We had so much fun in Middle-of-Nowhere, AL for Memorial Day weekend, and now we're in Little Rock to visit with Mr. Geek's family on this Touch the Belly Roadtrip (as I've named it). I've still had time to find some awesome things on the internet, even though we've been so busy visiting :)
This X-wing is the world's largest (and most awesome) LEGO model // image via Web Urbanist
I love reading Miss Emma's cupcake reviews on A Pinch of Pixie Dust. It's awesome to see a guest poster get in on the action!
I really hate trendy diets, and it irks me to no end when people in my life get obsessed with them, so I loved reading this article on The Kitchn.
So, you know how I said I was going to read an easy, short book before finishing The Lord of the Rings trilogy?
Yeah, that didn't happen.
Mr. Geek received this book as a Christmas present from his dad, and he gobbled it up pretty quick. He told me it was pretty sad, and he seemed like he really wanted to talk about it, but he wanted me to read it first so I could experience it. When he first picked it up, he told me a little about the plot- and yeah, it's sad. It's about a man who works for a cleaning company that cleans up crime scenes after the cops have left and the bodies have been removed. His wife, a high school teacher, died about a year ago. The book follows him and his 11-year-old son as they cope with the loss of her.
Or don't cope.
I have been referring to this book as "The Saddest Book in the History of Sad"- Mr. Geek refers to it simply as "The Sad Book of Sad." You definitely need to hug someone after reading it.
I think books like this are meant to be shared. You can't just read this by yourself, put it down, walk away. You need someone else to read it, too, to experience it, and then together you talk about what it means, what it means to you, what it made you think and feel. That's why book clubs are so awesome- you all read the book at the same time and react at the same time. But sometimes book clubs can feel too academic, or sometimes too many ideas brought forth at once make it difficult to sort through and explore any one of them deeply enough. That's why I prefer to read a book and then pass it on to a friend, impatiently waiting for them to finish, then revel in a one-on-one dive into the far corners of the book, discovering things I may not have noticed on my read-through.
And now I have my best friend with me under the same roof, sharing the same bookshelf, introducing me to stories I may not have found on my own. And we can stay up all night lying next to each other and geeking out about minute details.
Or just plain cuddling, because after "The Saddest Book in the History of Sad," you just need to cuddle.
What did you read this month? Do you and your spouse read the same books? Have you ever joined a book club, or do you prefer your book talks one-on-one?
I don't have much to say today. We've spent this weekend with family, and I hope you have, too.
Enjoy your day off today, but remember the reason you're grilling burgers and swimming at the lake and day-drinking- remember those that made the ultimate sacrifice so you could enjoy your freedom.
We're here in sunny Alabama to celebrate the high school graduation of Baby Sis, which just boggles my mind. You know all those articles from Buzzfeed you see on Facebook all the time meant to remind you just how old you are if you were a kid in the 80s or 90s? They should add "the infant that you brought to show-and-tell in the first grade is now going to college." Yeah. I'm old.
I'm trying to do more of this, too, bunny... // via Cheezburger
I've always loved the idea of painting wooden stairs...and now I love the idea of wallpapering them! // photo by Sarah Moore Vintage / image via Apartment Therapy
People have strong opinions on sponsored content on blogs. What's your opinion?
Lulz, ModCloth- that's an awfully pretty hairstyle, but when we woke up at 0darkthirty yesterday to hop in the car for a 13-hour drive, the LAST thing I wanted to do was plug in a curling iron. Cute hairstyle? Yes. Road trip hairstyle? You're kidding, right?
Mr. Geek says that "a friend of his" misheard these lyrics...uh-huh...sure.
A couple weeks ago, I decided I really wanted to bake some blueberry muffins.
That's right, folks- we've reached the stage where the smell of cooking food no longer nauseates me!
Such Sweet Muffins
adapted from Paula Deen
Ingredients:
-2 C all-purpose flour
-2 Tbsp baking powder
-1/2 C sugar
-1 stick unsalted butter, melted
-1 egg, slightly beaten
-3/4 C milk
-1 C blueberries
-extra sugar
-First, look up the recipe on your computer. Then preheat the oven to 350F and spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray
-Combine the flour, baking powder, and sugar. You could use a sifter for this if you're fancy. I'm not fancy, so I just whisked the mixture. With a fork. In another bowl, combine the butter, egg, and milk. (Tip: let the melted butter cool a bit before mixing it with the egg, else you might end up with scrambled eggs- which are tasty, just not a good muffin ingredient.)
-Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry
-Stir with a spatula (or spoonula, if you're fancy) until just combined- lumps are okay! Over-mixing the batter can lead to tough or chewy muffins instead of light and fluffy ones.
-Mmm, blueberries. Paula calls for 1 1/2 C; 1 C was plenty for me. Add as many or as few as you'd like. Pretend not to notice your husband eating some directly from the carton before you know exactly how many you need.
-Gently fold in the berries- you don't want to squish them, and you also don't want to over-mix that batter!
-Scoop the batter into the cups of your muffin tin. Ideally, they should all be the same size (about 2/3 of the way full). I'm not a perfectionist.
-Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and sprinkle with just a pinch of sugar. You could use brown sugar for a streusel-y effect.
-Bake 10-15 minutes more, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool a bit in the pan, then turn them out onto a rack.
Funny names aside, these muffins aren't particularly sweet- hence the addition of the sugar topping. Even then, they're definitely more breakfast than dessert. I prefer my muffins hot, sliced down the middle with a swipe of butter. If you'd rather your muffin be a dessert, you can warm it up and top it with whipped cream, perhaps a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side as if it were shortcake... (Chief suggested this in the form of a craving the other night, but we didn't have vanilla ice cream. However I can attest that hot muffin + Cool Whip = amazing.)
*cough* So about that healthy eating...
Do you prefer your blueberry muffins on the sweet side or the could-be-construed-as-health-food side? Fellow moms- what are some weird things you craved during pregnancy?
Much love,
The Geeks
*all photos personal, taken by the lovely and talented Mr. Geek*
So remember when I said I wanted to try my hand at outfit posts? I've been kind of intimidated by the idea, but I think it could be a fun challenge and an interesting addition to the blog. I've actually done two little "fauxtoshoots" already, but the first was such an absolute FAIL that those pictures will (hopefully) never see the light of day. I'd just about given up on the idea- I am so not a fashion blogger, and who wants to look at a pregnant lady posing awkwardly?- and then I discovered the lovely and fabulous Maria and her blog Dainty & Decadent. She started her personal fashion blog to document her life and share her impeccable personal style. And then she got pregnant! She's still blogging photos of her perfectly-styled baby bump and she's just so charming to read. While Maria's style is different from my own, I'd like to say she inspired me to give this outfit photo thing a real shot.
These photos are nowhere near as gorgeous as hers, my hair is still awkwardly growing out, and I'm still trying to master basic things like posing and facial expressions, but I really liked this outfit and these shots didn't turn out too bad. Let's see what you think!
These photos were actually taken on Mother's Day- 14 weeks and 3 days, for anyone keeping track of the baby bump. We celebrated Mother's Day all weekend. Saturday, we had a little dinner-date at Reston Town Center, walked around and visited some of our favorite shops, then popped into Francesca's where I got to treat myself to a few necklaces, including this one. After that, we saw The Great Gatsby with some of our friends- it's a fantastic movie, by the way. Sunday, Mr. Geek had to work, but then we went to Mass in the evening and grabbed dinner at Ruby Tuesday, which my mom and I agree is the perfect after-Mass restaurant. When we got home, I got to unwrap my official Mother's Day present- that adorable t-shirt from Think Geek that says "Loading...Please Wait" on the belly that I mentioned earlier. (Somebody pays attention!)
Although the belly feels pretty huge nowadays, I'm pretty proud to say that none of the clothing in this outfit is maternity clothing. Yes, the only pair of jeans left that still fit are my super old, relaxed-fit "fat jeans", and you can totally see where the tank is bunching up under the sweater, but whatever. I'm not straining any seams, and I'm not wearing an elastic waistband!
So, what do you think? Way too awkward, or should I keep giving this a try? Fellow moms- how long into the pregnancy were you able to make "regular clothes" work?
Much love,
The Geeks
*all photos are personal, taken by the wonderfully talented Mr. Geek
If you're not a SYTYCD fan, this was not your week here on Our Geeky Adventure. Fortunately for you, my internet was also full of non-dance-related things this week!
These little lights might just be joining our home decor soon...// via ModCloth
It's the new poster for 'Catching Fire'!!!!! // via Hypable
Check out this month's worth of free or cheap dates for you and your spouse over on You and Me are We. I think Mr. Geek and I are going to have to try some of these...
Ever considered buying a wedding dress on Etsy? Check out Mrs. Gray Wolf's post about her experience!
We all know that the CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch is a giant douche who doesn't want his clothes to be worn by anyone that isn't thin, "cool", or rich. Let's help this campaign to give A&F clothes to homeless people without Mr. Douche getting a dime.
