Geekcode

So I was wandering the internet the other day and stumbled upon the Geek Code, which apparently was used to identify other online geeks to each other. Basically it is a string of letters that indicate various character traits (general clothing style, appreciation for Star Trek, and so on).

While it is indeed very outdated, I nevertheless have put together my own geek code, and here it is:

—–BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK—–
Version: 3.12
GCS d- s:– a>? C++ U— P– L+ E— W++ U?
o– K- w+ O? M V? PS-(+) PE-(+) Y+ PGP t 5?
X R !tv b++ DI+(++) D- G e++ h—- r+++ y?
——END GEEK CODE BLOCK——

…yeah, I’m not really sure the purpose either, but it was fun to do…

Enhancements to the geek code could include such things as:

  • Star Wars (esp. classic vs. prequels)
  • Lord of the Rings (books vs. movies)
  • blog usage
  • facebook usage
  • youtube usage
  • flash videos created
  • iphone apps created
  • number of email accounts
  • whether you were a geek before being a geek was cool (with a qualifier indicating that while you are too young for that to be the case, you certainly would have been in that category)
  • number of RSS feeds currently subscribed to
  • number of podcasts currently subscribed to
  • number of computers currently owned
  • current WOW character level
  • favorite search engine
  • Big Bang Theory (TV show)
  • How many Java frameworks you are proficient in
  • Cell phone data plan

…And, really, there are some that should have been in there originally:

  • comic books
  • time spent on personal hobbies

Well, what do you think? Did I miss any?

Playhouse Bush

So I’m going to brag a little. I’ve been wanting to re-do our rather dilapidated swingset, but we don’t currently have the money to do all the neat stuff that I want to do. So instead of that, I built a toddler size playhouse out of our snowball bush.

The bush is huge, so it already had a decent amount of space underneath it. I took one afternoon and cleared out the (mostly) deadwood from underneath the bush and ended up with a fairly decent space.

After that the main thing it needed was a door.

Here’s the inside:

And a few more pics for fun:

How to Train Your Dragon: Family Bonding

Yesterday my wife and I decided on the spur of the moment to go see “How To Train Your Dragon” Since it was spur of the moment, our babysitting options were short. We figured it was a kid’s movie, so we could go ahead and take the kids.

…That might have been a mistake. Our toddler daughter loved seeing the dragons flying, but got bored about halfway through the movie. Meanwhile our baby son got hungry, so we had to buy some gummy bears to feed him throughout the movie (yes, we did give him real sustenance afterward).

Having said that, the movie was awesome. I mean, awesome! It was like taking my childhood daydreams and making a movie from them!

It was also a great bonding moment for my boy and I–at the end of the movie I discovered that both of us were covered in sticky, half-chewed gummy bears.

Dirty Laundry

The other day when I got home from work, I was changing into some casual clothes, and my toddler daughter asked me what I was doing, “I’m changing my clothes”

…

“Daddy pooped his panties!”

Young Masochism or Bridging the Language Barrier

So a couple days ago I was putting my daughter in bed for her nap when she looks up at me and says, “Cut me, daddy!”

?… So of course I try to think of words that sound similar to “cut” that might make sense…

“What?”

“Cut me.”

“Did you mean Talk?”

“No. Cut me!”

“…Um, I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

“Cut me! Like this,” whereupon she puts both hands under her armpits, then her sides, then her legs.

“Are you sure you mean ‘cut’?”

“Yes!”

I spent about five minutes trying to figure out what she meant and getting worried that Mommy was right when she said our girl was starting to understand violence. I had her repeat it several times, tried repeating other words back; she also demonstrated what she meant a couple more times as well.

Finally Mommy came and saved the day–“She means tuck.”

Thank heavens.

What I’m up to these days…

So I’m starting to get a little more settled in at my job (programming for the LDS Church). Recently we had a company meeting and activity. The activity was very interesting–It was a “spudwood derby.” We divided up into teams, and each team was given a set of pinewood derby wheels and axles… and a potato. We had a half hour to make a usable car.

On another front, I am trying to play with music (the mood has struck again)… I’ve got one of my older computers hooked up to the digital piano and I’m trying to figure out how I can get various sound fonts working (The digital piano is pretty good, but it’s french horn is horrible and it doesn’t have a cymbal roll)… For composing I’m using Noteworthy editor. Several years ago I looked around for some notation software, and virtually everything out there was $300 or more with all the bells and whistles, but Noteworthy cost $30, which was about right considering the fact that I really don’t know what I’m doing…

I also got a new phone (LG env touch), and have really enjoyed it. I’ve started looking into apps/sites that I can create that would be useful. What I’ve got so far is a scripture lookup page–you type in the book and chapter, and it will open up that chapter on the online version of the scriptures. It’s a work in progress, but coming along nicely. If you are really that bored you can check it out at lds.jersdesk.com/scriptures

The kids are doing OK, but they’ve had colds for a good while now. My youngest has gone from happy cheerful baby to whiny clingy baby—not so fun. We still manage to enjoy them nevertheless.

Sweet Daughter

OK, my daughter is the sweetest ever (except when she isn’t, but that’s another post).

Today, while everyone else was napping, she and I had some chocolate milk together. We just sat on the floor next to each other, me with my mug and her with her sippie-cup; and out of the blue she turns to me, and with a big smile, says, “Daddy, I yuv yoo,” and gives me a big hug and kiss.

I almost cried.

She’s definitely getting more chocolate milk.

P.S. I realize it’s not terribly manly to use words like “Sweet” and “Cute”, but I defy any man to have a daughter and continue to keep those words out of their vocabulary.

Gratitude

So, at the end of November I was laid off from my job–just in time for the holidays. Needless to say, it was a fairly stressful, rough time, but at the same time, we were really taken care of very well, by our extended families, my local ward, and even some of the government programs.

I was able to find some short-term work, and have now got a one-year position with the LDS Church, so at the moment we are doing very well. The job is about a half hour away, so we’ve been getting used to having a commute, but it really isn’t bad, especially considering having no work at all.

I wanted to say thank you very much to everyone who helped us out while we were in need. We were able to have a very enjoyable time during the holidays, and we were able to keep up with our bills and everything else because of your help. Thank you!