Geek in Heels - Page 45

Jul 5, 2012 • In Claire, Comang, Personal

An Update on Comang

Four months ago, J and I made the difficult decision to give away Comang.

If you can recall, I had found a very nice family to take him in and give him a loving home. I am happy to say that they have continued to send me updates and pictures, and still thank us profusely for choosing them to be his new family.

From the many emails and texts I have received, it is apparent that they absolutely adore Comang. With three boys in the house, I know that he is getting all the attention he deserves (and perhaps even more). He also seems to have lost the weight that he had gained in the past year — obviously, life in the suburbs agrees with him!

Comang’s new family took a trip to Philadelphia for Memorial Day weekend, and they brought him along! When they sent me this picture of him checking out the view from their room at the Hyatt, I joked to J that Comang is living a more comfortable life than us. (But then again, he had it pretty good here too. 😉 )

Do I miss Comang? Absolutely. I think of him every day and wonder what he may be up to at that particular moment. I especially miss him when I see Claire with my sister’s dog Dante. Like most kids, Claire LOVES animals and she has a special fondness for dogs — she tries to run to them even when they’re viciously barking and scaring the pants off of me. She has learned to give Dante commands for treats and loves to tag along on his walks.

Perhaps our family will adopt another dog (or two) down the road, when the girls are older and we are living in a larger home. However, I can’t help but be doubtful that we will find another dog as lovable and well-behaved as Comang. I teared up last night as I listened to the fireworks booming outside — I was thinking back to past Independence Days, when the sound of the fireworks would terrify him and he would run to be by my side.

But I know that we made the right decision. His comfort and happiness matters more than my nostalgia. I know that his new family is able to give him the life we were not able to provide for him, and for that I am happy.

The Science Behind Fireworks

Happy Fourth of July!

To celebrate our nation’s Independence Day, and to pay tribute to one of childhood’s greatest pastimes, I’d like to share some interesting tidbits I’ve discovered about fireworks.

The first — where do the colors of fireworks come from? This neat chart shows us exactly which chemical(s) contribute to each color you’ll see in the sky tonight:

(via Boing Boing)

The second is a video which describes the science behind fireworks — featuring John Conkling, a leading expert in the field of pyrotechnics, this clip talks about the chemical composition of fireworks, how mortars work, and how colors are formed.

I hope you guys have a great holiday, and be sure to think back to what you’ve learned here as you see the sparks dance in the sky tonight!

How to Cut Babies’ Nails

I used to dread cutting my children’s nails.

I know that many mothers do it while their babies are asleep, but my kids sleep in dark rooms (with black-out curtains) so that idea is out. I also know some mom bite their babies’ nails. Well, those moms must have really sharp teeth because I have found that practically impossible!

Confession: while attempting to clip their nails, I have cut into both Claire and Aerin’s skin several times. And as any decent mother can tell you, making your own child bleed her own blood (anyone know what movie that’s from? 😉 ) ranks up there with being covered in a thousand paper cuts and getting dipped in a vat of sweat.

But all that changed a couple of months ago when my mother saw me struggling to clip Aerin’s nails…

“No, don’t do it like that! Line up the bottom blade with her nail!”

And it clicked. Why hadn’t I realized this before??! Because clipping my own nails had become so natural to me that I had not recognized this tiny yet significant detail.

Not sure what I’m talking about? Here is a simple diagram:

Previously, I had been doing this:

Or this:

Once again, the correct way to cut a baby’s fingernail (or anyone‘s nail, for that matter) is to line up the nail with the bottom blade, like so:

I am proud to say that all of our nail-clipping sessions have been tear-free and blood-free since I started using this method.

Now, you might be reading this and shaking your head, thinking, “Wow, what a moron. This lady didn’t even know how to cut a fingernail!”

But if you are another mom who has trouble clipping their children’s nails (and I know you are out there), I hope that this simple tip will help make your clipping sessions a bit less painful. 🙂

Employer Loyalty: Cultural or Generational?

