Answer Me This: Father's Day Edition

Time for more Answer Me This on this hot, sunny Father's Day.

1. What's the best thing about your dad?

back before my dad grew his woodsman beard

I'd say the best thing about my dad is that he will always stand by his convictions.  Mom has always called him her rock; he won't ever give up on what he believes.

That, and he's a pretty great Papaw.

2. What's the best thing about your kid's dad?

That's right, Chief.  He does rock

The best thing about Mr. Geek is that he is willing to do anything for his little family.  Walk around the house singing to a crying baby at 2 in the morning?  He'll do that.  Sleep on what was essentially a sheet of plywood wrapped in fabric (the "sofa" in the hospital recovery room)?  No problem.

More important than his willingness to get his hands dirty, though, is his devotion to this marriage as a true partnership.  He doesn't view looking after his daughter as "babysitting"; he doesn't see vacuuming the living room as going above and beyond.

3. What's the best advice your dad ever gave you?

It wasn't fashion advice, I can tell you that much.

It's not so much advice that he gave me, but rather a sort of philosophy to live by.

He told me that you choose who you love, and I always thought that was terribly unromantic.

But now I get what he was saying.  You might not always choose who you're initially attracted to, but you choose who you love, because love is a choice, an action- not a feeling.  I'm so glad I finally figured out what he was talking about, because it's the foundation we've built our marriage on.  My parents have had a strong, solid marriage for 29 years now; I feel like that's a pretty good relationship to imitate.

4. What's something you have in common with your dad?

That whole being firm in his convictions thing?  That tends to translate into stubbornness and inability to concede when he's maybe kinda sorta wrong.  I don't know anybody who inherited that trait from him.  Nope.  No idea.

5. What's the manliest thing you know how to do?

I don't really like this question, because it implies that any talent can be "manly" or "girlie".  The only truly "manly" activities in the world are things like peeing standing up, and the only truly "girlie" activities are things like giving birth.

But there are plenty of talents and abilities traditionally assigned to men, and I can do some of them, too.

The most "traditionally male" things I've ever done are as follows:

-graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering

-drive (and prefer) a manual transmission

-replace the headlight in my car

-fired a weapon at a shooting range for fun 

-work outside the home and bring in the larger paycheck

-and yeah, I've peed standing up once or twice

6. Who is your favorite fictional dad?

image by Warner Bros, via Harry Potter wikia

Arthur Weasley is not a perfect father- he tends to want to play "good cop" by threatening the kids with, "Wait until your mother hears about this!" as opposed to enforcing family rules himself- but he loves his wife and children and does whatever it takes to protect them.

Sometimes Mr. Geek and I are a little like Arthur and Molly.  I even dream of having 7 kids one day...

Head on over to Catholic All Year and link up your answers!

Much love,

The Geeks

Answer Me This is Back!

Catholic All Year is once again hosting her summer link-up series Answer Me This and I'm so excited to participate!  Let's jump right in:

1. Any big plans for the summer?

Out on the lake on our Memorial Day trip

This summer is going to be pretty low-key, with a few visits with family.  We officially kicked off summer with a trip to Alabama for Memorial Day.  Chief and I briefly visited Roanoke Saturday- a friend of mine had her bridal shower and Chief spent the afternoon with "Aunt Biz", my baby sister who has an internship at the Mill Mountain Zoo for the summer.  My other sister, who just got engaged, will be visiting at the end of the month to do some marriage prep and help her fiance find a new apartment (which will eventually be their apartment, next summer, so that's exciting) and then we're all heading back down to Roanoke for the Independence Day holiday.  I expect we'll visit Aunt Biz a couple more times in the month of July to keep her company, since the drive is so short from here.  Then we have a wedding here locally to attend at the beginning of August that I'm very much looking forward to- I love weddings, especially when I'm not the one planning them!  Other than that, I don't think we'll be doing much around here this summer, other than maybe throwing a couple of cookouts and dinner parties.

2. What's the strangest thing you believed as a child?

Honestly I can't really answer this question.  My parents were always pretty direct with us as kids about the way the world worked- they would explain things truthfully, though perhaps more simply and more "kid-friendly", but never an outright lie.  For example, the answer to the question, "Where do babies come from?" was something along the lines of "When a Mommy and a Daddy love each other very much, they pray very hard, and then God gives them a baby."  Which is true, if extremely simplistic.  I never believed you could get pregnant by kissing, nor did I believe Mommy ate the baby and that's how the baby got in her tummy.  My parents were pretty elaborate about Santa, though; we sometimes got handwritten notes from him, especially the year that I heard him delivering his gifts in the living room and got up to investigate.  We woke to a stern note from Mr Claus explaining that if I had seen him, he would've been forced to leave our house present-less- luckily for us, I've always been basically blind without my glasses, so I didn't see anyone in the dark and got straight back in bed.  I totally believed the threat, though.  Does that count?

