Happy Halloween from the Geek in Heels clan!
My little Ewok (Aerin) and my kickass Chun-Li (Claire) wish you all a safe and memorable holiday. I’d prefer the picture above were of one where they are posing together, but trying to get a decent picture of them in one frame (i.e., a non-blurry shot of them both facing toward the general vicinity of the camera…they don’t even need to be smiling!) is akin to pulling teeth these days.
But seriously. How cute are my daughters? 
As if being a huge fan of J.J. Abrams who also happens to be a book nerd is not reason enough…
A few months ago, geeks worldwide went into a guessing frenzy when Abrams’ production company tweeted the following:
"Soon he will know" – Anonymous http://t.co/amDqmY3am6
— Bad Robot (@bad_robot) August 19, 2013
The secret is finally out, because the mysterious trailer was for a book, which Abrams conceived and written by award-winning novelist Doug Dorst.
Simply titled S., the book is actually two books in one: the first, Ship of Theseus, written by fictional author V.M. Straka, and the second, the story that plays out between two strangers within the handwritten margin notes and the documents placed between the book’s pages (letters, cards, notes, and such).
Aerin has been doing wonderfully with her speech and developmental therapies. In just one month, the number of words she says has more than doubled to over 50, and she has even started to put together two-word sentences. (e.g., “Blow bubbles,” “Juice please”) She can now count to ten, and tries her best to sing along to familiar songs.
I really believed her hearing was back to normal, and both her therapists agreed.
We were wrong.
I brought Aerin to our follow-up ENT appointment this past weekend, confident that the doctor would give her a clean bill of health. But as soon as he examined her ears, he shook his head and said, “There’s still a buildup of fluid behind her eardrums. The medicine doesn’t seem to have helped…”
Since Aerin has had fluid in both ears for over 2 months (but more likely since January, when she got her first and only ear infection), adversely affecting her hearing (and subsequently, her speech and development), the American Academy of Otolaryngology recommends that she has tubes placed in her ears.
Our doctor explained that it is a simple procedure, one that is not uncommon among children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years. But it is still surgery, with anesthesia and an IV. The risks are small, but they exist.
We decided to schedule her for surgery right away. Unfortunately, the first opening they have available is November 25, right at the start of the Thanksgiving holiday week. Since the next available appointment wouldn’t be until mid-December, we took the November slot.
Despite the bad news, I’m encouraged. The fact that not only one but two professionals believed her hearing to have been fully restored due to the tremendous progress she has made in the past month tells me that not only does she have the aptitude and motivation to catch up to her peers, she will most definitely do so once her hearing is back to normal. There’s also the fact that both therapists continually remark on her intelligence and her ability to pick things up quickly and correctly. 🙂 (It’s true — her developmental therapist tells me there are certain activities Aerin can do that most kids her age can’t do for another year.)
Here’s to wishing… and hoping… and thinking… and praying…
By now you’ve probably seen the viral Harry Potter characters’ Myers-Briggs types chart. When I first happened upon it last month, the timing could not be more uncanny; a friend had mentioned that her personality type had changed drastically over the years, so I had just taken the test again myself.
Is it more common for your type to change over time, or to stay consistent through the years? Because for me, all three times I have taken the full test — over the span of about a dozen years — I have received the same result: ISFJ.
(So according to the Harry Potter chart, I’m Neville Longbottom. Perhaps I too, will have an unforeseen moment of kickassery one day? 😉 Also, if you don’t know your type, you can take a test here.)
I know that the 16 Personality Types is not a perfect system — some people even liken it to astrology — but I think it can be informative and fun nonetheless. For example, I was driven to tears when I read the Portrait of an ISFJ and ISFJ Profile because it so accurately described what I had been struggling with at the time. (Don’t judge; I was having a tough week!) I also found it amusing to ask close friends’ types and to read up on them, to see how closely they match these archetypes.
I also came across other psychological type charts like the Harry Potter one mentioned above: Avatar, Star Trek, Kingdom Hearts, and even My Little Pony!
So of course I had to look for a Star Wars one…but I couldn’t find any. 🙁 There were tons of sites discussing the possible psychological personality types of the various Star Wars characters (with a few actually getting into heated arguments!), but no chart. At least, none that I could find.
So I decided to create my own. What do you think?
And because this is the World Wide Web and I am posting this on a public blog…
…and because this is Star Wars and we fans can get pretty intense…
I am not a psychologist and reading about the 16 Personality Types is just a passing hobby.
I’m a huge Star Wars fan, but I do not know every nuance about the films and the characters in the extended Star Wars universe. My methodology for choosing each character was:
I’m well aware that there may exist other lesser-known characters who may fit some of these archetypes to a T, but I decided to go with the more popular ones because I’m a sellout not everyone is a big Star Wars fan (yeah, I don’t get why either) and I wanted the chart to be more relatable from a pop culture standpoint.
Enjoy!
Update, 11/9/11:
I was contacted by a rep who kindly informed me that the original post, and the accompanying chart, is in violation of copyright and trademark regulations. I have updated both the body of the post and the chart in accordance with their request. I have done my best to preserve the message and mood of the original — sorry to anyone who finds this an inconvenience.
Aren’t these illustrations by Isaiah Stephens fan-freakin-tastic? I’m especially partial to Jasmine as Chun-Li, because…well, you’ll see on October 31st!
