The ramblings of a Sexy Geek Chick

A quick "me" update

Mon, 04 May 2009 03:19:22 GMT

Reposted from my Book Reviews Blog:

To all who follow my blog and/or book reviews, I wanted to take the opportunity to fill you in on what's been going on in my life and explain the lack of updates out here in case you weren't already aware.

Over the last year, Mike and I have been prepping and preparing to sell our house here in the Boston suburbs and move out west to the San Jose area of California. Once we get there, we'll definitely be living in a much smaller place—and possibly even living out of our RV for up to six months while we house hunt—so we've been working on a major downsizing by going through all the "stuff" we've accumulated over the past 40 years, deciding what to keep, sell, or just throw away! I can't lug all this crap out there with me. It's time to simplify and lighten the load!

Anyway, over the last six months, this effort has picked up steam and the clearing out process has taken away from much of my reading time. It's no wonder I've only managed to read 10 books so far this year! =:-o

I already have some family out there: my sister, mother, and two nieces, and we investigated neighborhoods and different areas when we were out there previously, doing a few drive-bys and such, though we weren't prepared to make an offer on any place without having sold our house here first.

So, as soon as our house here is sold, Mike, the bunnies, and I are hitting the road in the RV for a cross-country road trip, while the rest of our stuff is shipped out via movers and whatnot. We'll probably take about three weeks to travel from coast to coast, exploring many parts of the country we've never seen before. I'm actually really looking forward to that, and plan to take and share many pictures along the way. Keep an eye out for those... if I don't post them here, I'll definitely mention where they are. You can also follow me on Twitter, or friend me on Facebook, to keep tabs on me. I'm looking forward to the journey and hope you'll join me, at least virtually. ;)

On a side note, all this clean-up has obviously stirred up quite a bit of dust, aggravating the heck out of my allergies, already piqued due to the pollen. With stupid Blue Cross Blue Shield canceling coverage for my prescription allergy medication earlier this year, I've taken the opportunity to try out some all-natural remedies like Oregano Oil and Butterbur while switching my body over to Zyrtec-D. But what a pain in the ass all this is! Because the sale of over-the-counter decongestant is used in the production of crystal meth, it's sale is quantity restricted, and I'm only allowed a two-week supply at a time, presenting my license at the pharmacy in order to even get that! Grrr....

But on the good side, I've been quite happy with the Oregano Oil. It hasn't completely replaced the Zyrtec-D (or the Nasalcrom and Naphcon-A which I also take), but it has supplemented it quite nicely. I haven't had nearly as many migraines as I usually deal with this time of year, especially with all the dust and pollen coming into my system at once. Sometimes I even forget that my 12 hours are up and it's time for another pill, something I never experienced before when I used to start getting stuffy again after about 10 or 11 hours. For the Butterbur, I haven't been taking that long enough to form an opinion one way or the other yet.

Idiots!!

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:46:09 GMT

WTF is wrong with people in this world today?? What kind of idiot would knowingly give a loaded Uzi to an 8 year old to shoot? *shakes head*

Police Chief, Gun Club Indicted in Boy's Uzi Death

Laptop display down again :(

Mon, 19 May 2008 23:47:18 GMT

Well, it was working for a day, my Inspiron E1705... enough time for me to at least get 3 book packages labeled up and mailed out. Though I only got halfway in the quest to backup the hard disk. :(

See, Mike was able to get me back up and running yesterday with the replacement video card (which began exhibiting the same problems as the original) and also cleaning out more gunk from the fans than I had. He also cooled down the entire system and the chip area on the motherboard around the video card, and removed a stray lead (which he said didn't look like it was touching anything or shorting anything out) from the motherboard. So I was up for just about 24 hours and then it started again. In the middle of working in Windows, the display just went completely blank again. Exact same symptoms as before with the original video card so now I know that's not the source of the problem. Unfortunately, even a full power down won't bring it back up anymore.

