Best of 2015

lulz, it looks like the star is growing out of Mr Geek's head // *personal photo*

Merry Christmas!  (Because it still is Christmas, don't let social media fool you.)

As it's officially 2016 now, I figured it's a- time to break the accidental hiatus that always always always happens on this blog in December and b- time to look back at the past year!

So here, in no particular order, are my personal favorite Our Geeky Adventure posts from 2015:

That Time I Took My Sister's Engagement Photos

My sister is getting married in May and has apparently also lost her mind, because she asked me to shoot her engagement photos.  They actually turned out rather good!

Crafting Adventures: Treebeard

We went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival in costume this year!  I did a couple of posts explaining how I whipped up the outfits for two hobbits and Treebeard the Ent.

Fashion Adventures: I Made Her a Skirt!

I shared with you my first foray into making clothes for this little goober (shown here talking to Daddy on the phone and explaining that we were in the middle of a photo shoot).

Fashion Adventures: Sweater Skirt

I got better at making skirts, and she got more excited about photo shoots.

Bookish Adventures: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

I finally read Neil Gaiman, and now I want to read his grocery lists, no joke.

Bookish Adventures: The Martian

I also read The Martian and suggest you do, too, even (especially?) if you've already seen the movie.

Twenty Random Things About Mrs Geek

I shared 20 random things about myself, because, you know, I'm random like that.

Potter Talk: Tom's Worst Memory

Mr. Geek and I proved that even though it's been 8 years since the last book was released, it's still possible to come up with new Harry Potter theories.

Culinary Adventures: Pumpkin Pie Brownies

I made these brownies with a pumpkin pie layer in the middle and they were pretty gosh darn good, if I do say so myself.

Currently, Chief is... {2 years}

Our little goober turned two!  Our home is officially baby-less :(  But what an incredible two years it has been!

So those were my favorite posts this year!  Did you have a favorite post that I didn't mention?

Are you a blogger?  What were your favorite posts this year?  Share them over at Like Mother, Like Daughter, where I'm linking up!

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {79}

First of all- thanks so much for all who entered the gift card giveaway last week- the winner has been notified!  I'd say it was a pretty successful first attempt at a giveaway, so I'll do another one soon!

Lots of awesome things happened on the internet this week- here are some of my favorites:

Miss Emma at a Pinch of Pixie Dust offered a review of the Legoland Hotel in Florida.  Obviously nothing can beat a Disney resort, but this still looks like a pretty fun place to stay!

A Beautiful Mess shared an awesome DIY for dressing up plain closet doors!

This article on Mothering.com clearly explains what Attachment Parenting is not.

Jamie at Petite Panoply looked adorable in this yellow shift dress.  (That silhouette has never been flattering on me but looks great on her!)

Catholic All Year talked about Enforcing the Rules When Family Isn't Supportive (which I'm sure is advice that we will never have to use in our household...)

Mary from Better than Eden posted on Elizabeth Ministry about Learning to Love in All the Wrong (to us) Ways.  I think something that a lot of people miss in discussions of the Love Languages philosophy is that marriage purposefully makes us live outside our respective comfort zones, and that challenges in learning to love each other is not a detriment to marriage- it's the whole point of marriage!

Haley at Carrots for Michaelmas is a nerd after my own heart- this week she wrote about How Hogwarts Prepared Me for the Liturgical Year.

And in honor of this week's historic visit by Pope Francis- 6 Times You Were Flat-Out Lied to About Pope Francis.  Silly media.

What awesome things happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

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

Potter Talk: Tom's Worst Memory

Harry Potter is and will always be my favorite book series because every time I read it, I find something new- new insights into the characters or new, subtle themes I'd never picked up on before.  And Mr Geek is and always will be my perfect partner because the same is true for him.  The other night, we stayed up all night discussing one of his new theories, and it felt just like we were back in the middle of The Three-Year Summer (the period of time between the publishing of books 4 and 5).  This lively conversation inspired me to start sharing some of our theories and observances, and solicit your thoughts on the topics.  Sound like fun?

Hogsmeade, Orlando, FL // *personal photo*

So the other day, Mr. Geek brought up a really good point about Harry's worst memory- the one that he relives whenever the Dementors are near:

It can't possibly be his memory.

