Oh, Internet... {70}

I don't know about you, but I'm itching for another vacation.

To substitute, I took a little vacation on the internet this week.  Here's where I went:

Catholic All Year shared a SUPER awesome overview of the Catholic faith

Petite Panoply is fabulous as always.

Molly Makes Do made an adorable Doctor Who skirt for herself (and jammies for her son!) and now I'm itching to make something from my ridiculous fabric stash!

Make It and Love It introduced me to the wonders of Craftsy- I'm going to look at some photography classes!

A Beautiful Mess talked about how to chose a color story for your home.

Bean In Love made re-upholstering chairs look super easy...almost deceptively so...

Infarrantly Creative shared an incredible makeover for a cheesy old chandelier.

Where did you go on the internet this week?

What are some of your favorite blogs?

Much love,
The Geeks

Bookish Adventures: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

It's been a while since I've done a book review here- a long while.  But I finally have time to read again, and although I'm not shooting for one book a month like I was way back in 2013, I do figure I can share my thoughts on what I read here, from time to time.

*personal photo*

I had never read any of Neil Gaiman's work.  I've seen Coraline and I've seen Stardust and I've obviously seen the episodes he's written for Doctor Who, but I've never taken the time to sit down and read any of his books.

I don't know how he knew- I didn't specifically mention Neil Gaiman as an author I'm interested in- but Mr Geek got this for me for Christmas when I had been dying to read it for some time now.  When he asked me what sorts of books I might like, I mentioned the series I had started but not finished- Divergent and The Mortal Instruments, to be specific.  But I think he secretly wants to pull me out of the rabbit hole that is YA literature I've fallen into since graduating college- or at least out of the more cliched bits of YA because, as someone famous once said, it seems we use the term "young adult fiction" to describe books that we actually enjoy reading.  But somehow Mr Geek knew that this was the sort of book that would satisfy my taste for sci-fi/fantasy and coming-of-age stories without being too terribly juvenile, and boy was he right.

This book is beautiful.  It's a little scary, in the way that Coraline is a little scary, and it's a little convoluted at times, in the way that Doctor Who is convoluted at times, but mostly it's just beautiful.  It's interesting- now that I'm a mother, I find it very difficult to read stories or watch movies where children are left on their own to get into dangerous situations.  Even though the stories would never get interesting if these children were not left to go on adventures, I can't help but sit there and wonder, "Where is his mother through all of this?!"  And it's equally heart-wrenching for me to read about children who feel neglected or unloved or alone- it makes me want to go grab Chief out of her crib and hold her tight and never let her go (because obviously I only have time to read when she's asleep).  But, of course, our protagonist would never learn anything about the world or about himself if he were not allowed to encounter danger, and he would never have the opportunity to be so very, very brave if he started out the story feeling secure and loved and whole, so eventually I am able to forget my annoyance with his parents- or at least push it to the side- and become engrossed in his adventures.

I think my favorite part of this book is the way the details unfold slowly- Gaiman only gives you information when you strictly need it, not all at once, and the boy's name is never actually revealed, he's just "I" and "me" the whole time, so that you can perfectly inject yourself into his brain and see the world through his eyes.  It is not readily apparent from the novel's opening that anything particularly fantastic is about to happen, although the title leads one to believe that there is at least a bit of whimsy in store.

I really don't want to spoil anything for you if you have not read it- least of all delicately unfolding plot or the truths about life that it reveals- so the only other thing I will say is that reading this book has confirmed for me that I need to go out, right now, and acquire every piece of fiction Neil Gaiman has ever penned and then try to control my appetite so that I don't gobble it up too quickly.

Have you read this beautiful book?  What did you think?  What have you read lately?

Much love,
The Geeks

Guilty Pleasure

I'd like to say I have pretty discerning tastes when it comes to the television I watch.  You can divide pretty much everything I watch into three categories: Educational, Skills Competitions, and Shows That Make You Think.

On the Educational front, I watch a lot of cooking shows and home renovation shows- mainly cooking shows, though.  I've been obsessed with Food Network since I discovered my love for cooking right before I left for college.  I've memorized Food Network's weekday schedule, and I've watched enough Restaurant: Impossible to have given up any thoughts of opening a restaurant.  On any given day, I'm watching Giada or Ina or Ree or Trisha while nursing Chief and getting ready to make dinner myself.  Aside from Food Network and HGTV, Mr. Geek and I love Mythbusters and Top Gear (and yes, I'm lumping this under the Educational umbrella because at the end of the episode, you have, in fact, learned something about the feature car, even if it's just how fast The Stig could take it around the track).

