I was going to try and update both the wordpress version and my domain simultaneously, but the truth is, I can’t do it. Putting up posts in two places is eating just enough time that it’s a burden.

So! That said, please do me a favor and update  your bookmarks to sarahski.com. Content is posted there regularly.

Thanks!

I love giving gifts. One of my favorite things in the whole world is to randomly find something that I think a person would love. As a kid, I used to scrounge up my money and buy something for my parents. It made me happy to make them happy. Gift giving was easy up until I got married. I only had my parents to shop for, and I know them well. But after we were married, I was thrust into this strange concept of “family gatherings” and buying presents for his family whom I definitely didn’t have 20+ years of knowledge on. Buying gifts, especially for “obligatory” things like Christmas, has become really stressful for me…and I really don’t like that.

This Christmas, my sister in law and I teamed up to produce the cookbook you see above. It was a lot more work than we anticipated, but it turned out really well. I’ve been thinking about it since then, and I realized that the really awesome gifts are the ones where you put part of yourself into it. In this case, I’m a pretty amazing cook (or so I’d like to think) and my sister in law is a wizard with the scrapbooking.

So whatever the occasion, give what you do best as a gift. Paint or draw something, make a blanket or shawl, or put together a photo album. Not so craftsy? Well, you’re not off the hook. Figure out what you ARE good at (yes, you have something!) and use that. Make your spouse a coupon book, redeemable for chores they normally do. Buy a journal, write down some memories of you and this person, then encourage them to fill in the rest. Cook them a special dinner, complete with candles and dessert. Wrap up your favorite book and give that to them.

There is something that you do better than anyone else. Use that. Remember, gift giving isn’t meant to be a burden. Give what you want to give, and only as much as you are able. A gift that reflects YOU is better than anything else.

The {Geeky} Wife updates daily here and at her main site. If you would like to subscribe to the RSS feed, please do so through the main site, http://www.sarahski.com

Deliciously historical, with none of the dryness

“Sex With the Queen” is a follow up to Eleanor Herman’s last book, “Sex With Kings”, which I read late last year. If you’ve read her first book, you might find the first chapter or so of this one to be familiar as Herman gives a recap.

But in the following chapters, this book takes off and has a delicious life of it’s own. Now, I don’t know what your perception may be, given the title, but this book is not raunchy. The book is, first and foremost, historical, and Herman doesn’t take graphic liberties. What she gives you though, is a fascinating look into 900 years worth of sad, lonely queens who seek solace in men that are more interesting and often more sane than their husbands.

I love Herman’s style. She tells an engaging story and presents historical information without being dry. While she talks about many Queens throughout the book, she does a very good job telling the whole story. No bullet point facts here. Also, I think it’s an interesting look into what went on beyond the dates found in history textbooks. Her books help make history come alive, my only wish is that a timeline were included somewhere so that I could sort them out in my head a little better.

It’s amazing how royal lovers and mistresses have had an impact on history. This is something I had no idea of growing up. But some of these Kings were so incompetent or insane from genetic problems that the Queens ended up ruling the country with her lover. Or, just as often, the Queen ended up exiled, divorced, or beheaded for her adultery.

Herman’s books are very engaging. If you’ve got any interest at all in history, I’d highly recommend these.

9/10, just because at times, history gets a bit confusing. Though no fault of the author, there’s at least two Carolines, two Catherines and several Elizabeths. A timeline would really be an excellent addition here. Otherwise these books are very interesting.

The {Geeky} Wife updates daily here and at her main site. If you would like to subscribe to the RSS feed, please do so through the main site, http://www.sarahski.com

Good and about as healthy as you can get in a cookie

These cookies are awesome. They’re also about as healthy as you can get and still call them “cookies”.

Apple Oatmeal Cookies:

1/2 cup margarine (substitute applesauce, if you want)
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups oats
1-2 bananas
1 apple

My only recommendation, and what I’m going to try next time, is to bump up the whole wheat flour to 1 cup or 1 1/4 cups. They’re a little flat, I think. But they are moist, naturally sweet, and very delicious.

The {Geeky} Wife updates daily here and at her main site. If you would like to subscribe to the RSS feed, please do so through the main site, http://www.sarahski.com

We live in a world of career contradiction.

From a young age, Susie is told that she can do anything she wants when she grows up. She’s told that she should pick a career that she’s passionate about, because it will make working much easier. But as Susie reaches the end of high school, the tone changes. Her parents probably won’t say outright that her dreams are bad, but they’ll encourage her to study something else as a backup career. They say that she should find a nice, stable job and then she can pursue her dreams. So Susie takes the logical choice. In order to stay on her parents’ insurance, she has to take a full load of courses. She also starts working part-time because her parents want her to begin earning an income. Within a couple of semesters, Susie is burnt out and tired of college, so she stops taking any class that isn’t required. At the end of the four to five years in college, Susie hasn’t had any time to work on what she loves. So she gets the logical job that she was told to get, and accepts that this is life.

“Backup careers” are the death of dreams. There, I said it! I think that the educational system is broken, top to bottom. In grade and high school, we teach our children like cattle. If your child doesn’t learn well in that environment, the child is the one who is broken. (and often given medication) While college is slightly better because there is more choice – that too is broken. Let’s be honest. Our educational system is really only designed to plug you into one of a few “sensible” jobs. If you want to deviate, you will have to work a lot harder, because you will be going where the path is less visible. We encourage our children to pursue their dreams, but we’re not often equipped to handle those dreams.