Harry was just over a year old when his parents were murdered.  There is no possible way that a 13-year-old kid can remember something that happened when he was a year old- especially not in such detail.  So why does Harry hear his mother screaming so clearly?  Why does he see a green light?  Why is he able to recall the order of events that night so very long ago, before his long-term memory had fully developed?

Mr. Geek's theory is that this is not, in fact, Harry's memory, but Voldemort's memory, and the connection established between the two of them is what allows him to experience it.  In other words, it's not his own brain remembering the night his parents died, but, rather, it's his connection to Voldemort that's allowing him to access the images and sounds of that night.

And he goes one step further with this theory.  Mr. Geek believes that this isn't just Tom Riddle's memory- it's actually Tom Riddle's worst memory, and that the Dementors are essentially triggering a memory stored in the horcrux inside Harry.  Now, obviously, the day his parents were murdered probably qualifies as the worst day of Harry's life, but, without this connection to Voldemort, he could never possibly have remembered it.  Harry was mentally, emotionally, and even physically abused by his family and schoolmates growing up- surely he has plenty of worst memories that he could relive in the presence of a Dementor.  But that fateful night could certainly qualify as Tom Riddle's worst memory- it was the night he lost everything!

Mr. Geek's final bit of proof is that when Harry escapes Voldemort once more in Godric's Hollow in book 7, their mental connection very clearly gives Harry the full view of the events of that night from Voldemort's point of view- from his walk down the street until the exact moment that the curse rebounded.

And his scream was Harry's scream, his pain was Harry's pain...that it could happen here, where it had happened before...here, within sight of that house where he had come so close to knowing what it was to die...

Voldemort's worst memory would most definitely be that of the night when he almost died, as, to him, this is the worst thing that could ever happen- his worst fear.

These arguments are convincing, but I'm not sure this is what Jo intended when she had 13-year-old Harry remembering a night from toddlerhood.

While a baby that young may not have developed a long-term memory, extremely traumatic events can have a psychological impact on us, even if we can't remember the events themselves.  It is pretty realistic that young Harry would dream about a bright green light, and you may even be able to convince me that he might dream about a woman screaming, though his subconscious might not be able to recreate the images his infant eyes had seen.  Furthermore, this might be one of those side effects of having magical blood- having a really good memory.  After all, Harry also grows up dreaming about his flight in Hagrid's motorbike, and Voldemort wasn't there for that.  (Mr. Geek disputes this argument by pointing out that if wizards had such great memories, then people like Ron could never do poorly on exams.  My counter-argument is that Ron would have to have paid attention during a lecture in order to remember any of it.  Mr. Geek's counter-counter argument is that Neville pays attention and is still not a stellar student.)  Or, perhaps, the Dementors are able to pull out something buried so very deep in a person's psyche and expound upon it, such that your worst memory could potentially be something you never actually remembered until the happiness-sucking Dementors are in your presence.  Furthermore, I think Jo's point in labeling this memory as Harry's worst memory- this memory his little brain was not capable of storing for that long- is to show us that the death of a parent profoundly affects a person for the rest of his life, regardless of how well he remembers the exact details of the death itself.  After all, most of the Potter series is Jo's own coming to terms with her mother's death many years after she was gone.

So what do you think?  Is this Harry's worst memory, or is it Tom Riddle's?  Is the whole thing just a metaphor for dealing with trauma, a plot device to give us a glimpse at what actually happened the night that Harry became The Boy Who Lived without having to just tell us about it, or was it intentional?  Did Jo intend for the explanation of Harry's memory of that night to be the horcrux Voldemort unintentionally left behind, or is this one of those "I'm not good at math or science" moments where she doesn't quite understand how the human brain functions?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {63}

Yeah, I'm doing two of these this week :D  But there was just so much awesome on the internet that I want to share with you!!

Catholic All Year talks about why it's okay to read Harry Potter as a Christian (not that you needed to be convinced)

Oh, Joy! made funfetti cookies!

A DIY Guess Who board game?  Whaaaaat?  I need to make one of these...

A Pinch of Pixie Dust took us to A Bug's Land in Disneyland- yet another reason why I want to go check it out...

Penga at Sakacon, aka Mrs Sewing on Weddingbee, is PREGNANT!  Go wish her congratulations!!  (Side note: she's the reason I started reading and eventually applied for Weddingbee.  She's awesome.)