We'll have to do more work on it tomorrow. But unfortunately I wasn't able to get a backup from it yet, so all the data I was so happy to finally be able to get at again... bye bye again! Hopefully we can get an external display up and running off it tomorrow. I think we might have better luck using a DVI connection to a newer flat screen display instead of the crappy old 15" CRT I was hooking it up to for my previous testing (which wouldn't run once Windows booted). If I have to send it back to Dell for out-of-warranty repairs, I need to get my data off it first, especially since the hard drive is still good and I can't chance them wiping it.

I'm not sure how much a new LCD screen will cost if it's that. If it's the reed switch problem I read about, that would be cheaper. When I bought this system though--a Dell Inspiron E1705/9400 1.83 GHz Dual Core Processor with 17" widescreen WUXGA Truelife screen--I pretty much maxed it out with all the best equipment so it cost over $3,000 when all was said and done. So even if the display ran me upwards of $500-$800, I'd still be better off than having to buy a new system.

But anyway, all I can say at this point is.... WAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

American Idol season 7

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:54:51 GMT

Okay, I'm such a dork. :P Even though I've been watching since the Audition rounds, I haven't taken the time to post about American Idol, but I figured now that I found this video of my 2 favorite guys, and 2 of my favorite performances by them, I couldn't help but show them the love.

DAVID COOK & JASON CASTRO have such amazing vocal talent!! LOVE THEM!!

<3

Which Irish Goddess Are You?

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 23:31:31 GMT

As stolen from trekgeekgirl

Which Irish Goddess Are You? (awesome pics)

You are Aibell, a fairy queen and goddess of Munster, who also determines if husbands are sexually satisfying their wives. With your name signifying beauty, you are quite the master of intimacy. Which is obvious, since you know that which satisfies all women. Now the question arises, what is it that you do when you determine that someones husband is falling short in their duties? Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Typing Speed

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 23:58:29 GMT

As stolen from mustbekel

86 words

Go Patriots!!

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:58:08 GMT

From the Loren & Wally show. LOVE IT!! Even though we're now 18-0, 1 to go! LOL

Which book are you? quiz

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 18:50:01 GMT

You're Lolita!
by Vladimir Nabokov
Considered by most to be depraved and immoral, you are obsessed with sex. What really tantalizes you is that which deviates from societal standards in every way, though you admit that this probably isn't the best and you're not sure what causes this desire. Nonetheless, you've done some pretty nefarious things in your life, and probably gotten caught for them. The names have been changed, but the problems are real. Please stay away from children.
Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

howdy stranger! ;)

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:08:35 GMT

I really should try to update this more. I was soooo busy from April onwards, and dealing with so much shit that I barely had time to keep my head on straight let alone write about it. But here's a few of the more important things:

1. The hard drive for the web server died so SexyGeekChick is currently offline. (Yes, this includes ElektriCam too... even though defunct, was still up for viewing archived pics and such.)

2. Mike and I are preparing to sell the house and move to California. w00t w00t! I can't wait to get out of New England. We already spent 2 weeks in the San Jose area in September doing house hunting, exploring neighborhoods, and all that good stuff. So come Spring, our house here in Mass. will go on the market, and we'll pack up the kids (the bunnies) and drive to Beverly. ;) LOL Well, we're actually moving to the San Francisco Bay area, which is more northern CA, but I couldn't resist the jingle since we do hope to be able to drive cross country...

3. I quit smoking (not the all natural stuff ;) on June 11th and have been completely smoke-free since! GO ME!!

In any case, while Mercury was in Retrograde over the summer, in addition to that being when the server problems started cropping up, I switched ISP's from Comcast to Verizon FiOS. I am so much happier with Verizon to say the least! But talk about so many things being in a state of flux at once... I should've known better than to try to travel during that time with everything falling apart around me. My weekend trip to visit with friends in Columbus turned into a full-day journey from Hell!! Now I know why some people refuse to connect through JFK!!

