All that aside, I was really inspired by the whole thing and thought it would be cool if I offered up my own State of the Union Address—and by “State of the Union Address,” I mean “I’m going to write a long post bout all the crazy stuff that’s been going on in my life”. You might want to go to the bathroom first. Or grab a snack. Either way, this is gonna take a while.

1. After spending 14 amazing months taking a bite out of the Big Apple, I recently made the move back to Los Angeles to take an amazing job at Warner Bros. Records. I was definitely sad to leave my MTV family but I really couldn’t pass up the opportunity to become the label’s Senior Creative Director. I just finished my second week at work and I feel like I can’t stop smiling. I’m not as excited by all the boxes I still need to unpack or the fact that I need to buy a car, but I’m really trying to focus on the positive—like the fact that my apartment has a jacuzzi tub.

2. Mark your calendars because Geek Girls Unite: How Fangirls, Bookworms, Indie Chicks, And Other Misfits Are Taking Over The World is coming out on Tuesday, Oct. 4, which is almost a week away!! That’s right. Geek Girls Unite is coming out next week! I can barely believe it myself. If you haven’t pre-ordered it yet, what are you waiting for? If the answer is, “Leslie, I want to walk into a Barnes & Noble, feel the book in my hot lil’ hands and then show off my excellent literary taste to the check-out clerk at the front counter,” then that’s totally acceptable. In fact, I encourage it.

I happen to have some inside connections who sent me an advance copy of the finished book. You might have to wait until next week to turn the pages yourself, but here’s a look at what you’ll be getting your paws on:

3. To celebrate the release of Geek Girls Unite, I’ll be making some appearances over the next few weeks.

First up is GeekGirl Con. I’ll be speaking on Sunday, Oct. 9 at 4 PM in the EMP JBL Theater, located in the Experience Music Project. The name of my chat is “Emo Music and the Muse: How Girls Are Depicted On and Off Stage.” Come on by and hear me share about my experience at Alternative Press during the burgeoning emo scene. I saw all the blood, sweat, tears, and eyeliner that went into making bands like Fall Out Boy, The All American Rejects and My Chemical Romance chart-topping successes, but there are tons of stories that didn’t make it into the pages of AP. Not only am I going to dish the dirt, but I also want to question why most the emo girls are in front of the stage and not on it and why many girls aspire to be muses instead of musicians. Passes are still available and can be purchased online or at these Seattle retailers.

I’ll also be doing a signing at 3 PM on Sunday, Oct 9 at the University Book Store (Booth 308-309). You won’t want to miss that, either. If you’d like to check out the other amazing geek goddess doing signings over the weekend, check out this handy-dandy Media Signing Schedule.

I’m still ironing out the details for upcoming events in New York City and Los Angeles, but I’m hoping to be able to share more about those in the coming weeks. However, I’m tickled to say I’m slated to make an appearance at New York Comic-Con Oct. 13-16. Throw those lightsabers in the air and stay tuned for more info!!

4. Are you a fan of Geek Girls Unite on Facebook? If not, then hoof it over and press “Like.” (This isn’t rocket science, people.) Not only are all your friends doing it, but you’ll be the first to get info about upcoming events and random goodies. For example, I just previewed the limited-edition tote bag we’ll be giving away to special, super-awesome people. Do you think you’re special or awesome enough to rock such a rad tote? Then “Like” Geek Girls Unite on Facebook. Here’s a taste at what you’re missing out on if you don’t:

The tote features one of Nan Lawson‘s amazing illustrations from the book and your shoulder is totally naked without it.

5. In case you were wondering if emo was dead, the answer is a resounding “no.” I was recently interviewed by the lovely Jen Verzosa for the San Francisco Bay Guardian on that very topic and I was stoked to show off my music geek girl skills. Read it and tell me what you think!

6. My fingers are getting tired so I’m going to tie a pretty bow on this post by leaving you with two songs that I physically can’t stop listening to. The first is “Losers” by The Belle Brigade.

The second is “Video Games” by Lana Del Rey.

