Geek in Heels - Page 71

Oct 11, 2011 • In Cute, Funny, Geek

The Seven Deadly Keys

Simply brilliant! (And 5 points for anyone who can tell me the Mac equivalent of Ctrl+Alt+Delete!)

I have a sore throat and a slight fever. Keeping myself healthy in these last remaining weeks of the pregnancy is high priority, so I will be taking it easy today. Here’s something to make up for the lack of posts: an animated GIF of Claire’s ham face:

How can you look at this and not smile? 🙂

How I Curb My Sushi Cravings (Gag!)

It’s confession time again, boys and girls!

And the big shocker for the week is: I have eaten sushi with both pregnancies.

😮

When you think about it, pregnant women in Japan must eat sushi every day, no? And after having done my own research on the subject, I do not see how having some raw fish once in a while, from a good, reputable restaurant, can be so detrimental.

As is the mantra for most pregnancy-related issues, I believe that moderation is key.

With this in mind, I have cut down on my sushi intake considerably with both pregnancies. And while I may not have a very adventurous palate, I do enjoy raw tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and uni tremendously.

And whenever I crave sushi more than I know I should, I just think back to this incident from four years ago…

Via Wulffmorgenthaler.

One Saturday, while lounging around the apartment, J and I spotted something white — something that normally isn’t present — in his fishtank. I decided to take a closer look, and discovered that it was a fish skeleton.

Which led us to the only possible conclusion: one of his goldfish had died, and the other one had eaten it. The fish itself was about 5 inches long, so it was a fairly large skeleton. A fairly large, DETAILED skeleton.

I could barely glance at it; it was that disturbing. Of course, J had to add to that by saying, “He even ate the eyes!”

Then, with perfect timing, the doorbell rang. It was a delivery man, who had arrived with our dinner. And what had we ordered? Sushi.

Oh, the irony.

I usually love sushi and I tried to eat. But after just a few pieces I almost threw up.

Why Cleavage is Bad for Crime Fighting

Internet cartoonist Aaron Diaz explains…

Claire and Phil Dunphy: Our On-Screen Selves

J and I have loved the hit ABC show Modern Family ever since my sister introduced us to it mid-first season.

And over the past summer, as we patiently waited the new season by re-watching reruns, something began to dwell on us…

“Hey, isn’t…?”

“Phil Dunphy acts a lot like you!”

“And you’re exactly like Claire!”

And the more and more reruns we watched, the more the similarities became uncanny. Phil’s goofy, sometimes-immature self, his desire to please everyone (even sometimes at the expense of his wife), his wanting to be hip and cool for the kids, and even the way he procrastinates on the various to-do items that Claire lays out for him are exactly like J.

And Claire? Her OCD-nature and the tendency to FREAK OUT over minor things, her desire to make everything and everyone perfect (even if they are, in their own ways, already so), her needing to have complete control over all aspects of her life and being too hard on herself when things do not go her way…

Yep, that’s me in a nutshell.

With every interaction they have, with every memorable scene they are in together, we can totally see ourselves doing the same exact thing, or we have done the same!

The funny thing is, we decided on the name Claire for our firstborn right before the show began to air. Another coincidence? Claire and Phil have three kids: two girls who are close in age and a third, a boy, who is younger by a few years. Will we end up having a third child, a boy, some years down the road?

(And I know that if we end up naming the boy Luke, J will make sure that the first words that Luke hears out of the womb are, “Luuuukke. I ammmm your father…” JUST like Phil did.)

The similarities between this TV couple and ourselves are so striking that J’s brother continually tells his wife, “Ohmygawd, I feel like I’m watching my brother and Jenny!” whenever they watch the show.

What about you? Are there any fictional characters — on television, in movies, or in books — that you and your significant other resemble?

Cloudy: The Good and the Bad

Remember Cloudy?

No? Let’s see if this picture of Claire crotch-punching Cloudy rings a bell:

I keep forgetting how TINY Claire used to be! She is now more than twice Cloudy’s size.

You can read all about Cloud’s origins here, including the hilarious story behind her name. 🙂

Lately we have been keeping Cloudy near Claire’s diaper station as a means of distracting our little girl while we change her. And, because sometimes just holding Cloudy isn’t enough, we will usually squeeze Cloudy’s left paw to play the theme from Star Wars.

The good news is that Claire has grown to love the theme from Star Wars. 😀 She will smile and clap as the majestic melody swells through the room. (I know! We couldn’t be more proud!)

The bad news? We think Claire is now starting to associate that same melody with dirty diapers!

Crap. (Literally.)

The Ladies of Madison Avenue: Playboy Edition

Tauntr, the site behind the fake Ben & Jerry’s pop culture ice cream flavors you’ve been seeing all over the web recently, has created four faux vintage covers of Playboy magazine featuring characters from the AMC hit show Mad Men.

Now, I know at least some of my readers will be offended by my featuring Playboy covers here, fake or not. But there is a reason behind my madness: the fourth cover is graced by none other than our favorite, no-BS-taking, now-deceased secretary, Miss Blankenship! Enjoy!

Via Best Week Ever.

