Geek in Heels - Page 136

Jul 14, 2010 • In Books, Web

I Write Like Stephen King

I Write Like is a nifty tool that tells you which famous writer you write like based on your word choice and writing style.

All you need to do is enter into a text field a sample of your writing (at least a few paragraphs are recommended for the best results) and voila!

I write like
Stephen King

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

I entered more than a few samples of my writing (via blog posts, essays, etc) and the author that popped up the most was Stephen King. I was really flattered, because I love Stephen King — not only for the horror novels that he is most well-known for, but also for his imaginative, full-of-life fantasy tales. The Eyes of the Dragon is one book that I always recommend to friends, as it is an example of King’s early work that unexpectedly delights and makes a name for itself in the medieval fantasy genre.

What about you? What famous author do you most write like?

28 Weeks (And My Waxing Experience at Bliss)

Where did the 27 Weeks update go? Yeah…um…about that…

There was no 27th Week… *waves hand in an attempt to Jedi mind-trick my readers*

Did that work? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Just blame it on the fact that I can be a moron and completely forgot to take a picture, nevermind write an update, last week. Sorry about that.

There is some debate on when the third trimester officially starts — some say at the 27th week and others say the 28th. Whatever the correct answer may be, I am now officially in my third trimester and have started my seventh month of pregnancy. And as you can see below, my tummy has grown considerably in just two weeks. (Holy mirror spots, Batman! Remind me to wipe the mirror clean before taking next week’s picture!)

I managed to take a measurement of my waist and…it’s not pretty. Before pregnancy I usually hovered between 26″-27″. My waist is a whooping 40 inches now. Seeing the actual number made me feel like crap because I know women whose waists were 40″ right before delivery.

My weight gain is now at 30 lbs too. With 2.5 months left to go, I have a feeling that my total weight gain will hover around 45 lbs. Not good. However, I made a promise to myself that I will not stress too much about my weight gain and start exercising as soon as possible after birth. I’ll be returning to my trusty Jillian Michaels and will join J on the P90x.

Last Friday we had our monthly checkup and the doc reassured me that the baby is doing perfectly fine. This was also the day I took my 1-hour glucose test (the sugar drink wasn’t nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be…it tasted like flat orange Fanta), and I’m assuming that I passed because they said they would call me if anything was wrong.

The best part about last week’s appointment? We found out that the baby had moved head-down! Both my mother and I had been praying that she would flip around ever since we found out she was in breech position, so we were both overjoyed at the news.

Baby girl remains very active. Sometime starting in the last week, I have been able to feel her slow movements as opposed to just her kicks and jabs. It’s a funny feeling whenever she presses up against my belly and rolls around…I’ve been starting to play the “which body part?” game in my head every day since. This is probably my favorite part about being pregnant: being able to feel my baby moving inside of me. I’m really going to miss it once she is born.

New York is having one of the hottest summers in almost a decade. As a result, I try my best to keep indoors in the A/C as much as possible. The heat certainly isn’t helping with the swelling either. I now wear flip-flops if I’ll be out during the night (when my feet swell the most and I can no longer fit comfortably into my regular shoes), and my wedding ring JUST barely fits.

Grooming myself is starting to become a hassle as well. I had stated earlier that I’m already having trouble wiping after taking a deuce. Shaving my legs is also starting to get difficult. Luckily, J has agreed to start doing that for me when the time comes. However, shaving my bikini line has become a complete freak show. And I refuse to let J shave me down there.

So I decided to get a wax.

I have never gotten a bikini wax before (I was always content with a razor), so I was a bit nervous to say the least. In addition, everyone says that it is at least 3 times as painful when you are pregnant, so I really had to question myself if I were being crazy.

However, I just didn’t feel clean anymore and it was really bugging me.

I had heard that the special strip-free wax that Bliss uses is one of the best and least painful, so I booked an appointment at Bliss Hoboken and went in today. I had explained to the receptionist that not only is it my first time, I am also pregnant so she booked me with one of their most popular waxing specialists: Jenna.

Let me just tell you — Jenna was THE BOMB. I don’t know what possessed me, but I had decided to go for the full monty and chose the brazilian…but then started to freak out about it right before we got started. However, Jenna helped me relax, kept the conversation going to keep me distracted, and really made this first-time waxer feel comfortable. As for the pain? Sure, there was some. But it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had expected and I wondered to myself several times why I had never done this before. The wax was THE perfect temperature, and what they tout is really true: their special wax only sticks to your hair (not your skin) so I barely even felt the “do-overs” that were done to catch the stubborn strays.

