I complain a lot about math I have to learn, especially with fancy names like Pythagorean. Who can remember that? No disrespect to Pyth, but I can barely remember how to spell it.
So I usually make up a name I can remember. Plus, add some interesting bits to help me remember.
Here we have a name replacement. Easier to remember, yes?
Here we find the right triangles. Who the heck needs other shapes when you’ve got a super hot and awesome right triangle?
That triangle is so freakin’ hot, let’s make her a twin!
Yes, we all love the use of Twitter, especially since you can update every moment of your day in real time if you so desire. But isn’t that part of the problem? We all know people that tragically use and abuse social media, not taking away from the fact that it is a valuable networking and connection tool.
To put your best foot forward in your personal life or business, here are the top don’ts to avoid when using Twitter! It will make the world a better place…
* Don’t say anything confidential or inappropriate that could affect your career. If you had a horrible meeting with an evil client, you may want to monitor yourself on Twitter, especially since people can Google your name to find out exactly what you said about them. This could come back to bite you, potentially costing you your job.
* Don’t self-promote. Many people use Twitter as a business tool, which is one of its purposes. Still, you need to take the time to get to know people and build relationships before talking about how people should visit your website or blog. Bad form.
* Don’t bore your followers. Many celebrities on Twitter have a number of followers, yet they still tweet about what they are eating or the weather outside. These are pretty boring topics, so try to avoid recapping what you had for breakfast.
* Don’t forget to ask questions. Part of what makes Twitter go-round is interacting with other people, and you will experience much better results by taking part in conversations and asking questions of your own. People really do want to talk to you!
* Don’t only update your blog on Twitter. Yes, you may be hoping to get more traffic to your blog or website, but you also need to sandwich that with personal information so that people can find out more about you. Otherwise, you may get unfollowed fast.
* Don’t ignore replies or direct messages. This is a breach of social etiquette, and it is quite offensive. People are trying to talk to you, so make sure that you get back to them right away to cultivate genuine relationships on Twitter!
As a savvy and technologically proficient woman, this is your opportunity to use Twitter to your advantage. These best practice tips will keep you from making serious mistakes to better improve your social media interactions!
Additional explorations into Chinese culture and cuisine has come down to figuring out a few basic breakfast meals. Many of the people from China depend on rice for a greater portion of their food, including for breakfast. Congee is a Chinese porridge made from rice instead of oats and grains in the West. It’s a simple Chinese recipe that fills you up quick, is healthy, and energizes you for the day. Made from a simple concoction of water and rice, and often flavored with sweet and savory toppings, it’s a versatile dish that’s a lot healthier than the packages of processed cereals found in your local Wal-mart.
Don’t get me wrong, I love cereal. It’s sweet and filling and I grew up on the stuff. I also know that by mid-morning, I’m usually hungry again, whereas the Chinese rarely eat snacks. They completely fill themselves three times a day, fueling their bodies as much as possible.
Chinese porridge is made from about three tablespoons of dried rice boiled and cooked in about 4 cups of water for a long time, usually about 50 minutes, until the rice is mushy and the porridge is thick. Topped with fish, bits of meat, or vegetables, while the base recipe is the same, the flavor can change with what you add to it.
Since my new favorite combination of flavors is the holy trinity of Chinese cooking, (spring onion, garlic and ginger), I plan to make this dish very soon. Since it takes quite a bit of time to let the congee cook, I have to wait for the weekend to attempt the recipe. I plan on stir frying the trinity, and perhaps topping with leftover bits of chicken or meat if it’s available.
For a simple Chinese recipe, it’s a staple tradition in the homes of many people across China and neighboring countries. Chinese porridge seems like an inexpensive, healthy dish and I hope to learn the secrets to making it taste great.
Since I’ve lived in Cajun Country, I’ve attended many local events. An ever-growing popular one is Downtown Alive. It’s a series of musical events happening every Friday night in the park in downtown Lafayette, LA.
If you’re a fan of great music and hanging out with a lot of friendly people and great weather, Downtown Alive is something to experience. The band plays. People dance. Kids clamor over each other in front of the band to parade together to the music.
Of course, there’s plenty to drink, good food stalls and restaurants within walking distance, and earshot, of the music. The Cajun and I are lucky to live a block away from the attractions of downtown, so we hear it starting up every Friday, and proceed well into the evening.
The guest last night was the Nik L Beer. They played a mix of bar music favorites, like Brown-Eyed Girl by Van Morrison and Sea Cruise by Frankie Ford. Some had a Cajun twist, with washboard and fiddle.
