I was a bit more serious in posing the question of there being a job for me than I thought - I'm now unemployed!  Grr... Laid off due to lack of work.  I think I fall into the category of "be careful what you wish for" since I had been fairly unhappy with the stress at work and now I don't have that stress anymore!  The bad part is that I don't feel the stress of not having work yet - I'm enjoying it just fine, thanks.

Trying to make the most of it while I keep searching for new jobs by getting my "to do" list a bit shorter, but it seems to end up longer every time I look at it.  For every item I cross off, I think of 3 more to add to it - at least I'm crossing something off, though!

Update on my Vitamin D - I'm in the "normal" range again, so that's good.  Now I just have to keep it up!  And I'm due for my blood donation next week; A negative people, schedule your major blood loss traumas, because you'll have plenty from me!  ;)

My friend John's book is published!  Black Blade Blues was released yesterday and I got to go to his reading and signing at the U Bookstore in Seattle yesterday.  I'm already quite a few chapters into it and enjoying it very much.  It's urban fantasy with a strong female protagonist which is always fun to read (at least for me!).

Congrats John!  Can't wait for the next two!

I've been thinking about why some parents seem to shut out the obvious signs of their kids' drinking or unsafe driving or whatever.  Why parents are in denial about their kids participating in dangerous behaviors.  Statistics show that kids *are* doing these things, so don't assume that it's "not my kid" because it very well could be.  My best guess is that parents don't want to hear what their kid is doing from other parents because they think it shows failure or weakness as a parent.  Get over it.  If my kid is making a choice to do something that is wrong or illegal or whatever - PLEASE tell me.  I know my child has to make their own choices out in the world, but that does not mean that I don't want to know what they are (while they are minors and living at home) and that I don't want them to take responsibility for those choices when needed.  I'd rather know that my kid is underage drinking so I can have the appropriate conversation with them rather than have them try to hide it from me and think that another adult is helping them.

It's okay to tell your kids "no" when they want to do something that you're not okay with.  You will NOT be the only parent that doesn't want their kids out drinking or at prom parties.  Your kid will survive the embarrassment - they might not survive the drunk driving accident.

The job of a parent is to make sure your kid becomes an independent individual who can make choices for themselves and take responsibility.  They have to learn these things when they are a teenager.  I can't remember how the saying goes, but it's along the lines of parenting is like no other job in the world - when you're successful at it, you make your job obsolete.

Now that geek culture is more mainstream, does that mean that geeks growing up are more mainstream?  Having grown up amongst geeks as "fringe" kids, it doesn't make sense to me now that just because it's cooler to be a geek as an adult, it's any easier to be one as a kid.  Socially awkward doesn't change just because people are more aware of it now.

One example: shows like Big Bang Theory make it cool to understand geek references (like D&D or Magic: The Gathering).  But back to my question - does having a sense of humor about what makes geeks so endearing hold true in the middle school set?  Not sure how to ask my 6th grade daughter that without it being an overly loaded question.  Maybe people laugh with geeks more than at them now?

If there had been w00tstock back in 1987, would it have been as popular as it is now?  ComicCon (San Diego) has exploded in recent years as Hollywood realizes there is money to be made from the geek tribe.  Does having a larger circle of acceptance via the internet help give confidence and hope to geeks everywhere?  And if geeks are more mainstream growing up through the truly awkward times of life, then who is in the fringe group now?  I want to make sure I put my money on them for being cool in 15 years.

And then I realize that geeks being cool is probably a matter of perspective and it's just me thinking it's that way rather than any sort of cultural fact.  *facepalm*

With the downturn in the economy, the workload in my profession has also reduced substantially.  I've always loved math and science which is why I went into engineering, but I'm getting to the point where I don't really want to keep having a traditional day job, but I don't feel qualified for anything else other than being a mom.  The kicker is that I was diagnosed with severely low vitamin D levels which causes similar symptoms as depression (minus the suicide).  VERY HELPFUL.  So not only do I have no work, but the work I do have I can't find the motivation to get done. 

What do I have the motivation to do?  My home passions...  I love planning out our meals and finding new recipes to try that I think my kids and hubby will like, but there are a lot of people out there who are better at it than me when it comes to mainstream money-making abilities.  Same with travel planning - I love getting travel books and going online to find places to take my family for hiking and adventures, but I have no real desire to do it for other people and I can't imagine the travel agent position is all that lucrative right now.  I used to design websites, but my technical know-how is incredibly outdated.  I have fun tinkering around with websites, but there's no application outside of my own musings for it.  My family is my current passion, but there's no money in it unless I become the next Pioneer Woman.  But I never wore black heels and there are no tractor wheels around here.  I did well in English through school and I'm good at technical writing, but there are many people out there that are better.  So what do I do?  Create a stream-of-consciousness entry on my blog and know that even if no one reads this, at least I have a place where I can share my views and have my quirks and be my freaky engineer self.  I'm a geek and always have been and I love to read the thoughts of other geeks.  (Twitter is SO not helping me stay focused as I follow the tweets of Adam Savage, Wil Wheaton, Weird Al, Paul and Storm, and the list goes on.)  W00tstock is coming to Seattle and I have my tickets even if I haven't told my husband I'm going yet - and dragging him with me.  I was lucky enough to have a dad that encouraged me to be a geek, but that only gets me so far.  I don't want to be a famous geek, I just want to be someone who can make money doing something they love and I happen to be good at being nerdy.