Oh, how about this- I had an imaginary friend.  My aunt was a teenager, and one time she was talking to her friend Jacqueline on the phone and she let me talk to her.  I was maybe 6, and I don't know what I would've talked to this girl about but I loved telling people that I had spoken on the phone to a girl named Jacqueline, and recounting the details of the conversation.  The more times I told people about this grand event, the more complicated our conversation became, until finally somebody called me out- "We were standing right there, you didn't talk to Jacqueline about that."  That's because it was a different conversation with Jacqueline, you see.  We were best friends now, and we spoke on the phone all the time.  And when we moved, Jacqueline moved, too- right across the street from us.  I'm pretty sure she was a full-fledged imaginary friend who would play with me even though nobody else could see her.  So yeah, Jacqueline- that's the craziest thing I ever believed.

3. What is your favorite amusement park ride?

Was there ever a doubt?

Mission: Space at EPCOT is, hands down, the single coolest amusement park ride I've ever been on.  It's an incredible concept, it is a mastery of Imagineering, and every single detail, from the queue to the safety briefing to the ride itself, are completely spot on.  I'm so glad Mr. Geek refused to let me chicken out on him- this ride is amazing.

4. What's on your summer reading list?

image via Amazon

I have a nice big stack of books I've received as gifts since Christmas (maybe even earlier) and it's really time I got around to reading them.  This one is the top of the list.  I think I'll renew my reading-on-my-lunch-break habit.

5. Have you ever fallen asleep in public?

On planes, in cars, on buses, between classes at a dance convention, during a movie very, very late at night that was not as good as I'd hoped it'd be, at work....

Yeah, all the time.

We were joking earlier when Miss Chief proclaimed, "Mommy sleepy," that, yes, since the day I got pregnant- since the day I became Mommy- I have been sleepy.  It's a permanent state of being.

6. What is your favorite smell?

He smells pretty good, too

Ooh, that's a tough one.  Either brownies baking in the oven, or a freshly bathed baby.

Two of the absolute best smells in the world.

Head on over to Catholic All Year and give your answers!

Much love,
The Geeks

Answer Me This: Mommy Needs Her Wine

It's time for another edition of Answer Me This!

1. How did you get your name?

photo by my dad when I was...7?  younger?

 Uh...my parents gave it to me?

Lulz!

I'm named after a friend of my mom's who was killed by a drunk driver as a teenager.  I'm not sure where my middle name came from, to be honest, but I've always loved it and I used to say that if I became a performer, I'd go by my middle name.

2. Do you have a set time for prayer in your day?

at Chief's baptism when she was 3 weeks old (and we were very very tired)

  Sadly, no.  The only time I pray regularly every day is at meals.  I tend to lie in bed at night and think about all the things I have to get done the next day and worry that they won't get done, which I guess is kind of like praying.  I should work on that.

3. Did your mom work or stay home (or both)?

my favorite photo of my mom and me, taken by my dad when I was in middle school

 My mom stayed at home and worked incredibly hard.  In addition to wrangling the three of us, she watched the neighborhood kids for a few years when we lived in Kentucky.  She was also involved in everything- she was a PTA member, Girl Scout leader, youth group leader, marching band booster, dance mom, CCD teacher...everything.  We used to tease her that she was incapable of saying no, and that once she joined an organization, she wasn't finished until she was in charge.  My mom is the most incredible woman I've ever known, and I can only hope to be half the mom she is.

4. Do you vote?

Independence Day 2013

 In presidential elections and elections for Congress, but I'm more ambivalent about local elections.  I know, I know, I should probably care more about state government, but nowadays the thought of getting up early enough to vote before work is kind of intimidating.

5. What's your favorite drink?

baby's first wine festival!

 Right now I drink more water than anything else.  I'm still maybe 90% caffeine-free (I'll take the occasional soda if I'm at a fast food restaurant, but still no fully-caffeinated coffee) so I'm all about the decaf mocha every now and then.  But if we're talking adult beverages, pretty much the only thing I drink nowadays is wine.  My true favorite grown-up drink is still Maker's Mark and 7-Up (though if I'm ordering it at a bar like a hip young person, I have to settle for Sprite).

