web-goddess http://www.web-goddess.org/ The daily adventures of an American girl Down Under. Crafty, geeky, and occasionally ranty. en-us kris@web-goddess.org Fri, 09 May 2008 15:22:38 UTC Fri, 09 May 2008 15:22:38 UTC Happiness = Married, No Kids http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/7468 "Want to be happy? Don't have kids." Of the trifecta of being married, having money, and having kids, a Harvard academic says being married makes the biggest difference to your personal level of happiness. He's pretty harsh about parenting: "Parents tell me all the time that: 'My child is my greatest source of joy'... My reply is that: 'Yes, when you have one source of joy, it's bound to be your greatest'." Yowch.]]> Fri, 09 May 2008 14:36:50 UTC> RunningBlog http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/7467 RunningBlog: I've given this blasted cold four days of rest, with no running or swimming in that time. Thursday I started to feel a lot better though, so today I decided enough was enough. I put on my new shoes, zipped up a hoodie for extra warmth, and headed out for a slow, easy run through the neighborhood. I did 25 minutes of jogging without stopping, and though it didn't feel as easy as some of my recent runs, it wasn't too difficult either. I didn't start hacking or coughing or anything. And the burgeoning sinus headache I'd felt when I woke up? Completely disappeared. (If you'd told me six months ago that running could actually make me feel better, I'd never have believed you.) I'm still planning to do the Mother's Day 8K on Sunday, but I'm not going to kill myself trying to get a PB or anything. It's all about Sunday the 18th, and my goal right now is just to hold it together for nine more days and give myself the best chance to finish the half-marathon.

Oh. And my race pack came in the mail last night. I've got my official race number (#508, baby! I must have gotten in early) and my timing chip. Seeing them on the dining room table suddenly made it all seem very real. Nine more days.]]> Fri, 09 May 2008 11:00:58 UTC> Korean Citizenship http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/7466 South Korean citizenship. Check out the section on "simplified naturalization":
1. If one of your parents was a Korean citizen. (Emphasis on “was”. It’s ok if your parent renounced Korean citizenship.)
Hey, I think that includes me! My mom was born in Korea to a Korean woman, so she would've been a citizen, right? (She would've renounced it as a child when they moved to America.) That's pretty neat.]]> Fri, 09 May 2008 07:55:15 UTC> Wii Fit http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/7465 I LOVE WII FIT.
I headed to EB Games tonight to pick up my pre-ordered Wii Fit kit, and I was so excited. I tried to get the guy to price match Kmart, but he informed me that Kmart sold out of 'em way earlier today. (They don't match a price if there's no stock.) Oh well. I wanted the thing NOW. So I carried it home and set it up. Snookums walked in while I was doing my first fitness test, so we quickly got his character set up on it too.

Okay, first off, this thing is ADORABLE. I wouldn't have thought it was possible to anthropomorphize a heavy (and it is heavy) plastic platform, but the Japanese are geniuses. It speaks in this fun squeaky voice - "Initializing!" - that kept cracking me up. Of course, I stopped laughing as soon as Mr Balance Board calculated my weight and BMI, and my cute little Mii suddenly grew quite stout around the middle. Bugger. (For the record, Snookums is smack dab in the middle of his ideal weight. Bastard.) It also told us that our "fitness ages" are in the mid-forties, and it somehow correctly predicted that I trip a lot. (I wish I were joking.) We set our fitness goals and then started playing.

There are four types of games (Yoga, Balance, Muscle, and Aerobic), and we started with Balance since we're lazy. Heading the soccer balls was surprisingly difficult... but so fun too. The board is very sensitive. I had to keep reminding myself that moving my actual head didn't do anything; it's all about shifting your weight. Incidentally, I love that Wii games always use the Miis from your machine, which meant that the people firing soccer balls (and shoes, and panda heads) at me included Miss Fee, Steph and Eva, Andrew and Kathleen, and basically anybody who's ever played Wii at our house. I found the slalom skiing pretty hard until I worked out that I needed to bend my knees and shift my weight forward. That helped move me down the mountain faster. I think the funniest moment of the night, though, was when Snookums sped down the ski jump and stood up too late, resulting in his Mii doing a crazy header down the mountain (and turning into a giant snowball).