That's about all I have time for now, but seeing as how I've gotten some of the major stuff outta the way, maybe I'll find time to update out here a little more regularly. Hmmmm... that's assuming anyone still reads me. :P

Phishing Bastards!

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 09:33:33 GMT

No, I'm NOT responsible for the eBay and Wachovia Bank phishing schemes on my site. It would appear that someone hacked my gallery and was able to place these files there. I've removed them, but I'm not sure if I've blocked the exploit completely without further research. Right now, the writable directories are gone so I hope that means the phishing pages are gone too and aren't gonna turn up in another directory somewhere.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize when I set this site up that it would be a constant struggle to stay on top of all the security issues that crop up for exploits. Especially since I customized the code of my gallery, I can't just drop patches in without significant modification.

So for the time being, the gallery's offline. I'll have to see if I can find backups of the pictures. But it's not top priority at the moment as I've got too many other things to deal with back here on the home front. It's really aggravating having these hackers take advantage of an exploit somewhere against lil ole me, just trying to mind my own business and post my pictures on the web to share with friends and family. Attack the big guys, who can afford full time security people to monitor their network. I have enough of a time staying up on security with my own local network, and now I have to deal with remote exploits on my web server located down in Florida too? *sigh*

So to all the messages I've been getting, thank you for the kind ones that are just letting me know. And to the others comments, that assume this is of my doing and proceed to insult me, well... you can just stick it where the sun don't shine!!

PS - It's possible the spam is still going around even if the directories aren't there anymore, so if you find a current directory that's still hosting one of the scams, please reply to this and let me know. Matter of fact, I just found that they somehow got into my images directory as well, whereas before I thought it was just my gallery directories...

7 Days Smoke Free!!

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 07:37:32 GMT

I was gonna wait to post this until I could find or make some kind of badge, but since I couldn't find anything, I'm just gonna announce it this way!

7 Days with No Smoking!! w00t w00t!!

Yup, I quit smoking on Monday, June 11th. So yeah, actually it's not until the end of day Sunday that'll really make it a full 7 days.

I'm taking prescription Chantix and though it's really helped a lot, I still had a few withdrawal issues and cravings over the last week (including a few side effects from the medicine such as gas and bloating).

But I didn't give in... well, one night I substituted with an all-natural alternative to help with the anxiety issues, but beyond that, which doesn't count anyway... nope NOT A ONE!

GO ME!!!

Astrology stuff

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 09:12:16 GMT

I saw this on cheesygiraffe's LJ and thought it appropriate since I've been doing a good deal of Astrology-related work myself lately. Figured it's time to refresh the blog world with my info...


	Sun Sign: Scorpio Sun 12° Scorpio 42'	Scorpio Horoscope for today »
	Moon Sign: Taurus Moon 11° Taurus 18'	Taurus Horoscope for today »
	Rising Sign: Cancer Ascendant 15° Cancer 30'	Cancer Horoscope for today »
Get your own astro stats Powered by Tarot.com

For the more astrologically inclined, who are going hmmm that's an interesting combination, wait till you see the rest!

The Sopranos: Series Finale - What Did You Think?

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 06:35:03 GMT

The Sopranos series finale ended with a BLACK screen. What do you guys think happened?

I'm wondering if everything nanoware says in his post is true... if so, it makes a whole lotta sense and is kinda cool that all those from his past are there in the the diner during the final moments of the show.

Though I'd like to think that Meadow came in, sat down, and they lived "happily ever after", albeit always looking over their shoulder. Especially since it all ended on Journey's "Don't Stop Believing", with the final words before cutting to black: DON'T STOP! Hmmm...

read more | digg story

Let's talk about sex baby!

Tue, 08 May 2007 01:36:47 GMT

LOL so I found these two quizzes on Leilani's blog and couldn't help taking them myself since y'all know how I feel about SEX! :P

Daring, confident, animalistic

You like to have a lot of sex and try a lot of things. You are very kinky and have a lot of confidence in yourself. You like to explore all aspects of sexuality because it is something that interests you a lot.