I feel like I'm totally in the internet generation, but at the same time that I don't have a place on the internet.  I'm really done with Facebook, and I'm not about to go on a hunt to find people to follow me on Twitter because I'm not that prolific or witty.  Instead I spend my time making spreadsheets for endless things around the house and making my husband shake his head at how geeky I am.  But I'm not geeky enough to make a living at it.  Where is my place in the interwebs?  I'm not sure, but I sure as heck am having a fun time seeing how other people have found their place in the world.

Mark McGwire finally admitted that he used steroids in the 90's including in 1998 when he hit the single season home run record.  It's not a huge surprise given some of the info put out in recent years, but I really hope he understands how many kids followed him before/during/after he started using.  I didn't like the "Bash Brothers" of the Oakland A's because I thought Jose Canseco was a jerk, but I did like Mark McGwire and played first base for many years looking up to him.  I stopped playing softball in 1993 which was the year he started taking 'roids, so at least I was following him more closely during his "clean" years.  But I was happy for him in 1998 and thought for a while that he should still be able to get in the Hall of Fame.  Not sure where his place in baseball history is now... but it probably won't be in Cooperstown.

I'm just as shocked as most people at how all the information regarding Tiger Woods' personal life has exploded since the "car accident" happened.  What I don't understand is how this is (SADLY) any different than the loads of athletes, musicians, politicians, et al. who have made "transgressions" while married.  I absolutely do not support any of these guys (and yes, it typically is guys) in what they are doing to the state of their marriages - I can't imagine what these wives are going through - but the HGH accusations mean a bit more to me at the moment.  Yes, Tiger was the golden one, but he made a personal mistake that he has to live with.  The HGH would be a knock on his performance as an athlete, and that's the only "public" part of this whole thing.

In a fantasy world, humans would be monogamous when they are married.  I'm one of those people who believes that monogamy is how the world works for me, but have become a bit jaded when it comes to the lack of respect some people show their spouses.

The crazy part is how these "other women" are coming out more now than they used to.  Can't say whomever it was who gave Magic Johnson HIV came out and admitted it back in the day.  But Magic did admit that he'd made his own "transgressions" and the world moved on.  I won't even start getting into all the others who are now in this pathetic category.

Transgressions happen - I just hope for the health of my husband that transgressions don't happen to me.  *wink*

My local gas station recently decided to upgrade their drive-thru espresso stand.  And last week it was revealed that it wasn't an ordinary upgrade, it was to make it into an espresso stand with bikini baristas.    This particular gas station is located right next to a major city park and a troubled youth center.  Wow... there's a good choice.

The owner of the coffee stand claims that he considered these facts when he didn't put a window on the park side of the stand.  Neglecting to mention that to offset this loss, he put larger windows on the other sides - so when I walk on the sidewalk with my kids to get to the park, they can clearly see in.

Please note that I do not fault any of the ladies for working there (as long as they don't take extra payment for baring more or being touched which has been reported at other local stands).  It's no different than working at Hooters and making a few extra bucks by using their sexuality.  I get that.  What I don't get is the gas station owner's decision to locate it there.

There is another other bikini barista stand just as close to my house, but in a commerical area of the neighborhood, not a residential one - I didn't even know it was there until recently because they've done a good job at being located in a more appropriate place and not having large windows visible from the street (or from half the gas pumps either).  I'm not saying that all bikini barista stands need to go away, but the City should be able to have more control over where these stands are located.

The last day I used that gas station was the day the sign went up for the upgraded espresso stand.  It is a station I have used since 2002, but I will not go there again until the baristas wear regular clothes - it's 30 degrees outside, they should be wearing clothes!  ;)

*Edit 12/16/09:  My husband just informed me that the owner of the gas station put pressure on the espresso stand owner and the bikinis are now gone.  I think I'll wait to make sure it stays that way before heading back to those gas pumps. *

I am one of the amazed ones at the reaction to Obama bowing to the Emperor of Japan.  It's called a culturally appropriate sign of respect to another world leader.  What's the problem?  So what if he combined it with the typical American greeting of shaking hands.  It shows that both leaders can respect each other's cultural traditions.

I thought Stephen Colbert's Twitter post was great:  did you know a gesture can have two meanings? i.e. in japan bowing is a sign of respect but in the U.S. it's a sign of a weak president

Even the State Department has a policy that says to respect the culture of the country you're in when giving greetings.  Per AP article:  In an online State Department posting from 2007 titled "Protocol for the Modern Diplomat," envoys are advised to be aware of greeting rituals such as kisses, handshakes or bows and to follow a country's tradition.

So to anyone who was offended at Obama bowing to another world leader - go take a nap and chill out.  And please let those of us who are aware and respectful of other countries' customs be the ones who truly represent our country to the world.