Cat Print Dresses that are Totally Work Appropriate

Paws for Thanks Dress from Modcloth

The Fuschia is Meow dress from Modcloth

2. More Cute Cat Prints

Pink Cat Print Blouse from Gap

Cat Print Blouse from Forever 21 

3. These Fun Cat Shoes

Up Your Alley Cat Flat from Modcloth

Stand in Awe Feline Print Heel

Kitty Skimmer from Urban Outfitters

4. Everyone’s Favorite Cat – Hello Kitty!

Hello Kitty Dress from Modcloth

Hello Kitty Vans from Journeys

Hello Kitty Tank Top from Old Navy

5. Funny Cat Tshirts

A Life Lesson for Us All – Kisses not Hisses Tshirt from Urban Outfitters

Abraham Lincoln <3s Cats from Urban Outfitters

Cheshire Cat Tshirt “We’re All Mad Here” from ThinkGeek

6. Top It Off With a Scarf!

Cat print scarf from Etsy

7. This Adorable Necklace

BONUS! For the cat loving dudes – Target Galaxy Cat Tshirt

Want more cat lady fashion? Check out my Cat Lady Fashion Pinterest board!

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

It is a tradition at work to create Valentine’s Day cards and share them with each other. I have been scouring the web for some geeky Valentines to share with my coworkers and I thought I would share them with you here as well. Enjoy!

Super Hero Valentines

Cat Lady Valentines

Web Geek Valentines

Sci-Fi Valentines

…And One Just Regular Science Valentine

Lots of LOVE today!

The post Happy Valentine’s Day! 20 Geeky Valentines <3 appeared first on Qcait.com.

As a frequent hair dye-er who is always looking for something new, when I first saw the concept of “Hair Makeup” (temporary hair color that goes on and off just like makeup) in a fashion magazine, I knew I had to try it. This week, I saw some in a store for the first time and picked up Anastasia Hair Makeup temporary hair color from Ulta for $12. I had a lot of questions/doubts when I first tried it, so I thought I would share my experience.

Some Notes Before we get Started:

• My hair is red and not too dark, but one of the employees at Ulta with jet black hair said it worked well for her as well.
• If you have any tips or other brands of hair makeup you’ve tried – I’d love to hear it! Post in the comments below!

How to Apply the Hair Makeup

You’ll need: Hair creme or balm (I used BB Styling Creme), Hair Spray, and a makeup application sponge  (use the cheap kind because it will get messy).

I have tried this twice so far. The first time I used my fingers instead of a sponge which made it a bit easier to apply, but made more of a mess.

The directions on the box recommend wearing a towel around your shoulders which makes it a bit harder to maneuver, but I do recommend it to catch the extra powder that falls as you apply.

If you’re going to apply it to curly hair, it seems to work best if you curl your hair first. After the application I recurled that one section to give it extra bounce (it didn’t hurt my curling iron or anything).

Hair Makeup Application Steps

The whole thing is pretty easy and just takes a few minutes.

1. Separate your hair with a hair tie so only the strand you want to color is left out.
2. Put a little styling cream on the strands to prep it. I found that just a little works best.
3. Hold your hair between the makeup sponge and the hair powder and glide the powder on. I had to do 2-3 coats to get all of my hair covered.
4. Spray with hair spray to set (my advice is to let it sit for a few minutes to be sure)

 (I’m not quite sure I’m making such a serious face in this picture.)

After Hair Makeup Application – How Much of a Mess does this Stuff Make?

The biggest question I had when trying it was “how much of a mess is this hair makeup going to make?” The answer is “Not too much” – I’ve included some pictures to show you.

Makeup sponge after hair makeup application

Towel after hair makeup application

Hands after hair makeup application (it washes off with a few washes in soap and water)

Hair Makeup Results! I Loved it!

I was really, really happy with the results of the hair makeup! Especially considering how easy it was to apply.