Take this quiz at QuizUniverse.com

And the other...

You prefer Spontaneous sex!

You're into spontaneous sex. Anywhere, any time the mood takes you. Just be careful that your sexcapades don't land you in a (ahem) tight spot.

'What is the best type of sex for you?' at QuizUniverse.com

My Daemon

Tue, 01 May 2007 17:35:25 GMT

Happy Beltane! Happy May Day!

I'm quite sure I don't agree with the modest part of this assessment, but the rest seems to be spot on...

If you're not familiar with the world of the Golden Compass, and Philip Pullman's novels, you can read my journal entries for the books here.

Charleston Convention

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 21:18:16 GMT

d'oh I realized after the fact that I didn't post over here on my LJ to let everyone know, especially all non-BookObsessors, that I'd be blogging all our escapades in the team blog I configured for all the Obsessors going to the con: Obsessors on the Run.

So feel free to head over there to catch up now! *grin*

Happy Keester!

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 07:11:09 GMT

HAPPY KEESTER!!!

ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE
I LEARNED FROM THE EASTER BUNNY

Don't put all of your eggs in one basket
Walk softly and carry a big carrot
Everyone needs a friend who is all ears
There's no such thing as too much candy
All work and no play can make you a basket case
A cute little tail attracts a lot of attention
Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day
Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits
Some body parts should be floppy
Keep your paws off other people's jellybeans
Good things come in small sugarcoated packages
The grass is always greener in someone else's basket
An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare
To show your true colors you have to come out of your shell
The best things in life are still sweet and gooey

BookCrossing Convention

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 05:32:16 GMT

In other news, I'm going to the 2007 BookCrossing Convention in Charleston next month. w00t w00t!! I've never been to Charleston, SC so that should be way fun... especially rooming with noumena I'm just imagining the trouble we can get into!!

Guilt meme

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 05:05:44 GMT

From karinalyssa's journal:

Guilt	What is yours?	Explain yourself
Culinary:	rich cream sauces such as Alfredo	I love them, but lately my body has had more and more problems after I eat such rich foods. :(
Literary:	paranormals	vampires, werewolves, and witches! But please leave the romance behind. I hate all these new paranormal romances that are nothing but pure romance with a vampire cover.
Audiovisual:	American Idol	I've always loved singing, so as much as this has become a pop popularity show, a good singing voice can often bring tears to my eyes. So I love listening to some of these potentially good singers grow... and if they give me chills down my spine, or bring tears to my eyes with their song, then so much the better.
Musical:	Quite eclectic	My musical tastes range from new age and drumming to heavy metal and oldies.
Celebrity:	Johnny Depp	He's hot!! :P

Now I tag:-
cheesygiraffe candydarling80 morgaine77 cathepsut and scifisstrs

to complete this same Quiz, Its HERE.

End of the season for the Patriots

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 10:52:58 GMT

Well, the Pats obviously didn't make it to the Super Bowl this year as they lost to the Colts in the AFC Championship game, but it was neck and neck the whole way. The Pats were actually ahead 21-3 at one point. And even when the Colts caught up, they never really got ahead until the very last few minutes of the game. Oh well... there's always next year. At least I have Idol to entertain me now though! :D And House...

I'm sorry I haven't written much else about my personal life lately. I tend to hibernate in the winter so I don't have as much fun social stuff going on. And I've been spending a lot of time with my book friends on the new relay forum and swapping at BookSwap Live and all the other bookish things I do... Maybe now I'll finally find time to get all the pictures from my various excursions over the summer posted too. :)

And they do it again...

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:40:34 GMT

The Patriots pulled a surprise win over the San Diego Chargers in Sundays 24-21 win. It looked hopeless for awhile there, but the Patriots came back in the 2nd half, scoring 11 points in the last 11 minutes of the game to come back for the win.