Jamie at Petite Panoply looks adorable in this red dress.  (Side note: I need to get me that red dress...)

What awesomeness happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {51}

Yikes, I didn't post yesterday.  Did anyone notice?

Didn't think so.

Anyway, here's a roundup of the awesomeness of the internet this week:

Shayla at Northern Exposure shared her list of awesome and not-so-awesome baby products.  Wish I had known about Target's nursing tanks because I spent WAY too much money on the ones from Motherhood Maternity.

The Clueless Girl's Guide featured a college Quidditch captain on her Rad Gal, Rad Gig segment!

Catholic All Year talked about taking her kids- even the youngest- to a funeral, and why it's important to talk to children about death and grief.

I swear there were more awesome things...these are just the only links I saved >.< 

Yeah, I suck at blogging this week, my bad.

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

Books: October 2013

image via Google Books

So this month, I started The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.  I was really excited to read it because Cassandra Clare, unlike E. L. James, is the poster child for why fanfiction is such a wonderful, powerful thing.  Back-in-the-day, writing under the name (I believe) Cassandra Claire, she wrote novel-length Harry Potter fanfiction which was very popular in various corners of the internet because it was so very, very well written.  She used fanfiction properly- as a tool to hone her writing skills.  When you already have an established universe to play in, and you don't have to invent characters or settings or back-stories, a fanfiction writer is free to experiment, receive constructive criticism, and collaborate with a large community of writers and beta readers (the fanfiction world's editors).  Fanfic is like one big creative writing exercise: can you mimic this author's style, thereby learning the elements of style?  Can you write about this pre-existing characters without going OOC (out of character), thereby learning how to write consistently?  Can you develop new and interesting characters and story lines that fit within this established universe, thereby learning how to attract and entertain new readers?  Cassandra Claire practiced writing, became a good writer, and earned herself an internet following by playing in the fanfic world- then she branched out and started publishing original fiction which has done incredibly well- City of Bones was just released as a movie!  E. L. James, on the other hand, is the poster child for what fanfiction writers should not do- she wrote a popular Twilight fanfic, changed the names, and published it as "original" fiction.  That's unethical at best, and it's the kind of behavior that makes fanfic readers and writers nervous, because it threatens to bring the law crashing down on our heads- fanfiction exists in a legal grey zone as it is, but profiting off of what is essentially somebody else's work?  Unethical and lazy, if you ask me. 

But anyway.

City of Bones is a very intriguing read- I was eager to finish it, just to see what happens, and am eager to pick up the next in the series.  It did, however, get off to a rather rocky start, for me, anyway.  While the action launches almost immediately, as the premise unfolds, it feels a bit...cheesy.  Teenage demon hunters?  It took a little pushing to get into it, but once I did, I was glad I stuck with it, because this world is definitely well-written, action-packed, and full of interesting characters.  Again, perhaps I'm getting too old for YA literature, but the love triangle- because every YA novel apparently has to have one- was a bit tiresome for me, and seemed to distract from the overall plot, but, as in real life, love is the driving force behind most of the characters' actions, so I guess you can consider it necessary.  The major love triangle is brought to a messy end through a rather confusing end to the book, which I won't spoil here, except to say that the back-story to this series involves several cases of severely mistaken identity.  I'd like to hope that the dissolution of the love triangle is Cassie Clare's way of stabbing that trope in the heart, so to speak, to prove that it's not necessary for the existence of entertaining YA literature, but maybe that's giving her too much credit?  Either way, I'm excited to follow Clary, the novel's protagonist, through the rest of her adventures in the world of the Shadowhunters, protecting us "mundane" humans from the evils prowling all around us that we can't even see.

Have you read any of The Mortal Instruments?  Did you enjoy it?  What did you read this month?

Much love,
The Geeks

A - Z Book Survey

A little while ago, My Life as a Teacup posted this little survey and, as I'm a sucker for these kinds of things, I figured I'd fill it in with my answers, too!

photo courtesy the wonderful Emile Frey

Author you've read the most books from:
Jo Rowling (under one of her pennames).  [I've got a feeling she's going to be the answer to many of these questions...]