When it comes to Skills Competitions, I'm a huge fan of So You Think You Can Dance for obvious reasons (namely, my former life as a dancer) and also Project Runway (including the All-Stars and Under the Gunn spin-offs, though neither is as entertaining as the original).  With my aforementioned love of cooking shows, I'm a huge fan of the competitions on Food Network- mainly Chopped, Guy's Grocery Games, and Cutthroat Kitchen.

But I do watch fictional TV shows, too- it's just the minority of my TV-watching, and it tends to be in the drama or sci-fi category and less in the sitcom category (and they are Shows that Make You Think).  If there's nothing good on Food Network and if Top Gear is all re-runs, we're definitely watching Law and Order on any given day.  I used to love Special Victims Unit, but now that I have a daughter, I find it hard to watch stories of sexual assault and child abuse.  We like crime shows in this house- we both wish Criminal Intent were still on the air, as it's the best of the Law and Order spinoffs; we love older episodes of Criminal Minds, though that show has jumped the shark lately; and we'll gladly watch reruns from the first few seasons of the original CSI.  I think we both agree that LOST was the best show to ever be on television ever, and we're planning to re-watch it (again) soon since we own the super-extra-special edition.  We started watching Once Upon a Time on our most recent snow day, and the storytelling format reminds me of LOST (though obviously it's nowhere near as good).  I'm a sucker for British television, too- Downton Abbey, Sherlock, and Doctor Who are all favorites.  We do watch pure comedy on occasion, but it's generally just South Park and Futurama which are really quite smart shows, once you get passed the poop jokes.

All of this is to say- I don't really watch what is traditionally meant by "reality TV".  I can't stomach a full episode of The Real Housewives of any city, I couldn't care less about the Kardashian clan (they're only famous because of a sex tape, right?), and I don't understand how The Bachelor still has enough viewership to be on the air.  Stupid, shallow people being stupid and shallow are not my idea of entertaining subjects.

But there is one exception to this rule.

via E!

I once fell asleep on the couch with Chief while watching a movie and when we woke up, this show was on.  And it is hilarious.  Whomever is writing the script for this show deserves an Emmy because seriously, this is some funny stuff!  All reality TV is scripted in some way, be it contrived situations, creative editing, or outright written lines, and this show definitely falls into the latter category.  This show is infinitely quotable because it's written that way- there's no way these people are that witty and clever on their own, spontaneously.  Someone please- give these writers an award!

So yes, I admit it- while I don't watch it regularly and I don't DVR it, if #RichKids of Beverly Hills happens to be on, I'm all over it. 

What kind of TV do you watch?  Do you have any television guilty pleasures?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {39}

It's the end of another week and I'm still pregnant!  All week, we've been making tentative plans for this weekend and next week, all with the caveat "If I'm still pregnant."

"If I'm still pregnant this weekend, we should go see Ender's Game."

"If you're still pregnant next Wednesday, I'll be sure to pick up your mom from the airport while you're at work."

So, while I was still pregnant this week, this is what happened on the internet:

Me too, Mr Squirrel... // via Cheezburger

Make It and Love It made these Tangled costumes for her kids this year!  Crazy cool!

The addition of "Harry" to almost any Plato quote makes it seem legitimately like a nugget of wisdom out of the mouth of Albus Dumbledore, as this tumblr has discovered.

Margaret at Life After Athens talked about her tendency to apologize for things that are not actually her fault, and how she wants to work on stopping that habit.  Do you ever do this?

A Pinch of Pixie Dust offers some insights from her friend into the MagicBand / MyMagic+ / Fastpass+ system that is slowly rolling out at Walt Disney World.

Actual physicists have written a paper (technically two) attempting to describe the spacetime that the TARDIS travels through.

So what happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {27}

Mr. Geek and I are starting to refer to Miss Chief as our little wiggle worm because she is almost constantly moving!  Sometimes it's just an isolated kick and if I rub my belly or press lightly with one or two fingers in response, she'll give me another nudge to tell me that she knows I'm there.  (At least that's how I like to interpret it...)  Sometimes, if I sit very still, she kicks so forcefully that you can see it from the outside- and that makes me laugh, which makes her kick even harder!  But sometimes, right after I eat something sweet or drink some orange juice, she'll dance.  I think I'm feeling her doing the same movements she was doing in our last ultrasound- raising her feet up and reaching her hands toward them, then throwing her legs back down again and flinging her arms back over her head.  When we watched her flailing around like that, she was too tiny to feel, but now that she's grown, this movement (at least I'm assuming it's this particular movement) results in the feeling of 3 or 4 little nudges in quick succession- and she'll do it over and over and over again.  Or sometimes, she'll roll around, moving from one side of my belly to the other and then back again- which I understand, as it takes me a while to find a comfortable position to sleep in, too :)

Since today is Friday, I'm dancing a little bit, too, in celebration at the end of a long week.  So let's all wiggle a little as we look at the awesome things provided by the internet this week!