Hair Makeup with Curly Hair (Second Application)

Hair Makeup with Straight Hair (first application)

How Long Does Hair Makeup Last?

The second question I had was “Does it last all day?” It definitely started to fade a little by the end of the day, but held up pretty well. It washes off really easily with one shampoo.

Hair Makeup at the End of the Day (as you can see, it lasted longer than my curls) >>

One Caveat – Hair Makeup Can Rub Off!

I specifically picked a more inside strand of hair to test on so there would be more hair between the color and my clothes in case it flaked off during the day. What I didn’t think about is that this piece of hair was touching my face.

I didn’t see any pink on my clothes at all, but after lunch I noticed a pink spot on my jaw line from the makeup . It was easy to get off with a quick paper towel + water fix, but just be aware that this stuff does rub off a bit. I think more hairspray might help this?

Pink spot on my face from the hair makeup

In Conclusion – Hair Makeup is Definitely Worth a Try but Try to Avoid the Mess!

I loved this product and I wil definitely use again (and probably try more colors). Just be aware that it can make a mess and try to pick strands not immediately next to your clothes or face.

If you have any tips for applying this stuff or other brands to try, please leave them in the comments below!

The post Product Review: Anastasia Hair Makeup – Temporary Hair Color Looks Awesome but Can Get Messy appeared first on Qcait.com.

On the Road Heading to Austin!

Road Trip to Austin for Jason’s Birthday!

In celebration of Jason’s birthday, we spent Labor Day weekend in Austin visiting friends and exploring. We spend time in Austin every year for Austin City Limits Music Festival, but don’t get to see much else outside of Zilker park and the hotel. Our goal was to see as many Comic Books & Toy Shops as possible!

Day 1 – North Austin

As there was a football game this weekend, our hotel was actually up north in Round Rock (around the corner from the legendary Round Rock Donuts!) and we spent Saturday in north Austin in an attempt to avoid of traffic.

Stop 1:  Tenth Planet Comics & Games

We started our adventure in Tenth Planet Comics & Games (no relation to one of our favorite Houston spots Third Planet). This is more of a table top game shop – complete with drinks and snacks that you can snag (you can even open a tab if you plan to spend more time there). They have a pretty good selection of current comic titles in addition to gaming gear as well. 

Comics at Tenth Planet Comics & Games!

 Stop 2: Wonko’s Toys & Games

Our second stop was just a few miles away at Wonko’s Toys & Games. This shop has a sizable selection of board games & table top game swag… but I was most impressed with the toy selection. I especially loved the rare finds like Star Trek: The Next Generation figures from Germany. I’m not sure how much the inventory changes, but I loved browsing the shelves to see all of my favorite franchises represented: Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Star Trek, and a surprising amount of Nightmare Before Christmas collectible toys.

Wonko’s Toys & Games

Stop 3: Capstone Comics

Capstone Comics was one of my favorite stops on our tour. The shop isn’t huge, but it is packed with lots of back issues, books, toys, and other goodies.

The staff was very nice and I was able to snag my favorite find of the day – 100 postcards of vintage DC comic covers.

I’m looking forward to figuring out a cool way to display them in our study.

Day 2: Austin Proper

Stop 4: Austin Books & Comics

I had high expectations for Austin Books & Comics before even walking in. It has lots of great reviews on Yelp, and was at the top of every list of shops I found online. And @AustinBooks did not disappoint. We spent almost two hours here inspecting aisle after aisle of books, comics, toys, statues, and of course back issues. We even made a trip back into the archives after we discovered that all back issues were half off for Labor Day. Really fantastic shop.

Austin Books & Comics! 

Stop 5: Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy

My heart was immediately warmed when we walked into Dragon’s Lair and were greeted by a furry feline. This store seemed like one of the larger ones in terms of square footage – of which about half  is taken up by tabletop games. The group in house on Sunday was playing in elaborate 3D scenes that were very cool. Lots of metal figures and paint supplies as well.

