Geek in Heels - Page 192

Jan 2, 2009 • In Personal

Bonne Année 2009!

Happy 2009!

I have a good reason for not having blogged for the past few days: at the last minute, I decided to attend my church’s Winter 2008 Youth Group Retreat.

(For those who are not aware, I have been a teacher for my church’s youth group since October.)

It was exhaustive, with my getting only 2-3 hours of sleep each night, but I returned home on a spiritual high. I feel the change, not only mentally but physically – energized and refreshed, and most of all, blessed.

Speaking to a friend the other day, I realized just how much I’ve changed this past year. If you had described to me my current life circumstances exactly one year ago, I would have laughed at you.

Right now my life is on the brink of change and uncertainty. I am so out of my comfort zone that I really do get scared.

However, I know that this will only lead to great and better things. I just know. And I have faith that God will provide during these difficult times.

So, following in the steps of my blogger friends, here are my resolutions for the new year:

Continue on my path to forming a more personal relationship with God. I’ve neglected my faith for far too long, and this year God has smacked me upside down in order to get me back onto the path. I am at a good place now, especially after this retreat, but I want to go further.

Get my booty back into shape. I gained some weight since the wedding, and on such a small frame even 5 lbs makes a big difference! I purchased the New York City Ballet Workout and the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred – I’ll let you know if they work!

Make a conscientious effort to better my relationships: with J, family, and friends. I have a tendency to create walls and shut people out. I need to step out of my self-protective circle and be more proactive in showing my love for the important people in my life.

After going through my 5,000+ feeds on Google Reader, I have a bunch of stuff I want to share with you so please be prepared for a post overload for the next couple of days!

Merry Christmas!

Love, Jenny & J

Christmas Lights Techno Show

Merry Christmas Eve!

J and I are hosting a dinner party tonight and so I’m currently taking a break from cooking. Thanksgiving-style turkey, spinach & artichoke dip, and holiday cookies, oh my!

If you are looking for additional entertainment this holiday season, look no further. Check out this magnificent Christmas lights show, set to “Amazing Grace”…techno style!

Now if that isn’t a geeky way to celebrate Christmas, I don’t know what is.

Still bored? Hop on over to the Gallery, where I finally uploaded pictures from the Weddingbee potluck I hosted last month. I also uploaded pictures from last weekend, when Bee invited a bunch of the bloggers over for a holiday party at her new apartment.

Have a happy and safe holiday!

Pogo Sketch Stylus…For Those of Us Without Tablets!

Being a designer without a tablet can be a major PITA. I’ve always wanted one but never really got around to getting one of my own due to sheer laziness.

Besides, the lack of a tablet has led me to become pretty damn good with a mouse or trackpad.

Now, Pogo has released a stylus that can turn your laptop’s touchpad into a tablet! All for just $15!

It’s too early to tell if the product is a worthy investment, but the idea is very promising!

Via Engadget.

I Gots Myself a G1!

As much as I love my Voyager, I think I’ve overused it.

I use it in lieu of an iPod or the radio. I activate its kickass navigation system (which talks to me!) whenever driving to an unknown location. I overdose on its web browser.

So it did not come as a surprise when the phone started acting up. Restarting by itself. Frozen applications. And about a month ago, the web browser would die (and bring the entire phone to its grave) whenever I visited Gmail.

No way to check email on my phone? The horror!

I knew I needed…okay, wanted a new phone, but my current financial situation wouldn’t allow for it.

Then Santa brought me an early Christmas present.

Yesterday, Google announced to its employees that in lieu of a holiday bonus, everyone would be receiving an Android Dev Phone 1, which is the unlocked, developer version of the G1.

(On a side note, reports that past bonuses reached $20,000 – $30,000 per employee are false. They confused the performance bonus with the holiday bonus, which is closer to about $1,000.)

Since J already has a G1, he decided to give the new phone to his wife…me!

As always with any new toy, the pictures:

The outside box…

The inner box!

