Geek in Heels - Page 70

Oct 22, 2011 • In Aerin, Claire, Personal

Aaahh Freak Out! (Whereupon Le Freak Ain’t So Chic)

So with two weeks left to go until BebeDeux’s due date…

We got a flat tire on our only car. And we discovered the tools needed to replace a flat were missing from our trunk.
J’s company essentially screwed him over and the raise that he was promised came to be a lot less than what he was told.
Comang’s annual vet bill came out to be more than twice what we had been expecting, which made us re-evaluate our budget for about the millionth time this month (note: new babies will always cost more than you expect).
Claire got sick for the very first time. And while her fever’s been down for the past couple of days, tonight she broke out in a rash all over her body and we had to rush her to the doctor’s office. They’re still not sure what prompted the rash (Was it the amoxicillin? The preservatives they added to the baby amoxicillin? The food she ate for dinner? One of those, or a combination of them along with her compromised immune system?) and she is too young for an allergy test, so they prescribed us an alternate antibiotic and some Benadryl to help with the rash. I seriously thought I was going to into labor tonight from the stress and worry the rash has caused me.

And as I lay in bed tonight trying to sleep, the stress of the past few days, along with the realization that soon, I will be the mother to a newborn and a 13-month-old — in addition to the fact that come March, my in-laws will be returning to Hong Kong and I will be ALONE with a 4-month-old and a 17-month-old — HIT ME LIKE A TON OF BRICKS and I suddenly had trouble breathing.

I can’t go to sleep. At least not right away.

Don’t Be an A$$hole Driver

A few months after I first received my driver’s license, I tried to park my car in a very tight spot and ended up scratching the adjacent car.

The scratch was barely noticeable: two faint lines just 2″ long on the corner of the bumper. I am pretty sure that if I had tried to buff it out, or even rubbed some dirt on it, the owners of the car would not have noticed the scratches for up to months after the event.

But I was riddled with guilt. So I left a note.

And my family ended up paying $500 for their new bumper.

Because leaving a note is what I have done, and because — despite my often-pessimistic outlook on life — I still like to believe that we should all treat others as we would like to be treated, I have always assumed that this is the norm.

But the past 15 years of my being a licensed driver have led me to believe otherwise.

This Redditor took advantage of free business cards and had these
“You Park Like an Asshole” cards printed.

Since that fateful day circa 1996-1997, I — or more specifically, my cars — have been the victims of no less than THREE hit-and-runs. One of which left very significant damage costing approximately $6,000 in repairs. (Fortunately, my insurance picked up the majority of the tab. But they also increased my premium as a result.)

Just a couple of weeks ago, my SIL came for a visit and in the hour or so that she had left her car parked just outside our condo, someone hit her car and drove off, leaving serious damages to the left side of the vehicle.

In all four cases, no trace of a note could be found anywhere. And in my SIL’s case, it was obvious that the other driver had taken some time to check out the damages, because the side mirror was pushed in without any hint of damages on or near it.

I also recall one night back in college, when my drinking buddies for the night began to brag about their own hit-and-runs.

“I figured that if the other driver can afford a Mercedes, they could afford to pay for the repairs.”

“I called my dad and asked him what to do, and he told me that if no one saw me doing it, then I should just leave…so I did.”

“The other driver took up TWO SPACES in a mall parking lot during holiday shopping season. So I keyed the car.”

Okay, so that last one was not technically a hit-and-run. But still.

None of them had left notes. And the worst part? None of them seemed to feel any guilt. If anything, they seemed PROUD and RELIEVED that they were able to get away with these offenses.

Oh, and we can’t forget about the douchebags who pretend to leave notes containing their contact information, but are only scribbling nonsense so that they look good in front of others who have witnessed the event.

What the heck happened to common courtesy?

All I know is that when my children get old enough to drive, I will be telling them this story and instructing them to do the right thing. That I would be proud of them if they were to to wait for the other driver to arrive, or at least leave a note with their contact information.

Have you ever been the victim of a hit-and-run?

Have you ever hit or scratched a car and just run off? If so, do/did you feel any guilt about it? (Don’t be afraid to comment — I promise I won’t judge.)

Today is the last day to enter my ONA Roma Camera Insert giveaway! Have you entered yet?

YOU SHALL NOT PASS!

Claire seems to be doing much better this morning. Her fever is gone, she no longer cries out from pain, and she is finally eating.