Jenna told me that she has pregnant women come in all the time for brazilians, up to just days before their due dates (one even came in the morning of the day she was to be induced!). I am loving the waxed feeling so much that I plan on doing the same. Seriously…why haven’t I ever done this before?

15 Things Your Didn’t Know About Star Wars [Infographic]

Did I ever tell you that I once did a 23-page paper on Star Wars and the effect it had on American culture? Hence, nothing on this infographic was news to me but I figured that my readers might enjoy it…

Via Geeks Are Sexy.

One fact I’m surprised they left out: during the filming of Return of the Jedi, visual effects artist Ken Ralston was so frustrated by the dwindling budget and lack of time left to finish all the spaceships required for the Battle of Endor scene that he decided to throw in some random objects to pose as ships in the background. Included in the original Return of the Jedi (not the remastered, altered version) are yogurt containers and tennis shoes, zipping by at high speeds and too small for any casual observer to notice!

SwiftKey: Another Kickass Keyboard for the Android

Remember when I wrote about Swype? Since downloading what has been called “the fastest keyboard for mobile phones” my mobile life has unquestionably changed for the better. And I wasn’t the only one; I have since received many comments, emails, and tweets thanking me for writing about Swype.

So imagine my surprise to learn that there are some people who hate Swype’s gliding input system. One prime example resides right in my household. That’s right. My own husband — *gasp* — hates Swype.

Now there may be an alternative for people like J. Introducing SwiftKey, which is being touted as one of the best predictive text input methods out on the mobile market. SwiftKey has an uncanny ability to guess what your next word will be, and delves into your SMS history (if allowed) in order to “learn” how you converse.

Since SwiftKey, like Swype, is still in its beta phase, the keyboard is available for FREE to Android users running all the main releases of Android — 1.5 (Cupcake), 1.6 (Donut), 2.01 (Eclair), 2.1 (Eclair) and 2.2 (Froyo).

You can find it by searching for “SwiftKey” in the Android Market, or, if you’re reading this post from your phone, just click on this download link.

Still not convinced? Take a look at SwiftKey in action:

Via Engadget.

Amex Zync Blank Canvases [Clever Advertising]

I love the concept behind the “Blank Canvases” campaign for the AMEX Zync card!

By encouraging consumers to seek out blank canvases and fill these canvases with their lives (which amount to endless possibilities), the ads evoke both inspiration and emotional attachment — both of which are vital elements in great advertising campaigns.

Check out the commercials below, each featuring music from different artists.

Via NOTCOT.

Downloadable Papercrafts

It’s amazing that a company like Yamaha would have on their website an entire section devoted to papercrafts. Each project comes complete with pictures, a brief history of the object(s), and most importantly, FREE downloadable instructions on how to create your own.

Origami has always been a fun pastime of mine as it is cheap, meticulous, and time-consuming. (I’m pretty sure I can fold a paper crane with my eyes closed.) Most of the projects on this site seem like they would be a challenge to even a seasoned veteran. However, I think they would be a great undertaking for those who have the patience and time. All I need to do now is to choose my first project out of the dozens that are available!

Via ohdeedoh.

‘365’ Knitting Clock

German designer Siren Elise Wilhelmsen has designed a clock that seeks to give a physical manifestation to the change of time through the growth of knitted material.

The circular knitting machine encased within the clock consists of 48 needles, a thread spool, a thread holder and a roll of yarn. Moving in clockwise direction, one day leads to a complete round, while a year gives users 2 meters of a complete scarf.

More photos and details can be found at Design Bloom.

Twaggies: Twitter Illustrated

Not unlike Missed Connections, Twaggies is a site that finds funny/interesting tweets and illustrates them to make them even more memorable.

Bit Rebels says of the site:

Twaggies is definitely one of those websites that you intend to check out for five minutes, and thirty minutes later you’re still laughing. Apparently, to get your tweet twagged (ahh.. a new Twitter word is born), you just have to follow @twaggies and then send some silly tweets that would make creative visuals.

Is it just a coincidence that the latest Twaggie features none other than the supreme Sith Darth Vader? I think not. It is a definitive sign that I must add the site to my Google Reader.

Via mental_floss.

A History of LOLcats

It’s amazing how some user-submitted images and misspelled captions can create such a worldwide phenomenon. Even if you’re not a big fan of LOLcats, you might find this illustration interesting and full of fun facts. (Click to view large.)

Via The Next Web.

P.S. — Did I ever mention that my sister’s dog Dante will be featured in the soon-to-be-published LOLcats book I Can Has Cheezburger?: Lolcats Teach U How To Take Over Teh Wurld? This is the picture that will bring Comang’s cousin to fame: