SuperGeekKnowItAll Tells You How It Is

The Problem of For-Profit Jails: One Disturbing Example

2009-02-11T16:00:00.005-05:00

I have been so incredible troubled by Prison-For-Profit in this country. The United States has the most individuals per capita in jail out of any other country. At the end of 2007, there were 2,293,157 individuals in jail (see Bureau of Justice Statistics http://www.ojp.gov/bjs/prisons.htm). The prison populations has QUADRUPLED since 1980 in this country.

"The United States has the highest documented per capita rate of incarceration of any country in the world." (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisons_in_the_United_States)

"The United States incarcerates more of its youth than any other country in the world... approximately 500,000—half a million—youth are brought to detention centers in a given year." (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisons_in_the_United_States)

In this story, in a small town in Pennsylvania, judges were putting juveniles into for-profit juvenile detention programs for financial kick-backs adding up to over $2 million.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29142654/

This is what Pennsylvania tax dollars are going to? I am thoroughly disgusted and distrubed. These are the ones who got caught. How many others are there out there?

Shouldn't we be shocked? Shouldn't we be outraged?

Been a While...

2009-01-15T13:46:00.003-05:00

Wow, it has been a while since I posted, but hey, that's what the Holidays will do! I just wanted to share a different project I've been working on - it's called Cre8 and Re-Cre8. It's a blog about making useful stuff and making stuff useful. Let me know what you think!

Wrap Rage

2008-11-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

I went to Amazon.com today and found a messgae from Jeff Bezos right there on the front screen addressing "wrap rage". I was so excited to see that they have acknowledged this is a problem and are doing something about it. I hate these clamshell plastic packaging. I always end up cutting myself trying to get them open. It also really sucks to try to get a kid's toy out of the packaging while they are standing next to you harassing you and you have 50 million little do-dads to unravel. Not to mention the useless waste from this packaging. Now COSTCO needs to just follow suit. They are really the worst offendor.

Wow, Again

2008-11-04T09:48:00.002-05:00

I just got back from voting. It took me about an hour and a half. I have never seen anything like it in the past 10 years when I've been at this voting location. It was just so great to see so many people out there exercising their right to vote.

And FYI... If you were wondering, my excited support for Sara Palin did not last long. I have put together a line chart to express it.

A Lesson and Hope in These Tough Times

2008-10-28T15:04:00.004-04:00

"Somewhere along the way, we, as a society, got lost. We thought that having it all would lead to happiness. Truth is, having it all only erodes the value of having. It leaves you with less. Less satisfaction. Less understanding. Less meaning. And less joy." - Green Bean

I just read this quote over at The Green Phone Booth. It really struck a chord with me. I can see this so much in children. The more toys they have, the more they seem to destroy them and treat them poorly. they do not find value in their toys. They are not "special".

The more we have, the more we want. It becomes an unquenchable thirst for things. I remember growing up the wonder and excitement of going through the Sears Wish Book, daydreaming about the toys I might have and what I might do with them. But, it was the dreaming and fantasizing that was the great thing. It reminds me of another quote. This one is from the kids movie "Escape to Witch Mountian". The older sister (what's her name?) tells her brother: "If we have everything we could ever want, we would have nothing left to wish for." Okay, I'm paraphrasing here. That always stuck with me.

Having things comes with a price. You have to manage these things and worry about them. Things tie you down. You give up a little piece of freedom and a little piece of time with each possession.

Choosing to have fewer things this year and choosing to buy more food locally and make more food from scratch has truly been a wonderful experience for us as a family and for me in particular. I appreciate my raspberry much more knowing that I can have it fresh only within a certain season. I appreciate my basil spice, fresh from my own garden. I am more sensitive to where these things come from and the cost to the society to create them.

Lord knows, I have so much further to go. By most standards, I don't live simply. It is only in comparison with the way I used to live. But with the little steps I have taken, with each thing I let go of, the more full my life feels.

WOW!

2008-08-29T13:07:00.005-04:00

I am just filled for hope and optimism for the country right now. McCain's pick of Sarah Palin for Vice President just put me over the top. For the first time in my life, I feel like we have two presidential candidates that I feel good about. I agree with each of them on some issues and disagree on other issues, but with regards to their character and their passion for making this country better - have we ever seen an election which such great options? Usually at this point in an election I am deciding which of two evils I am voting against. Now, I have to decide which of these two good options am I going to support.

But, if I had any doubt, McCain did just seal the deal with me. I did not even know Sarah Palin's name. I had heard some news stories about this reformer overtaking the incumbent in the Alaska governor race, but I did not pay much heed. However, the more I hear about her, the more I like her. Mother, strong woman, feminist for life, reformer, energetic - all these words describe her. I would choose her for president let alone VP.