This china cabinet is shaped like a phone booth!  Gah!  Want!! // via A Beautiful Mess

Know a new mom?  Looking for the perfect gift for her?  Try whipping up a batch of I Am Baker's lactation cookies!  I am DEFINITELY going to try making these!

Penga at Sakacon made this awesome Star Wars dress for ComiCon!

My cousin shared this awesome article on Facebook about 5 common (and damaging) myths about breastfeeding.  So glad I read this!

What do you think of the new Doctor Who?  I'm personally super excited for an older Doctor- I'm hoping it means the show goes back to feeling like classic Who with less sexual tension and more straight-up adventure!

A reader on The Kitchn has the absolute BEST idea for a birthday present for his daughter's 21st birthday- which will be 20 years from now.

Did anything happen on your internet this week that made you want to dance?

Much love,
The Geeks

I Wanna Be a Starship Ranger*

We've had the theme for Chief's nursery picked out since before we knew she was Miss Chief.  The back bedroom in our new rental house, which is the perfect location for the nursery, has one royal blue wall and three pale blue walls.  The owners' little boy was living in that room, and they had those blue walls decorated with rocket ship decals and even a rocket ship ceiling fan.  They removed the decals before they left, and we have the option to paint anything we want, but we have to paint it back before moving out.  We started brainstorming cool, gender-neutral themes, and in the back of my mind I was trying to go for something that could use those beautiful blue walls.

Um, hello.  Rocket.  Ships.

"How about a space-themed nursery?" I asked Mr. Geek one night.  I'd be too nervous to take down that adorable painted ceiling fan and replace it with something else, so why not make it work for us? 

I do plan for us to do a little painting in there- I really want to draw some giant, cartoon-ish stars in a sparkly silver.  Originally I had envisioned lining them around the top of the wall like a wallpaper border, but now I think I'm just going to scatter them around the darker blue wall.  I do want to bring other colors in besides blue, just not in the paint color.  Overall, the palette I'm envisioning will have blues, silver, some light greens, yellows, maybe even fuchsia- like the colors in a nebula:

image via NASA

As far as decor is concerned- well...we're The Geeks!  This is obviously going to be one nerdy little nursery- because let's face it, she's going to be a nerdy little girl- with elements from all our favorite space-traveling sci-fi fandoms.  I want to hang the Police Call Box sign from Doctor Who on the front door (though I won't go so far as to paint the door blue...if we owned the place, I totally would), and Mr. Geek's old Star Wars action figures will find a new home on her bookshelves.  I found a really simple tutorial for making fitted crib sheets, and I picked up 2 different fabrics- one is a dark blue galaxy print covered in swirling stars, and the other is a checkerboard of Star Wars images and logos in varying shades of blue and white.

Of course the furniture is our first priority- my parents bought us a beautiful little rocking chair and we have an old book case to hold books and fun things, but we still need to acquire a crib and a dresser to use as a changing table- but then we're going to have a ball decorating the walls and shelves.  Here are the nerdy, awesome things I've bookmarked under "nursery inspiration":

floor mat via ModCloth

 

clock via ModCloth

poster via Think Geek

plush toys via Think Geek

figurine via Think Geek

art prints via Think Geek

night light via ModCloth

book via Think Geek

...and that's just the few of the things I've seen ;)

I also plan to make some slightly-girlie artwork involving her name and photos of her (once she gets here to pose for them!), and I'm aaaaaaaaaaalmost done sewing some silver-grey curtains for her window.

So, what do you think?  Would you have liked this nursery as a little one- boy or girl?  Do you like themed nurseries, or do you prefer the theme to be "a baby lives here"? 

If you happen to see any other space-fandom decor out there on the internet, please share it with us!!

Much love,
The Geeks

*Any Starkids out there?  Anyone?

An Awful Lot of Running

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!!

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {13}

I can't believe it's already April!  Apparently the weather can't believe it, either, as it's still acting a bit like February.  The high today is supposed to be in the low 60s, so we're getting there, but it was snowing down in Blacksburg yesterday...so hopefully that doesn't make its way up here.  NO MORE SNOW.  The internet sure kept me warm this week though!

This is an awesome and totally do-able sewing project from A Jennuine Life

I realize they've had this dress for a while now, but suddenly I adore it // via ModCloth

I love this post on View Along the Way.  Sometimes it's easy to forget that real people live in those houses on home decorating blogs, and real people sometimes have messy spaces.