Downtown Alive usually happens every Friday during the summer months in downtown Lafayette Louisiana. When it isn’t Downtown Alive during the summer, it’s Festival International or another event. We’ll be there for the Festival as well.
Getting married takes a lot of preparation, but what about after marriage? One of the most important steps is often forgotten about until after the wedding bells have been packed away. How do you change your last name after getting married?
It may seem easy at first, but there’s a lot of paperwork to fill out. You must fill out forms for the Social Security office, for bank accounts, credit cards, insurance policies, magazine subscriptions, your work place and more. There’s a lot of forms and a lot of paperwork for a new bride to go through to legally change your name after marriage.
One company is making it easier for new brides to fulfill the paperwork after marriage. Danielle Tate shares her tips from her experience as president of MissNowMrs, the premier online name-change service for brides.
Here are a few tips on name change in 2010:
1. Hyphenation is a thing of the past. Most brides are taking their maiden names as new middle names or adding their spouse’s last name to theirs without a hyphen.
2. Did you know that you can start the name-change process prior to your wedding? Using MissNowMrs.com will allow you to complete all of your name-change forms before your wedding so all you have to do after your honeymoon is click Print and mail out or file your forms.
3. We recommend requesting 2-3 copies of your marriage certificate. This will allow you to file multiple forms at the same time and streamline the name-change process.
4. If you are changing your name, let your families and bridesmaids know to avoid mis-monogrammed items as gifts.
5. Be sure to book you honeymoon reservations in your maiden name (since most brides don’t have time to file for a new driver’s license or Passport before the honeymoon). This will help you avoid travel disaster and not being able to board your flight.
MissNowMrs now offers to sponsor a giveaway right here at GGB. (It’s a Geek. It’s a Girl. It’s a Blog.) Know someone getting married soon or getting married soon yourself? Here’s a chance to win one of five gift cards.
You Could Win A Gift Card From MissNowMrs
(A $30 Value)
We have five gift cards to give away, thanks to MissNowMrs. The gift cards are great for yourself if you have or will be getting married, or as a gift to someone else you know.
To win, post a comment to this blog post.
Tell us about the best or worst last name or first and last name combination that you’ve heard about. Helen Church? Funny, sad or just plain crazy, I want to hear about it.
Make sure to register with this site, or post a method of contact for me to be able to reach you. I will contact you by your provided email address if you’ve been selected as a winner, and there will be an additional blog post announcing the winner here. (I don’t keep emails or collect them for any other purpose other than giveaways.)
Want an additional entry? Subscribe to our RSS Feed!
Want another entry? Help us build our Brand Spankin’ New Facebook Fan Page!
Rules and the legal bits: You must be 18 or older to participate and live inside the United States. Five gift cards will be given away in a random drawing from those who have posted in the comments here.
The contest ends April 9th, 2010. Tell your friends, tell your family. Remember to check back to see who wins.
Thank you, MissNowMrs, for being a great service to new brides and for sharing the chance to win a gift card to readers! Be sure to visit the website, the Twitter page or become a fan on Facebook!
Photo from Stock Exchange. Gift card images from MissNowMrs. Used with permission.
I don’t care what age you are, or where you are in life, but I firmly believe that learning how to cook and learning what to eat is important for everyone. Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution may just help a lot of Americans face the reality that is killing us every day. Food is important. Food needs to nourish and energize and most of the food that Americans eat doesn’t do that.
In the past, we would eat food to fuel our bodies and help us be strong. We would eat more when we needed more energy. Now, we eat much more and we get less nutrition and even less energy. It’s no wonder why Jamie is so passionate about this. It’s no wonder why TED and Chris Anderson is behind this. It’s no wonder why many Americans and people around the world are moved by this. I support it 110%.
Support Jamie by watching his Food Revolution. It’s on tonight at 9/8 central on ABC. Check your local listings for more information.
Do more to support Jamie Oliver by signing the petition. TED and others are supporting his efforts further by signing petitions, donating money, and volunteering their time. Sign Jamie Oliver’s Food revolution petition, support the efforts to save lives.
But don’t stop there. Join the discussion. Learn how to cook. Share what you know with other people. Grow a garden. Whatever it takes, small efforts make a huge difference.
I plan on offering more links and information about healthy cooking and gardening, tech that supports these efforts and much more in the future. Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll join me in the fight to save lives and to help America eat better.
Guest blogger Leigh Peterson is sharing her expertise with us this week. Look for more from her within the next few days.
In the wedding music industry, we hear from brides every day who can’t decide between a band or a DJ. Many times, the bride wants a band while the groom wants a DJ, or vice-versa. We often jokingly ask, “let me guess, the parents want a band and the couple wants a DJ,” and we are usually correct. Opinions vary as much as dresses and cakes, so how to decide?
