Weekly Geeks: 2009-04

Provided by Chris:

This week's Weekly Geek is inspired by Dewey's Knit-a-Long, a mini challenge of Dewey's Reading Challenge. Dewey had other passions besides reading and blogging. Knitting was one of them. This made me think, what are the Weekly Geek's other passions?

#1. What are you passionate about besides reading and blogging? For example, are you crafty (knitting, woodworking, scrapbooking, model building)? Do you cook? Into gaming (computer or board)? Sports (player or spectator)? Photography? Maybe you like geocaching, rock climbing? Or love attending events like renaissance fairs, concerts? Music? Dancing? You get the idea.

Are there other hobbies outside reading and my incessant addiction to Facebook? LOL! Honestly, I don't have the time to devote to anything of interest outside of blogging, reading and FB, and even then I probably spend too much time devoted to those activities than I should thanks to homework, life with kids, and household chores. Still, if I had to pick something about which I am truly passionate (outside of reading), it would be cooking. In an ideal world, I would not be studying for my MBA but attending the Culinary Institute of America learning how to become a professional chef. Right now, it is nothing more than a hobby, but I haven't quite relinquished my dreams of attending culinary school. There is something so exciting about creating a meal from scratch, presenting it to family and friends and hearing them rave about how wonderful it tastes. I find the entire act of cooking extremely relaxing and cathartic. My only regret is that I've had to reduce how much I cook these days and have passed along that duty to my husband. I do hope to pick up more of that duty again when I graduate.

This is just one picture I could find of something I've made. For Connor's fifth birthday, I made a really cool Moon cake for his Space-themed birthday. I'm irked that I can't find pictures of that one...

#2. Get us involved. Link to tutorials, recipes, Youtube videos, websites, fan sites, etc, anything that will help us learn more about your interest or how to do your hobby. Maybe you'd like to link to another hobbyist whose work you admire or tell us about a book or magazine related to your interest.

I am a HUGE fan of Giada deLaurentiis from the Food Network. I have several of her cookbooks. She is my go-to person for recipes when I want to try something new. I also subscribe to Food and Wine magazine, as well as Taste of Home magazine. Both have given me some amazing recipes. Neither one is exactly low-fat, low-cal, but when it comes to cooking, I've discovered that you can't do food justice when you substitute. Sometimes, you just have to splurge!!

#3. Visit other Weekly Geeks. Link in your post to other Geeks who've peaked your interest in their passion. Or maybe you might find a fellow afincionado among us, link to them.

I haven't seen anyone with a similar passion to mine, and I am frankly impressed at fellow Geeks' creativity and craftiness. However, I was curious about both Erika Lynn at Kiss my Book and Andrea at So Many Books, So Little Time with their passions regarding sports. I am a huge sports fan as well, although don't pay attention to them as much as I used too, but I love when fellow women speak up about their passion regarding any sport. It is so empowering to be able to hold your own in a conversation with a coworker about last Sunday's game!

25 Random Things

This was a Facebook exercise that I had to share with everyone...

1. I secretly admire Adrian Monk's apartment (Monk on USA television) because of how neat and organized and clean it is. If it weren't for his major phobias and other strange idiosyncrasies, he would be my hero!

2. After fifteen years together, I am still hopelessly in love with my husband. He remains my best friend. We have never run out of things to discuss but can sit comfortably in peaceful quiet and just enjoy each other's company as well.

3. My Halloween costume probably wasn't as much of a costume as people initially thought.

4. I have been working on getting my MBA for five years - longer than my daughter has been alive. And yes, I have lost all motivation to finish.

5. I am totally and utterly addicted to the Twilight series. I've read the books at least three or four times, seen the movie twice, have both soundtracks, two t-shirts, and Alice's choker from the movie. I also named my puppy, Cullen. I just want to move to Forks and find a nice vampire.

6. Speaking of vampires, I find them the most fascinating creatures in fiction. But vampire movies (Twilight being the exception) scare the pants off of me. I can't watch them. Even Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the tv series, made me uncomfortable at times.

7. I secretly wonder if I should have had children. While they are the second and third loves of my life (Jim remains first), and I miss them terribly when we are apart, I can't wait until bedtime when we are together. I have a sneaking suspicion that mothers just shouldn't feel that way.

8. I remain addicted to coffee. I've tried to stop - I've even made sure that I limit myself to two cups a day. But if I had my way without getting the heart palpitations from too much caffeine, I would drink it all the time.

9. I graduated from college (in three years no less) with plans to be a teacher, but those plans actually lasted all of six months. Thankfully, I realized that in the interest of a lawsuit, teaching high school was not for me. I haven't ruled out teaching in college - my online professors have a sweet gig.

10. I do have one tattoo and have been actively contemplating getting another one. How weird is it that I want to get one of the German eagle?

