Once a Geek...

... always a geek.

I thought I'd share a random collection of funnies, mostly personal, to exemplify this.

First up, a bit of the cartoon that always seems to grace my blog :-D

These are a couple of my personal favorites because I can especially relate to them. The first one fits me to a tee-- how I don't go through withdrawals on weekends, when I rarely check email and stuff, is beyond me. The second one also describes me pretty well-- when searching for hotels, having free hi-speed internet access is among the top amenities I'm looking for! Our road trip this past summer perfectly exemplified it: free internet trumped free continental breakfast anyday!



The hot tub vs. internet cartoon segues perfectly into a real-life example that's very similar. Allan's been doing the job hunting rounds lately, and has been fielding calls from recruiters. One recruiter tempted him with the tantalizing prospect of having not one, but TWO monitors at his disposal. Not a big deal, you say? Well try on two 30-inch monitors for size! Allan's first thought? "Ooooh, sign me up! Salary? Who cares about salary-- we're talking about 2 30" monitors here!!" Sigh... geekish priorities...

And finally, geekery cannot be evaded even in the most un-geekish of settings, like a wedding :-D We went to a friend's wedding several weeks ago, and during dinner, we were given cards and a special pen (with long-lasting ink) to write our wishes for the bride and groom. Rather than the usual Hallmark-type fare, Allan and I decided to show our true colors (hey-- the groom is a geek, too!) by writing a bit of computer code. I took a picture of the card before we submitted it:



It's a tad blurry, so I thought I'd write out the code itself. My geeky readers (read: Wayne and Steve) should be able to decipher it ;-)

while (true) {
   scott.messup();
   scott.beg(forgiveness);
   brittany.forgive();
}

void beg (Goal g) {
   scott.plead();
   scott.cry();
   scott.buy (flowers, candy, jewelry);
}

I guess the point is not so much the content of the "code" itself, but the fact that we came up with such a geekish representation of our wishes to the happy couple. Not to worry, we flipped the card over and wrote our normal English greeting so the bride could keep some semblance of sanity ;-)

So... what's your favorite personal geeky funny?

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/313896189)

More Random Updates

Wow, I can't remember the last time I had a gap this huge between blogging days! I feel like I've forgotten what all there is to update on, it's been so long!

Funeral for Grandma was held on Monday. It was a lovely service, and everything came together quite nicely. It was also quite the learning experience for me, never having to deal with death-related matters and miscellany before. It can get complicated!

Some of my mom's family flew in from overseas to visit and attend the funeral, and Todd immediately took to his great-uncle (mom's oldest brother). It's rare that Todd warms so much and feels so comfortable with anyone new, so it was a treat to see him actively talking and interacting with Great-Uncle.

As you can tell from my last blog entry, we ended up getting Todd a suit, after all. Firstly, the amount of time, effort, driving and hassle it would've taken just to find a shirt and pants, would've outweighed any cost savings. Secondly, it was only $49, and that price included the tie, matching hankie and vest (and since a waistcoat IS a type of vest, I'm sticking by that term) so it was a pretty good deal anyway. Thirdly, the folks running the tuxedo shop from where I got the suit, were so nice and friendly that I couldn't help but want to take my business there. The suit fits perfectly and it remains to be seen whether or not he'll get another opportunity to wear it before he outgrows it.

Like Lisa, I was jumping for joy at being able to use some new cleaning products this weekend (multi-purpose cleaning solutions as well as new scrub brushes), and immediately set to work scrubbing off stubborn stains in the bathroom and kitchen. It was also reorganization time, and though I didn't throw much away, just rearranging items in the kitchen shelves and cabinets provided so much more space!

I'm still catching up on stuff I've missed from the past 2 weeks! Heard a news bit on the radio this morning about a survey that some advertising company conducted, which revealed that the majority of Americans are so attached to their online time that not only could very few survive even a couple of days offline, some would even put their internet time ahead of their own friends and family! The sad thing is... as extreme as that viewpoint sounds, I can relate!

And go figure-- in about an hour some tech guys are gonna come by and do a "desktop refresh" on my computer-- apparently it entails hardware updates, but at the moment I'm busy cataloguing and backing up all my essential files and programs in case they give me a new hard drive. So after lunch I shall be offline (it's kinda risky to leave your computer on while you're opening it up to install new hardware ;-) ) for a few hours. Guess by the time I get back online I'll STILL be in the midst of catching up on everything, and getting myself back into the groove of work.