The price of a wedding DJ versus a band is a big concern for many couples. Most good bands do cost more than a DJ by hundreds to thousands of dollars. The reason for this is that bands can have four to ten members or even more, and each person needs to be paid, whereas a DJ is two people at the most. Food must also be figured into cost. Any vendor staying for the length of the reception should be fed a meal.
With the extra cost of a good band comes more energy. This can be very helpful if you are not sure if your friends and family will jump right out onto the dance floor. There is also an air of elegance that comes with a band. The music is real and pure, and many true music lovers much prefer this to recorded sounds.
If you absolutely cannot decide between a band or a DJ for your wedding reception music, you can have the best of both worlds if you choose a wedding band that has a dedicated sound technician. This way, any song that you really want to hear that the band does not perform can be played by the sound tech while the band takes their breaks throughout the evening. The sound tech can even keep dance music playing while the band breaks down at the end of the night. Or, you can have the band play the beginning of the reception when things are more formal, and have the sound man act as DJ for the remainder of the evening when the dance floor starts to heat up.
About our guest: Leigh Peterson is Communications Manager for Jerry Bruno Productions, a full-service entertainment provider in Cleveland, Ohio.
It’s that time of year again. Spring and summer weddings are coming up soon. According to statistics, 35% of weddings occur in the summer; 29% in the spring; 23% in the fall; 13% in the winter. What’s a chic-geek going to do with a spring or summer wedding? Need ideas on how to handle themes or want glimpses into weddings past? Here’s a few snapshots I’ve admired from across the web.
Most people like to get married close to home, but top destinations for weddings are Las Vegas, Hawaii, Bahamas, Jamaica and the Virgin Islands. Looking for something different? How about Hobbiton? Of course, most people think of the Star Trek weddings in Las Vegas when it comes to geeks, but not all of us are Star Trek fans. (I am, but you might not be!)
Even if you can’t go to a far away location, your own location can be decorated to your own themed wedding. Ren faires, beaches, and chapels can all be beautiful in their own way, and just as chic-geek as a Star Trek vessel.
Outside of location, what about the wedding dress? Pick a hot wedding dress that fits your style, and embellish it a little. Even some slightly-off-white binary code with “love” or the groom’s name can be a little geek that can be a great touch.
Gwen Stefani’s pink wedding gown is totally chic. There’s tons of possibilities so don’t be limited by what you see on the racks. You may find a seamstress that can turn a plain gown into something you’ll absolutely love.
Mixing and matching chic elements with a few geek highlights is hot. If you’re going for chic-geek throughout your wedding and the after party, try hidden elements. A sword knife and shield spoon as wedding favors and as utensils for the wedding party?
Later this week, I’ll share gift ideas for friends who are getting married, for both bride and groom. It’s not just the bride and her friends that have work to do when a wedding is coming up. What do you get for the couple who has everything? How do you avoid getting them yet-another toaster? Keep reading!
PS: Check out this cake. Looks like an average wedding cake? Check the ribbon. Is that binary? That’s so cool!
About time, right? At least some are making a decision. Whatever your political views are, what does this health care bill mean when it comes to women who are independent and work freelance or in their own business?
Here’s the details:
WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OF ENACTMENT
Insurance companies will be barred from dropping people from coverage when they get sick. Lifetime coverage limits will be eliminated and annual limits are to be restricted.
Insurers will be barred from excluding children for coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
Young adults will be able to stay on their parents’ health plans until the age of 26. Many health plans currently drop dependents from coverage when they turn 19 or finish college.
Uninsured adults with a pre-existing conditions will be able to obtain health coverage through a new program that will expire once new insurance exchanges begin operating in 2014.
A temporary reinsurance program is created to help companies maintain health coverage for early retirees between the ages of 55 and 64. This also expires in 2014.
Medicare drug beneficiaries who fall into the “doughnut hole” coverage gap will get a $250 rebate. The bill eventually closes that gap which currently begins after $2,700 is spent on drugs. Coverage starts again after $6,154 is spent.
A tax credit becomes available for some small businesses to help provide coverage for workers.
A 10 percent tax on indoor tanning services that use ultraviolet lamps goes into effect on July 1.
WHAT HAPPENS IN 2011
Medicare provides 10 percent bonus payments to primary care physicians and general surgeons.
Medicare beneficiaries will be able to get a free annual wellness visit and personalized prevention plan service. New health plans will be required to cover preventive services with little or no cost to patients.