However this election turns out, it will be MONUMENTALLY historic. However this election turns out, I feel this country will be headed in a more hopeful direction.

34.4

2008-08-21T11:44:00.003-04:00

That is the average number of kWH of electricity usage for the month of August. I was floored by the energy bill this month. That is way below the usage at any season over the past 3 years. I’m giddy with excitement.

So, I thought I’d list the specific things we have done to cut back on our energy usage. We must have been so wasteful before.

Temperature. First and foremost, was using the heat and AC less. We lived with a temperature of 78 F instead of 76 F this summer. It was totally bearable.

Thermostat. Bought a programmable thermostat and scheduled it to adjust the temperature of the house when no one is there and in the middle of the night.

Fans. Opened the windows on cool nights and used a fan. If the temp was below 78 F at night, we opened the windows and turned on some fans to circulate the cool air. This week has been a great example. It got in the mid 80s during the day, but went to the low 70s at night. The kids actually wanted blankets at the breakfast table in the middle of August!

Timers. We put many devices that are constantly draining energy (such as cable boxes, digital picture frames, wireless router) on timers. These things don’t need to be on in the middle of the night or the middle of the day when we’re not home. So, we used our Christmas Light timers to manage them. It’s been working really well and we never have to think about them.

Clothesline. We installed a clothesline to run the dryer less (dryer is a huge energy hog). I especially like it for sheets and stuff that take a long time to dry.

Lights. Turn them off. It is so basic, but I have always been the worst at this. I am 33 yo and still scared of the dark (especially a dark basement). But I have been MUCH more diligent about this.

Bulbs. Switch to compact fluorescent (CFL). We just have to make sure that we dispose of them properly as they do contain mercury.

Weather Stripping. We’ve been making sure the weather stripping around the doors is in place. Next step will be to revisit the insulation.

I think winter is still going to be a challenge. The HVAC cools much more efficiently than it heats. We have a whole slew of other ideas to try out for the winter, but hopefully our efforts will continue to pay off.

We've Got Worms!

2008-08-15T07:56:00.007-04:00

... and this is the good kind of worms! In our "year of improvement", DH and I have really started composting. We've had a composting bin for years, but we didn't know what we were doing with it. We had it next to the shed in the shade and we only put yard clippings in it.

So, as our gardening was going so well for us, we thought we were ready for the next step of composting. We moved our bin to the sunlight. We started collecting kitchen scraps, old cardboard boxes, along with the yard waste to balance out the bin. DH religiously waters and turns the compost. At first, it was a pile of garbage (surprisingly, not too smelly). Now, it is a beautiful pile of rich topsoil that we can use for next year's planting. Yeah.

And, we've got worms. I think this is the holy grail of composting. Many people will purchase worms to help make their composting successful, but ours came of their own accord to feast on the glorious coffee grinds, banana peels, and junk mail. Oh, glorious day!

Composting gets two thumbs up from me. Here's my top ten list for why composting is great.

10. Lots of free pet worms!

9. A chore little kids love - adding their banana peels to the composter.

8. Makes it fun to clean out the refrigerator. The moldier the better for the compost.

7. Switch to fewer garbage pickups and save money.

6. Organic fertilizeer for your landscaping.
5. Less waste has to go to waste processing facilities which saves energy.

4. Use fewer plastic trash bags.

3. Great free topsoil for the garden.

2. How often can you get excited about dirt?

1. No stinky food trash smelling up the garage.

Interested in composting? Here are some good resources:
Nature.org
HowToCompost.org

So...

2008-07-25T12:59:00.002-04:00

So, we got our next electric bill and it was our lowest usage to date! Even as the weather has gotten hotter. I think it may have something to do with the fact that the kids are in day care rather than being watched in the home, but I'll celbrate anyway!

Some Truly Geeky Anticipation…

2008-07-22T14:25:00.008-04:00

My husband and I are eagerly awaiting the delivery of our latest energy bill from Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE). We don’t have a gas line, so all of our energy usage is found in our electric bill. I literally keep clicking on the site to see if it is available (today they will release it).

“What is so exciting about our electric bill?” you may be asking yourself. Well, under the fearless leadership of my husband, we have been seriously trying to minimize our energy consumption (as many American families seem to be these days). It’s actually turned into a fun game for us - putting power strips on timers, finding our absolute tolerance for heat and humidity, measuring the wattage of all of our appliances...

As you can see from the pretty line/bar graph below, our 2008 daily usage (in blue) is down from our 2006-2007 daily usages by ~20kwH a day (with the exception of January when our heater was not working correctly). So, naturally, you can see why it is with eager anticipation that we await the delivery of our July electric bill. Is our trend continuing? Will we have our lowest energy usage ever?! We’ll have to wait to find out.