6. How are your photography skills?

Chief thinks I'm an okay photographer

 I'm getting better.  I only ever shoot on manual anymore, and I'm slowly learning how to manipulate all the settings.  Chief is definitely my primary subject nowadays, but she doesn't seem to mind.  (Although getting her to sit still for her monthly photo is becoming a challenge...)

Go on- give your answers and link up over at Catholic All Year!

Much love,
The Geeks

Answer Me This: Metro and Mars

It's been a few weeks, but once again I'm linking up over at Catholic All Year for her Answer Me This series.

1. How often do you take public transportation?

from our engagement photo session // photo via Emile Frey

 Not very often.  It's funny, because it's always been easy to tell people I live "in D.C." even though that's not true at all- we live out in the suburbs in Virginia.  But my family and friends back home have it in their heads that we live just steps from the White House, or something, so they're always baffled when I tell them that we never go into the District.  If we ever do, though, I will gladly add 30 minutes to the trip in order to take the Metro- I've only ever driven into D.C. once, and I don't intend to repeat the experience.

2. How many cousins do you have?

my cutest cousins // photo via One Photo Gallery

 I have 6 cousins on my mom's side (including these twin cuties you see above) and technically 8 on my dad's side (two are step-cousins, if that's a thing).  That's just first cousins, though.  My dad has a ton of cousins close to my age, and one of my cousins has a daughter, so she's technically a cousin, too.  And then some of my dads cousins have kids, who are also technically my cousins...I have a rather large extended family.  Mr. Geek, however, can count all of his first cousins on one hand.  (That's part of why we had everyone sit wherever they wanted at our wedding- because otherwise the church would have been incredibly lopsided.)

3. Have you ever fired a gun?

December 2008 ... back when I was skinny... // *personal photo*

 Yes!  In high school and college, my sister and I would go with our dad and Papaw to a shooting range with our uncle every Christmas to try our hand at his arsenal.  The trip to the range was available before high school, too, but when I was younger I preferred to hang with the women and do girly things instead of doing what I deemed to be a "boy" activity.  I'm not entirely sure I'm particularly good at it, but I am able to shoot and reload safely, so that's the most important part.  One of my "30 before 30" goals is to buy a handgun and get a concealed carry license- you know, while it's still legal...

4. Do you ride roller coasters?

any excuse to share our Disneymoon photos... // *personal photo*

 (So Mission: Space is technically not a roller coaster, but it is a thrill ride, and I consider that close enough.)

YES.  I love roller coasters!  When I was little, I refused to ride anything that went upside down, but in 5th grade my Girl Scout troop went to Hershey Park and I worked up the courage to ride the Sooper Dooper Looper and it's all been downhill (and uphill, and around corkscrews and upside down) fro there!

5. What's your favorite flower?

White roses, definitely.  Or whatever flower Mr. Geek brings home when he buys me "just because" flowers (which he does all the time!).

6. Are you allergic to anything?

Not as far as I know, thank heavens.  Well, I have the general seasonal allergies that everyone around here has, but of course I can't take any antihistamines right now (because of breastfeeding) so thankfully it's not too miserable.

Blog your answers and link up over at Catholic All Year!

Much love,
The Geeks

Answer Me This: Spicy Food

Once again, I'm linking up over at Catholic All Year for her Answer Me This series!

1. Do you have a land line?

Nope!  I haven't had a land line since I moved out of my parents' house.  And when my parents realized that the only people who called their land line were telemarketers, they got rid of theirs, too!  (That's one of the only 21st Century things they've ever done.)

2. What's your least favorite food?

I don't like spicy food of any kind.  My delicate tummy just can't handle it!

3. What's on your summer reading list?

I really want to finish the A Song of Ice and Fire series (or, you know, as much of the series as is currently published) this summer...hopefully that's not too ambitious?  I'm almost done with book 2, and June has just begun, so I may actually be able to finish by September!

4. Is there something that people consistently ask you for advice on?  What is it?

I'm not so sure people ask me for advice, necessarily, but people are constantly asking me parenting questions.  It tends to be childless people asking me these questions though- people who will likely be childless for quite a while, too.  It's more like an endless, one-sided game of trivial pursuit, where I'm quizzed on everything from from breastfeeding to bedtime routines.  I don't know if anyone will ever model their potential future parenting styles on what I've shared with them, but they keep asking, and I keep answering.