Dressing Up

Finally got little man's suit and some dress shoes today. Little girls are fun to dress up like dolls, but sometimes little boys can be fun to dress up as well! Especially when he's clamoring to try on his suit as soon as we got home. Here he is, in stages... shirt and tie, then added the vest, then the whole ensemble, including a matching "handkerchief" in the pocket!

Random Updates

First thought of the day: I hate IE. I hate IE7 even more. I had just typed up my entire blog post and somehow, before I could post it, the tab with the blog editing screen freakin' DISAPPEARED. WTF!?

Anyway, here it is again, re-typed to the best of my memory...

With a few quick moments online, thought I'd provide a few random updates.

Services for Grandma scheduled for Monday. Spent 5 hours yesterday purchasing the plot and making all the necessary arrangements with the funeral home. Still have to sort out extra floral arrangements, photographer, and post-service "reception".

Finding a suit for Todd is harder than it seems. Most places don't rent suits, just sell them. A scant few rent tuxedos. I thought we could rent a tux and then have Toddy just wear the shirt and pants. But when a tux rental is $40 and a suit *purchase* is $43, it hardly seems cost-effective. We'll see if we can simply pick up a shirt and slacks at K-Mart or somewhere, for a lot less.

There's a freakin' MOUSE in the house! I saw the little furry critter on Tuesday night, scampering across the hall. My paranoia caused me to stuff a towel under my door, to ensure he couldn't get into my room. Yesterday night my paranoia dissipated-- no towel. This morning? Upon opening the piano we were greeted to a lovely surprise-- tiny little turd pellets and urine spots on the keys! Nasty little varmint! I hope he either leaves or we catch the germ-filled furball soon!

Dialup sucks. I had forgotten how much time is wasted waiting for stuff to load when all I need to do is look something up super-quick.

Time for dinner and a shower now, and probably more cleanup, as my uncle arrives in town tomorrow evening... nighty night for now!

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/309764859)

Update and Thanks

Hi everyone,

I thought I would blog an update on things that have been going on this past several days. I also wanted to use this forum to thank all of you who have sent me emails and left voice messages of condolence and love. It means a lot to me and I hope you don't mind my making one big public thanks instead of several individual replies :-)

My maternal grandmother passed away suddenly on Friday evening. I had just arrived in Santa Barbara when my mom called me with the news, so after dinner, Allan and I got into our cars and headed back down. Todd was actually the one who discovered her, lying in the bathtub. I think her heart began failing, and when this caused faintness, she sat at the edge of the tub, falling in as she lost consciousness. Todd ran to my mom and asked why his great-grandma was "sleeping in the bathtub". Paramedics rushed to the scene, as did police (to rule out foul play), to no avail. By the time Allan and I arrived, the coroners had finished the paperwork and were about to transport my grandma to the mortuary. I had the opportunity to see her for a few moments before they did. She looked like she was merely asleep on her bed, so it was a bit strange to feel her skin so cool to the touch when I smoothed her hair and forehead.

Grandma was almost 91 years old, and until the last month, was even healthier and more active than my parents. She didn't even look 90, she barely looked 60. She always helped around the house with chores, even swept up leaves in the backyard, and of course, in the last few years, Todd kept her highly entertained and full of laughter. She was 100% mobile, independent and coherent until her very last moments. Though she suffered a stroke a few years ago, it only slowed her down, but didn't hamper her. Her last day was filled with the usual mundane activities-- doing the dishes, folding the laundry, and being pestered by Todd, which always raised her spirits. The evening ended like any other-- dinner followed by a shower. It seemed like only a split second, and she was gone.

And for that we're extremely thankful. I cannot imagine how painful it must be for someone to languish in bed and in pain for weeks, months, even years, before they finally succumb. My grandma's death was sudden, painless, and quiet, and I feel it's quite a blessing that she didn't suffer at all, and that she was able to live in comfort until she did pass on. If there's a more ideal way to go when the time comes, I can't imagine one.

Tomorrow is our appointment with the funeral home to purchase the plot and make all the funeral arrangements. Family will be flying in from overseas at the end of the week. Since today provided a bit of a lull in the nonstop activities and arrangements we've been making, I decided to drop by work so I could officially put in for my time off, tie up some loose ends with work, and of course, catch up on online activites and keep you all updated on what's been going on. After today, I'll be taking a whole week off to help tend to everything.

Thank you again, everyone, for all your well wishes and prayers!