Getting Kids In Touch with Nature

2008-07-11T08:55:00.003-04:00

Having 3 little boys and witnessing the effect that television can have on them, I have become pretty gung-ho about making sure they experience nature and gain an appreciation from the natural world. I find that if you spend two hours exploring the outdoors (be it in my back yard, at a park, or camping) they are much happier kids than after the same two hours of being inside watching TV or even just playing with toys.

Unlike previous generations when you went outside to play at the first chance and came inside "when the streetlights came on", it is an effort to get these kids to spend time outside. I found a great new resource that is just starting out called "Nature for Kids". It is a blog and a discussion forum and additional resources all about just activities to do with kids in Nature. I just love the concept and I hope that it gets much more participation!

May I Have Your Weeds, Please?

2008-07-09T12:14:00.003-04:00

I don’t know whether it is my quest for a simpler life or the pain of the economy, but I have become very fascinated with the idea of foraging for food in my own back yard – or other people’s back yards as the case may be. I have discovered that all kinds of yard “weeds” are edible and also have a lot of nutritional benefits. There are even organizations that are just dedicated to promoting this as a practice good for the environment.

For example, naturalist “Wildman” Steve Brill has a whole website dedicated to it. He includes tons of information on identifying plants that are edible and is working on a book for foraging with kids. An organization called Plants for a Future has a searchable database of edible plants with all kinds of information on uses of the plants and any hazards or warnings about their usage. It is an excellent free resource.

Some of the weeds I’ve tried so far…

Purslane – This is an exceptional weed. I love the taste of it (it is juicy and citrus-like). The leaves are high in Omega-3 Fatty acids and the stem is high in Vitamin C. I spotted some Purslane in a friend’s yard and transplanted it to my herb garden (as pictured). I would be very excited if it took off in my own yard! I’ve eaten this right off the stem and put it into my “Garden Weed Pesto”.

Dandelions- Everything about the dandelion is edible. The greens are even sold in stores like “Whole Foods” for use in salads or to be cooked like spinach. The flowers can be eaten in a salad or used to make wine. I also used the greens in my “Garden Weed Pesto”.

Wild Blackberry – We have some of this in the back yard (as well as the local park). The kids gathered some black berries and we tried to eat them with whipped cream. The flavor actually wasn’t that great. Maybe they weren’t ripe enough. I’m going to see if they are better cooked or in a fruit smoothie.

Things I’m going to try soon include clovers and oxalis. We have a ton of this and I’ve read you can cook it up the clover as you would spinach (oxalis should only be eaten in small quantities). Maybe I could make a nice weed quiche.

Some words of caution… There was just a story on the news today about a whole family that got sent to the hospital from poisoning due to insecticide on their mint leaves.

Don’t eat any foraged food that is from an area that may be exposed to insecticides, road salt (from snow), or any foreign chemical substances that you don’t know about.

Make sure to clean anything that you pluck from your yard thoroughly.

Make sure you can absolutely, positively identify something before you eat it. Many plants in your yard are poisonous.

I’m not sure that my neighbors appreciate the encouragement of clovers and dandelions in the yard. Good thing we don’t have a home owner’s association!

I Don't Like Structure & Cinderella

2008-06-11T10:06:00.003-04:00

So, I guess I don't like structure. I've been very reluctant to blog and then had blog guilt. This phenomenon was also described by Laura at Shortcake Stamps. So, I thought instead I will just write what I please when I please.

Anyway, I had to post about something that caught my eye. As I was making the 5th or 6th pass through my closet to continue the decluttering of my life I was thinking what can I do with these bridesmaid dresses? Many of them cost 100's of dollars and are very nice dresses, but just not my taste. So, in my research, I came across this organization called the Glass Slipper Project (http://www.glassslipperproject.org/). They take donations of gently used formal dresses and try to match them with prom-going high school students in Chicago who may not be able to afford them. I think I'll give that a try...

Take a Time Out

2008-02-06T09:33:00.000-05:00

One of the funniest video shorts I have seen in a long time is called "Time Out" by Robbie Chafitz. It was premiered at Sundance.

Did-You-Know the Best-Selling Personal Computer of All Time?

2008-02-06T09:15:00.000-05:00

As many computer geeks of my generation probably assume, it was the Commodore 64. This was the first introduction to computers that most GenXers had in their childhood. While it was a great vehicle for playing video games, the "Sony Playstation" of its time, it was also a good vehicle to program BASIC on or to run word processing software.

The C64, as it is called by the inner circle, is not the best computer for hacking into government defense systems. Instead, that would be the IMSAI 8080 microcomputer, as featured in the geek hero movie, War Games, starring Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy.

Geeky Things: A Cubicle Playset for Adults

2008-01-31T09:01:00.000-05:00

I know when I am very bored at work, I have always wanted to have a little cubicle playset of my very own to pass the time. In the spirit of Dilbert cartoons and Office Space, "The Cubes - Cubicle Playset" available at ThinkGeek. lets you enter the fantasy land that might be your very own job. Maybe you are not the "Unix" guy, maybe you have always been the "Windows" guy and you've just always wanted to be the "Unix" guy. Well, now you can PRETEND TO BE THAT GUY with your very own Cubicle Playset.

Did-You-Know What Company Filed the Largest Tax Return in History?

2008-01-30T08:32:00.001-05:00

It is almost February. Tax documents are arriving in the mail on a daily basis. If you feel overwhelmed by completing your taxes, imagine how it was for General Electric (GE) in 2006. They e-filed a tax return that, if printed, would have been 24,000 pages! According to the Tech Republic, this was the largest tax return ever filed. Talk about overwhelming.

Source: TechRepublic, Geek Trivia: A Tax to Grind

P.S. Can you believe there is a "Geek Trivia" newsletter? Lucky for me!

Structure

2008-01-29T14:12:00.000-05:00

I've spent this last year delving into the blogging world a little bit more and seeing how good ones work and organize themselves. I don't expect this one to be a "good one" - I mean it is just for fun for me, it really has no point other than my stream-of-conscious ramblings. My main goal with it right now is to get myself to write more and to write more freely - just in case something useful pops out while I'm not paying attention.

So, in that spirit of getting myself to write more, I think I may add some structure to the site as an experiment. I'm thinking about:

Know-It-All Mondays - Where I impart unsolicited advice to anyone who happens to stumble by about some random topic that I think I know everything about.
Did-You-Know Wednesdays- this would just be useless geeky trivial facts that I unearth and propagate
Geeky Things Fridays - This would be geeky things I've done, heard, or seen that make me smile and appreciate the geekiness in life.

So, I'm going to try this for a month or so and see how it goes.

One More Thing - A Book Thing

2008-01-16T13:06:00.000-05:00

This one is in the spirit of life simplification. As I have been trying to find good home for books I am ready to let go of, I came across this organization in Baltimore, MD: A Book Thing. It seems that the main point of their organization is to give books away for free to people who want them. What a great idea! They need book donations, especially children's books. They also need plastic grocery bags - and I'm always looking for a new home for those as well (although I have started using BAGGUs for grocery shopping to cut down on the use of plastic grocery bags).

So Cute.... Had to Share

2008-01-16T11:57:00.000-05:00

I came across the followin blog that I had to share for those of you who love working with Yarn. It is called the Mochimo Blog. This is a yarn artist who knits and crochets toys - lots of innovative work I had never seen before.

Also, she has incredible pictures of her MIL's yarn stash which is uunbelievable. As much as I would love to own that yarn - it is totally contrary to my "live simply" mantra for this year.

Accolades for Thrift Store Shopping

2007-12-03T11:44:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my wonderful sisters, I had the chance to rediscover my passion for Thrift Store shopping this weekend. DH was happy as well because the bags I took out of my house to drop off were bigger than the bags I brought into the house J. We all had our reasons for going – reducing our carbon footprint by reusing, looking for that clothing item that cannot be found in stores today, or just looking for a good bargain. I was specifically on the look out for replenishing my supply of turtlenecks and skirts.

I spent $50 total (thanks to tax-free DC day) and this is what I got:
· Camel-colored cotton turtleneck from the GAP
· Oatmeal wool turtleneck sweater from Old Navy
· White Wool turtleneck sweater from Limited
· Tweed wrap skirt from Express
· Wool-cashmere long gray skirt from Old Navy
· Long plaid pencil skirt
· Pair of Banana Republic Khaki Pants
· Pair of Carter’s athletic pants for my son

Back in my high school and college days, I got almost all of my clothing from Thrift Stores. Granted, it was in the days of grunge. But, what I loved about it is being able to find something that is fashionable, but that everyone else isn’t wearing right now. I love the hunt. I love sifting through endless racks of minimally sorted merchandise in order to find that item that is just right for my wardrobe. I love finding a classic vintage item that with a few simple alterations can be brought up-to-date and become a one-of-a-kind unique apparel.

And although I have not done this yet, on my list is to find not-so-great sweaters that are made out of great yarn and recycle the yarn to support my knitting and crochet habit. I found some great instructions online. I especially like the picture on the instructions because for some unknown reason, it has the VHS of “Some Kind of Wonderful” in the photograph, which is one of my favorite movies.