5. What's the most physically demanding thing you've ever done?

Well, based on what the recovery was like, I guess giving birth is the most physically demanding thing I've ever done.  Is that sad?  Millions of women give birth every day, and it's the most physically difficult thing I've ever done?  Does that make me a wimp?  Probably.

6. How do you feel about massages?

So, I really like the way my feet feel after Mr. Geek rubs them, but I don't particularly like receiving a foot massage.  I feel awkward and kind of guilty because he's touching my nasty feet!  And as far as shoulder and back massages are concerned...they end up hurting more than helping.  Not really a fan.

Blog your answers and link up over at Catholic All Year!

Much love,
The Geeks

Answer Me This: Of Slacking and Smartphones

Yeah, so, remember that one time when I told you that having a full-time job (being a mom), another full-time job (one that I get paid for), AND blogging 5 days a week is just a bit too much for my plate right now?  And I told you I'd cut it back to just 3 days a week because that would be more manageable?

And then I dropped off the face of the planet AGAIN almost immediately after telling you I wouldn't?

OOPS.  My bad.

I could make excuses, but I won't.  Basically, my dreams of turning this into a "monetized", serious, all-the-time (but not full-time) blog have been shattered recently.  But I won't let that bother me too bad.  From now on, I'll try my hardest to post 3 days a week, and I hope that those of you who are still interested in what I have to say will drop by on those 3 days and take a peek.  And if I don't show up on those days...try not to hate me for it, and I won't write long-winded apologies.  I'll just pick back up at the next available opportunity.

Like now.  With what's becoming my favorite link-up party.

1. Do you have a smart phone?

Yes, yes I do.  Mr. Geek has finally stopped mocking me about it, but I used to rant about how no one could possibly ever need a smart phone, why would you waste all your money on such a gimmick, I'd never buy one, blah blah blah... But that's probably because that ranting happened back when the iPhone was the cool kid on the block (because it was the ONLY kid on the block) and I was rightfully skeptical of all things Apple (and still am).  A few months after I started my big-kid job after college, when my parents' contract ended, I went to the Sprint store and bought the HTC Evo 4G while my parents and sisters all 'upgraded' to the next available flip phone (or Blackberry in my dad's case).  And then maybe a year ago (I think?  I can't remember any more) I traded it in for the Samsung Galaxy S4.  Mr. Geek had a first generation iPhone because his dad bought it (which I still mock him for) and then I bought him the Samsung Galaxy S2 for a birthday present and he just recently upgraded to the S5 which is a mind-blowing phone, I must say.  Neither one of us is necessarily a Google fanboy, we just hate Apple.  I really like the look of Windows Phone, but Sprint doesn't carry them.  (One day we'll probably succumb to the siren song of Verizon and its incredible coverage, but we're Sprint people because of the principle- the principle of unlimited data.)

I think it's important to note that I never owned a smart phone until I could purchase one myself and pay for the plan.  If "dumb phones" still exist when Chief is in high school, that's what we'll buy her- because I do see the utility in a teenager having a phone once she starts driving, but I don't see the point in said teenager having a $600 phone.

2. What is your favorite meal of the day?

It's funny, because I think breakfast food is my favorite genre (just go with it) of food, but I rarely ever get to eat proper breakfast food for breakfast.  During the week, my breakfast is a granola bar (or a protein bar) in the car on the drive in to work and then second breakfast is a cup of microwave oatmeal (because I'm still a breastfeeding mother and breastfeeding mothers, much like pregnant mothers, are hobbits).  But my favorite actual meal of the day is definitely dinner.  Dinner is when I get to go all-out with my fancy recipe experiments (though nowadays it's generally only on weekends) and dinner is the only meal we eat as a family.  Dinner is when Chief gets to taste new foods (banana, avocado, and egg yolk so far- the only one she doesn't like is banana).  And sometimes we eat breakfast for dinner, which is like the best of both worlds, so, yeah.

3. Shower or bath?

Shower, because it's faster.  I just don't have time to sit around and soak.  The only time I've ever preferred a bath is when I need to shave my legs, but now that I use those razors with the built-in soap instead of needing smelly pink shave cream, it's faster to do that standing up, too.  And since the master bathroom in this house only has a (tiny) shower, it's basically the only option- I'm not hanging out in the guest bathroom every night, especially if we have actual guests.