Best sequel ever:
Hmm...is Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card considered a sequel, or a companion novel?  If it's a sequel, I'd say it's one of the best ever, in that it's even more compelling than the original (or, at least, I think Bean is a more awesome character than Ender).  If that doesn't count...then it's hard to decide between the Potter books!  As far as a direct sequel is concerned, Chamber of Secrets is pretty amazing because as a first-time reader, you're not sure if it will hold your interest the same way the original did...and it does!  But the best Potter book is either Prisoner of Azkaban because we're introduced to the best characters ever (the Marauders) or Half-Blood Prince because of Snape's epically tragic life story.

Currently reading:
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, the first in The Mortal Instruments trilogy.  It's actually pretty good!  hopefully I can finish it in the next week so I can publish my monthly book review here on the blog!

Drink of choice while reading:
Hmm...I don't necessarily need a drink with me while I'm reading, but a good mug of hot chocolate makes any situation better.  A pumpkin spiced latte is pretty amazing, too- decaf, of course, in my current condition :)

E-reader or physical book?
Physical book all the way!  I love having a very visible library when you first walk into our house- two entire bookcases full of treasures.  I love the smell of book pages and the feel of a worn-out, well-loved book.  Plus, you can loan a physical book to someone and share your love with them!

Fictional character you probably would have actually dated in high school:
Hmm, let's see...in high school, I went for the brooding types who "needed me" to "fix" them- I had sort of a saving-people-thing back then, and boys were my favorite projects.  A school-aged Remus Lupin would've been right up my alley- quiet, bookish, and emotionally needy.  Ender Wiggin could've been a contender, too- dealing with the ramifications of having destroyed an entire intelligent race at the age of 12, he was one messed-up teenager and as long as he told me I was pretty, I would've made it my mission to fix that wounded soul of his, or get lost in his dreamy eyes while trying.  (And yet either of these would've been better choices than most of the fellas I actually dated in high school...)

Glad you gave this book a chance:
Definitely The Great Gatsby.  We read it in 11th grade AP English, along with a slew of other classics and randomly-selected snooze-fests, so I was sure I'd enjoy it as much as I enjoyed The Scarlet Letter- which is to say, not at all.  Obviously I was going to read it anyway- the only book I ever used Cliff Notes for instead of reading in high school was The Crucible because urgh- but I'm glad I was forced to, because it's really an amazing story.  (Not in a "Oh what a sweet, tragic love story!" type of way, more in a "Geez these people are messed up and yet I can't look away from the trainwreck!" type of way.)

Hidden gem book:
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith.  Obviously it's not quite so hidden anymore since we know who the real author is, but as I explained in my review- even if you're not into noir-style crime dramas, it's really a wonderful read with complex characters and an engaging story.

Important moment in your reading life:
It's cheesy, but the day I met Harry Potter changed the way I look at books forever.  My sister had bought the first book at the book fair because all of her friends did, too, but she never actually read it, so it sat on our family bookshelf.  Then a friend of mine did a book report in our advanced English class that was the longest paper she'd ever written because she could not stop gushing about this book and dissecting its story and characters.  Then our 6th grade homeroom teacher popped in a book on CD in the morning before the announcements...a book that started with the line, "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of Number 4, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."...and I was hooked.  Harry Potter was the first book I read purely because I wanted to- not because it was assigned, or because I needed something to write a book report on, or because somebody told me I should read it- I just read it because I wanted to.   And it opened me up to a world of books that I could read just because.  Potter even kindled a passion for foreign languages and Greek and Roman mythology and word etymologies and world history and...everything!  Was I always destined to be a bookish nerd?  Probably, but Potter was the door I walked through to get there.

Just finished:
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

Kind of books you won't read:
I don't want to say that I flat out won't read any one genre- if it comes highly recommended, I'll give anything a shot.  I tend to not stray too far outside the sci-fi and fantasy realm, but my library covers all sorts of genres.  I guess the only books I don't read voluntarily are non-fiction- unless it's for a class, or I'm studying a topic intensely (like, say, being pregnant and birthing a child and nursing and raising that child...), I don't go anywhere near the non-fiction section of a bookstore.

Longest book you've ever read:
Um...Atlas Shrugged, I think, as it clocks in at over 1000 pages.  I'm glad I read it, and it is a good book that should be read, but I think Rand could've used a better editor- it didn't need to be that long, honestly.  And maybe I prefer my novels to be more story and less didacticism- by the end, she's beating the reader over the head with her philosophy, rather than letting him figure it out on his own by enjoying the story.  Still, it was very worth reading, and there are definitely more people on my Facebook feed who need to read it...but that's another discussion entirely.

Major book hangover because of:
Untouchable by Scott O'Connor.  The feels, you guys, the feels.  Mr. Geek and I refer to this book as "The Sad Book of Sad" because...it's sad.  I couldn't read anything else for a few weeks after putting that book down- and I couldn't really do anything else for a few hours afterwards because I just needed a hug.  Read my whole review here.

Number of bookcases you own:
Two, in our front room / library / formal sitting room / whatever you want to call it.  Not all the books are mine, but I think more of them are mine than Mr. Geek's, and we have 2 full shelves of textbooks (plus more in my car that never quite made it into my new office at work...) so they're not both packed with novels.  Plus Chief has her own bookshelf in her room, but her library is quite small at the moment- although it is ever-growing as I stumble upon more childhood classics every time we're in Target or Walmart or any bookstore...

One book you have read multiple times:
The entire Potter series, duh.

Preferred place to read:
I can read anywhere- in bed, on the sofa, curled up in an armchair, near a window on a rainy day, on a plane, in the lobby of a doctor's office, at work over my lunch break...my preferred place to read is anywhere that I can bring a book.

Quote from a book you've read that inspires you:
I guess I can't really claim that the text of an entire book is a quote, so if I have to reduce it to just a few lines, let's go with this:

“I believe the universe wants to be noticed. I think the universe is inprobably biased toward the consciousness, that it rewards intelligence in part because the universe enjoys its elegance being observed. And who am I, living in the middle of history, to tell the universe that it-or my observation of it-is temporary?”
 -The Fault in Our Stars

Reading Regret:
I certainly don't regret any book I've ever read...but I guess I regret not reading The Hobbit sooner.  If I had picked that up instead of the first Lord of the Rings in middle school, I may not have had such a strong distaste for Tolkien in high school and I would have been able to enjoy Middle Earth much longer than just the past year.

Series you started and need to finish:
Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy.  I've only read the first one- I'm selfishly waiting for the second to be released in paperback because, at the moment, I don't feel this is a hardback-worthy series.  (That is, it's not a series I need to own in hardback.  Or want to shell out the money to own in hardback.)  I do intend to finish the series as I'm interested to see where it goes and I enjoy Tris as a character.  I will also definitely be finishing The Mortal Instruments series, as City of Bones has sucked me in.

Three of your all-time favorite books:
Oh dear.  Oh dear dear dear.  Don't make me do this.  Can the Potter series count as one?  Can Orson Scott Card's Shadow series (the books about Bean) count as one?  So if that's just 2 books (heh) then I guess my third choice would be The Fault in Our Stars as it's much easier to pick a favorite John Green book than to pick a favorite Rowling or OSC book :)

Unapologetic fangirl for:
Have you not figured out my Potter obsession yet???  Also, I am unapologetically a fan of Orson Scott Card, though perhaps not a "fangirl"- popular culture has placed such a double standard on him lately for his political beliefs, so it's not cool to be a fan of his work.  There are plenty of authors whose political beliefs I don't agree with- and yet I still enjoy their work.  Get over it.

Very excited for this release more than all the others:
Hmm.  I haven't really craved a book release since Potter ended, but I am looking forward to the rest of the Divergent trilogy- it will be nice to pick up the second one knowing that the series does, in fact, end.

Worst bookish habit:
Um...talking about my favorite books too much?  When I'm really into something, I can get a bit obsessive and over-excited and I'm sure that turns people off.  Oh well :-P

X marks the spot: the 27th book on my shelf:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Our bookcases are arranged sort of arbitrarily, though.  My Fitzgerald books are on the shelves that are alphabetized by author and then title (except for series), but then the bottom shelf of that bookcase is entirely devoted to Tolkien.  The other bookcase has an entire shelf dedicated to Potter, and an entire shelf dedicated to futuristic sci-fi which includes all of my OSC books, The Hunger Games, and Divergent, and then the bottom shelves are text books.  (And cookbooks are sitting on top of this bookcase since I have nowhere else to put them.)

Your latest book purchase:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, for Chief's library.