The other half of the store was filled with books and comics, with shelves dedicated to certain franchises that seemed a bit random to me: including 3 full shelves of Doctor Who gear. This place also has a unique family friendly vibe – there was a sizable area of kids books and a room in the back filled with kids as young as single digit ages.

Cat Greeting at Dragon’s Lair Austin

Stop 6: Toy Joy

Toy Joy is a treasure chest of unique toys and gifts that I love sifting through. This may not fall into the same category with comic shops, but full of nerdy things from Batman to Hello Kitty. It also includes a cafe with coffee, lemonade, and ice cream (they even have vegan flavors). Very Austin, very cool.

Stop 7: Austin Books & Comics Sidekick Store

Our final stop of the weekend was the Austin Books & Comics Sidekick store – a smaller shop around the corner from the main store that houses additional back issues and multiples that don’t quite fit in the main store – at discounted prices. Selection is limited (which is to be expected), but it is definitely worth checking out.

Bonus! Game Over Video Games

While not on our initial list, our hotel was close to Game Over Video Games – a video game store with one of the largest collections of older/vintage video games and consoles that I have ever seen. This place has old school NES, Super NES, Game Gear, Dreamcast, and everything in between. And we just happened to wander by while on our way to Starbucks. Very cool.

In Conclusion: There are Lots of Cool Things to See in Austin!

While we got in a lot of great stops, there are even more shops that we missed this time around in Austin. The trip was a blast, and inspired me to look a little closer at my own neighborhood. Every shop has its own unique vibe and story. It makes me wonder – what shops in close by places like the The Woodlands or Katy have we not seen?

I’m looking forward to more nerdy adventures, and sharing our findings along the way!

The post Tour of Austin Comic & Toy Shops: A Recap with Pictures! appeared first on Qcait.com.

2012 is shaping up to be a big year. As with any year, I get older (not so thrilled about that) and wiser (that I do appreciate), but this year feels like a particularly broad step forward.

The theme for this year is focus. It’s more about several consistent small steps to make progress, instead of hoping for sudden unrealistic leaps. There are three big things I am focused on in 2012. I  won’t call these resolutions because they started before 2012 and will continue on after. But I wanted to share.

1. My Job

As of 2012- I am managing Schipul’s PR/Communication Department. This is my fourth position at Schipul (including Intern!) and I am excited to take the reigns & support my wonderful comrades.

This means transitioning from working with my fantastic clients, which has been a fairly slow process as I make sure they are all taken care of. It also means focusing on a different part of the business, and learning a lot. If I’m being completely honest I am still adjusting to the new role, but continuing to learn and grow every single day.

2. Health

Jason and I have been on Weight Watchers for the last two months. I have lost about 9 pounds, and Jason has lost more than 15. I have read that losing weight is about 70% what you put in your body and 30% working out. I do not enjoy working out nor do I want to take the time for it, so Weight Watchers helps me by focusing on the food that I eat.

Again, small steps every day have a big payout in the future.

3. Debt

I am using Mint.com for monthly budgeting. My goal is to be debt free by the end of 2012 by keeping track of monthly budgets and focusing on one week at a time. I am setting several small goals to break up the big goal.

Bring on 2012!

Elephant birthday cake photo credit: flickr.com/photos/schmish/3018604187

The post 2012 & Eating the Elephant appeared first on Qcait.com.

Keep the web open. Contact your representatives or find out more

What Can You Do?

Learn about the proposed bills & contact Congress to tell them what you think about it:

• Action checklist at Americancensorship.org
• Learn How SOPA Would Affect You (cnet.com article)
• Reddit’s blog post on why they are blacking out January 18

Have a WordPress website? Download the Simple Stop SOPA Plugin and commit to blacking out your site January 18th as well.

The post This Site will be Down on January 18 appeared first on Qcait.com.

I have been tracking the music I listen to when I can using Last.FM since about 2006, and have made it to 20,000!

