Grown-up vs. Geeky?

Despite the growing number of adults who love anime, video games, sci-fi and fantasy, the general public consensus seems to be that these pursuits are immature. Even the open-minded tend to harbor this belief somewhere; I'm guilty of it myself. The clearest evidence is my home. The decor in the living room and kitchen is hardly what one would call geek-chic. It sneaks in occasionally, like the kanji plaques on the living room wall or the pixel-art magnets on the fridge, but for the most part our nerdy art and collectibles are kept to the home office or my crafting space. I can't really explain why I don't want to geek out our whole home. Maybe it just feels too much like a dorm room or bachelor pad without going to the trouble and expense of getting all our artwork framed. Maybe the bold colors that tend to dominate nerd culture don't mesh well with our furniture. Or maybe, just maybe, part of me cares about what people think, no matter how much I tell myself that I don't.

The nerdiness has found another foot hold as we put together the offspring's new "big girl" bedroom. In my effort to gather cute things I accidentally (or is it subconsciously?) ended up with a mostly Japanese-themed room, including a sweet little Totoro print for the wall. Maybe some day I will have the courage to let the geek spread futher; I know I will have 1337 D4ddy's full support if I want to make our kitchen Dr. Who themed (we already have a Tardis cookie jar, after all) or if I suggest covering our living room with anime art. I suppose only time will tell.

New Year...

I haven't been posting for a while here. Partly it's because this nerd-lifestyle blogging is harder than I thought. I think parenthood and other adult responsibilities have forced us to normalize a little. When you can't rush out to buy every Lego set or video game that fills your nerdy heart with desire, the passion can wane a little. Christmas did bring an iPhone into our home, but it belongs to 1337 D4ddy.



I'm also spending some of my time posting at a new blog, to indulge my slightly (but only slightly) less nerdy, Martha Stewart wannabe side. This side of me is not necessarily interested in insider trading and the associated jail time.



But this is a new year. The offspring is older and I owe it to myself to get back in touch with my roots and myself. We have the good fortune of being able to attend Naka-kon again, this time with friends. My mother is bringing my younger brother, and we're trading kids. If I don't have to lug a diaper bag and stroller, it means I can lug a Ball Jointed Doll in full costume instead! I'm looking forward to wearing anime accessories without a toddler tugging on them, too. I might have to take her with us to get autographs though. She was such a big hit with the celebs last year.



Other than taking more time for myself and some home projects, I don't know what 2011 holds for us. If parenthood has taught me only one thing, it is that plans can always change- and often do.

Holidays Ahead!

I like Thanksgiving. Food and family, what's not to like? But when it comes to holidays I really have to give it to Christmas. First and foremost it is about celebrating the birth of Christ. I really don't care that Jesus was not actually born in December, or that the Christian church only chose to celebrate during this season to keep people from participating in a pagan fertility holiday. I don't care that the Christmas tree, the feasting, and the gift-giving are all carried over from said fertility holiday. That doesn't change the meaning of the season for me. No matter what the circumstances of my life as a whole, Christmas always leaves me feeling fulfilled and blessed. It's hard not to feel God's presence when you are surrounded by people who love you.

If there is any one tradition that I'd like to pass on to my daughter and any future children, it is simply that they be surrounded by family. I can't imagine a Christmas season without going to three or four family gatherings, minimum. Sometimes it seems overwhelming to schedule them all, especially now that I am married and we have even more family members to see. I imagine that if we lived far away from family I would scrimp and save all year to travel home. I love having everyone together.

Do remember though, I am a nerd. Not all of my holiday memories are pulled from Hallmark cards. Whenever my parents claim that they are not nerds, I remember a holiday tradition that, sadly, stopped when I moved out. My parents worked at school so we had a vacation all the way through the new year, and in the vacation days after Christmas we would watch the original Star Wars trilogy. With the movies fresh in our minds, we gathered around the table to play Star Wars trivia. My dad was always Darth Vader. Still, they won't label themselves nerds... I suppose I'll let them slide since I won so often.

Even my nerdy memories are about family. They're not always cool, or easy to put up with, but if I didn't have family I might as well have nothing.

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Educating the Offspring

So, while I don't like to brag about it, it's easiest to start off this entry explaining that the offspring seems to have above average intelligence. She is hitting milestones early and has very high comprehension skills for her age. 1337 D4ddy and I aren't exactly slackers in the IQ department so I can't say I'm shocked, but even knowing it's likely doesn't fully prepare a person to raise a gifted child.

I worry about whether I am stimulating the offspring enough to help her reach her potential. We talk and I teach her words every day, we read pretty much every day, and we are already introducing the alphabet and colors into her daily play too. But the world throws lots of early education "opportunities" at parents these days and it keeps me curious. Do I need to get "Your Baby Can Read"? Do I need to buy sign language DVDs? Do I need to make baby lesson books?

Right now my answer is no. The offspring is learning really well without any formal lessons and I don't want to interrupt it. I want her to grow into her brains and talents naturally, without being pushed too hard in any one direction. This isn't to say that I disagree with any parents that do choose baby education. I haven't completely ruled out doing it in the future. But the offspring has so far shown a fondness for learning in her own way and I'm not going to make her change. I want to encourage her imagination, too. After all, she will have years and years of school to teach her, but only five years to stay home and play!

Bento, Revisited

For a few months, early in my pregnancy, I was making bento lunches for 1337 D4ddy. I never really tried to do art bento, since D4ddy could care less whether or not his food is cute, but getting up in the morning and preparing any kind of lunch that is more intricate than a sandwich takes time. I have never been a morning person in my life and fibromyalgia makes it even worse, so the bento making dropped off late in my pregnancy and stopped altogether when the offspring was born. For a few weeks I have been looking with dismay at the drawer full of bento supplies currently going to waste, and thinking on the reasons that I started bento in the first place. I wanted something to encourage me in my ongoing quest to make our diets healthier, first and foremost, but a thoughtfully packed healthy lunch was also a way to send a little extra love to school or work. This school semester promises to be the busiest yet, so anything I can do to make it easier is good. I have resolved to start making bento again.

The time required is definitely the biggest turn-off in bento making, at least for me, but thankfully there are others with the same dilemma who have become dedicated to the speed bento. Over the last couple of days I have been dutifully combing over Lunch In A Box for tips, recipes, and resources. The author, Biggie, packs bento lunches for her son in what seems to be an average of about 20 minutes every morning. 20 minutes is a great window for me. The offspring can eat her breakfast or stay happy in the swing for that long. Even if I stretch it out to 30 minutes when I'm getting the hang of things, she will probably tolerate it.

The only real disadvantage to making bento again is that it tempts me to buy all kinds of gear that I don't strictly need. I adore kitchen gadgets and my brain has apparently filed bento boxes and accessories as kitchen gadgets because it can't get enough of them.

The bento making will not begin immediately because I'm going to build up my freezer supply first. Freezer foods can be key in speed bento. D4ddy can manage in the meantime and a few days' wait will be worth it, if all goes as planned. I'll make sure to keep an update on how it goes!