Zzz-snatcher book (latest book that kept you up way late):
I've spent a couple of nights staying up late to read City of Bones both because I'm really enjoying it and because I'm so freaking pregnant that it's impossible to find a comfortable position to sleep in, so I might as well sit up and read.

Phew, that was quite the survey!  I'd love to read your answers to some or all of these questions, either in the comments or on your own blog.  Do you love books as much as I do?

Much love,
The Geeks
  

Oh, Internet... {32}

Boy am I glad it's Friday!  This has been quite the busy week- we made a lot of progress in the nursery (which I promise to blog about once it's finished!), Mr Geek bought me flowers for no reason, and I've grown even closer to resembling a small whale.  All this busyness means that this post is a bit late this week :/ The internet was pretty busy this week, too- here are some of the things that happened on my internet this week:

Tomato Pesto Bites via Delightfully Tacky

via xkcd

Mixed Berry Buttermilk Bundt Cake via The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Miss Emma at A Pinch of Pixie Dust talked about her conversation with Belle, who is apparently also a Jane Austen fan!

Curbly shared a round-up of DIY serving trays.

Apple thinks they're so fancy with their fingerprint scanner on the newest iPhone, but Boing Boing shared an article on why this is actually not the best authentication idea.

Kelly at View Along the Way turned a headboard into an adorable bench!

And, of course, the best thing that happened on the internet this week: WB is making a Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie.  More importantly, Jo herself will be writing the script.

What awesome things happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {26}

It's Friday!  Another week down, another week closer to being able to hold Chief in my arms :)

Here are some of my favorite things offered up by the internet this week:

Miss Emma shared these delicious looking Disney cupcakes on A Pinch of Pixie Dust

I have GOT to try these homemade funnel cakes from Piece of Cake

I absolutely love this post from Boy Loves Girl about not being brought down when people are negative about marriage.

Unbelievably, fall is just around the corner, and Craftaholics Anonymous shared some awesome fall fonts this week.

Karisa Tells All shared a hilariously accurate list of "The 5 People You Meet in Hell".  Seriously love this girl.

Just when you think Jo Rowling can't get any more awesome, she announced on her (and Harry's!) birthday that she's donating all proceeds from The Cuckoo's Calling to charity.

What awesome things happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... {24}

Our house is slowly starting to look like a home, and I love it.  One of the good things about renting as opposed to buying is that I have to keep my RENOVATE ALL THE THINGS!-instincts in check.  For example- we can paint the walls (so long as we paint them back when we move out) but we can't exactly paint the kitchen cabinets.  (Grey, if you're curious.  That's what I would do.)  Or remove the mirror wall in the dining room.  (Yes, one whole wall of the dining room is a mirror...)  Or change the light fixtures.

Not that any of these things are horrible or too ugly to live with.  I would just change them if we owned the place :)

Anywho, one thing I definitely don't want to change is the internet!  The internet always gives me pretty, smart, and awesome things to look at every week :)  Here are some of those things from this week:

-I love these Dove commercials.  This one is especially awesome!

WANT. // from Etsy seller TRoweDesigns via BoingBoing

ThinkGeek has a pacifier that looks like a volume knob :)

Check out this interview on Ars Technica with the man who invented the first video game console!

Obviously the most important thing that happened on the internet this week- Jo Rowling's new book!  She published The Cuckoo's Calling under a pseudonym several months ago and is just now coming out as the real author.  We bought it literally the moment we heard about it!

I recently discovered the sewing blogs Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing and Camelia Crinoline and as much as they inspire me to want to really start sewing clothes, they also kind of intimidate me- these ladies are sewing superstars!

What  happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

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

The World Needs More Magic

I agree with literally everything in this video.  I kind of want to watch it over and over again.  (Maybe I'll just subscribe to this guy's channel...)

Are you a fan of fantasy, or do you like your fiction more realistic?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet...{8}

This week started out with a 3-day weekend, which was fantastic.  The internet certainly didn't take a holiday though!  Here's a look at some of the internet's hard work from this week:

educational! // chart by Good Eggs via The Kitchn

beautiful! // artwork by Maxwell Tielman via Design*Sponge

I adore those mirrored dressers! // photo by Nicole White via Apartment Therapy

I am not normally a fan of Keiko Lynn's style, but I am in love with that coat!