A new program under the Medicaid plan for the poor goes into effect in October that allows states to offer home and community based care for the disabled that might otherwise require institutional care.
Payments to insurers offering Medicare Advantage services are frozen at 2010 levels. These payments are to be gradually reduced to bring them more in line with traditional Medicare.
Employers are required to disclose the value of health benefits on employees’ W-2 tax forms.
An annual fee is imposed on pharmaceutical companies according to market share. The fee does not apply to companies with sales of $5 million or less.
WHAT HAPPENS IN 2012
Physician payment reforms are implemented in Medicare to enhance primary care services and encourage doctors to form “accountable care organizations” to improve quality and efficiency of care.
An incentive program is established in Medicare for acute care hospitals to improve quality outcomes.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the government programs, begin tracking hospital readmission rates and puts in place financial incentives to reduce preventable readmissions.
WHAT HAPPENS IN 2013
A national pilot program is established for Medicare on payment bundling to encourage doctors, hospitals and other care providers to better coordinate patient care.
The threshold for claiming medical expenses on itemized tax returns is raised to 10 percent from 7.5 percent of income. The threshold remains at 7.5 percent for the elderly through 2016.
The Medicare payroll tax is raised to 2.35 percent from 1.45 percent for individuals earning more than $200,000 and married couples with incomes over $250,000. The tax is imposed on some investment income for that income group.
A 2.9 percent excise tax in imposed on the sale of medical devices. Anything generally purchased at the retail level by the public is excluded from the tax.
WHAT HAPPENS IN 2014
State health insurance exchanges for small businesses and individuals open.
Most people will be required to obtain health insurance coverage or pay a fine if they don’t. Healthcare tax credits become available to help people with incomes up to 400 percent of poverty purchase coverage on the exchange.
Health plans no longer can exclude people from coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
Employers with 50 or more workers who do not offer coverage face a fine of $2,000 for each employee if any worker receives subsidized insurance on the exchange. The first 30 employees aren’t counted for the fine.
Health insurance companies begin paying a fee based on their market share.
WHAT HAPPENS IN 2015
Medicare creates a physician payment program aimed at rewarding quality of care rather than volume of services.
WHAT HAPPENS IN 2018
An excise tax on high cost employer-provided plans is imposed. The first $27,500 of a family plan and $10,200 for individual coverage is exempt from the tax. Higher levels are set for plans covering retirees and people in high risk professions.
(Reporting by Donna Smith; Editing by David Alexander and Eric Beech)
That’s a lot of content in there, but it looks like if you aren’t on health care insurance, you’ll either have to pay a fine (not yet disclosed) or get on it.
For women who work freelance, like me, it means I’ll be looking at health care plans and trying to figure out what’s right for me. I haven’t had a chance, yet, to purchase health care. I’m fairly healthy, of course, everyone says that, so I lived without health care.
I wonder how much health care they are going to require that you have, and what people may qualify for credits. Thankfully not everything happens all at once, so there’s time to get the better details and to figure out what will really happen.
Where is the money coming from for this bill? Taxes are going to be implemented for tanning salons, plus those earning over $200,000 a year or so are going to be paying a slightly higher Medicare tax, about 2.5% over the 1.5% from before. So just a 1% increase from those folks. (Those crying about how much this is going to cost them probably don’t earn $200,000 a year. )
Bottom line for geek girls:
If you can’t afford health insurance, the governement will make it possible for it to become affordable. You’ll even get a tax credit for paying for health care, which we actually already had benefits in taxes in place if you paid for health care, but I think there will be more now.
If you make more than the rest of us on average, then you probably don’t need to worry about insurance (unless you don’t have any) and your taxes may go up (slightly).
Castle, that handsome devil in a writer’s suit, playing detective with the uber-cool Beckett. Between the sexual tension and the interesting crime scenes, it makes for a great, entertaining drama. I like a few chuckles with my cop shows, don’t you?
Not to mention, Nathan Fillion FTW!
In the other corner:
The Simpsons, with their yellow skin and always up to no good mischief, are on every Sunday and have been the star for many years. There’s much to admire about The Simpsons, and they’ve made me laugh a lot over the years.
Why chose one over the other? Well, I’m a sympathetic voter sometimes. Castle has some good humor and drama, and it’s fresh. The Simpsons have won awards before. Lots of them. Castle needs some time to shine.
But don’t let me persuade you (much!), and there’s other shows to vote for. Share your favorites in the comments.
So who will win Hulu’s “Best in Show“? Well, no matter who wins, it’s just the best among the best and friendly fun.
The Simpsons and Castle were at 50/50 the last I checked. Will love to see who wins!
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