Miss Camel is fellow flats-wearing bride!  Yay comfort!  (Although as you may recall, I LOVED shopping for wedding shoes, though it was frustrating at first.)

The BBC is experimenting with 'transmedia' in this season of Doctor Who.  I haven't yet read Summer Falls but I think I want to- although this Hypable article seems to give you all the information you need from the story for this season...

What warm and/or lovely things happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {7}

Lent may have started this week, but the internet certainly isn't giving up being awesome.  Here's some of that awesomeness:

image via Cheezburger

via Hypable

perspective // via boredboarder8 on reddit

Zach Galifianakis is hilarious, you guys.

Check out these Hypable interviews with Mary Kate Wiles and Ashley Clements .

What awesome things happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... is inspired by Kaelah Bee's Things I Love Thursday posts.

Oh, Internet...{6}

I am SO GLAD this week is over.  At least some good things happened on the internet this week...

gif via Cheezburger

via Tumblr

Adventure in the Great, Wide, Somewhere // via Tumblr

the dad who makes these pancakes is pretty awesome // via My Nintendo News

A Han Solo origin story movie?  I'll take it!

Silly Iranians- that plane won't fly.

It's official- Benedict Cumberbatch's character in the new Star Trek film is...

What happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet is inspired by Kaelah Bee's Things I Love Thursdays posts.

What Not to Wear

Previously, on Our Geeky Adventure:

-On the formal-casual spectrum, our wedding falls juuuuuuuuuuuuuust slightly on the casual side.
-The bridesmaids will be wearing short dresses, and so will the MOB and MOG
-The groom and his men will be wearing grey suits and handmade bow ties

...but what will the guests wear?

Sometimes, the dress code for a wedding is obvious- black tie, beach, semi-formal.

For ours, it's...not-so-obvious.  Since we have this fantastic wedding website for such things as the reception song request and RSVP, we figured we may as well give guests a hint as to what to wear- that is, not too formal and not too casual.  Guests can now find the following helpful graphics:

Guys:

Adam Gregory via Famewatcher / Tommy Hilfiger / J Crew

Ties are always a good option for a wedding, but how should you wear one to this wedding?  The typical go-to of a formal dark suit and a tie might be a bit too formal for our big day.  Formal shirts and ties paired with jeans and sneakers definitely create an interesting contrast in an outfit but we're going to ask that you kindly refrain from jeans.  If you're a tie guy, you'd probably be most comfortable in slacks and a long-sleeved shirt- and those sleeves will probably find themselves rolled up to the elbow when it's time to dance!

Dr. House via Zap2it / J Crew / Leonardo DiCaprio via JustJared

 But maybe you do like the feel of a suit with a nice jacket!  Again, although Dr House sure can rock the blazer-with-jeans look, we wouldn't want him showing up to the church dressed like that.  And Leo looks awful dapper in his tuxedo, but it'll be 11:00 in the morning!  Maybe switch things up a bit and go for slacks and a sport coat- super trendy and the perfect compromise.

The Ninth Doctor via chachadesu / The Eleventh Doctor via Rocking the Time-Space Continuum / The Tenth Doctor via Honorary Doctor

Still not getting it?  The Doctor is an awfully fashionable man, so let's let him demonstrate.  The Tenth Doctor's pinstripes are a little too formal for this shindig- though the Chucks do, admittedly, tone it down a bit- whereas the Ninth Doctor's t-shirt and leather jacket are a bit too casual.  The Eleventh Doctor has it juuuuuust right- that tweed jacket is so very fall and that bow tie is so very cool (just ask our groomsmen!) that he would get along swimmingly on our big day.  Allons-y!

Girls:

Chambray of the Week Dress via ModCloth / Gillian Dress in Navy by Dear Creatures via Ruche / Amy Adams via Style Bakery

 A dress is the obvious choice for a wedding guest, but length and fabric are really the key to getting it right.  Amy Adams looks fantastic in her blue one-shoulder gown, but that really fits in better on the Red Carpet than the dance floor at our reception.  That shirt dress from ModCloth would look adorable paired with leggings, but it's a little too short and a little too casual for our church wedding.  The shoulder-covering, knee-length dress from Ruche would be just perfect for the most stylish guest on our big day.

ModCloth / ModCloth / Nordstrom

  Maybe you'd rather go with separates than a dress?  That grey number from Nordstrom is a little too mother-of-the-bride- and not even the actual mother of the bride will be wearing anything like this!  However, the get-up on the left from ModCloth is just too summer-camp-banquet- the flannel and the miniskirt are two reasons to not wear it to this wedding.  The outfit from ModCloth in the middle hits all the right notes- slightly more formal fabrics than the outfit on the left, but a shorter skirt than the outfit on the right.  The key is knee-length to tea-length skirts, covered shoulders, and daytime colors and fabrics.