OHMYGOSH HE'S SO CUTE // via Cheezburger

I love this dollhouse remodel featured on Apartment Therapy.  I've always wanted to do this- decorate a dollhouse like I would decorate my dream house.

The Squirrels' wedding invitations are INCREDIBLE!

Check out this Hypable piece on the coolest college Quidditch players.

What happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

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

Lifescouts: French Language

So Monday I showed you the video explaining the concept of Lifescouts.  Mr. Geek and I are going to periodically show you which badges we've earned as a way of sharing more about ourselves with you; if you've earned the same badges, feel free to share your story in the comments!

image via Lifescouts

How Mrs. Geek Earned the French Language Badge

I took 5 years of French in school, and was really rather good at it- straight A's, and all that.  My ever-disappearing Southern accent always meant that my pronunciation was rubbish, but I could read and write with the best of them, and, if the speaker would condescend to go slowly enough, could carry on a decent conversation.  Harry Potter had turned me on to the idea of learning Latin, so I had considered switching to that in the 9th grade, but I believe our school only offered 3 years of Latin, and I was advised by various teachers that many years spent studying one language was more attractive on a college application- the ultimate goal of high school- than hopping from one language to the next.  I contented myself with researching the origins and definitions of all the Latin spells introduced in the Potter-verse and allowing that to help me better understand French.  By senior year, I could pick up a children's book in Spanish or Italian and understand most of it, and when we read The Little Prince in French class, I was proficient enough to actually engage in a literary discussion of the book- in English, though, not French, as my vocabulary wasn't quite expansive enough to delve into such philosophical issues.  I took the AP exam for French my senior year- an exhausting all-day academic marathon of reading comprehension, essay writing, listening comprehension, speaking, and conversing.  I scored a 3 out of 5- a "passing" score, worth the minimum amount of college transfer credits for a foreign language class.  Of course, I didn't need the AP score to earn those transfer credits, as Virginia Tech's College of Engineering required only 2 years of a foreign language in high school to satisfy that requirement, but it was nice to have those credits anyway, and taking the exam meant I would receive weighted credit towards my high school GPA.  (The agony was totally worth it for my little over-achieving self.)

I have not taken a French class since 2006, nor have I had any need to speak French since then, aside from the occasional ballet class.  When I get really bored, I'll check out the website for Le Monde, a French newspaper, and read through the article summaries just to see what I can understand, with varying levels of success.  Perhaps if I ever get a chance to visit France, I'll try brushing up on my conversational skills.

Have you earned the French Language Lifescouts Badge?  Did you take French in school?  Have you ever been to France?  Do you speak French fluently?  Have you ever had a funny or awkward experience in which understanding French may have been beneficial?

Much love,
The Geeks

Disneymoon Adventures: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

So of course, because we're us, we had to take a little break from Disney for a morning to head over to that other little magical place in Orlando...

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

We promised ourselves that we would literally only visit this one section of Islands of Adventure so we could get back to Disney as quickly as possible.  We hung around long enough to ride both of the big rides, send a postcard via Owl Post, try some butterbeer, and grab lunch at The Three Broomsticks.  And also take a ton of pictures!

This was a really awesome park, honestly.  However, my advice to die-hard Potterheads like us who visit this park- remember that it's based on the movies and therefore the employees have a limited range of details that they're knowledgeable about (not that Universal is anywhere near as in-character as Disney, but they sure try awful hard).  For example: as you see above, U-NO-POO and other Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes are being sold in Zonko's.  Mr. Geek asked a salesperson, "How'd y'all manage to start selling Weasley products here?" and she responded with a confused, "Uh, I think we carry a couple...?"  Yeah.  She had no idea what he was talking about.  And while the ride inside Hogwarts was really thrilling and super fun, I couldn't help but think, "Gee that was unrealistic."  You know, in terms of canon.  Urgh, I'm ridiculous.  My point is, don't get too caught up in the details or you'll just get frustrated.

Anyway it was fantastic!  We geeked out the whole time!  After we took pictures next to our House banners, somebody asked if we wanted a picture together.  The Gryffindor and Slytherin banners were hanging together, and the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw banners were hanging together.  We looked at each other for half a second, then back at the kind stranger, and said, simultaneously, "No thanks."

Yeah, we're total nerds.

What's your favorite bit of the Wizarding World?

Much love,
The Geeks

*all photos are personal*