11. I can't live without reading. I will frequently forgo homework or sleep for reading at least one chapter in a novel. And I absolutely cannot fall asleep without reading something other than a textbook.

12. I'm also a book snob. Most of my books are classics, although I have almost the complete library of Nora Roberts. She's my one guilty pleasure. Stephenie Meyer does not count as a guilty pleasure. She is my idol.

13. I can't live without music. My playlist reflects my schizophrenic personality, as I have everything from The Dixie Chicks to Mozart's Requiem to Rob Zombie to Justin Timberlake. There is nothing quite like listening to some Nora Jones and then switching to Pantera to wake the senses.

14. I've been on Weight Watchers for the past eight months now and still need to lose another ten pounds to be where I want to be. However, I am at least lighter than I was when I found out I was pregnant with Connor and then again with Holly. That's saying something.

15. In Weight Watchers, they teach you about trigger foods - those foods that you absolutely cannot resist, even though you know how bad they are for you. Mine are Lipton's French Onion dip with chips, my seven-layer taco dip with Doritoes, and my homemade macaroni and cheese. Even though I know this about myself, it doesn't stop me from making them. I wish I could learn to just leave well enough alone.

16. Having lived in Germany for three years after getting married, I would move back to Europe in a heartbeat if either my job or my husband's presented us with the opportunity. They know how to balance work and life over there, in addition to what it means to enjoy the dining experience. After eight years away, we still miss it.

17. Even though my husband rides motorcycles, I have never once experienced a desire to learn how to ride. I much prefer sitting on the back as a passenger and watching the countryside pass. I've seen some beautiful scenery from the back of his motorcycle.

18. We adopted one dog two years ago that we just couldn't keep. He peed on everything, ran away at every opportunity, jumped on furniture (dining tables and counters) and pretty much resisted all training we ever attempted with him. Even though I felt like a failure giving him back to the shelter, it was the best thing for him and for my family. I didn't realize how much Jim and the kids hated having him around.

19. Less than three weeks after I finish my last class for my MBA, I plan to start studying for the CPA. The problem is that I'm now questioning what I am going to do with it, especially after I discovered that you have to have CPA experience before you get the credentials. There isn't a CPA at my work that could sign off on my experience, so I'm not quite certain how I am supposed to get that experience in my current role (and I definitely don't want to work for a CPA). I think have a lot more research to do.

20. I actually enjoy moving. I like packing up and the chance it affords us to clean and purge our belongings. I like the opportunity it gives me to scrub an entire house from top to bottom without belongings in the way. I love the chance to look at houses, remembering what we've liked from our previous houses and what we want to change, all in an effort to find that "perfect" house. And I like the opportunity of exploring a new section of the country.

21. Jim and I had the name for our son picked out well before we were even talking about getting married. Our first son was always going to be Connor Gabriel. We never considered having girls, which meant that we struggled with finding a name for our daughter when she came around. Even though I don't want any more kids, I do regret not using the name "Seamus". It is a GREAT name!

22. I keep telling myself that I like to exercise. Actually, I've realized that I like how I feel when I exercise. If they could find some way to bottle that euphoric feeling (along with the physical results of leaner and more defined muscles), I would definitely buy it!

23. I am a certified homebody. I gladly embrace every opportunity I can get of staying at home. The days where I never make it out of my pajamas are my idea of heaven!

24. I love to drive fast. Maybe it was all those years on the Autobahn, but there is nothing like the rush of going 80 or 90 mph to get the blood pumping and make you feel on top of the world!

25. I've spent all this time getting my MBA, have these plans to sit for both the CPA and the CMA, and yet I'm most looking forward to taking culinary classes. I have a coworker who just graduated from the CIA, and I am insanely jealous of that feat. I don't want to run a restaurant; I just want to become a professionally trained chef. I'll be the first CPA, CMA chef. Don't know what I'm going to do with it, but who says you have to know where you are going in life?

REVIEW - Marley and Me

I'll admit it - I am unabashedly in love with Marley. Granted, he wouldn't have lasted long in my house because I know I just don't have the patience or capacity for love that John did for his dog, but that doesn't mean that I can't laugh along with him as he explains his dog's exploits.

As a dog owner, I recognize parts of Marley in my own dogs. The goofiness, the unexplained fixations, the constant love...I also recognize just how special Grogan's relationship is with Marley. I love my dogs and will miss them when they are gone, but I'm not certain I am in love with them as much as Grogan was in love with Marley. Theirs was a relationship that went beyond master and canine, and the love and affection was almost palpable as I was reading.