Stats

• Joined: May 14, 2006
• 20,000 plays
• 900 Artists (from Mozart to Madonna)
• 168 Loved Tracks

For those who are curious, here is my breakdown of top artists and top songs:

Qcait’s Top Played Artists

Qcait’s Top Played Tracks

 On Last.FM? View my profile & be my friend!

The post 20,000 Tracks Scrobbled on Last.FM! appeared first on Qcait.com.

I thought I would share my notes from the talk. The video of the talk will be up on SchipulCon.com very soon.

Drupal Origins

Drupal started 10 years ago by accident. Dries said, “I just wanted to spend a few days creating a message board.” Drupal 1.0.0 was released January 15, 2001. It began with social features like blogging, RSS feeds, and forums built in from the beginning. Dries: “I would find new trends on the web & integrate them into Drupal.” That has been a major theme for Drupal development since then.

Drupal Growth

Now Drupal powers 2% of all websites on the internet. The community is made up of  11K+ developers, 11K+ modules, and Drupal.org sees 1.5M unique visitors/month. And oh yeah, it’s free.

There have been growing pains.  “Open Source development & communities are always a bit broken. These growing pains have always been a great thing. We’ve always come back stronger & stronger”

Big music labels like Sony & Warner have used Drupal to standardize sites for major artists like ACDC & Ozzy Osbourne. NonProfits, Finance, NASA, & Educators all use Drupal. Dries estimates that  39% of all .edu domains are on Drupal.

And Drupal’s reach goes beyond this one software. Dries said: “I really, truly believe that we are changing our industry.”  Dries speculates that the world is shifting from development to assembly of websites – people can pick the pieces and stick them together in a way that is user friendly. At the end of the day, it does take some technical skill to configure, and there is a learning curve… but the hope is that the back end gets easier and easier all the time.

Why Drupal will Win

Dries gives four reasons Drupal will win:

1. Community
2. Platform
3. Evolution
4. Cloud

Community is the Major Reason Drupal is Winning. People are passionate about the platform, and work harder than they have to to make sure it’s secure, up to date, and as innovative as possible. It is an inspiring culture of fun and innovation that expresses their love for Drupal in tattoos, Halloween pumpkins, even rap videos.

The big theme of the day is the innovation of Open Source. Everyone needs a website – every thing, every book, every product. Open Source means no software fees, accessibility for everyone. Open Source also means tens of thousands of developers working to make it better, where even a huge company with proprietary software can only employ so many engineers.

For more, visit SchipulCon.com, or follow the tweets at the hashtag #SchipulCon.

The post Dries Keynote at SchipulCon on Drupal & Open Source appeared first on Qcait.com.

I learned a lot in my first job. I got to work with talented people for fantastic clients and learned a lot about myself along the way. Some of those lessons were hard to swallow. But now, all these years later, I still find myself thinking about those experiences all the time, so I thought I would share:

Life Lessons from My First Job, or: The Shit They Don’t Teach you in Business School

1. Always take notes like you’re the one who’s going to be doing the work.

It’s about accountability, responsibility, and focus. Never assume anything – pay attention and document meetings in notes as if you were the one who was responsible for it. Even if you don’t know how to do the action item, on a small team you may be asked to figure it out.

I was often not the person who would be doing the work, but the person accountable for it. Don’t just make sure things get done, make sure they get done right.

2. Never Assume Anything.

It’s all about Communication. Don’t make assumptions. It’s better to ask and clarify than head in the wrong direction and waste money and time. Even with a small team of 10 people, poor communication can make everything fall apart.

3. Perception is Reality – Presentation Matters.

This one used to frustrate me to no end. I had this mentality that if my work was fantastic it shouldn’t matter what it looked like. I learned a hard lesson that not only does presentation matter, but it’s crucial.

If you build a fantastic website, but when you present it to a client you make it sound complicated, they’ll decide it’s too hard to use. If you make a brilliant user experience guide, but it’s difficult to read and the flow doesn’t make sense, you’ve shot yourself in the foot before you even got started. People make first impressions in split seconds, set yourself up for success always.