Happy Hunting!

Vindicated?

2007-11-30T09:48:00.000-05:00

Charles Krauthammer has an excellent op-ed piece in the Washington Post regarding the new discoveries regarding manipulating stem cell from human skin cells. To quote:

Bush got it right. Not because he necessarily drew the line in the right place. I have long argued that a better line might have been drawn... But what Bush got right was to insist, in the face of enormous popular and scientific opposition, on drawing a line at all, on requiring that scientific imperative be balanced by moral considerations.

There is so little that Bush has gotten right in his presidency. This is one thing for which he deserves great praise. Technology and advancement should never come about by devaluing human life or by valuing the lives of those in th present so much more above the lives of those in the future.

Bears ARE Alive!

2007-11-13T18:39:00.000-05:00

When I was younger, someone in my family (I can't remember who) received a gift of a wonderful exercise audio tape for children. Based on the music of the Bee Gees, this "Bearobics" audio tape had teddy bears singing to Bee Gees hits with words adapted for the Teddy Bear band, the "Bear Gees". I loved this tape. How can you not love such classics as:

"Bears Are Alive" (ah, ah, ah, ah, Bears are Alive, Bears are Alive)
"Disco Teddy Bear" (do disco Teddy Bear, You know how to do it)
"Teddy Bear Love" (it's Teddy Bear Love, it's Teddy Bear Love, we really need to love)

I loved this tape (if you cannot decipher this already). So, I was discussing this with my childhood friend during a playdate and she prompted me to look online for it (Thanks, Millie!) I had tried this many times in the past with no luck. This time, though, there was a single auction on eBay for the audio tape in excellent condition. I "Bought It Now" right away.

I cannot wait to post up a song!!!

Ever Felt Silenced By Your University?

2007-09-20T22:39:00.000-04:00

Well, I certainly did. I remember during RA training and throughout my whole experience of being an RA that I was chastised for having a differing point-of-view than the extremely rich yet socially liberal majority. And I went to an extremely conservative college as far as non-religious colleges go. I think I'm probably not the only one who has had this experience.

Someone I know from college has created a documentary on the topic called Indoctrinate U. I have seen much of his other work on You Tube and it is pretty hilarious. This documentary is screening at the Kennedy Center on September 28th and I can't wait to see it. It is something I feel so strongly about that I am sure I will have a something to blog about after it premieres!

Which Harry Potter Character Are You?

2007-09-04T14:45:00.001-04:00

http://piratemonkeysinc.com/quiz.php

Looks like I am Minerva McGonagall. ENTJ. Is she a super geek know it all to? I wouldn't describe her as geeky, but know-it-all, surely.

Who are you?

Deep Thoughts

2007-08-13T22:52:00.000-04:00

"You know, Daddy, some people just don't like green eggs and ham."

Ms. Bliss

2007-08-06T15:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, as I was watching Cinderella with my toddlers, I remarked to my husband that the ugly step sister, Anastasia, sounded a lot like Smurfette. Today I received an IM from my husband which stated "Lucille Bliss played both Smurfette and Anastasia". Now this represents two things. 1. My husband and I clearly don't have enough real work today. 2. You can get all your questions answered on the Internet.

I thought, "wow, Cinderella and Smurfette were decades apart, this woman must have been doing cartoon voices for a long time". So, I took this a step further and looked up Lucille Bliss on Wikipedia. It took all of 30 seconds for me to learn that Lucille Bliss, a woman in her early 90s, has been actively working as a voice actor from 1950 through 2005 and has been a part of some of my favorite movies and TV shows including "The Smurfs" and "The Secret of NIMH". With a quick 45 second jump to IMDB, I learned that her Cinderella voice work was uncredited in the movie. How would I ever have known this without the Internet? Can you remember the days when if you didn't know an answer to something you just had to accept it? Can you remember a time when you had a question about some trivial minutia and you just had to accept not knowing the answer? It seems so distant and archaic.

I just love the Internet.

Freecycle

2007-07-24T09:31:00.000-04:00

I just have to put in a plug for Freecycle. I think it is the best thing ever.Whether you are sending something you don't need anymore to a good home, or requesting something that you need very much and someone else may be able to part with, it is a win-win situation!

Everyone should go and join their local group now: http://www.freecycle.org.

Smile.

2007-07-23T10:27:00.000-04:00

This Monday morning, as I am sluggishly driving into my parking lot under my office building – no make-up, no coffee - I flash my I.D. badge at the security guard as routine and policy dictates. Before the guard will grant me the wave that acknowledges I am free and clear to pass through the check mark, he looks at me disapprovingly, uses his two forefingers to draw a semi-circle upwards from his chin and commands me to “smile.” So, I begrudgingly grant him a small curve of the lips which I intend to imply not that I am happy, but that I am doing this only so he will leave me alone and let me pass without incident. As soon as I am out of his sight, my lips return to their comfortable pursed and intent position.

Why is it that men (and it is always men) feel the need to tell young women to smile. Is it our job to walk around with an artificial cheery disposition from the moment we awake for their viewing pleasure?

In the appropriate situation, I am all in favor of smiles. A smile is a wonderful thing, an expression of joy. But it should come from a sincere place: a smile reflecting happiness on a sunny spring day, a warm and reassuring smile to a stranger as you hold the elevator for them, a smile because it is Friday afternoon and you are free to enjoy the lovely weekend.

But in the appropriate situation, I am all in favor of not smiling. Whether it is a moment of deep deliberation regarding the state of your cash flow, or a time of mourning after finishing the last page of the 7th Harry Potter book, or simply because it is Monday morning and your weekend is over and you have not yet had your coffee…

Two Things

2007-07-10T14:45:00.000-04:00

I just received this link for a little game called "Two Things". The concept is that every topic can be summed up to two main points. It is pretty funny...

http://www.csun.edu/~dgw61315/thetwothings.html

Here is mine. What's yours?

Two Things About Love
1. You can't get too much
2. You can't give too much

Carmen

All Wet

2007-07-03T14:50:00.000-04:00

I've been to so many showers, weddings, etc. that I am soaked! I actually love showers. I love celebrating these monumental and happy times in people's lives. I love sitting around eating finger food and sipping coffee. I love watching the showeree open up the same diaper champ and boppy pillow that I have seen so many times before.

That part I don't like is getting through that awkward planning process. This is when all the ladies close to the showeree attempt to work together to plan a nice event without stepping on toes or offending each other. Don't get me wrong, I love planning in general. I could plan all day long (in fact, that's my job, it's what I do all day). It is the awkwardness of dividing the responsibilities and agreeing on an approach between all the opinionated ladies involved that I don't enjoy.

The whole process makes me feel like I am back in school working on a group project. You all want to get an "A", but you all want to get it your own way. Some people want to work on it 24-hours a day, some people want to throw something together. It is never much fun and most of us would just rather do it ourselves. And all this negotiation, biting our tongues, pushing our agendas happens in short interspersed emails or distant phone conversations. "I was thinking of hand-knitting baby booties and filling them with bottle-shaped candies for the favors" "OK, that's fine.... I guess... I was thinking of making my own paper, forming it into a box, hand stamping it and putting in a single Godiva truffle." "That's OK, too..." "Well, whatever you want is okay." Blah, blah blah...

I may just not play nice with others. All I know, is I will be happy when planning season is all done and I get to enjoy all the new babies and couples that we have sprinkled with love.

No More Braces for Me!!

2007-05-22T10:06:00.000-04:00

After 6 1/2 years, my braces are finally off!!! We just eventually gave up that my stubborn roots would ever move where they needed to go. So, while I don't have the straightest teeth in the world, I am very glad not to be a metal mouth anymore.

This was my second round with braces. I had them in elementary school as well. That round ended thanks to a very powerful "Sugar Daddy" from Tricia's Candy Kitchen. This time, I left removal up to the experts.

Now, once I get a bridge in place, I should have a full set of moderately straight teeth and I can finally get that family portrait I have been putting off for so many years.

Geek Couple at Work

2007-03-27T10:17:00.000-04:00

Yes, I IM with my husband from time to time while we are at work. Here is an example of how geeky we are:

Husband: Here's a brain teaser for you.
Husband: 1=5, 2=25, 3=125, 4=625, 5=??
Sent at 10:05 AM on Tuesday
Me: Oh come on
That is too easy
3125
Husband: Or is it...
I didn't ask for the next number in the series. If you look back 1=5 therfore 5 must = 1
Me: Assuming it was an equation
Assuming it was pattern matching, or an equation to solve
If it is pattern matching, that is the wrong answer
If it is a mathematical problem, that is the right answer
Even then it is not the right answer. In math 5 cannot equal 1
The whole premise of the question is flawed if it is not a pattern matching question.
Husband: Someone sounds bitter.
an even worse answer would be ? since it also said 5=? but I won't go there.
Also there are no units shown 1 can equal 5 depending on the units.
Me: I'm not bitter, just right
If no units are shown, there are no units.
Husband: You're right. Also if the units are different than they are not equal they are equivilant.
Me: who gave you this "brain teaser" you should harrass them
Husband: Coworker. I will
BTW. I answered the same as you.
Me: Good, because that is correct :)

Sums up our entire relationship.