The outgoing commander of the ISS shot a music video for his cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity". IN SPACE.
What kind of non-dance-related things happened on your internet this week?
-MY FAVORITE SHOW EVAR is back for another awesome season!
-I have a tendency to visualize choreography when I hear a good song...and sometimes I associate songs with choreographers I would love to see create with that song
-Monday, I showed you the first half of my list of songs I'd like to see choreographed this season, and who I think would be up to the task
Time for more dance talk! Here are the rest of my fantasy picks for this season of SYTYCD:
Mia Michaels - contemporary - After the Storm Mumford and Sons
Mia has a knack for making me cry with her choreography- partially because she chooses such emotional, beautiful music. I've wanted her to create for a Mumford song for a while now- maybe this will be the season?
Lil' C - hip hop (krump) - Radioactive Imagine Dragons
I just think this song deserves an epic hip hop routine this season. And not just any kind of hip hop routine- an intense, athletic, stomp-a-hole-in-the-floor krump routine.
Jason Gilkison - waltz - I Put a Spell on You Screamin' Jay Hawkins
I've actually wanted to see a stylized waltz to this song since I first started watching SYTYCD. It could be a really fun character piece- a witch doctor a la Doctor Facilier (from The Princess and the Frog) and an unsuspecting debutante, or a vampire and Buffy! I've really liked Jason Gilkison's pieces the past few seasons- they're entertaining, but they're also technically challenging for the contestants, like Ordinary Day:
Tyce Diorio - broadway - Honey Honey cast of Mamma Mia
I love Tyce's energy when he works with dancers- he's so positive and excited and he gets the dancers to not just execute his choreography but to really become his characters, which is important in a musical theater routine. Sit Down, You're Rockin the Boat was the routine that solidified Katee as my favorite dancer of season 4:
Travis Wall - contemporary - Some Devil Dave Matthews
Some Devil is by far my favorite Dave Matthews album of all time- it's one I can just play all day long on repeat, not skipping any songs, going about my day in a better mood because Dave is providing the soundtrack. So couple an amazing song with the amazing choreography talents of Travis Wall and I figure we'd get an amazing routine :)
Dmitry Chaplin - latin ballroom - Feel This Moment Pitbull ft. Christina Aguilera
Confession time: I kind of hate Pitbull. Another confession: I kind of love this song. If anybody else is in the car with me, I change the channel when it comes on the radio. If I'm by myself...I crank it up and belt out Christina's part (even though I have a terrible singing voice). It's such a cheesy, over-the-top song that's trying so hard to be sexy...which makes it perfect for a latin ballroom routine. (But Dmitry doesn't have to try hard to be sexy.)
Did you watch last night's auditions? Do you have any songs you'd like to see on this season?
So You Think You Can Dance!!!!! -aka my all-time-favorite reality tv show. (Sorry, Heidi. It's not that I prefer Cat Deely to you- I don't- it's just that I prefer dance to fashion.)
While I love meeting so many talented dancers every season, the real appeal to the show, for me, is the choreography. I've never 100% been on board with the fact that it's the hunt for America's *favorite* dancer- you know, the most charming guy with the cutest smile or the girl with the quirkiest facial expression and most emotional back-story- because it detracts from what this is supposed to be- a dance competition. I understand why the show is set up that way, though. I mean first of all, most audience members calling and texting in their votes know nothing about dance technique and just like with American Idol (or, you know, American politics), when the general population votes for someone, the best person for the job won't be chosen, but, rather, the one who's most able to charm their way into your heart. And, for that matter, since this show is ultimately about getting a job for these dancers, it is rather true-to-life that the best dancer doesn't always win- because auditions are about standing out in some way to the judges, and that doesn't always mean having the best technique.
In my opinion, the people that deserve the most credit for getting the winners into the finale are the choreographers. Especially early in the season, when the audience doesn't know much about the contestants, most people are likely to vote for the dancers in the routine that entertained them the most. And while those dancers must work hard to execute those routines properly, the choreographers must create something that is inherently entertaining- movements that connect the dancers to their audience, to the music, to the story that they're telling. (Not that every piece has to tell a literal story, but again, when your audience is not composed of typical dance connoisseurs, it's easier for them to connect to two characters acting out a scene.) For me, the choreographers are the reason I keep coming back to this show.
So, I thought I'd have some fun in this little corner of the blogosphere this week by pairing up some of my favorite SYTYCD choreographers with music that I think they could create magic with.