I did not sleep a wink last night from worrying over my sick daughter. Since my in-laws have arrived early this morning to help with the baby, I will now attempt to get some shut-eye…

But before I do, as Gandolf powerfully proclaimed to the Balrog at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, I would like to roar to this ear infection, “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”

And in the spirit, here is a clever physics problem that incorporates that famous scene:

Physics was my worst subject in school, so I have no idea how I would even go about attempting to solve this problem. But taking into consideration the epic geekery of this question, I wonder if I would have fared better with instructors who were as creative as this…

Via Reddit.

An Ear Infection, and 38 Weeks

Our Claire Bear has an ear infection. 🙁

She woke up several times last night, which we had attributed to teething, and this morning flat-out refused to eat. Then, she woke up from her morning nap with a fever and proceeded to just cry and cry.

Coincidentally, Claire’s 1-year pediatrician visit was scheduled for later today. I called the doctor’s office and they told us to bring her in right away.

Our pediatrician prescribed us some amoxicillin, advised us to administer ibuprofen if the fevers persist, and told us not to worry too much.

(image source)

Thanks to the ibuprofen, Claire’s fever is now down and she is starting to smile again. But she still refuses to eat, and although we’ve put her down for a nap so that she can get some rest, she is fussing in her crib. (We cannot hold her or carry her to sleep because she has not been able to do that since we sleep-trained her at 4.5 months.)

This is the first time that Claire has been sick. I know that I should feel lucky that our daughter has not fallen ill for the entire first year of her life, and that I shouldn’t worry too much since ear infections are one of the most common illnesses among babies. But I can’t help but be overly concerned — I have been reading up on ear infections as soon as we returned from the doctor’s office — and I have even shed a few tears, just thinking about the pain and discomfort that my daughter must be going through.

If any parents can chime in on what has helped with your children’s ear infections, I would greatly appreciate it!

Now, onto BebeDeux…

I can’t believe that there are only two weeks left until BebeDeux’s due date! There isn’t too much to write in terms of an update — I am still feeling very uncomfortable — and while at this point of the pregnancy with Claire, I couldn’t wait for her to come out, I am hoping that BebeDeux stays in there for as long as possible because I’m still scared sh*tless about becoming a mother to two children who are just 13 months apart.

I had my weekly OB visit yesterday, and it was a memorable one because my doctor asked if I would mind if a medical resident joined us for the exam. I agreed, and as the doc began the ultrasound (I get one every visit because our OB practice has a small ultrasound machine on premises), he began a little lecture:

This patient presents a special case because she was diagnosed with acute appendicitis during her second trimester and had to have an appendectomy as a result. Can you tell me what to look out for with appendicitis in pregnancy?

Additionally, the doc would point out specific things on the ultrasound, ask further questions, and so forth…heck, even I learned quite a few things!

And the entire time, I couldn’t help but be extremely fascinated, because it felt exactly like I was a patient on one of my favorite medical shows, like “Scrubs” or “Grey’s Anatomy”!

(image source)

Once again the doctors couldn’t find anything to be concerned about — I have tested negative for all possible infections and complications, my blood pressure remains normal and steady, there still remains plenty of amniotic fluid, and BebeDeux remains head-down and rear-facing.

I asked the doctor if second children usually tend to be larger than the first, because that’s what everyone’s been telling me, and he said that this is another widely-believed myth. He took BebeDeux’s measurements and estimated that she will probably weigh in the 6-7 lb range, just as Claire was at birth (she was 6 lbs 7 oz).

He offered to do an internal exam to see if I am dilated or effaced at all, but I refused. Remembering my experience with Claire — I was still only 1cm dilated and 30% effaced just 12 hours before going into labor — I know that these numbers really can’t predict much about when the baby will arrive!

One last thing about the exam: when I told the doctor that I am hoping for a 11/1/11 birthday but how J wants me to go over my due date so that BebeDeux can come on 11/11/11, he laughed and said that if I do go a week over my due date, he will schedule me to be induced on 11/11!

How to Find Kentucky on the Map

When I was in 3rd grade, I became the first person in my class to memorize all the states and their capitals in alphabetical order. I was also the first to correctly identify each state on a map of the United States.

Sadly, that was the peak of my geographical knowledge.

I can now only correctly identify perhaps half of the states on a U.S. map. (I imagine I will have a lot of catching-up to do before my kids start school. After all, we can’t have a mommy who knows less than her grade-school aged children, can we? ;-)) And it is always those pesky middle states that give me the most trouble…

Fortunately for me, today I stumbled upon something that will help me forever remember where Kentucky is on the map:

In related news, now my 38-weeks-pregnant self is majorly craving KFC.

Via Reddit.