New Year Resolutions

2007-01-17T11:15:00.000-05:00

Stop Procrastinating (clearly I do not have a good start with this one since I am doing this well after New Year's)
Be a better hostess
Write more letters
Spend more time outside
Organize my bedroom
Deal with my crisis of faith

Mommy

2006-12-27T16:01:00.000-05:00

During this Christmas break, I had the chance to spend a good deal of time with my children, which was wonderful. Children have a way of making you feel so loved and so needed. This is a wonderful thing, but at times this is also overwhelming. All weekend I heard three crying voices
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"
"I need you, Mommy!"
"Look, Mommy!"
"Mommy, What's That?"
"Mommy, it's a cow."

I was feeling like I didn't want to be needed, like I just wanted some time to myself. I didn't want to hear "Mommy." But then, I heard something I hadn't before. "Mom, I need a drink of water, Mom."

Since when did my soon-to-be-4-year-old make a switch from "Mommy" to "Mom". Not only did he use it this once, but he seemd to be intentionally making the switch. "Mommy, I'm... MOM, I'm all done."

I was surprised at how I reacted. I felt heartbroken. This represented some kind of a milestone in his life, his growing independence. I was expecting this from a teenager, maybe a 10-year-old - not a 4-year-old!

Now I will cherish every time he slips up and lets out a "Mommy, I need you."

My Quest for Automation

2006-11-06T11:05:00.000-05:00

How do I know that I am a super geek? Well let me just tell you about the ways I automate my life. I built a database application to plan my wedding. I built software to track all of my contacts, addresses, christmas card lists, remind me of birthdays and the names of my friends's children. I made an application for tracking my recipes, meal plans, generating a weekly menu, and generatting my grocery shopping list.

Now, I don't have my curtains and lights hooked up to a single remote control as some of my geeky electrical engineering friends, but that is only because I don't know how.

I believe that everything that can be automated, should be automated. I would love it if my refrigerator could automatically detect when food has gone bad and throw it out for me. It should buy me a replacement while its at it.

What is such a paradox about who I am is that at the same time, I prefer to make my own candles, crochet my own afghan, and hand craft my own birthday cards. Clearly, it is much less efficient to do these things by hand when there is mass production equipment out there to do these things more quickly and more cheaply.

Maybe it is not such a paradox after all. Maybe I just like to make things. Maybe creating a Meal Planning software is just an electronic manifestation of my need to do crafts. Maybe writing a VBA procedure to email me my grocery list is not so different from figuring out how to do a dcfps (double crochet front post stitch).

Smalltalk

2006-11-03T12:59:00.000-05:00

What do you think employees talk about on the elevator ride at the National Weather Service?

Total Cost of Ownership

2006-11-03T08:32:00.000-05:00

In the past few years, I have evolved in a new approach to buying clothes. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Maybe this is coming from my years of software development and evaluating every design decision on how it will affect maintenance cost of the software. Now, when making fashion design choices, instead of just looking at the price tag, I look at the "care" tag.

If it has a "Dry Clean Only", I think "I have to add $8 a month onto my total cost of ownership. Now, this wool suit that is on sale for $60 doesn't look like such a great deal if it will cost me $156 in the first year. If a sweater says "Hand Wash Only", I think about the opportunity cost of owning these clothes. That is 1 hour a month that I can't spend with my kids just to own this piece of clothing. Since 1 hour with my kids is priceless, I guess it makes this sweater more than I have in the bank. Okay, I am taking this to the extreme here.

My favorite solution to these TCO woes is the wash and wear suit. These have popped up all over the place lately. You can get a perfectly good suit with lining and all that you can just throw in the washer and dryer. It is the best! I've found them at JC Penney's, Kohls, and some catalogues. I will have to see how fast they depreciate. That could affect my whole TCO calculation!

This whole TCO perspective does making shopping a little more complicated. Maybe that's a good thing because one thing I'm sure I don't need is any incentives to go shopping.

Bloggers Block

2006-11-03T08:29:00.000-05:00

I know I have been completely inactive lately. The truth is that I've had bloggers block. (And I had only just gotten started!)

I dwell on "Is what I am saying worthwhile?" "Will it be held against me later in my life?" "Am I going to offend?"

Which is wierd because maybe only one or two people are actually reading this.

Anyway, I'm going to try again and see how it goes.