I knew they could do it!! During the game, as we watched Brady miss yet another pass, and commenting on how off his throwing was, Mike thought the game was lost, but I thought, it's only a touch down and 2 point conversion, nothing they haven't done before... and voila! They did!!

Woot woot! Now to kick some Colt butt in the AFC Championship game next weekend!!

Go Pats!!

Sun, 07 Jan 2007 21:59:26 GMT

Woohoo!! I knew my boys would kick the Jets' asses, but I didn't figure it to be in such a big way! 37-16 The Pats take all. Love you guys!! Super Bowl XLI All the way baby!!!

and another brain-picker

Sun, 07 Jan 2007 04:31:44 GMT

stolen from cheesygiraffe

I liked this test... made me feel not so OCD as most other of these types of tests have. I admit, I do have certain OCD-like tendencies. Heck, I'm sure I was probably full-blown OCD as a youngster since I used to count my steps, brush my hair exactly 100 strokes, etc. But I grew out of a lot of those behaviors, and though I still recognize a few things I do that are a layover from them, I'm not nearly so bad as I used to be.
So yup, I'm happy to simply be a neat freak!

The Neat Freak
You scored 30 anxiety, 46 awkwardness, and 55 neuroticism!

You exhibit neurotic behaviors without the underlying anxieties, and you manage fine socially while balancing compulsive urges...so you must be The Neat Freak! You are happy, well-adjusted, and...organize obsessively. Your friends call you OCD, but you're not: you just love to tidy and categorize!

Your low anxiety score implies that you are able to relax, can enjoy the here and now, and have a healthy amount of self-confidence.

Your low awkwardness score implies that you are socially capable, are personable and charming, and probably go to parties and have fun (especially cleaning up afterwards!).

Your high neuroticism score implies that you exhibit neurotic behaviors--probably cleaning, organization, perfectionism, and other orderly compulsions.

__
See the other results:
Well-Adjusted · The Neat Freak · The Dork · The Geek · Phobic · Obsessive-Compulsive · The Subtle Neurotic · The True Neurotic

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 19% on anxiety
You scored higher than 34% on awkwardness
You scored higher than 79% on neuroticism

Link: The Neurotic Test written by littlelostsnail on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Perhaps I'd care if I believed in hell...

Sun, 07 Jan 2007 03:32:36 GMT

As seen with cheesygiraffe

Your sin has been measured. You have committed many sins, but Lust is the mortal sin that has done you in. Just below, discover your full sinful breakdown and learn what it is about you that condemns you to hell.

Greed:	High
Gluttony:	High
Wrath:	High
Sloth:	Medium
Envy:	Medium
Lust:	Very High
Pride:	High

Discover Your Sins - Click Here

Happy Yule!

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 07:01:58 GMT

Today is the Winter Solstice (well the 21st was, but I'm writing this after midnight). So Happy Yule!! And Solstice Blessings to all. (If you click the Yule log above, you'll be taken to an article about Yule that I posted many years back.)

I had parties both nights last weekend, but hadn't had much of a chance to write anything about them yet as I've been busy with everything else. Our girls only Yankee swap party was Friday night, and Yule party was on Saturday night. Both were fun, and late nights, with much drinking and partying! And when it can time to use the energy raised during the evening on Saturday, some heartfelt crying as well.

For the past 3 holiday seasons, one each of my mother's brothers or sisters has been hospitalized for one thing or another. This past year, it was her eldest brother, with whom I've had a rocky relationship my entire life, and he almost didn't make it. I'd wanted to make sure to mend bridges and let him know a few heartfelt things before he left this world. Fortunately, though he's still not himself, I believe our energy pulled him through, or at least helped to, I doubt I was the only one projecting for him even if my non-Pagan relatives didn't realize they were doing it. So though he won't be home for Christmas, since I still celebrate that holiday with other parts of the family, he'll be nearby, and we'll all be able to go see him. So I'm glad that worked out...