Keiko Lynn / Delightfully Tacky / Little Chief Honeybee

If you've been reading the blog, you know that our wedding is going to be a little quirky, and maybe your fashion muse is a quirky style blogger.  I have to admit, I really like this look on Keiko Lynn and would love to steal it for myself- but denim shorts are just too casual for our wedding.  Kaelah of Little Chief Honeybee looks fantastic as always, but the dress she's styled is made of a sheer chiffon with metallic polka dots- more prom than our big day.  (Of course she's styled it down with that awesome sweater, so this look probably would work ^_^)  As she always does, Elizabeth of Delightfully Tacky hits the nail on the head with a sundress made November-worthy by layering it over this feminine top and pairing it with ankle booties.  I'd wear that!  (Okay fine I'd wear all three of these.)

----------------

Does your wedding website include a what-to-wear guide?  Would you appreciate one as a wedding guest?

Much love,
The Geeks

Bow Ties are Cool, Part 2

Previously on Our Geeky Adventure:

-9 was my first Doctor, but now I'm on 11, and I actually really like him
-Rory, though, steals the show, and as of the point I'm at in the series, Amy doesn't deserve him
-Oh and I'm sewing bow ties for the men in the wedding party to wear

The last time we talked about bow ties, I was almost done.

Well folks, guess what- after a super productive weekend of sewing, I'm finally done!  Wanna see?

*all photos in this post are personal*

laying out, waiting for velcro to be attached

modeling his bow tie.  ain't he just the cutest?

modeling a groomsman bow tie

modeling ALL the bow ties, though the idea is apparently not so amusing

and then he shook his head.

So what do you think?  They're a little wonky, and they look pretty handmade.  But the point is they're DONE and they FIT and they WORK properly, so woohoo for that!  And from far away, they look pretty darn cute!

What are your groom and his men wearing on the big day, tie-wise?

Much love,
The Geeks

Bow Ties are Cool

Confession: I haven't actually made it to Matt Smith's Doctor yet, I'm still on David Tennant, WHOM I ABSOLUTELY ADORE.  Cut me some slack, I just started watching the good Doctor a few months ago.

Ahem.

So you may remember that in an earlier post I mentioned that we were looking at bow ties for Mr. Geek and his groomsmen.  Originally, I brought up this idea because it looked more "day time" to me than any other style of tie.  ("How does something look 'day time'?"  WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME DIFFICULT QUESTIONS?)  This was one of the few discussions where Mr. Geek didn't have much of an opinion- we looked at some inspiration pictures together, and he said, "Sure, I could wear that."

And then I found this tutorial on Adore by Chloe for homemade "fake" bow ties.

I can do that!  I can totally do that!

Remember how I said my attendants will be in purple dresses?  (And my honor attendant will be in a red dress?)

Well, Mr. Geek's attendants will be in red bow ties.  (And his honor attendant will wear a purple bow tie.  JUST KIDDING.  I thought about it, briefly- asking her to wear a bow tie like a necklace- but I'm thinking now she'll have a purple pashmina.  More on her outfit later!)

While I'm at it, I'm making Mr. Geek a purple bow tie, too.

And little white bow ties for Mr. Geek's two tiny attendants (neither one of which will actually be carrying the ring, so we can't quite call them "ring bearers").

And purple bow ties for the FOB and FOG.

And purple bow ties for our ushers (I'm making 4 of these, though I'm not sure if we'll have that many ushers).

Crazy?  Who's crazy?

In all seriousness, these little puppies aren't that hard at all.  I'm almost done!

I won't recreate the step-by-step from Adore by Chloe, but I will show you some pictures of the work-in-progress:

**all images in this post are personal photos**

stitch stitch stitch

oh noes!  sewing through all those layers bent my needle :(  I did this twice before I learned to just hand-sew at the last step

taking shape as a bow!

Okay some of them look a little squished and wonky >.<  it adds character!

I'm deviating from the instructions a little- I'm actually stitching the middle section around the bow first with space in between so I can slide the collar part in through the back.  This way, the bow isn't attached to the collar and the boys can slide them around as they adjust the Velcro closures.  (This all makes more sense if you take a look at the tutorial.)

The six purple bows shown above are for our dads and ushers; I've actually already finished all the other bows, too, and now I just need to sew the collar pieces, put the bows on the collars, and add the Velcro.  Almost done!

Are you sewing anything for your wedding?

Much love,
The Geeks