Being Geek Chic is a blog for stylish geeks, sophisticated nerds and people who enjoy the musings of a complete dork. Join us as we dream of driving the TARDIS, cuddle with our eBooks and test out an iPad sleeve. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi and a team of brilliant lady nerds. Meet the team.
One full week back in non-Doctor Who action and I feel a little like we have a hang-over. I’m not quite sure we have fallen back into things just yet. And this picture of my Gram wearing a bow tie covered dress isn’t helping. It’s just so damn adorable.
RIP, Grandma Ann, you feisty lady. I secretly like to imagine her running around space and time with the Doctor in this dress. Speaking of RIP, I’m so sad that Roger Ebert died. He was a gem.
“We are put on this planet only once, and to limit ourselves to the familiar is a crime against our minds.” - RIP @ebertchicago
I may not have agreed with him about every movie, but he was always insightful and never mean. You could always count on Ebert to write genuinely brilliant words on any subject, but he was especially beautiful when he wrote about film. I will miss hurrying off to his website as soon as a movie was over. See you at the movies, Rog.
Here’s some good stuff this week… and yes, I’m going WAY over four things this week, because it’s been a while since we have gone through this exercise together.
Adam and the boyf’s birthdays are within 8 days of each other. Today, it’s TJ’s big day, so we’re celebrating with some cold beverages and blasting the air conditioning.
But there’s also a lot of silliness that happens when a bunch of weirdos like us celebrate a birthday.
Last year, I made Adam a LEGO brick cake. That was interesting. And challenging. It turned out more pink than red. Annoying. This year, he received a red LEGO box instead. And an 8-bit tie. And loads of socks. Adam always wears socks with holes in them, so I told him he had to throw all the holey ones away and wear these awesome ones instead. BAZINGA.
TJ is more of an old man nerd. (I mean it in the nicest way, folks. His family has called him Grampa TJ since he was 5, so trust me, I’m not the first to notice.) He likes Matchbox cars, old buildings and Sherlock Holmes. Plus, he agreed to read the Hunger Games and pretended to love it as much as I do. He even wears a District 12 tee around every once in awhile. Anyway… this all leads me to his cards.
You know how when you know someone SO well. Like your boyfriend. Or your brother. And you go to the card store and there is literally NOTHING in the whole card section that represents them? It’s all TOO sentimental. Or TOO corny. The cards come off as incredibly inauthentic. Anyway, that’s always the case when I try to buy a card for TJ or Adam. Last year was so ridiculous that we ended up buying Adam a belated birthday card JUST BECAUSE IT HAD A DELOREAN ON IT. And we gave it to him on his actual birthday. He framed it, so it worked out. Now I basically make the cards, because that’s a tradition that Adam started. His card for TJ this year completely kicked ass. Plus, I look hella’ cool as Lady Thor.
I should also mention that TJ is super patriotic, so it’s perfect on many levels.
In the end, this personal card making is worth the time it would take me to walk through all the card aisles and find something remotely reasonable. Plus, it’s more time spent being creative. So TJ got the card up top there. It’s a Peeta bread loaf with an arrow stuck in it… get it?!
Inside it says:
You know what?
You’re JUST like Peeta. Caring. Wise. Gentle. Patient.
I’m a little bit Katniss. Stubborn. Proud. Strong.
Together - a great team.
But hopefully, a team with a lot less drama. We could both do without murderous wasps, morbid leg injuries and electrocution.
And then some love.
I also got him some cool presents… “Experience” presents, as my mom would say. I bought him tickets for an estate tour of Taliesin. And he got this t-shirt, because I gave PBS a donation in his name. Could we be any more annoying liberal, hippy weirdos? I think not.
Many of you probably thanked your father today for teaching you to play basketball, taking you to the movies and helping you with your math homework. My dad did all those things for me too. But he also did something most of the other dads didn’t do: he made parade floats.