After Snookums retired to cook dinner, I tried out some of the yoga games. I chose the female trainer (she sounds like a Pom!) and started each exercise with a tutorial. They were surprisingly well done and effective! Even the simplest "game" - deep yoga breathing - takes on a new level of difficulty when you're trying to keep a dot representing your center of gravity in the middle of a circle onscreen. I was actually pretty good at the yoga stuff, and I managed to unlock an extra level already. I can't wait to try it out properly (like, when I'm not just about to each dinner).

So overall, I'm loving this thing. I did a good 20 minutes of varied, fun exercises tonight without even realizing it. While that doesn't sound like a lot, I'm sure that there are millions of people who don't get that much exercise in a day. This thing is gonna be revolutionary. I'm already looking forward to my next workout!]]> Thu, 08 May 2008 23:13:16 UTC> Sub-Prime http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/7464 The Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis Explained. It involves stick figures and the F-word. Very enlightening.]]> Thu, 08 May 2008 15:40:28 UTC> Myer One Wii Fit Discount? http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/7463 Myer One discount voucher booklet (including a $40 off coupon for the Wii Fit) that you won't be using? Because that would, like, rock.]]> Thu, 08 May 2008 10:23:11 UTC> Ebert's Blog http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/7462 Ebert has a blog? That's awesome!]]> Thu, 08 May 2008 10:09:04 UTC> Hillary only by TWO? http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/7461 two percentage points? That's much, much closer than I imagined it to be. Awesome. (Sorry Grandma. I voted for the black guy.)]]> Thu, 08 May 2008 08:30:41 UTC> Fat Scrutiny in the Media http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/7460 Role Reversal. It's not often you see the media scrutinizing a man's belly...]]> Wed, 07 May 2008 13:30:02 UTC> Still Sick http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/7459 Still sick. I felt so crappy last night that we decided to skip the Neil Gaiman talk. I just couldn't face the thought of standing in a crowded bookstore coughing and hacking all over everyone. Luckily, I can vicariously squee over Neil through crumpet, who saw him twice in 24 hours. What a fangirl. :)]]> Wed, 07 May 2008 12:27:33 UTC> Vodafone announces it's got the iPhone http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/7458 Vodaphone announces it's got the iPhone. As Snook just put it, "Tomorrow's news: Vodafone no longer able to sell iPhone due to leaking info to the press."]]> Tue, 06 May 2008 18:33:25 UTC> Married Names http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/7457 taking their husband's surnames? In the US, a couple just successfully sued the state of California on the basis that it should be just as easy for a man to take his wife's surname upon marriage as it is for her to take his. And they won! Nice one.]]> Tue, 06 May 2008 13:37:52 UTC> Goth Knitting http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/7456 The Knitting Fame-Whore strikes again!
This past Friday I went to Newtown after work to join Bex and the goth knitters for a stitch and bitch. We were waiting for a journalist from JJJ Magazine to show up to photograph and interview us. He turned up over an hour late, by which time all the real goths had gone home (leaving only me and a couple other not-so-goth Ravelers). He took a ton of photos, so you may see yours truly in the magazine next month wielding a pair of needles menacingly. Anyway, before all the real goths left, Fin took a couple photos of us all. Yes, I realize that the Argyle Kitty Kat Cardigan hardly qualifies as goth...]]> Tue, 06 May 2008 13:30:04 UTC> Maple-Bacon Lollipops http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/7455 Bacon Candy
Remember the Maple-Bacon Lollipops? Thanks to the amazing Mr. Barker, I actually got to try one last night. (I also inflicted it upon my co-workers Kunaal and Tim.) It was... bacon-y. I'm not sure I enjoyed it. I feel like there was some sort of "uncanny bacon valley" happening, where the taste was so similar to eating normal breakfast bacon that my brain got creeped out and refused to accept it.]]> Tue, 06 May 2008 11:51:34 UTC> Parental Leave Proposal http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/7454 federal parental leave proposal is a Good Thing. Six months paid maternity leave at full salary? Sweet. And four weeks paternity leave? Hey, it's more than you get in America. (Right, Sis?) Actually, I wonder if it would be possible to switch it, like if the father intended to stay home and the mother go back to work. Could he have six months leave? (She ponders thoughtfully...)]]> Tue, 06 May 2008 10:25:08 UTC>