I loved this book. I laughed out loud so many times that people thought I was crazy (I was on a plane at the time). And of course, I had tears streaming down my face by the end of the story. However, I have also given new thought to my own relationship with my dogs. They've crept into the "there but not really acknowledged" category because of school work and house work and kids and life, and I realize that I am doing both them and myself an injustice. So, Marley's story got me a little closer to my own Gretchen and Cullen. That is a sure sign of a good book.

REVIEW - Confessions of a Shopaholic

Becky has a serious problem - she loves to shop. And I mean LOVES to shop. The girl can rationalize any extra expenditure known to man. The conflict occurs when she starts receiving the ubiquitous letters from the credit card companies and her bank about her failure to pay her bills. She attempts to cut back on her spending - to disastrous results (see rationalization of expenditures above). Eventually, as in all chick lit, with an epiphany and a little luck, Becky gets her happy ending.

I really wanted to like this book. It is one I picked up on the spur of the moment at the airport. I already have plans to see the movie, so I really hoped it would be fun and thoughtless. Sophie Kinsella's writing style is breezy and easy to follow. You can't help but like her hopeless heroine. I'm not certain if the issue was the fact that the book takes place in London, so I don't know all the labels that Becky mentions, or if it is because I am getting too old - SIGH. I couldn't help myself from "tsk tsking" Becky's actions or her rationalizations. The book, at times, was like a horror film - I couldn't watch but I couldn't look away either. And the entire time I was reading, I couldn't help but wonder just what sort of message was being sent to the younger generations (see - I really am getting old). In light of our current global economic mess, do we really need to be highlighting how it is okay to max out every credit card because it will all work out in the end? I get that it is supposed to be light-hearted and fun, but I do think the message is all wrong and exactly the reasons why the entire globe is now struggling to fix their economies.

Still I remain hopeful for the movie. I love Isla Fisher and can't wait to see how they are going to set the book in New York. And what's not to like about watching someone else purchase haute couture? I'll probably pass along the book to my younger co-workers, and they will snap it up in a heartbeat. I will do it with some niggling feelings of guilt though. And I am left wondering if I should ask for those few hours of my life spent reading it back.

Brutal Day

What a day! I received the results of my 360-degree feedback, and I think I'm still working through the four stages of acceptance. I've recovered from the denial but I'm still alternating between resistance and just out-right anger. It's been a brutal emotional roller coaster ride today, which has left me completely drained. I'm really looking forward to a relaxing travel day tomorrow.

Another unfortunate thing - I've missed two free snow days at work. My husband said we received almost nine inches of snow and two inches of ice over the past two days - enough for the counties to issue snow emergencies and make it all but illegal to be on the roads. If I were home, I could have had two days off without it harming my vacation total. Drat!!

You know you are addicted when...

This is why I've put off starting a blog for so long. I was sitting in the airport, had something I found amusing occur and immediately wanted to get onto the computer to blog about it. So, I now view my life in blog-able sections. As if anyone really cares. But, because I'm here, I have to share.

You know you are addicted to books when you pack for a trip and include several books for reading material on the trip, get to the airport, get concerned that you don't have enough reading material and buy two more books at the Borders. So, that's what I did!

I'm sitting in the Detroit Airport getting ready to board a flight to go to Minneapolis, where it is all of 10 degrees outside, and there is a gentleman wearing a t-shirt and shorts. The story is that he just flew in from West Palm Beach and that he had a pair of track pants and pullover that he was going to put on over his clothes - on the plane. (He did too. He was sitting in an exit row that had a huge bulkhead in front, which allowed him to stand up and get dressed.) I think that he was wearing the shorts to draw attention to himself, but that's just me.

I have to say that I was on the most protected plane in the world. My flight to Minneapolis contained at least six pilots and even more flight attendants - and that doesn't include the ones who were actually working the flight. There were more airline employees on the flight than there were actual passengers!!

Confession of a Working Mother

Jim and I have been married for almost twelve years now, and year after year, I have had to stay home while he got to go around the world for business - whether it was with the Army or not. Now, I finally am involved in something that requires me to take a quarterly business trip, and I still can't get over the excitement. I'll admit that I like traveling for work. I like staying in a hotel and not having to worry about waking up the kids or figuring out dinner. I like being able to go to the airport when I want, without having to chase after an eight-year-old and a four-year-old. I LOVE being able to go out to eat with adults and have an adult conversation for as long as I want.

Now, I do miss my children tremendously, and I find myself trying to remember all the things I want to share with Jim, but I enjoy my time away. I don't even sleep well in hotel beds. (I usually come back more tired than when I left.) But I still love business trips. This is one of those weird dual facets of my life that I can never quite reconcile.

Weekly Geek 2009-03

I'll confess that I found this site from a few of my book club friends' blogs and thought it sounded like fun! So, in the spirit of starting something new and broadening my horizons beyond textbooks, Microsoft Excel and the gym, here's my stab at joining Weekly Geeks!