J has been offered a prestigious position at a new company. 🙂 You don’t know how stinkin’ proud I am — he always busts his behind at work to provide for our family, and he is finally being recognized for his dedication and hard work. He gave his two weeks notice yesterday, and will be starting at the other company in mid-July.

When I first informed my parents that J might be switching jobs, they were doubtful to say the least. Both of them prefer that J stay with his current company; they believe that if he works there long enough, he will eventually be promoted and eventually land a top position.

Frankly, they don’t understand why we “young people” continue to job-hop.

I couldn’t help but disagree with them, because J has been with 3 different companies since we first started dating almost 8 years ago — one of which was in a different state — so compared to our acquaintances, he actually has a good track record of employer loyalty.

I tried to explain to them that corporate America is the one that is not always loyal to its employees. Most large companies I know usually source their topmost positions externally, passing over those who have been with the company for years and may actually be better equipped for the job. Sure, there may be annual salary increases, but these tend to be in the 3-5% range, which is barely enough to cover inflation and the rising cost of living in many parts of the country.

Is the movie “Office Space” an accurate portrayal of corporate America?

At my first full-time job, my direct supervisor — who did not have the power to promote me or give me a raise — informed me that our VP — who did have the power to reward my good work — would never promote me anytime in the next 5 or so years. The reason? Because I was too good at my job. In my supervisor’s own words: “Why would she voluntarily give up someone who is doing her current job so well?”

I have been in positions where I have had to “train” my supervisors — people who had been hired externally and had no clue as to the inner workings of the company…or even their own jobs!

I have seen too many dedicated and hard-working people who have been at the same company for years and years…and all they have gotten in return are meager raises and/or paltry promotions.

Perhaps it is different in other fields. But from my experience and from what I see of my friends, the best (and easiest) way to get a decent promotion and a significant salary bump is to jump ship to another company.

I know where my parents are coming from. First-generation immigrants are known for their hard work, because they honestly believe that putting in more time and effort leads to more money and prominence. After all, isn’t that what the American Dream is about?

My parents are also from Korea, where — now, the situation may be different from when they were still living there 20+ years ago — companies reward loyal and reliable workers. Where staying with the same employer long-term would almost always guarantee that you will move up in ranks within the same company.

Take my uncle, for example. His very first job was splicing film reels at MBC (one of the major television networks in Korea) — a position that would barely qualify as entry-level. He stayed at the same company for his entire career, and eventually became VP of Broadcasting, then even the CEO of a child company.

Is staunch employee loyalty a cultural or generational phenomenon? Or is it a combination of both?

What is your own experience with the corporate world? Is my portrayal of the current corporate American accurate? Is it different in your field?

Marvelous ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Pop-Up Book [And More!]

Claire has been a big fan of pop-up books since she has been able to reach for, and grab at objects. And as soon as she turned 1, she began a love affair with books of all kind (just like her mama) and finally stopped ripping out pages or ruining the pop-up mechanisms.

I too, love pop-up books because not only do I believe all books provide enrichment of some kind, but also because I am fascinated by how they work. As a matter of fact, one of Claire and my favorite activities these days is to read and flip through The Little Prince pop-up books that my sister had gifted me — both the English and French versions.

So when I saw this amazing Alice in Wonderland pop-up book featured at Brain Pickings, I knew that I had to share…

Should Mommy Blogs Be Censored?

The praise I receive most from readers of this blog is regarding my honesty. How I am not afraid to tell it like it is. And while I must confess that I have shared some nitty gritty details of motherhood and parenthood (and gotten in trouble for it in the past), I have found myself censoring my thoughts more and more lately.