Dave Scott - hip-hop (group number) - Can't Hold Us Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
The first time I heard this song- on one of those Microsoft Outlook commercials- my first thought was, "This would make a great group routine on SYTYCD..." (Okay, so I'm a bit obsessed. Whatever.) But seriously- it's fun and energetic, and a routine of 10 or 20 dancers that really fills the stage would be the perfect translation of this song into movement. I prefer Dave Scott's group numbers- like Warrior from season 6:
Sonya Tayeh - jazz (girl group number) - I Love It Icona Pop
This song has to make an appearance at some point on the show, if only because it's just so upbeat and quirky and...weird. You know who else is upbeat and quirky and weird? Sonya Tayeh, obviously. And while I love Sonya's couples pieces, I think this song is suited to a girls group routine (because for some reason it feels a little "girl power" to me. Anyone? No? Okay.) and she's worked magic with those routine's in the past, like for the girls of Season 8:
Tabitha and Napoleon - lyrical hip hop - Just Give Me a Reason P!nk ft. Nate Ruess
OK first of all, I adore this song. I'm not always the biggest fan of Pink (has she always spelled her name with an exclamation point?) but the way her and Nate's voices harmonize is just magic. And this one is just a no brainer- a hip hop routine about relationship issues? Obviously only one fantastic choreography duo fits the bill for this. Of course you remember Bleeding Love:
Tony Meredith and Melanie Lapatin - jive - Rock This Town The Stray Cats
I've gotta show some love to the ballroom choreographers on this show, too. And while I'd prefer to just call this style of dance "swing", the producers are all fancy and call it "jive." (Which I guess is technically accurate for the way they perform it on the show.) This song is on my personal swing dancing playlist, and I'm surprised it hasn't been used on the show yet. If anyone could put together an awesome routine for it, though, it would obviously be Tony and Melanie :)
Doriana Sanchez - disco - Cosmic Girl Jamiroquai
I will forever and always associate this song with the opening credits of the movie Center Stage, my all-time-favorite movie. That said, it boggles my mind that this song has never been used on SYTYCD- I realize disco isn't the most common dance style on the show, but it always provides a challenge for the dancers in terms of speed, precision, showmanship, and athleticism, and if they pull it off, the disco routine is the most entertaining of the evening.
Mandy Moore - jazz - Killer Queen Queen
I love Mandy Moore's awesome 80s jazz routines- and she seems to have a thing for Queen songs, so I'd love to see her have a go at one of my favorite Queen songs!
That's all for this post- check back on Wednesday for some more of my SYTYCD fantasy picks!
Are you going to watch the first round of auditions for this season of So You Think You Can Dance tomorrow night? Who is your favorite SYTYCD choreographer? What's your all-time-favorite SYTYCD routine?
This week's Oh, Internet... might feel a bit...educational. But just a little. Try not to let that bother you. Learning is awesome!
I definitely have to try out this DIY from A Jennuine Life!
I'm basically going to spend all summer in maxi dresses...maybe I should snag this one from ModCloth?
We don't know Lil Chief's gender yet, but we're already tossing around nursery ideas- rather gender-neutral nursery ideas. (If Chief is a girl, her room will NOT be pink.) This round-up of geeky mobiles over on Apartment Therapy has a few items that would be perfect in our current favorite theme...
The Syrian Electronic Army took control of The Onion's Twitter account recently. The Onion has since regained control of the account and published their own Syria-themed satire...
Personally, I think the point of Kickstarter is to give people a chance to create something great when they wouldn't otherwise get that chance- as in, non-celebrity people, as they already have money and connections. What do you think?
If you walk into your local mobile provider's store today (or Best Buy, if you prefer, you know, actual unbiased information) because it's time to upgrade your phone, you really only have two reasonable options:
The HTC One or the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Last weekend, I was faced with just such a choice. So what did I go for? Let's break down the options.
HTC has always been an underdog in the cell phone market- they make decent phones, but they've never been able to beat out the other major manufacturers. Some say it's because they spend nearly no money on advertising, whereas the other heavy-hitters throw all they have at clever commercials and brand recognition.
Slick advertising or no, this phone is a game changer for HTC. First of all, it's beautiful- a sleek, metal, one-piece design just looks...futuristic. That sounds cheesy, but it's true. Then it's got all the little bells and whistles to make it really stand out from the pack- front-facing speakers that really, honestly do make an amazing difference in sound quality, and brand-new camera technology that takes arguably the best pictures of any cell phone ever.
But there have to be cons, right?
Unfortunately, yes- and they're actually pretty big cons. Although this phone sports a 2300mAh battery, that battery is impossible to get to. Remember how I said it's beautiful? Well that solid case means you can't open it to replace the battery. Now, extreme optimists will tell you that it's highly unlikely that you'll ever have to replace a battery like this. I'm proof of this, actually- my HTC EVO 4G lasted 2 years on its battery. After one year, I thought it was starting to die and bought a replacement, but it never actually went kaput. So maybe I could make it to my next upgrade with no need for a replacement. But what if something happens? What if you've got some sort of faulty battery that poops out just after your warranty runs up? Or what if your phone sits in the sun for too long and overheats? How do you replace the battery? Well...you send it back to HTC and they charge you butt loads of money to replace it for you. Butt loads, I tell you.
But maybe you've never had a phone battery completely die out on you before, so you figure this one will be even better. Sounds like the perfect phone, right?
Well, there's one more con. For some ridiculous reason, this phone has no expandable storage. There is no micro-SD slot. You're stuck with the storage on the phone- not that 32GB is anything to snub your nose at, but still, if you need more room...tough luck. Sometimes "more room" isn't the issue, though. If a phone is completely destroyed- drowned in water, dropped from a great height, or smashed with a hammer- it's highly likely that among the wreckage, you'll be able to salvage the micro-SD card because it's so darn tiny. And then anything you've saved on it- photos or video clips that are probably not saved anywhere else- is also salvaged. Of course, the lack of expandable storage in the One is probably due to the fact that they expect everyone to use some sort of cloud storage nowadays and literally not store anything locally. So be sure to back up everything every time you snap a photo!
Now in my opinion, this is a beautiful phone. Apparently not beautiful enough for some, though. Gadget critics the internet over have stated time and time again that Samsung loses this round to HTC, and more often than not, they point to the aluminum case of the One over the plastic of the S4.
Well, I'm sorry folks, but I don't buy smartphones on looks alone- which is why I'm not an Apple person. (Although who am I kidding- iPhones aren't all that aesthetically pleasing either). So yeah, I'll settle for the "less-pretty" plastic if I have to.
Because frankly...I'm a sucker for a removable battery and expandable storage. It's that simple. I want to be able to change my battery if I absolutely have to- or even just pop it out if it feels like it's starting to get to hot- and I want to be able to save things to a memory card which can be removed and transferred to another device, in addition to cloud storage options.
Also, even though I lived for 2 years with HTC's version of Android...I like the Samsung flavor better. It's got fewer ridiculous hiccups and seems to be more customizable.
And the camera? It's a freaking cell phone camera- and it's good enough for me. I took some great pictures at a concert this weekend!
So yeah, spoilers- I bought the Samsung Galaxy S4. It's a wonderful size- huge screen, but it still fits comfortably in my tiny hand. It's wicked fast (did I just say wicked?) and just all-around...cool. AND I CAN POP IN A BIGGER STORAGE CARD ANY TIME I DAMN WELL PLEASE.
So, how about you- the One or the Galaxy S4? Or something else entirely?
Much love,
The Geeks
*This post is in no way sponsored by Samsung. I just really like my new phone!
I've missed the past two episodes of Doctor Who because I've spent the past two Saturdays out on a date with my husband, taking advantage of the time we have now to shop and see movies and go to concerts.
But I plan to catch up soon! (It's just that BBC America doesn't show reruns very often, and even then it's usually just the previous episode...I've got to figure out how to see Journey to the Center of the TARDIS this week!)
Chameleon Circuit is (was?) a band who writes songs about Doctor Who, featuring some of my favorite YouTube musicians. (Or musicians who happen to also be YouTubers. Whatever you want to call them.) Very clever stuff.
Are you watching this season of Doctor Who? What do you think of Clara? No spoilers!!
I was skeptical at first, but I think I want a Google Glass...just not quite yet. Give them a few years to work out the kinks...but the concept of a heads-up display for a smartphone is very intriguing. I wants it.
Starkid released the cast list for Twisted! Mr. Geek and I are contemplating a trip to Chicago to see this show live, though we didn't contribute to the Kickstarter. Guess we'll have to make up our minds quickly when general tickets go on sale!
The EFF has released this year's "Who Has Your Back?" results! Lulz, Verizon- you suuuuuck.
What awesomeness happened on your internet this week?
Much love,
The Geeks
Oh, Internet... is inspired by Kaelah Bee's Things I Love Thursday posts