4. Think of a person you love.  How many days have you been in love with that person?

I'm writing this on Sunday (and it's posting on Sunday, so I can add it to the link-up) but it's technically Monday's post, so as of Monday 2 June 2014, I've been in love with Mr. Geek for 2199 days.  (Sunday 25 May 2008 was when I first told him I loved him...I think.  It's kind of fuzzy.)  I'm not one to remember things like the exact day we "became official" or whatever, but Memorial Day weekend 2008 was when I realized I was in love with him, and I'm pretty sure I vocalized it that Sunday.

5. What's the best church you've ever been inside?

*personal photo*

 I've been to Mass in the Vatican so...yeah, that wins.  Hands down.

6. Has anyone ever come to help you?

All the time!  My parents are about the most loving, helpful people I know.  They came to visit last summer, just after we signed the lease on this house, to help us finish unpacking our stuff and get everything all pretty.  My mom came back in October to throw the baby shower and buy all the last-minute things we needed before Chief arrived.  Then she came again the week before Chief got here to stay for an entire month, helping with last-minute baby prep, labor and delivery, and Chief's first month in our little house.  Then she came to visit again in January, just before I went back to work, to give Mr. Geek and I some date nights, help us practice leaving Chief with someone, and help me get ready to go back to work.  Of course, Mr. Geek's parents have been immensely helpful, too- his mom stayed with us the whole month of November as well, and she came to visit a few months ago and helped us clean this house that is too often neglected.  And his dad constantly showers us with gifts and has also come to visit to help with Chief.  Basically, when you have a baby, everybody wants to show you how much they love you.

Head over to Catholic All Year and share your answers to these questions!!

Much love,
The Geeks

Answer Me This: Crybabies

Time to link up over at Catholic All Year again!

1. Are you becoming your mother?

my favorite picture of my mom and me, taken when my parents were dropping me off at a summer camp in middle school // *photo by my dad*

Let's be honest- I became my mother a very long time ago.  I carry a huge purse filled with everything anyone could possibly need, and I routinely lose my keys in its depths.  When I say goodbye to people, I tag on, "Be safe!"  I drive slow, and I talk to the drivers of other cars, as if they could hear me.  Also, I'm losing my mind.  So yeah, I've become my mother.

  2. Coffee or tea?

getting some caffeine before the Easter Vigil when Mr Geek came into full communion with the Church / April 2012 // *personal photo*

 Coffee, definitely.  My go-to is a sugary espresso drink at Starbucks, but I've had to stick to decaf since I got pregnant.  (I'm interested to see what happens to me the first time I suck down some espresso again once Chief is done with breast milk...)  Mr Geek found a tutorial on the internet for how to make your own foamed milk without one of those fancy milk-foaming machines, so he likes to whip up fancy schmancy lattes on Sunday mornings.  While I was pregnant, I would sip on some Sleepy Time tea to help me de-stress, but I was never that impressed with it.  I also turned to English breakfast tea when I needed a pick-me-up during pregnancy, since it has much less caffeine than coffee, but I don't even drink that anymore.  And then, of course, there's Mother's Milk tea, which, let's face it, is NASTY, but I drink it anyway- generally only 1 cup a day, even though you need like 6 for it to be truly effective- though I have to stir in a ton of honey to make it palatable.  I definitely prefer my tea iced and super sweet, with a wedge of lemon.

3. What foreign country would you like to visit?

Rome, from the rooftop of my hotel at breakfast / 15 September 2012 // *personal photo*

 I'd love to spend some time in England, and I really, really want to visit the Holy Land.  Mostly, I want to go back to Italy, this time with my husband and daughter instead of a handful of coworkers that I don't particularly like.

4. Do you cry easily?

 Did I have to put this book down and walk away for a few hours before I finished it so I could regain control of my emotions?

Yes, yes I did.  And yes, the trailer makes me all teary-eyed every time I watch it, so I will probably be an embarrassing mess when we see this in theaters.

5. How often do you wear heels?

my sister/MOH helping me with my shoes on the wedding day / 10 November 2012 // *photo by One Photo Gallery*

 Um, I wore flats on my wedding day, so...rarely.  I wear heels extremely rarely.  This is mainly due to the fact that sometime around 2012 my arches decided to fall and wearing heels / standing on my toes for any significant period of time became not just uncomfortable but down right painful.  I have a pair of sensible, low nude heels and a pair of sensible, low black heels for when they are absolutely necessary (that is, when I want to feel fancy) but I can't really manage the properly high heels in my closet anymore (I'm just too nostalgic to get rid of them).