So This is What They Look Like on the Inside…

Yesterday, we discovered 2 new teeth in Claire’s mouth — one on either side of her top front teeth — making for a grand total of 6 teeth at the age of 12 months.

(So far, all of her teeth have come in pairs. Is this normal?)

The best part? She did not exhibit any signs of teething prior to our discovering these new pearly whites. If you can recall, the first four were hellish: waking up 5-6x per night, constant whining and crying, extreme clinginess, and so forth.

We’re keeping our fingers crossed that this will be the norm for the rest of her teeth!

And, to celebrate, I will share with you a picture of a child’s skull before losing their baby teeth:

(image source)

Completely horrifying yet strangely fascinating at the same time, wouldn’t you say? 😀

ONA’s Roma Camera Insert Bag Review and Giveaway!

Sorry, this giveaway is now closed. The winner will be announced here shortly!

Late last year, the web was abuzz with the introduction of a laptop + DSLR bag that was not only functional and well-made, but beautiful as well: the ONA Union Street Bag.

I knew it would be perfect for my fashion-conscious husband, who commutes to work with a laptop and likes to bring along his DSLR wherever he can.

I immediately placed myself on the waiting list — the bag had became sold out as soon as the blogosphere began to buzz about it — and gifted it to J as his birthday present earlier this year.

We both love the Union Street bag. J gets compliments on it all the time, and I could definitely distinguish ONA’s high craftsmanship and quality of materials compared to other camera bags.

So when ONA recently contacted me to see if I would be interested in reviewing their new Roma Camera Insert and Bag Organizer, I couldn’t be more ecstatic!

As with most amateur photographers with a DSLR on their hands, I tend to stick with one or two lenses and do not carry around much accessories. And because I prefer my DSLR to my phone camera or my 4-year-old point-and-shoot (which now only gets used once every few months), I like to bring it out when I go out…

…the problem being, of course, that I don’t like to carry around a separate camera bag.

In order to get around this problem I usually wrap my camera in a scarf and just place it in my purse, which any idiot can tell you is not the smartest thing to do.

Enter the Roma Camera Insert and Bag Organizer.

The Roma is constructed of the same durable waxed canvas exterior (dubbed Waxwear) with leather details, just like the Union Street.

The interior is well-padded, and comes with an adjustable divider:

As you can seen, I had no problem whatsoever fitting my DSLR into the Roma (pictured here is a Canon Rebel T1i with the 17-55mm f/2.8 lens, which measures about 5″ long):

Here I have added my going-out essentials to the Roma: a wallet, cell phone, some makeup, and sunglasses. As you can see, the five exterior pockets — in addition to the extra room leftover on the inside — allow for plenty of space!

Lastly, a picture of the Roma inside my medium-sized purse — it fits perfectly, and I still have some room to spare!

I can’t say enough how much I love the Roma, and it seriously could not have arrived at a more perfect time, because I had been seriously thinking about purchasing an insert to protect my DSLR. 🙂

Now, for the part you’ve all been waiting for…

ONA has very graciously offered to give to one of my readers a
Roma Camera Insert and Bag Organizer!

This giveaway will allow for four methods of entry rather than my usual three, so please pay attention to the rules…

Each reader is eligible for up to four entries via the following methods (each method will grant a separate entry):

Leave a comment to this post answering the following question: how do you usually travel with your camera?
If you haven’t done so already, go to the Geek in Heels Facebook Page and “Like” the page. Then click on the ONA’s Roma Camera Insert Giveaway link (located right under the profile picture, or just use this link) to enter the sweepstakes.
“Like” the ONA Facebook Page, and leave a separate comment to this post saying you’ve done so.
Follow both @geekinheels and @onabags on Twitter and tweet exactly the following: I just entered for a chance to win the @onabags Roma camera insert via @geekinheels and you can too! http://bit.ly/pT6KCw

You can increase your chances of winning by using all four methods of entry. There is only one entry allowed per person, per method — for a total possible number of four entries — and any additional entries will be promptly deleted. (Yes, I have ways of checking this. And yes, this will only cause me to get annoyed at you.)

For the complete list of rules, go to this link.

The giveaway begins as soon as this entry is published — October 17, 2011 @ 12:00pm EDT — and will run until October 21, 2011 @ 11:59pm EDT. The winner will be announced here on October 22 and will also be notified by email (so please use a valid email when entering so that I can contact you if you win!) or via a Twititer DM.

Good luck, and thanks for reading!

(Now, it’s time to save up for ONA’s Brooklyn! :-))

Defying the Halloween Birthday

How much does psychology come into play when it comes to the day a woman gives birth?