Unlike the commercial G1 which comes packaged in a white cardboard box, the dev model version comes in a beautiful black box with a magnetic lid!

The phone in action…

The dev model comes with this etched design on the back and sides. I don’t care too much for it but hey, it’s a free, in-demand phone!

The phone, opened. Notice that the keyboard is set against a shiny surface – the regular G1s have matte surfaces.

In addition to the two cosmetic differences above, the dev model is also a different color from the commercial G1. The black G1 is pure black, whereas the dev version is graphite. I personally like this graphite color better than the black.

So far, I’m loving the phone. It literally is a mini computer in your hands – fully customizable and all-inclusive. The user interface is intuitive and everything is running smooth as butter.

The app store is not nearly as full as that of the iPhone; however, I expect it to catch up soon. I’ve already downloaded 39 apps, and I thought I was being conservative!

I’ll keep you updated on my relationship with the G1 as we get to know each other more. But so far it’s smooth sailing!

The Year 2008 in Pictures

The Boston Globe has posted an amazing set of pictured The year 2008 in photographs (part 1 of 3).

Wow.

Some of the photographs are achingly beautiful. Others are downright brutal.

So many paint pictures of loss and suffering, the magnitude of which I can only imagine.

I have some unpleasant things going on in my life right now, over which I am losing sleep and have others praying fervently for me.

However, my problems seem so insignificant compared to what has happened, or what is going on in the world right now.

I have so much to be thankful for. God has blessed me in so many ways. And He will continue to provide.

The Secret’s Out, Kinda

I do not like announcing private posts anymore, but this is important enough for me to share.

Well, important enough to share but personal enough not to make public.

Go check out my private blog.

(And hit up the FAQs if you’re not sure how to access it.)

BJs May Prevent Breast Cancer

Men all over the world are rejoicing at this news:

Study: Fellatio may significantly decrease the risk of breast cancer in women

Now they have a valid excuse to say, “But honey, it’s good for you!”

Governor Paterson on SNL

As a huge fan of Fox’s House, I made sure to catch last night’s SNL which was hosted by none other than Hugh Laurie, Dr. House himself.

While Mr. Laurie’s performance was pretty good, it was Fred Armisen and Amy Poehler who stole the show.

Fred Armisen made his debut as New York’s Governor Paterson, the “accidental governor” (due to the Spitzer scandal) who is legally blind. He nailed the part on the head – it was frickin hilarious! See for yourself:

Last night also marked the last SNL of 2008 and thus the last episode for Amy Poehler. Her goodbye speech at the end of “Weekend Update” was short and bittersweet. Right as she was about to choke up, Governor Paterson made another appearance to the amusement of everyone…making this goodbye a one to remember!

Goodbye, Amy. You will be missed. Oh, and if you and your hubby Will Arnett want to adopt any kids to add to your new family, I’ll be around.

The Other Obama Logos

Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign was one of the most prolific and viral in American history.

And never before had a logo been so prominently and massively been used in a presidental election.

Designed by Sender LLC in Chicago, the logo consists of an O with the center suggesting a sun rising over fields in the colors of the American flag:

Sol Sender, the creative lead in the Obama ’08 logo, was recently interviewed about the strategy and process behind the project. You can watch the videos here (and I wholly recommend watching the video for all logo/branding freaks like myself).

What I, and LogoDesignLove, found interesting are the other logos that were up for consideration. My two favorites of the bunch that did not make the final three are:

I especially like the clever use of the “Ob” shadowing “08” on the first one!

The three finalists were:

As you can see, the original version of the final logo had a more symmetrical and less friendly feel.

I find it fascinating that the final three are so different from each other. From my experience with branding/logos, the finalists are usually similar, or at least express the same emotion. But the emotions triggered by these three are (in order): optimism, bold playfulness, and a resigned hope.

Needless to say, the final version of the third finalist conveys the one-word slogan “Change” much better than its original.