You’re welcome.

One such BFF is Sara Newens, who recently got her masters in documentary filmmaking at Stanford. (Yeah, my girl is wicked smaaaaaht.) While in school, she teamed up with her classmate Mina T. Son to create a short called Top Spin, which was about Ariel Hsing, a 15-year-old table tennis prodigy who dreamed of making it to the 2012 London Olympics. The film won a ton of awards, and now Sara and Mina are trying to turn their short into a full-blown feature.

Here’s a synopsis of the film they’d like to make:

Imagine the smell of fresh rubber rackets, hollow plastic balls whirling by at 80 mph, sweat-drenched limbs, and exclamations of triumphant victory interrupted by bitter cries of defeat. Welcome to the world of competitive table tennis. TOP SPIN introduces audiences to ping pong phenoms who are finally giving serious table tennis fans in the U.S. something to cheer about. In 2009, Michael Landers was crowned the youngest ever U.S. Men’s Singles Champion at the ripe old age of 15. History repeated itself in 2010 when Ariel Hsing became the country’s youngest ever Women’s Singles Champion also at 15 years of age. Now the two teenagers have their eyes set on the Olympic Games with lofty goals of winning a medal, a feat the U.S. has yet to accomplish in the sport.

The film follows Ariel and Michael for a year as they compete domestically and internationally to qualify for the Olympics, all while juggling their last years of high school. Amidst the rigorous training and strict tournament schedule, SATs and college applications loom largely over their heads with the ultimate question arising: with no professional table tennis outlet in the U.S., what does the future hold for them?

So, you’re probably all, “Um, what does this have to do with me?” Good question. See, the ladies need to raise $20,000 in order to fund their upcoming shoots and unless they raise the entire amount, they don’t see a penny. They’ve set up a Kickstarter campaign and are offering some pret-ty cool incentives to help out with the cause. Whether you give a little or a lot, this is a really awesome opportunity for all you budding filmmakers and/or ping-pong enthusiasts to get involved with a really great—and geeky—cause!

Take a look at the video below and see these amazing kids in action. Paddles up!

My newest MTV Buzzworthy column is up and it’s about one of my most favorite weekend festivals, The Bamboozle. To tell you the truth, I didn’t have that much fun this year. However, that could’ve been because I only went for three hours on Saturday afternoon. Aside from eating two Nathan’s hot dogs, which were delish, I was ready to leave the minute I got there. Here are a couple reasons why:

Oh, well. Maybe I’m getting too old for this shiz. If anything, my Bamboozle debacle made me remember all the good times I’ve had at the fest, which is what provided the inspiration for my Soundtrack Of My Life column. Check it out and tune in to music by Taking Back Sunday, New Years Day, Against Me! and Say Anything.

I’m also pleased to introduce a new column I’ll be writing for MTV Buzzworthy. It’s called Soundtrack Of My Life and it’ll be a weekly playlist compiled by yours truly. Click here—or on the lovely logo below—and read my inaugural column, which just so happens to be about Dudes In Suits. Swoon.

More stories/ramblings/posts to come. SWEARS!

If you’re interested in knowing what movies, music and memes I was ob-sessed with in 2010, then hoof it over to YourItList.com. Careful, though. I don’t have that many ice packs to go around.

Now that I finally have a permanent address in the City, I’m looking forward to establishing a normal routine, learning the bus system and, most importantly, going back to work on Geek Girls Unite! My batteries are totally recharged and I can’t wait to dive in… again!

What that means is that I’ll be updating this page much more often. Plus, I’ll be starting to send out more of those wonderful surveys some of you may have been doing. Get stoked! Okay, back to listening to old-school Fall Out Boy in order to drown out my upstairs neighbors who are playing John Mayer’s Continuum at full blast.

[Bangs head against wall.]

After nearly two months of being a traveling gypsy (kind of like Stevie Nicks, minus the scarves and copious amounts of cocaine), I finally moved into my new NYC digs yesterday. I just realized that I moved out of my L.A. apartment exactly two months ago to the day.

Weird.