While I don’t know of a way to bring about large scale changes – honestly, I’m not even sure where those could begin – I do know that each one of us is in control of what we do. If you are prepared to really work for it, there is a way out there for your dream career to happen. It’s not too late, you are not a robot, life is not a factory. You have the choice.

Many people will get to the middle of their lives and realize that for years, they’ve been working a job they hate, doing things simply because it was “expected” of them. Then the mid-life crisis hits, because you’ve worked half your life for … what? This doesn’t have to be you. You have the choice. Choose to live your life, pursue your dreams and live up to your potential.

You can do it.

The {Geeky} Wife updates daily here and at her main site. If you would like to subscribe to the RSS feed, please do so through the main site, http://www.sarahski.com

If you can’t guess how “Leap Year” ends, I won’t spoil it for you.

But the surprise is not what makes Leap Year a fantastic romantic comedy. It really is about the journey.

Amy Adams plays Anna, an “apartment stager” who is seeking to buy an upscale apartment with her boyfriend of four years, Jeremy. Jeremy, by the way, is a heart surgeon. Anna is expecting a proposal from Jeremy and is disappointed when it doesn’t happen. So she decides to take matters into her own hands and fly to Ireland to propose to him in an old Irish tradition. (One that I’ve never heard of, but then again, I’m not Irish.)

This movie is really fun. Matthew Goode’s humor and facial expressions really make this movie. The humor is present, but not overdone slapstick. The banter between Declan and Anna is believable and well-done. Where the movie really shines is in how it departs from the standard “rom-com” cliche’. There is character development between the two leads, which helps the ending feel satisfying. The last 20 minutes or so of this movie are some of my favorite in any romantic comedy. This is definitely one I will pick up on dvd when it comes out.

Is this a movie that will change your life? No. But it’s a lot of fun, and it’s more thoughtful than a lot of romantic comedies. Amy Adams’ character comes off as a bit too ditzy in some parts, but Matthew Goode is the perfect counterpoint for it. They have great chemistry, and this movie is definitely a date-night two thumbs up.

10/10 – very enjoyable, and I can’t think of any way to improve it.

The {Geeky} Wife updates daily here and at her main site. If you would like to subscribe to the RSS feed, please do so through the main site, http://www.sarahski.com

It's like a brownie, but it's not a brownie. It's like a ...

The recipe I used for this bills it as a brownie. I think that’s a bit of a mistake … it’s not really a brownie, in what I define as a brownie. But it’s not cake. Rachael said it’s kind of like a coffee cake. Whatever it is, it’s awesomely delicious. I changed some things from the original recipe to make it a little more healthy and hearty.

Apple Brownie/Cake/Coffee Cake/Really Delicious THING:

1/2 cup margarine (I think applesauce would substitute perfectly here)
1 cup brown sugar

1 egg
3 apples, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg, mix well. Stir in apples until just blended. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 9×9 pan and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

The {Geeky} Wife updates daily here and at her main site. If you would like to subscribe to the RSS feed, please do so through the main site, http://www.sarahski.com

This person contacted me a couple of weeks ago – in her signature she had a link to her website. She does some amazing art, jewelry and journals. Since I’m a sucker for journals anyway, her stuff makes me drool. -  Love & Glitter

I really wish I were this awesome. Princess Lasertron makes felt bouquets for weddings. Look for her posts on flowers – they’re really creative! – Princess Lasertron

-

So, it’s the end of the month. What have you done? The good news, at least for me, is that February always feels more optimistic than January. February is so short, and then it’s March, which is practically spring. What do you hope to accomplish next month? There are a lot of things I want to do. Hopefully with the longer days and (crosses fingers) more sunshine, I’ll get them all done. Next month should bring some more book reviews, a game review or two, and some progress on my e-book.

The {Geeky} Wife updates daily here and at her main site. If you would like to subscribe to the RSS feed, please do so through the main site, http://www.sarahski.com

I need some music recommendations. Nothing’s got my ear right now, and that’s making it really difficult to stay motivated. I won’t really listen to rap, but almost anything else I’ll at least give a shot. What are all the cool kids listening to these days, and what’s actually worth listening to?

Your suggestions are greatly appreciated!

If you look on the forum of just about any game, you’ll find that they are saturated with insulting, demeaning and pointless chatter. If you’re having a problem, it’s because you’re an (expletive) noob who shouldn’t even be playing the game if you have to ask such an (expletive) question. If you’re complementing the game, you’re an (expletive) brown noser and everyone hates you. One of my friends was recently told that he should “just stop breathing” because the other guy didn’t think he was good enough on League of Legends.

So what is it, gamers? Why does every online game have to turn into a virtual testosterone fest where everyone that you perceive as “not worthy” is verbally smashed over and over again? What is it about the safety of your avatar that turns you into some of the rudest, most foul people I’ve ever met?

Hey, I’m a big girl. I can take my fair share of smacktalk. But more often than not, it goes way over the line. You drive everyone who isn’t “macho” like you away. Maybe you like this, because it keeps “n00bs” out of your game. But see, if you drive people away from your games, companies can’t support them. Eventually, this will backfire on you. Maybe not now, and maybe not soon, but it will.

But in the meantime – why are you so mean?

The {Geeky} Wife updates daily here and at her main site. If you would like to subscribe to the RSS feed, please do so through the main site, http://www.sarahski.com