The Rise of the New “Super People”

A few days ago, the NYTimes ran a op-ed piece titled “Super People” that left me pondering its implications and reactions. If you have a few spare minutes, I highly encourage you to read the article. If you do not, this paragraph sums up what “Super People” are:

A brochure arrives in the mail announcing this year’s winners of a prestigious fellowship to study abroad. The recipients are allotted a full page each, with a photo and a thick paragraph chronicling their achievements. It’s a select group to begin with, but even so, there doesn’t seem to be anyone on this list who hasn’t mastered at least one musical instrument; helped build a school or hospital in some foreign land; excelled at a sport; attained fluency in two or more languages; had both a major and a minor, sometimes two, usually in unrelated fields (philosophy and molecular science, mathematics and medieval literature); and yet found time — how do they have any? — to enjoy such arduous hobbies as mountain biking and white-water kayaking.

The essay goes on to theorize the rise of the new Super People (evolution, better nutrition, etc.) and wonders if this trend is a sign of the growing income inequality in America such that wealthy parents can invest in their children to an unprecedented degree. The author also asks if the phenomenon is partly an illusion, spurred by resume-padding and trophy-collecting rather than genuine passion and commitment.

I have varying thoughts on the rise of the new Super People. The first, and foremost, being that I actually know a few Super People and they all seem to be well-rounded, well-adjusted individuals who are content with their lives and continually enrich the lives of those around them.

The second is worry. My sister used to work for a prestigious tutoring academy and tells me that parents are spending hundreds of dollars per hour — and sometimes even thousands of dollars per session — just to bump their kids’ grade from an A- to an A, or to help a 740 grade on an SAT score reach the perfect 800 mark. She also says that some of her students’ schedules were so jam-packed with activities that the only time they could meet with her for their private tutoring sessions was at 9 or 10pm on weekends.

Isn’t an A- good enough? (This question seems timely considering the latest episode of Glee, where an A- is called an “Asian F.” :-D) Shouldn’t weekends be reserved for — oh I don’t know — taking a break? Should not the main goal of childhood and the tumultuous adolescent years be to learn about life and prepare for adulthood, not to pad your resume or college application?

My third concern also comes from a parenting perspective, but it is in a completely opposite direction from the previous. When you look through the comments on the original NYTimes article, a clear trend emerges: criticism of the Super People. Citing the commenters themselves as better and happier people for not being “super.” Calling Super People’s achievements to be nothing more than trophies, and assuming that they are all uncreative, uncaring, and unhappy.

When did mediocrity become something to be celebrated?

Can’t these commenters be impressed by Super People and look up to them? Is it so hard to admit that Super People are better than us?

Like all parents, I want the best for my children. I want them to excel in all aspects of life. I want them to get straight A’s, to be good athletes, to be musical and artistic, to be compassionate, and not only that, rise above and beyond others when doing so.

But at the same time, I know that their being ALL of these things is unlikely. Maybe one or two, but all? I would be happy, for sure, but I would not hold it against them if they were to simply suck at certain things.

And I would not love them any more or any less for their achievements, or lack thereof.

BUT I refuse to celebrate mediocrity. I believe that one of the biggest problems facing our nation today is the snowflake syndrome, the belief that everyone should made to feel extraordinary for ordinary achievements.

It will be tough balancing act. I hope that I can do it.

What are your thoughts on the new Super People?

Eternal Flame

I remember that the first computer I ever used was a Mac.

I remember learning Photoshop on a Mac.

I remember buying my first Mac.

I remember lining up for Apple OS X “Panther,” and how this was the very first geek-related launch party I ever attended.

I remember squealing like a little girl when I saw Steve Jobs at the opening of the Fifth Ave Apple Store.

Today, lots of people are rightly talking about Steve Jobs’ creative vision. But vision is nothing without rightful execution.

Thank you, Mr. Jobs. You will be missed.

Today’s xkcd, aptly named “Eternal Flame.”
When you hover over the comic, it reads, “There’s always the hope that if you sit and watch
for long enough, the beachball will vanish and the thing it interrupted will return.”

36 Weeks

There is now officially less than a month remaining until my due date.

HOLY EFFING HELL!

I also had a minor freakout last night, when I discovered that Bee, whose due date is a few days after mine, went into labor and had her daughter early in the morning. As happy as I am for her and her family that both mom and the baby are doing well, I couldn’t help but FREAK OUT over the announcement, knowing that my own BebeDeux can come at any moment.

I barely slept last night. And BebeDeux didn’t help either — she was kicking up a storm, as if to tell me, “Mommy I want to come out NOW!”

(On a related note, my mother had the chance to feel my stomach when BebeDeux was in one of her tumbling-like-a-maniac modes. “How do you sleep at night?” she asked me. I replied, “I don’t!”)

The good news is that BebeDeux continues to remain healthy in there. My OB appointments are now once a week, and the doctor informs me that even if I go into labor this second, there is very little chance of complications and that the baby is simply thriving. “Just keep doing what you’re doing,” she added. “You’re in the home stretch!”

I also asked the doc yesterday if second-time moms tend to deliver before their due dates. “Not necessarily,” she said. “From my experience, there’s still a good chance that you might go over your due date. However, I can tell you that if you have delivered vaginally before, your labor will probably be much easier than the first time!”

This has been confirmed by my neighbor and my cousin, both of whom have recently had their second children, and both of whom delivered their second babies in literally three pushes.

“Don’t worry about the delivery at all,” my neighbor told me. “Your body just remembers. I pushed for almost three hours with my first — I couldn’t believe how easy it was with the second!”

My labor with Claire was freakishly easy: she was out in just 12 pushes, or 5 minutes. Now I’m wondering if delivering BebeDeux will be tremendously difficult, to “compensate” for my easy first, or if BebeDeux will come zipping out of my hoo-ha as if on a water slide.

But then again, labor & delivery is not the part that worries me. It’s what will come afterwards that has me losing sleep at night.