Holidays

ThinkGeek’s April Fool’s Products

Every year, ThinkGeek creates a list of some new “April Fool’s Day” products on what Mr. Geek and I lovingly refer to as “the pre-order page.”  You see, they have a tradition of picking one or two products after April 1st and turning them into actual products. You can pick the ones that you like best and get notified by email if/when they become real by clicking “Buy Now” and then scrolling down the page a bit. You can see all of the new products on the homepage, but my top three are below:

f489_death_star_trench_toss

 

This Death Star Trench Toss is just a gussied up cornhole set, but it looks ridiculously cool. Perfect for barbecues and tailgating those new Star Wars movies! The price is a little steep though. At $124.99, it better be huge.

This can very easily be made into a real product, and I’m positive they’ll announce it soon.

f48a_bane_mask_walkie_talkies

Bane Mask Walkie Talkies? Why not? You won’t be able to understand each other, but they’ll still provide hours of fun. Not too sure if this would be practical as a real product, but the image of the little boy using the walkies on the product page is good enough for me.

 

f487_play-doh_3d_printer

3D printers are all the rage, so it would make sense that Play-Doh would get in on it. I just don’t think technology’s quite advanced enough yet, as much as I’d like. Since this product would need to be created by Play-Doh, not by ThinkGeek, I doubt this one will see the light of day. But it never hurts to wish!

What were some of your fave April Fool’s announcements/pranks today?

 

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It’s Pi Day!

PiDay

I have some sort of amalgamation of “Friday” but with lyrics about pie stuck in my head. “It’s Pi(e) Day, Pi(e) Day, everyone eat pie on Pi(e) Day, looking forward to the pecan, pecan….”

Sorry.

Anyway, it’s Pi Day! The day where we get to celebrate math and use language tricks to also celebrate a pastry! Yay Pi(e)!

Want to celebrate?  Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Challenge your friends to impromptu recitations of Pi. Whoever has the most amount of digits memorized gets a pie of their choice!
  • Hold a Pie cooking and/or eating competition.
  • Make a pie and include Pi-themed cutouts or decorations on top. Check out my dad’s “famous” recipe here!
  • Stretch your mind a bit by filling out a pie-themed logic problem.
  • Check out nerdier Pi Day/Friday parodies.
  • Eat a Pizza Pie for lunch! That’s what I’ll be doing.

What do you do to celebrate Pi Day?

 

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Happy International Women’s Day!

women superheros

It’s International Women’s Day! According to the official site, “International Women’s Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women’s Day is a national holiday.”

Today I encourage you to acknowledge the women in your life. Thank them for their help, friendship and love, let them know why you’re proud of them, or offer your help and support on some of their projects. Try to make a positive difference in one of their lives today!

In the meantime, let me know some women you admire in the comments. Whether they’re personal friends or historical/fictional characters, I want to hear all about the strong, inspiring women in your lives!

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Happy Valentine’s Day

youcompleteme

Geeky Valentine available for free download at ebuyer.com

Happy Half-Price Chocolates Eve Valentine’s Day!

You, dear readers, are all my Valentines today (if you’ll have me). Thank you all for reading, leaving comments, chatting with me on Twitter/FB, and just being all-around awesome. I love you all!

So let’s have a mini virtual date! Grab a chocolate or a cupcake or anything sweet near you and cozy up with your computer to watch the season premiere of Burning Love. I’ll be doing the same on my end!

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Arrested Development Valentines

Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day (you didn’t forget, right?). If you haven’t picked out a Valentine for your sweetie yet, here are some freebies for you. Marisa Seguin made what are arguably the best valentines ever based on your favorite characters from Arrested Development. Pick your favorite and pair it with a chocolate covered banana and a nice banner sharing your feelings. Just stay away from your cousin.

advalentines1 advalentines2See these Valentines and more here and here.

 

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Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

Valentine’s Day is coming up, and really, we should all remember what the day is actually about. Eating ungodly amounts of chocolate Telling our friends, family, and loved ones that we care about them. This doesn’t need to be a gift giving holiday. Honestly, for almost everyone out there, a nice long note about how much they mean to you will go SO much further than $60 of roses. But if you’re looking for a gift anyway, here’s my round up of some of the fun ideas out there:

USB Bow Tie

usb bow tie

 

This is a wearable bow tie that has a built-in 4 GB USB drive. Perfect for housing your favorite episodes of Doctor Who. Because bow ties are cool, and so is your Valentine.
Agent 002 USB Bow Tie Sungane, $25.95 at Fab.com.

Bow Tie Necklace

bow tie necklaceLooking for something a bit more feminine? This bow tie necklace from Kate Spade will do the trick. They also have bracelets and rings available in the design, including this lil hot pink number I have my eye on.
Black Tie Optional Necklace, $148 at KateSpade.com.