Ariel as Black Widow:
Pocahontas as Katniss:
Which country has the world’s highest rate of alcohol consumption?1 (I was surprised it wasn’t South Korea.) Social media use?2 How about “almost winning the World Cup”?3
Find the answers, and much more, in this revealing map by Doghouse Diaries. Yay, Koreans for being workaholics, and Americans for leading the world in Nobel Laureates and getting killed by lawn mowers!
For a full list of the author’s sources, look here.
1Moldavia
2Philippines
3Germany
In all my years of receiving therapy, there is one psychologist who stands out in my mind…and not in a good way.
She was an empathic woman who immediately helped me feel at ease. She certainly had a way of helping me feel warm and comforted and understood, and I almost always felt better after our sessions.
But after a few months, I came to a startling realization.
She never made anything my fault.
Now, I know that depression is a disease — an illness with symptoms and consequences that are not always under my control. And I am fully aware that not everything bad in my life is my fault.
But I do know that some of it is.
And I know that I must own up to those flaws and mistakes. Otherwise, how would I ever grow and learn and get better?
It made me even sadder to realize that she almost always seemed to place the blame on my parents. How they put so much responsibility on me, even at a young age. Our emigration to a new country at such a formative period in my life. Their first-generation immigrant mentality of “you can achieve and obtain anything with hard work and discipline.” So on and so forth.
my family, circa 1985
I switched therapists not long after. But coming to this conclusion did plant some seeds in my mind: mainly, DID my parents screw me up?
Because it’s an undeniable fact that your parents have a huge influence on your life, right? And in raising me the way that they did, did they make me this way? Did they contribute to my struggles with depression and anxiety? If so, how much, and to what extent?
Pondering these questions led to my contemplating my current position, as a parent myself. I know that every parent gets scared that they will screw up their kids in some way, but I became even more paranoid. I began to wonder if even a passing comment to which I hardly give a thought can leave deep psychological scars in my children. And yes, I became convinced that Claire and Aerin were doomed to unhappy and unfulfilled lives as a result of their mother’s pitfalls and shortcomings.
Oh geez, why did I ever choose to become a parent???
That’s when a wise friend stepped in. “Oh yes, you will screw up your kids,” he said.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I was just about to tell him to go screw himself, when he went on to clarify.
“You will screw them up. All parents screw up their kids. My parents did it to me, and your parents did it to you. It’s how you teach your kids to deal with the screwups and unfairness and all the other big bads of the world that makes all the difference.”
My mouth dropped open.
What my friend told me that day still stands as one of the best pieces of parenting advice I’ve ever received.
And I still turn to it, especially in these dark days when there seems to be no light in sight and I feel as if I am dragging my entire family into my black hole of gloom.
I hope others will find it helpful too. 🙂
This post is a link dump of sorts — three items I found especially interesting/funny and compelling enough for me to want to share them with you. 🙂
First up is a spoof trailer for Hell No, a horror movie starring characters who make…wait for it…good decisions. What a concept, huh? Take a look if you can spare 3 minutes, because it’s freakin’ hilarious!
(via Neatorma)
Second at bat is a handy chart of vampire bloodlines, commissioned by the Dublin Film Festival and created by illustrator Matthew Griffin. Despite my fondness for many of the characters depicted here, my favorite vampire still remains Dracula from the classic novel. How about you?
(via io9)
Last, but not least…
The Physics of Friendship is an upcoming art exhibit which plays tribute to one of my favorite television shows, The Big Bang Theory. Check out these teasers — don’t you just love ’em?
“In The Beginning There Was Nothing, Which Exploded” by Richard J. Oliver
“The Big Bang Geometry” by Ale Giorgini
“Cog-nition” by Steve Simpson
If you too are a fan of the show and live near Alhambra, California, be sure to check out the exhibit, which will open at the Gallery Nucleus on Saturday, October 19, 2013 and run through Sunday, November 10, 2013.
I’m especially sad I’ll be missing the show, because I just booked tickets for a trip to LA in early December! This mama is in dire need of a vacation and a friend generously offered to let me stay at her place. (Thanks, C!) It’s funny, because right now I’m really looking forward to hitting up some good Korean restaurants. Does anyone have any recommendations for good, authentic Korean food in LA?
I fully realize that this may not be the best time to make this announcement — ahem, see two posts down — but I wanted you to know that I am currently looking for work.
Obviously not my number, but a funny and appropriate (at least to my weird
sense of humor) sign for this post. Get it? 😉
For those who are not aware, I used to work in marketing and was a designer (web and print) and web developer. Now that the kids are older, I would love to start freelancing again to slowly transition my life to that of a working mom.
Not to mention, keeping myself busy and focused would help me on my road to recovery. (It has in the past.)
So if you, or someone you know, is in need of a web/blog design, illustration, photo retouching, and/or any other design-related services — no matter how big or small — please let me know!
For more details, please check out my Design Services page.
I wouldn’t necessarily characterize myself as being cute, but now I’m wondering if this is one of the reasons I’m always mistaken as being younger: large head, high forehead, small nose and mouth, a stubby neck, and short arms and legs with small hands and feet.
For more commentary on how and why humans perceive cuteness — including some really interesting historical factoids — check out Why Babies and Other Things Are Cute, Explained at the Stuff You Should Know Blog.
I like books, gadgets, spicy food, and art. I dislike shopping, hot weather, and the laws of entropy. Although I am a self-proclaimed computer nerd, I still have a love for handbags and makeup... and I am always teetering on high heels. To learn more about me, visit the "About" page.
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