A couple of months ago, The Skeptical OB wrote a blog post titled “Are the young children of mommy bloggers ‘fair game’? Their mothers think they are.” According to Dr. Amy, mommy blogs are selfish and damaging to the bloggers’ children. She asks, “How would you feel?” if your own mother had shared with the world her woes and disappointments regarding motherhood and her children? She goes on to say:

Most likely you would be embarrassed, angered and deeply hurt . . . . The internet never forgets. What a mommy blogger writes about her children today will be there for them to read when the children are older. It will be there for their children’s friends to read when they are teenagers. It will be there for their employers and professional colleagues to read when they are adults. . . . . The children of public figures are not fair game … so stop using your children to promote yourself.

What do you guys think? Do you agree with Dr. Amy that mommy bloggers should be silenced?

Personally, whenever I need to decide whether to share something regarding my children, I ask myself if I would be upset to discover that my own mother had written it about me. And as much as I can be brutally honest about some subjects (i.e., not believing my children to be the cutest babies in the world), I choose to remain mum about others.

In gathering my thoughts for this post, I remembered how Dooce, the so-called “Queen of the Mommy Bloggers” admitted that she has been writing less and less about Leta, her older daughter:

I’ve also felt a protectiveness growing about her as she’s gotten older and knew that I’d be writing less as that feeling continued. I’ve said before that the story of most babies is pretty much just like the story of all the other babies who have ever lived in the world: pooping, crying, screaming, sleeping (and a lot of not sleeping), and then more pooping . . . . That’s why I feel like it’s okay to write so much about Marlo, because it’s the same story of a million other babies hopefully told in a way that we can all laugh about it enough to want to wake up tomorrow morning.

I too, have been writing less about Claire as she gets older and is developing her own wants, desires, and aspirations. Because as she gets older, the more complex our relationship becomes…and parts of that relationship are to be treasured and protected. Just as I do not write too much about J and my relationship here.

As for what I have already published about her and Aerin? I honestly do not believe that they will be hurt or damaged to read these thoughts. I still receive numerous comments and messages relating to what I have written about my daughters, and for the most part they are thankful. I am glad — and even a bit proud — that Claire & Aerin’s early stories can have such an impact on others.

There’s also the fact that I am not a mommy blogger, or at least I do not consider myself to be one. I am a blogger who is a mother…as well as a wife, a geek, a bibliophile, and much, much more.

So I’m not quite sure where I stand on the mommy blogger issue raised by Dr. Amy. Do mommy bloggers treat their children like commodity? I’m sure some do — but the ones that I read are anything but written out of love for the children. Additionally, there is so much I learned from mommy blogs that I wouldn’t have heard/read elsewhere.

But the ones that mother for the sake of their blogs? Yep. Those have got to go. (Or the bloggers need to reevaluate their priorities.)

The Heroic Table of the Elements

This one’s a doozy! Illustrator Matt Cowan has created a cool piece of geek art titled “Heroic Table of the Elements,” where superheroes and villains from the DC and Marvel universe are displayed in the style of the periodic table of elements. You can tell that a lot of thought went into compiling the chart — the characters are organized by their powers, affiliations, and species, and the year of their first appearance is included as well.

What do you think? Do you think the “Heroic Table of the Elements” accurately categorizes each hero and villain? Are there any changes or additions you would make to the table?

Via The Geek Twins.

“There’s Always Money in the Banana Stand” [Art Exhibit]

I love the melding of pop culture and fine art. I especially have a fondness for art that features my favorite fictional characters — whether from books, television, or movies. For instance, my 3-year wedding anniversary will always hold a special place in my heart because J took me to catch South Park‘s 15th Anniversary Art Exhibit.

If you’re like me and live in the Los Angeles area, you’re in luck. Because Gallery1988 Melrose will be holding a special group art show that pays tribute to one of my all-time favorite television shows, Arrested Development. The aptly-named “There’s Always Money in the Banana Stand” exhibit opens June 29th, 2012, with an opening reception from 7-10 pm, and will run through July 21, 2012. Check out these teasers which were posted in Gallery1988’s blog:

Experimenting with Drugs

One of the most frustrating factors in dealing with depression — at least for me — is finding the best medication (or combination of meds) for yourself. Back in my early twenties, I had tried various meds before finding the combination that worked best for me: Prozac and Wellbutrin.