Love,
Helly

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/308958722)

Grammar Police (with an addendum)

Been a while since I blogged one of those silly Blogthings quizzes, but I do keep them on my feeder in case an interesting one catches my eye. Yesterday this quiz popped up, and for those of you who know me, with my low tolerance for spelling/grammar errors (IM excepted, of course) I would be remiss in my role as the lovingly-dubbed "Grammar Nazi" if I didn't take it.

So here goes:

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

This reminds me of a couple of Livejournal communities I particularly enjoy. I stumbled across them when Jenna first blogged, a couple years ago, about some outrageously funny entries in mock_the_stupid. From there, I found these two communities, which always provide some entertainment. Sometimes I even learn something new!

Grammar Whores and Grammar Police

I had to come back and edit this post after playing around a bit on Facebook and sending myself a gift using its "Free Gift" application. I received the email notification for it, and what do you think it said? Have a look:



I realize that it's just filling in a form that would've otherwise normally read something like "Jane sent you a free gift", but honestly? Would it have been that difficult to simply plug in my own name, so it would at least read "Helly sent you a free gift"? While that might create a philosophical conundrum, at least it would be grammatically correct. And that is, after all, the important thing! :-D

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/307701428)

Happy Birthday Hijinks

In the wake of Willow's birthday blog party and Scot's personal video birthday wish to her, most of you have no doubt read the comments on his blog, in which he and I discussed ways to jointly wish Jenna (today) and Fuzzy (tomorrow) a Happy Birthday together.

Here are the fruits of our labors. Don't laugh too hard! In my video, you can hear Scot on the speakerphone while my eyes dart around every which way except the camera, mostly because I was trying to concentrate on keeping the same tempo! Without much success, as you can see (hear).

Happy Birthday duet

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And here is Scot, standing under a street lamp and looking slightly spooky ;-) I decided it would be funnier to post the entire thing and not just the cropped version, so, enjoy his one-sided conversation with me :-D



:-D

And finally, just for some kicks, the commercial and song I will forever associate with Jenna (this seemed like an appropriate place as any to post it, and today of all days!). I present to you: Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper, courtesy of Mana Mana!


Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper Commercial

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Happy Birthday, Jenna and Fuzzy! Hope you have a wonderful one and may all your dreams and wishes come true!

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/307045175)

Hot Labor Day Weekend

Santa Barbara provided a nice respite from the heatwave consuming the inland areas of Southern California this past week, a heatwave that only intensified over the weekend. There was about a 30-degree difference between my parents' house, smack dab in the middle of the San Fernando Valley, and the pleasant coastal city of Santa Barbara. While my parents roasted in 107-degree temperature, we enjoyed a breezy and sunny 78 degree day on Saturday.

It started off with a phone call-- from Lucia! Apparently neither of us sound anything like we do in videos featuring our voices, so that was a pleasant surprise. And despite having a British accent, she was quite easy to understand. Maybe it's because by now I've talked to so many of you, I've gotten used to your general accent, way of talking, and colloquialisms :-) That was a fun conversation.

Then Todd and I did some shopping, brought lunch to Allan, who was studying on campus (and where all the eateries were closed due to the holiday weekend). We picnicked in the shade, where the breeze got cool enough for me and Todd to don our sweaters. On the way back to the car, I nearly stepped on the largest dragonfly I'd ever seen. I managed to snap a picture of it, with my size 7W foot next to it for size comparison:



We then spent the rest of the afternoon finishing our shopping, washing the car, and cleaning out the back patio, where we were able to enjoy dinner outside in the cool summer night's air.

Next day, we headed back to LA early, to leave Allan more quiet time to study for his upcoming job interview, and we left after lunch. Stopped by Wal-Mart and made a field day of it-- leisurely playing in the toy aisle, and then sitting in the McDonald's inside to enjoy an ice cream sundae snack together.

Monday didn't provide much opportunity to go outside on account of the heat, but that didn't stop Todd from grabbing an old-fashioned, motorless lawnmower out of my dad's shed, and getting to work on the front lawn! Here's some pictures of the little man struggling with it, video footage can be found on YouTube :-)



All in all, a nice, quiet, yet productive weekend with lots of quality time spent with my little man. I need more of them. Weekdays I see him for a few minutes in the morning and then 1-2 hours in the evening after work, before he goes to bed. Weekends are mostly family days, so Daddy's included in most of the activities. Which is fun, but sometimes good mother-son bonding is just what I need :-)