I was browsing GameSetWatch last week and came across a post about an academic study being conducted on gay and lesbian gamers. There was a link to GaymerSurvey.org where gay and lesbian video gamers can participate in the study by answering a survey.

Although it is a long survey, I found it extremely interesting to take, mostly because it revealed to me how very low my expectations are when it come to seeing gay and lesbian characters in games. Then again, since a lot of my activity within video games involves crashing into things at high speeds, spraying goop on enormous carnivorous plants, and collecting wood resources, maybe it's just not that relevant.

On second thought, I take that back. Collecting wood resources is probably relevant. In fact, if was given an in-game choice to assign a group of townspeople, a clan of orcs, or a bunch of dykes the task of collecting wood, I'd go with the gay girls every time. My people excel at axe-related tasks.

Last month, the Cute Little Red-headed Girlfriend and I went to check out the first Felt Club at Meltdown Comics. It was a lot of fun, and with the second Felt Club coming up this weekend I thought I would write about our experience.

Felt Club is a mini-craft fair held once a month in the back lot at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood. You can check out a pic in the news section of the Felt Club website to see it in action. It was a very low key event, with lots of interesting crafty people selling their wares. There was also a table full of snacks for sale and copies of the most recent Bust magazine were being given away for free.

As we browsed the vendor tables, the girlfriend and I were really taken with these plush monsters that are called "Spazimals" by their creator, Jek in the Box, who also sells crafts through Etsy. There were so many cute ones to choose from but we finally walked away with a Spazimal to call our own.

And, of course, Meltdown Comics was waiting just a few feet away to suck up more of my cash once we had visited all the vendor tables.

Edit: At Joe's request (see comments), I've added a picture of the Spazimal we took home. Note the noble crest, the lovely snout, the beautiful pattern. Truly a wonderful creature.

If you're part of a particular fandom, you've probably encountered the frustration of trying to talk with a non-fan about your fan interests. You may have also had the positive experience of having your partner or spouse try, in a touching and sweet kind of way, to become part of your fan world.

Recently, I downloaded one of Lou Romano's fabulous series of Star Wars character drawings and made it my desktop wallpaper. The Cute Little Red-Headed Girlfriend peered at my monitor and cried in joyful recognition, "Oh look! It's OB2CP-Pah!" I appreciated the gesture for the outreach that it was, but was left wondering what she thought R2-D2's name might be.

Speaking of geeky fandom, you should also take a look at Lou Romano's drawings based on Dungeons and Dragons Monsters. The Black Dragon and the Purple Worm are especially good.

Lots of folks on my blogroll have mentioned this contest (although I think Boing-Boing was the first), but if you haven't seen it you should check out the Superhero ModRen contest over at Worth1000.com. The rules of the contest were to incorporate a superhero in a piece of fine art. There are many fine, fine entries, but my favorites include the several renditions of Nude A Descending Staircase and, of course, Mona Xena's smile.

(Edit: I just received written permission from worth1000.com to use this image from their site, which I asked to use in accordance with their terms of service. Thanks guys!)

I was browsing the girls website and ran across this painting they're contributing to a Batman tribute show scheduled for June. I love the image of Alfred diligently holding a tray in the background.

I visited the m gallery web site for more information, and it seems there's actually two Batman-related shows coming up in June. One, "Beyond Batman," is a solo show of works by Adam West, who is scheduled to attend the opening. The second, "Gotham," is a tribute show with contributions from what the gallery calls its "most popular artists." I can't tell who the gallery represents from their website, but if it includes any of the artists they sell prints for, then it should be a really happening show.