As it turns out, more than what you might expect.

Using 11-years’ worth of U.S. birth certificate data provided by the National Center for Health Statistics, Yale researchers have found that there are higher instances of birth on Valentine’s Day, a holiday traditionally linked with positive symbolism, while Halloween — a holiday which traditionally conveys negative symbolism — has lowered birth rates.

Take a look at the following graphs, provided by Try Nerdy:

While the overall increased likelihood of giving birth on Valentine’s Day jumps by 5%, a whopping 11.3% decrease in births was seen on Halloween across these years!

Although I know quite a few women who say that they would love to have a Halloween baby, I personally am keeping my fingers crossed that BebeDeux (whose due date is November 3) will not be born on this holiday — not due to the negative connotations, but because I prefer not to have my child share her birthday with a major holiday.

I have stated over and over again that I’m hoping for a November 1 birthday so that her birthdate will be binary: 11-1-11! (J wants her to stay in there longer because he wants a 11-11-11 birthday, born at 11:11:11!)

I also have another ulterior motive for wanting a November birthday: my mother’s birthday is October 27, and my sister’s is October 28. Additionally, my cousin’s twins were born on Halloween (contrary to the data above)…and I would prefer that BebeDeux does not share a birthday with another member of the family, or even a birthday month with four family members. That being said, I admit that an October 29 birthday wouldn’t be too bad, as my mother, my sister, and my second daughter would have birthdays right next to each other’s.

I know that there are a million circumstances beyond my control, but if the hormonal mechanisms responsible for determining birth timing are affected by psychological factors as the study suggests, I believe that my chances of my getting a preferred birthday for BebeDeux are better than I thought!

Besides, I can remember just last year, wishing and hoping for a September birthday for Claire (her due date was October 3)…and she was born 4 days early, on the last day of September. 🙂

If you have children, would you say any psychological factors affected their birthdays?

Music Typewriter

I love typewriters.

I have studied music since the age of 5.

So how can I not fall in love with this Keaton Music Typewriter, which allows the user to type musical notes on blank sheet music?

According to musicprintinghistory.org:

The Keaton Music Typewriter was first patented in 1936 (14 keys) by Robert H. Keaton from San Francisco, California. Another patent was taken out in 1953 (33 keys) which included improvements to the machine. The machine types on a sheet of paper lying flat under the typing mechanism. There are several Keaton music typewriters thought to be in existence in museums and private collections. It was marketed in the 1950s and sold for around $225. The typewriter made it easier for publishers, educators, and other musicians to produce music copies in quantity. Composers, however, preferred to write the music out by hand.

Too bad there are currently less than a dozen known to exist.

The good news is, if you have the money to spare, you can pick one up on Etsy for the low price of $6,000!

Via Neatorama.

Wedding Invites & Favors of the Year [Super Mario FTW!]

I know I used to blog for a wedding community, but it’s been more than 3.5 years since my wedding and frankly, the subject just doesn’t interest me much anymore.

BUT.

Once in a while I come across pictures from certain weddings and I can’t help but think, ‘DANG! Why didn’t we think of that? If only we were getting married again…’

(FYI, J and I have no intention whatsoever of renewing our vows. The first time around was stressful enough.)

Esther and Ryan’s wedding is one prime example. Notsomuch the wedding itself (which I’m sure was awesome too), but the handmade invitations and the favors.

And can you guess why I love their invites and favors so much?

The title of this post says it all (duh). And get this — not only are they Super Mario-themed, they are designed after the original Super Mario Bros on the NES.

Feast your eyes on these, my fellow geeks…

The front of the “cartridge” is intricately detailed and well-thought-out: the “Tanouye” used in place of the Nintendo logo is the bride’s maiden name; the “Watkins” in the Official Watkins Seal is the groom’s last name; and 10-08-11 is the date the couple set for the wedding. Additionally, 10-08 was decided because it was a wordplay on the bride’s last name.

Once you open the invitation you are further delighted by little details…

The three “block” inserts, when turned over, consist of: (1) the directions, (2) registry information, and (3) the RSVP card:

The inside of the invitation:

Even the back of the invitation stays true to the original NES cartridge, with some changes to the wording:

Don’t you just LOVE it?!!!

Now, on to the wedding day favors which were laid out for each guest…

When you first open up the box, you are greeted with an adorable card:

The back of the card thanks the guest in 4 different languages, each representing the different ethnic groups represented by the the bride (½ Japanese, ½ Korean) and the groom (½ Caucasian ½ Mexican):