6. Do you play an instrument?

playing the bongos in Epcot on our honeymoon // *personal photo*

 Ha, nope.  My sisters took all the musical talents in our family (both in marching band, a drummer and a trumpet-er) but I think it's fair to say that I'm the better dancer of the three of us, so at least I have good rhythm.  My Grandma would often remark about my long, thin fingers when I was younger and suggest I take piano lessons, but after learning "Heart and Soul" on her piano, I lost interest in the instrument.  I'm decent at the drums on Rock Band (though I suck at the guitar).

Go answer these questions on your blog and add yourself to the link-up!

Much love,
The Geeks

Answer Me This: He is Risen. He is Risen indeed.

Hey folks!  I've found another link-up to join over at the wonderful Catholic All Year.  Each week, she posts some random questions and gets people to link up their answers!  This should be fun :)

1. What did you and your family wear to Mass on Easter Sunday?

I am apparently incapable of capturing a good family photo, but here's the best one of yesterday's photo shoot:

*personal photo*

Saturday I took Chief to Reston Town Center, armed with a hefty Anthropologie gift card, in the hopes of snagging a super-last-minute Easter dress for me.  And then I remembered- I can't wear dresses right now.  There are very few nursing-friendly silhouettes out there- fewer still that are flattering to my short, chubby post-partum body- so I had to go the skirt-and-top route.  It's a cute outfit, but I just couldn't help but feel like I was late for a meeting or something all day, or that I was about to go give a briefing.

2. Easter Bunny: thumbs up or thumbs down?

Thumbs up.  I know it's popular right now for Christian parents to take all the fun out of childhood, but I figure it's nice to have a scapegoat for when you want to buy your kids presents that are either expensive or exactly what they've been asking for (or otherwise things they don't strictly *need*).  By the time they're old enough to figure out that these magical gift-bearing beings are not real, they're not spoiled and don't expect Mommy and Daddy to buy the super awesome toy that they just have to have right now.  We're not going to teach Chief and her future siblings that the point of Easter is to wake up and find baskets full of candy and toys, but we are going to teach them that Easter is a celebration.  And Mommy celebrates with Reese's eggs.

3. Do you prefer to celebrate holidays at your own house or at someone else's house?

Since Chief arrived, we've celebrated every holiday here in our little home.  (That's because we haven't traveled at all since she got here, period.)  Everyone converged on our house for Thanksgiving (and we went to Ruby Tuesday, which was weird, but at least there were no dirty dishes!), and we spent Christmas and Easter here by ourselves, just the three of us.  Since we're still figuring out how to be a family, it's been really nice to come up with our own traditions all by ourselves without the need to play host and have a clean house and cook a fancy meal.  It was really weird spending Christmas without my parents, though, for the first time ever.

4. What is your favorite kind of candy?

Reese's eggs.  'Nuff said.

5. Do you like video games?

I like video games...but I'm not very good at them.  Growing up, we never had a game system because- I kid you not- my parents said that they were afraid they would spend all their time playing it.  What?  Apparently, when they were dating, they would often commandeer my uncle's Nintendo for hours on end.  We had Game Boys eventually, but I never found the cramped fingers and the tiny screen that much fun.  So by the time I started dating Mr. Geek in college and he wanted to teach me to play Halo, I had no video game skills to speak of; I made it through an entire match with 0 kills.  We have a Wii (not a Wii U because that's stupid) and an XBOX 360 (with a dead optical drive, so it's basically our Netflix Machine) with Kinect currently in our house.  Mr. Geek is what you might call a serious gamer; since the optical drive died on the XBOX, he's been stuck with XBOX Live games (he downloads each month's free game).  He's always up for a round of Super Mario Bros, however, and after playing through the whole game several times, I'm finally pretty good at it!

6. Do you speak another language?

I got a 3 on the French AP exam senior year of high school.  (Out of 5.  A "passing" score is a 3, 4 or 5- that is, most colleges will offer you credit for those scores.  Virginia Tech's College of Engineering just wanted you to take 3 years of a foreign language in high school in order to place out of language, so I didn't need the credit anyway.)  If I get bored at work, I pull up French news sites to see how much I can read.  (I'm talking really, really bored.)  Does that count?

Go answer these questions on your blog and add yourself to the link up!

Much love,
The Geeks