In customer service, no matter how many hours you’re putting into a client, if they don’t feel like they’re getting good service, it doesn’t matter.

4. The Best Way to Learn is to DO

For most of my undergraduate years I thought I was going to go to grad school right after graduation. I had this fear of the real world and thought going to grad school would help me improve myself and my skills, without that pesky adulthood thing creeping in.

It took about one month of my first internship to realize that the best way to learn something is to do it. That applies in most professions, but especially in web. In a world where everything is changing all the time, the best way to stay up to date is to use the tools. Keep yourself surrounded with smart, curious, early adopters and you’ll see trends coming a mile away.

I may go back to school at some point in my life, but for now I’m happy to learn at work every single day.

5.It’s Better to Work for People who Get it.

In my early years I thought it would be easier to work with clients who knew very little about the web – that they would trust us because we were the professionals they paid to come in. I quickly learned that if the client has no frame of reference, you spend so much extra time educating and justifying yourself that every decision is a battle.

The more everyone is on the same page, the better the client relationship… and the better the work.

6. Tools are Important

It’s important to have high quality tools. That means big things like laptops and furniture, but also bags & notebooks & even pens (seriously, don’t good pens make you more excited to do your job?). These are the tools needed to do your job and do it well for the clients. It’s ok to spend a little money to set yourself up for success. If something is broken or not working, replace it.

My first day of work, I was handed a Levenger Junior Notebook that I still use to this day (the exact same one). Essentially it’s a plastic front and back cover with black rings that hold the paper in. The paper can be taken out similar to a three ring binder, so I just keep replacing sheets when I run out. It is by far my favorite tool I use daily.

7. I Love Working for a Small Company

In a small company, everyone wears lots of hats. You get training and experience in lots of different areas. And if you are eager and willing to learn, people are willing to teach.

With a small team, there is also a high level of accountability. There’s no flying under the radar. I love that.

The RD2 Shredder – Yes, that’s shredder from TMNT

8. Have Fun at Work

I know, this sounds obvious. But when I chose a degree in business, I didn’t picture the “fun” side of “work.” I pictured myself one day working in a big office building for a huge company and wearing a suit to work everyday. I didn’t think about things like company culture, challenging work, or the relationships you form with clients and coworkers.

Fun can mean beer on Fridays, but it also means genuinely enjoying the company of the people you work with. Fun also means being challenged at work. I have been blessed to work with clients who inspire me, and that makes going to work every day fun.

Special Thanks

While I’m in nostalgia mode, I’d like to give a special thanks to Leia Scofield for recommending me for my first internship at the ripe age of 19, Chris Ronan & Candice Paddock for being great mentors, and Eric Rosenstock for being my partner in crime over the years at RD2. Thanks for all I learned from all of you!

The post Life Lessons from My First Job appeared first on Qcait.com.

Everywhere you look there are adorable cats. Or maybe that’s just YouTube.

Flip through the pages of a People Magazine and you’ll notice a trend there as well. Women control 80% of the consumer economy, and 33% of US Households own at least one cat… that’s a pretty sizable group.

Top 3 Cat Lady Commercials of 2011:

#3 -Sprint “Cats” Commercial

This one should be titled “The Internet is Made of Cats” … except that’s already taken.

YouTube Link

#2 Temptations Treats “Laundry”

This commercial is adorable, and not just because the cat looks sneakingly like Victoria, who also loves laundry.

Exhibit A:

YouTube Link

#1 Fancy Feast “The Engagement”

#1 has to be this wordless piece from Fancy Feast. This commercial brought me to tears the first time I saw it. I’m a sucker for romance… and adorable kittens.

YouTube Link

Honorable Mention for Friskies trippy hit “Adventureland” – where the cat gets high on treats and goes to a magical land of dancing turkeys. Seriously.

I think cats have made a good showing this year for commercials! Any I left out? Let me know! >^..^<

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