Swiss Army Ring

man ring

 

Show your Valentine that you want them to survive, and will help them be prepared for anything, with this practical and functional ring.
The Man Ring: Titanium Utility Ring, $385 at Etsy.com.

Board Games

lost cities

Show your Valentine it’s all fun and games when you’re with him or her. (Ugh, too cheesy? Too cheesy.) A board game is a nice way to say “I want to spend more time with you.” Some of my favorite two-player games include Lost Cities and Hive.

Molecular Gastronomy Kit

molecular gastronomy

Give the gift of more date nights. This is a fun, science-y way to enjoy cooking together. Plus, you’ll totally impress your friends with your new-found molecular gastronomy skills!
Cuisine R-Evolution Molecular Gastronomy kit, $58.95 at Amazon.com.

Sriracha Chocolate Bar

sriracha chocolate bar

Let your Valentine know that you think they’re hot (and possibly a bit painful) with a sriracha chocolate bar from ThinkGeek.
Sriracha Chocolate  Bar, $7.99 from ThinkGeek.com.

Tattoos for Those who Fear Commitment

dottinghill

Get some fun and unique temporary tattoos for you and your Valentine–many of the items come in sets of two. Plus, order by February 10th and get 20% off your order with code “LOVEFEB”.
Temporary Tattoos available at Dottinghill.com.

Venn Diagram Necklace

venn diagram necklace

Love + Science = The freakin cutest necklace I’ve ever seen. Enough said.
You + Me Pendant, $44 at YellowOwlWorkshop.com.

Glasses Bangle

glasses braceletYou can’t expect me to create a gift guide and only put one Kate Spade item on it, right? I’m loving this bracelet that tells your geeky lady that you love her, eyesight impairment and all. The design is also available in a necklace, ring, and earrings.
Goreski Glasses Bangle, $78 at KateSpade.com.

What are  you getting for your Valentine? Or better yet, what are you hinting at for yourself?

 

 

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Happy New Year!

IMG_3790Corrected

2012 was an amazing year for Geeky Hostess: I spoke on panels, got to know more of the geek community, appeared on podcasts, and wrote special columns for other sites. I look forward to MUCH more of all of that in 2013–I may have some other surprises up my sleeve as well!

Thank you all for reading, commenting, and just being all around awesome. Let’s rock 2013!

Here’s a look back at my top 5 most popular posts of 2012:

5. Troy’s Bagel Bites Casserole

4. Pirate Rum Cupcakes

3. Harry Potter Snuggie

2. Stoli Salted Karamel Vodka

1. Mountain Dew Cupcakes

What would you like to see more of in 2013? Recipes? Etiquette? Fashion? DIY? Something else?

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Help With Resolutions

GoMightyLogoColor

Over the next day, I’m betting a majority of you will be making resolutions for the New Year. The usuals will probably be out there: Eat better, exercise more, manage time better. In addition to those, I hope you’re also leaving room for fun resolutions. These can include things like: See a new movie a week, learn Klingon, visit another country, or finally learn how to knit a Jayne hat.

No matter what your resolution, I have some great tech tools and apps that will help you achieve your goals!

Go Mighty

I’ve mentioned Go Mighty before, but they’re worth mentioning again. This site allows you to write out your goals for the world to see. Get inspiration from others, keep track of your progress, and possibly even have one of  your goals funded by one of their sponsors!

Producteev

I live for To-Do lists, and Producteev is my favorite To-Do list app. Create a label for each of your goals, and set to-dos and deadlines for yourself. You can add other people to your “team,” so Mr. Geek and I can assign tasks to each other. Producteev’s available online and for iOS/Android.

FitBit

Mr. Geek and I got these for each other for Christmas. FitBit is a tiny device (I can clip it to my bra) that records your steps, flights of stairs walked, calories burned, and overall sleep patterns. If you prefer a bit of gamification to your “get fit” goals, this is the way to do it. It’s the only non-free thing on this list, and comes in at around $99.

Pinterest

Pinterest is more than just pretty pictures. Create an inspiration board for each of your goals. Is your resolution to cook more? Create a board to store the recipes you want to try. Want to learn how to sew? Keep track of the projects you want to make. Follow companies and people that relate to your resolution and allow their pins to inspire you!

Social Media

Want to be held accountable for your resolutions? Tell your friends! Ask them to check up on you and make sure you’re succeeding. Record your progress on sites like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram so your friends can see how you’re doing!

What are your resolutions for 2013, and what apps will you be using to succeed?

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“Baby It’s Cold Outside” Geek-ified

Mr. Geek and I decorated the tree this weekend and put on Christmas music for the first time this year. Although the music Pandora plays is nice, it’s missing the geek flair we all love with our songs. I was incredibly psyched this morning to see that Kirby Krackle and The Doubleclicks teamed up to do a Star Wars-themed cover of one of my favorite Christmas songs “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” It sounds fantastic!

This will be on repeat in between the rest of the Christmas music for sure.

What’s your favorite holiday song?

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