How do you feel about classic literature? Are you intimidated by it? Love it? Not sure because you never actually tried it? Don't get why anyone reads anything else? Which classics, if any, have you truly loved? Which would you recommend for someone who has very little experience reading older books? Go all out, sell us on it!

Um, to anyone who truly knows me, I adore classic literature. Other than a select few authors and books, it is about all I read and all I have ever read. There has never been a book that has intimidated me, and other than one book, I've been able to finish everything I've started and have been able to find something redeeming in all books too. Reading classic literature is both challenging, time-consuming, and yet extremely rewarding because you always end up learning a little more about yourself, about history, about society, and about life. Depending on the person, I would definitely recommend Jane Austen for those with a romantic bent. With my husband, I have him reading The Count of Monte Cristo for the action and revenge. There is literally something for everyone out there - you just have to give it a chance!!

Let's say you're vacationing with your dear cousin Myrtle, and she forgot to bring a book. The two of you venture into the hip independent bookstore around the corner, where she primly announces that she only reads classic literature. If you don't find her a book, she'll never let you get any reading done! What contemporary book/s with classic appeal would you pull off the shelf for her?



Oooo - a challenge! The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield has a great Gothic feel to it and would be perfect for someone who enjoys the Bronte sisters. Also, The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is one of my absolute favorite contemporary books with a decidedly classic appeal. It is about Dracula - can it get any better than that?

REVIEW - The Age of Innocence

I finished this book last week for an online book club, and I've been trying to decide what exactly are my feelings about it now that I'm done. The novel covers the life of Newland Archer, a wealthy member of Old New York during its Golden Age. At a time where scandal was feared above all, Newland is torn between his fiancee and eventual society wife, May Welland, and her mysterious and unconventional cousin, Countess Olenska, who makes him question the mores and conventions of the society life in which he was raised.

I'll admit that the book does not end the way I hoped or believed it would end. What has me torn is trying to determine whether the true ending is more or less romantic than my hopes. In addition, Newland struggles throughout the entire novel about his place in society and whether that society is wrong in its opinions and expectations of others. However, he struggles to a point and then fails to continue to fight those expectations. I feel let down by Newland as he eventually succumbs to the same society he was questioning. I'm trying to discover the character development that occurs, and I fear that there just wasn't any. The way things were going, I believed that several characters were going to have epiphanies that would change their lives forever. However, nothing major changes and the same society continues.

I enjoyed the novel and found it an easy read. However, in my heart of hearts, I am disappointed with the ending. I had high hopes for Newland, that he would grow and evolve into so much more than society wanted him to be, and yet he doesn't. On the plus side, I found Wharton's descriptions of Old New York society to be absolutely luscious. I felt like I was sitting at the dinner table at times because the scenes were so clear and detailed. And while it would be nice to have the money, I'm not certain that era was for me. It's great to be able speak my mind and not have to worry about being cut out of the family! In all, I would recommend it to others, if only because of the learning experience it brings about upper crust New York society in the 1870s. Wharton's satire is fabulous and definitely worth the read.

REVIEW - Bride Wars

I saw movie a two weeks ago with a few co-workers. It was my first girls' night out in forever, so I'm not certain whether that was clouding my judgment or not. However, I will confess that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I've fallen completely in love with Anne Hathaway - I do find The Princess Diaries (1 and 2) such a guilty pleasure! Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson play Emma and Liv, childhood best friends who have always dreamed of having a June wedding at the Plaza Hotel. They get engaged one day apart, and immediately seek the assistance of the best wedding consultant in town, played by Candice Bergen, to plan their dream weddings. Through no fault of their own, their weddings are booked for the exact same date and time. Neither friend is willing to back down and concede their dreams for the other, and I guess you could say hi-jinks ensure.

The plot itself is fairly predictable. I had the movie figured out during the first ten minutes, and that is not something I normally do. I also took issue with the fact that the blond was the more powerful one and (without giving too much away) had the easier, less traumatic road to the altar. Being a natural brunette myself, I couldn't help but wonder if there was a form of stereotyping being shown because of that. I mean, why should everything be easier for the blondes? However, in spite of its faults, I did enjoy myself. Maybe I laughed at the wrong scenes. I did laugh out loud...several times. The movie isn't going to win any Oscars (or any other type of award except for maybe an MTV movie award for Best Fight Scene), but it was a great escapist film and perfect for a girls' night out!

Newly Created

Welcome all! I'm not really certain why I am doing this, as it's not like I have the time to keep this up on a daily basis. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that there is only so much school work a girl can do on a daily basis, you know? I'm going to try to keep this going and filling it with school updates, rants, opinions, and reviews on books, movies, and life in general. And if no one is interested, at least I find it a more worthwhile use of my time than playing video games like my darling husband. So, sit back and enjoy!