"I'd Shoot Myself" and Other Truths We Don't Need to Hear

2006-07-01T23:10:00.000-04:00

So, today I am sitting at McDonald's with my three wonderful children enjoying a nice healthy meal when in walk three seemingly nice old ladies. The conversation goes as usual.
-"Are they triplets?"
"No, twins and a 3-year-old."
-"This one has brown eyes and this one has blue eyes."
"Yep"
-"They must be a handful."
"Yep."
Then, as they were walking away, one of the ladies says "I'd shoot myself!" Now, is this supposed to be some kind of a dig or some kind of a compliment? Why does this person feel that it is acceptable to say in not so many words: "I'd hate to have your life." In front of my three little angels no less.

This appears to be the same flavor of person that walks into my office and tells me "You look tired today." Thanks. What in God's name makes you think that I want to hear this first thing in the morning? Especially if I am tired! There are some truths that don't need to be pointed out.

What ever happened to the little white lie? Or better yet - if you don't have something nice to say, say nothing at all. I don't know about you, but I don't need to hear an unsolicited "What happened to your hair?" I wish these self-appointed truth-tellers would show a little restraint and keep their thoughts to themselves.

Wedding Advice

2006-06-28T12:41:00.000-04:00

This is some wedding advice that I recently sent to a dear friend...

Enjoy the Process. You only get to do this once. You will always remember it. Allow yourself the time to linger through bridal shops, taste cakes, and smell the flowers. Knowing you, time is your most precious commodity. When you are setting your budget, make sure to budget yourself time; time that you can spend without feeling like you should be working on lesson plans or research or cleaning or working out.

You will not be able to please everyone. Especially your mother. Regardless of what you do, some people are going to be unhappy. Whether they don't look good in the "green" which was your color of choice for bridesmaid dresses, or they find it inconvenient to travel to the cape for a weekend, or they don't agree with your menu - people are going to diapprove of some of your choices for the wedding. This will be especially true for your mother - for any mother. It is inevitable. Expect it. Accept it. Find a way to cope with it and not let it get you down.

No matter what you choose, your bridesmaids will probably not wear the dress a second time. Everyone I know tries to find something pracitcal that "people will be able to use again". Maybe that happens once in a blue moon for one of the bridesmaids, but I haven't seen it yet. I would just focus on finding something you like that will look good in your pictures!

Remember it is just a wedding, your marriage is more important. Planning a wedding is so much work and it is such a big day, but you have to keep it in perspective. Regardless if you stain your dress, or the food is bad, or the weather is terrible - you will still be married that day, and that is the important thing.

Find a good photographer and find them early. In the end, this is what you will have to remember the wedding. You will hand these pictures down to your kids. Think about what's important to you: do I want lots of portraits? lots of candids? something artsy? do I want to spend lots of time posing? is it important that the photographer is not intrusive? do I want digital format to keep? black and white? etc. Good photographers always get booked far in advance.

Practice your hair in advance. Your hair will be in all those pictures forever. On the day of your wedding, you won't have time to make lots of changes. Try out your hairstyle in advance so you know you will like it.

Set a realistic budget for yourself and then don't feel guilty about the money you spend. Benchmark what other people "actually" spent. Give yourself a realistic budget and then grant yourself permission to spend that money without guilt.

Find some way to include your fiancee's parents in the process. I think this is one of the hardest things. There are so many things you want to do a particular way and then so many more demands on you from friends and family. Remember that you are becoming part of these people's family and that this event sets the stage in a lot of ways for how you will relate. Find out what is important to them and try to carve out a way for them to be involved that fits within your boundaries. Depending on their expectations, it can be a pretty tricky line to find, but it is important because they will not forget if they feel snubbed.

If you have expectations for other people, let them know. Don't assume that your bridesmaids will know that you didn't want a bachelorette party at strip clubs, but instead wanted a quiet weekend retreat. If you have something specific in mind, let people know. If you end up disappointed, nobody is going to feel good about the situation.

Write down a schedule for the "wedding weekend" and share it with all participants. Everybody will be happier knowing what to expect. It also gives you a reality check on your time line.

My Goals for This Blog

2006-06-27T21:25:00.000-04:00

Even though I mostly just started this blog because my sister had one, my type-A personality leads me to document my goals and objectives. I even feel compelled to make a bulleted list! I think I will try and write about any areas where I think I have something to add to the blogosphere

music,
geeky software stuff,
raising three boys,
politics,
making jewelry and crafts

... what have I left out?

My goal is to say something interesting with a little bit of humor. I would like to share a different perspective on the world in general...make myself think...challenge myself to present my ideas without pretention and arrogance, or, when I am in a lighter mood, just write about meaningless fun things like how to make whipped candles.

Just Getting Started

2006-06-27T21:00:00.000-04:00

I think I know so much. I guess it is time to start sharing it with the rest of you.