This time around, since it had been almost a decade since I last took antidepressants, and because what worked in the past may not always be the case now, we are once again beginning the experimentation. Both my psychiatrist and I agree that trying the Prozac & Wellbutrin combo first is probably our best bet. But because starting with less drugs is always preferable to more, we have decided to try just Wellbutrin first.

Over the past two months, we have slowly increased my dosage of Bupropion XL (the generic form of Wellbutrin XL) — starting with 150 mg at first, then 300 mg, and now, at 450 mg which is the maximum recommended dosage. The reason for the increase is because I did not feel much difference with the lower doses…and now, at 450 mg, I do feel somewhat different.

(image source)

As with all drugs, Bupropion XL has brought with it a few side effects. The ones that I have noticed include:

dry mouth — this is actually good for me, since I never drank enough water in the past and now I am drinking lots
slight constipation — this isn’t much different from the constipation I experienced during pregnancy, so I just continue taking daily fiber supplements
occasional insomnia — once again, this is similar to what I had experienced while pregnant. Unisom, the sleep aid my OB had recommended, has worked for me in the past so I just pop one whenever I can’t sleep.
increased libido — J has enjoyed this tremendously 😉
vivid dreams
decreased appetite and subsequent weight loss — but the weight loss could also be attributed to hot yoga

The above are all side effects that have been reported by others who take the drug, and they are all easily manageable so we are not too worried.

But what about my mood? Is Bupropion XL doing what it’s supposed to do?

I do feel a bit of a difference. I have more energy and my mood is slightly elevated. However, the contrast is so slight — less than we had hoped for and much less than what I remember from my past experience of taking antidepressants — that we will probably introduce fluoxetine (the generic form of Prozac) into the mix at my next doctor’s appointment.

I am fully aware that antidepressants — like many drugs — may only treat the symptom and not the cause. And I believe that in my case, antidepressants have, and hopefully will, help get me to a point where I can more easily diagnose and tackle the cause of my depression.

Let’s hope that the Prozac & Wellbutrin combo will once again be the best for me.

A Handy Vampire Hunter Comparison Chart

Sorry for the lack of posts as of late. Just as Claire got better from her cold, I caught it…and managed to pass it on to Aerin as well. 🙁

The good news? J’s parents gave me some Chinese cough medicine that made me feel infinitely better. Only when I looked at the label did I realize that the main ingredient is opium! No wonder I felt so good!

Today was the first day that I felt pretty decent, so I managed to get my butt to a hot yoga class. I definitely overdid it — not having had been to class in two weeks, in addition to my not still being 100% better — led me to feel dizzy and disoriented after class. Then I got the unmistakable taste of bile in my throat…and managed to make it to the bathroom just in time to throw up.

This was the first time since high school when I had thrown up after exercising. But you know what? I felt a lot better after the act, and cheerfully rinsed my mouth out and drove myself home without any problems.

Anyway, enough about my mundane life. Let’s get to the meat of the post. I saw this handy vampire hunter comparison chart earlier today and I knew that I had to share it:

(image source)

You gotta love the last column. 😉 I hope your week is going better than mine!

An Update on Comang

You may also like:

The Science Behind Fireworks

You may also like:

How to Cut Babies’ Nails

You may also like:

Employer Loyalty: Cultural or Generational?

You may also like:

Marvelous ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Pop-Up Book [And More!]

You may also like:

Should Mommy Blogs Be Censored?

You may also like:

The Heroic Table of the Elements

You may also like:

“There’s Always Money in the Banana Stand” [Art Exhibit]

You may also like:

Experimenting with Drugs

You may also like:

A Handy Vampire Hunter Comparison Chart

You may also like:

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