Every spring my dad would turn to my brother and I and ask what kind of parade float we would like to ride in for the upcoming summer season. The summer parade season in northern Minnesota isn’t like the Thanksgiving Day parade you see on TV. Instead, soaking wet kids and their sunburned parents flock to the streets for outdoor merriment, which is decidedly less glamorous and free of televised play by plays.
Iron Rangers, in particular, take their parades very seriously. Every town on the Mesabi Iron Range has its own day of celebration between Memorial and Labor Day with a parade to kick off the activities. And on top of that, each town also holds some kind of 4th of July parade. In case you’re not counting, this adds up to nearly 40 freaking street spectacles, complete with candy tossing over the course of three months.
Most families just attend these parades. But thanks to my dad’s creativity, we were part of the show. Our first float was a tribute to the Lion King. At the time, I LOVED Simba and I was so proud of that first float. The ultimate goal was to win a trophy and prize money in the process. (And by prize money, I mean $50. And by trophy, I mean bragging rights.)
Clearly, my dad was no average pa. In addition to being my soccer coach, taxi driver and biology tutor - he was an artist and a creator. He was a competitive parade float maker. That’s a rare, rare talent my friends.
Lion King. Pocahontas. Charlie Brown and Company. Toy Story. Care Bear.
Each of our favorite characters would come to life and then once they were on the truck, we would add some streamers, maybe some lights or minor electronics and candy. As a 10 year old, this was the closest I would come to having my own Snoopy.
I honestly don’t know why my dad did this. I know he did it because he loves a creative project. I know you’re thinking he did it because he loves his kids and that’s true too. But these floats were a lot of work. (I’d like to mention here that there were certain competitive float makers who would trot out the same float year after year and just hand out better candy. These people were despicable. Especially when they won.) He would design, build, cut, paint, prep and install every part of the floats and he would start from scratch every year. Looking at the insane pace of my childless life now, I can’t even believe that he did this every single summer for nearly 10 years. Whether or not my dad realized it, these floats did more than provide summer entertainment for my brother and me. The fact that my dad built these elaborate floats year after year, with incredible detail and creative tenacity made a little girl believe she could tackle any creative endeavor.
I’m grateful these incredible expressions on wheels were part of my childhood. And not just because it makes a great story when I meet someone for the first time. No, those elaborate designs made me creatively fearless. That’s quite the gift.
Happy Father’s Day, Rico Giorgi.
The traditional holiday greeting card with a family update letter hardly seems like a necessity in the era of never-ending contact. With the help of Facebook, I know exactly how old my cousin’s kids are, where they are going to pre-school and when they took their first steps. So, what’s the point of greeting cards/letters anymore?
I’ve decided that the point of Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/non-demonational winter holiday cards should be this: to remind each other why we’re on each others mailing lists. Sounds simple, but here’s my inspiration:
1. Make ‘em laugh. Every family or group of friends has an inside joke. These moments of humor are what bond many people for life and help you get through the tough times. A great source of inspiration for your cards this year can be exactly that: a laughter memory.
2. Make an announcement. Save up big announcements for these cards to save on stamps. Think: We’re Moving! We’re having a baby! We’re engaged! We’re crazy! You get it. Or perhaps say Thanks! for the gift you received from aforementioned, housewarming, baby shower, engagement party or wedding. Hitting two birds with one stone was never so stylish.
3. Share in something. Every year we get a lovely card from my BF’s grandma saying that the recipients on her Christmas Card list were all own a goat that she bought in our names to give to a family in need in Africa. It’s a sweet little something that we can all share together.
Need inspiration for something? Send us your biggest inspiration pitfalls to [email protected] and we’ll try to help.
May marks the 50th anniversary of the Federal Drug Administration approving the birth control pill. Thanks to the pill, women across the globe can plan a family while climbing the career ladder. It might not seem like such a big deal, but ask any lady geek, and she will tell you just how important this little medical marvel really is.
Elaine Tyler May of the University of Minnesota just wrote a book on the topic - and has some great insights into the issue.
