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!

Hoof it over to Geek Girls Unite! and see who I’ve crowned Geek Girl Of The Week—or else Norman’s gonna stick his middle finger in your face. Oh, wait! He already did.

Natch!

Hypothetical-yet-completely-possible conversational reinactment:

Me: “Hey, Jason! I’ve seen the future of music and it’s all about a lil’ punim named Chris Carrabba!”

Jason: [Growl.]*

Me: “No, really! I saw him play with his band Dashboard Confessional a couple weeks ago at the Beachland Ballroom and the place was packed. Plus, all the kids were singing along. It was like Children Of The Corn—but in a good way.”

Jason: [Annoyed snort.]

Me: “C’mon… I can do this! Let me do this!”

Jason: [Snarl.]

Me: “Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it. Lemme write it.”

Jason: “Fine.”

And… Scene.

(Note to future journalists: Never give up when you believe in your pitch! Just make sure your pitch is on-the-money.)

I remember Jason let me borrow his office for the interview and I sat perched on a wobbly stool—which, if I’m not mistaken, Jason still uses to this day—and waited for Chris to call from his Florida HQ. He had just stopped teaching full-time but had gone back to school to visit his former students for a holiday pageant or something. (Swoon, right?) I had what felt like a million butterflies swirling around my stomach and about 30 seconds into the interview, I knew the convo would change the course of my professional life. It sounds hokey, but I just knew in my gut that Dashboard Confessional was on the verge of exploding and I was about to capture the swell before the storm.

I’ve been lucky enough to talk to Chris a bunch over the years and the two of us have even become bros, which still causes me to pinch myself on a regular basis. Now, any good writer knows that you shouldn’t write for anyone else but you—not your editor, not your audience and especially not your subject. I try to live by that guideline as much as humanly possible but I have to admit, I squealed just a smidge when I got the following text from the beau of the boulevard:

Here’s the interview Chris is talking about. Let me know if you agree!

* Oh, it should also be noted that despite the above depiction, Jason has always been my biggest cheerleader. He’s been a mentor, a bestie and a constant source of wisdom and unfathomable humor. So what’s with the ‘tude? Oh, he just hates “pussy emo music.” For a man raised on Revolting Cocks, can you blame him?

Not only did I get to spend some QT with the bride before she became a Mrs., but it was rad to see my fam and friends. I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since I moved from C-Town to Los Angeles. Dang, it feels like an eternity and a flash, at the same time. When I first set my wagons West, it was only to accept a job at Buzznet. I had absolutely no desire in the world to live in L.A. In fact, after I first moved, I most def shed a tear or two over my darling, lil’ old apartment on Lake Ave.

Sure, I moved to L.A. for my career™, but building a life with Buzznet wasn’t meant to be. My tenure at the site only lasted six months, which was definitely a buzz-kill. Knowing what I know now, I’m not sure if I would’ve made the same decisions, but can’t help but credit this year’s professional and personal rollercoaster with opening up a ton of opportunities that would’ve never existed if I were still in Cleveland. That’s something I believe 110%. So, sure, I’ve had a couple huge, colossal, Biggest Loser-size boulders placed in my path over the past six months, but I’ve managed to work my way around them, slowly but surely.

In fact, I celebrated two pretty big triumphs this past April. Not only did I successfully turn 30 without a nervous breakdown but my second book Wish You Were Here was released by HarperCollins on the very same day. Not a shabby way to usher in the next decade of my life, if I do say so myself. I’m not sure why I decided to share any of this with you guys. I guess it’s because this site is also one of the few things that bring a smile to my face on a daily basis. The Les Simes Army might not be large; but we lack in numbers, we make up for in heart.

Case in point: I recently received the most amazing email from a girl named Lauren. Take a look-see…

I can’t tell you how rad it was to get up one morning and see this in my inbox. Freals! Keep ‘em coming, peeps. I’m only a tweet away!!

Cupdate

[kuhp-deyt] noun, verb, dat⋅ed, dat⋅ing: A social appointment, engagement or occassion arranged beforehand with another person and revolved around either 1.) the presence of cupcakes, or 2.) the act of consuming cupcakes.

EX] “I totes have a cupdate with the lovely Jessica Louise tomorrow night and I’m heaving with excitement!!”

What’cha think??