Internet-y Things I'm Currently Diggin'

We're coming up quickly on the holidays, and I'm hoping that I get to veg out in a major way on most of the days that I will have off from work (in as much as one can with a toddler in the house).

Here's some internet stuff that I've been reading, following, etc recently, that I thought some of you might enjoy as well (which are not part of my Around the Interwebs sidebar - you should check those out too if you haven't already!)
*Note, none of these people/organizations/companies know who I am, and have not paid for me to promote them.  I just think they're pretty cool.

Captain Awkward - this is one of my favourite advice columns.  The good Captain will help you to deal with Darth Vader significant others, using your words, and all sorts of other things.  Captain Awkward is most well known for her post on "My friend group has a case of Creepy Dude" or Questions #322 & 323".
Read the comments as well, as most of them are well thought out and there are very few trolls hanging around that corner of the internet.

The Frogman - this is a tumblr based blog.  Dude creates new content when he can, and reblogs things he finds funny, cute, interesting, etc.  I think he's pretty amusing, so you might too.  Also, he always, always does his best to properly attribute content which he did not create, which is a win in my books.

Offbeat Home & Life - this one is a nice little odd corner of the internet, which is very welcoming if you are not 100% 'normal'.  I started following this one when their Offbeat Families section was still active (it still exists as an archive, but the comments are closed and they are no longer creating new content).  There are posts on relationships, jobs, gardening, homesteading, decorating, DIY . . . everything?  Any new family-related posts are also placed on Home & Life.

Duolingo - I only recently started using this, so this is not a 100% review.  It is a free language learning program.  You complete little lessons, that include written and audio components (there is a microphone option if you want to practice speaking).  I'm brushing up on my rusty French, and so far, so good.  If you have a smartphone, you can download their app so you can practice or complete lessons anywhere.

Wil Wheaton - A former child star who grew up to be a pretty decent human being, who I think would actually be pretty cool to hang out with and drink beers and play board games.  In addition to his blog (linked at his name), he also has a pretty decent Tumblr.

Have you been following anything awesome lately?  Feel free to share your favourite corners of the internet!  I'm always looking for interesting things to learn about.

Yup, I'm Doing a Father's Day Post Too

So I know that a good chunk of the internet is going to be doing a post in honour of Father's Day, but it is a good opportunity to get some writing in, so I figured it couldn't hurt to do one myself.

As you may have guessed, partner & I are pretty big geeks/nerds, and there's a good shot that our kid will find something geeky to love.  From my anecdotal experience, most people come by their geek status thanks to a parent.  In my case, it was my dad. 
My mom definitely gave me my appreciation for arts and crafting (plus she taught me how to drive.  Anyone who teaches a teenager to drive deserves some serious kudos I think).   But it is my dad who passed along a love of sci-fi and fantasy, as well as some cooking and baking skills.

I have memories of watching Dr. Who,

Red Dwarf,

Alfred Hitchcock Presents,

Star Trek: TNG,

and Seaquest with my father (among others).

The added bonus to watching these programs is that they gave me my first two nerd girl crushes: Wil Wheaton

and Jonathan Brandis.

 I'm pretty sure my introduction to Star Wars was through my dad as well.  We would also watch terrible sci-fi or Japanese monster films when they aired on Saturday or Sunday afternoon timeslots on the television.

My dad also influenced my taste in books (we've both read all of Piers Anthony's Xanth series, among others), provided our first video game system (original NES!  I was always annoyed you couldn't shoot that annoying dog in Duck Hunt), etc.

Now that I'm a grown-up, it is really nice that we can continue to share our geeky hobbies.  This past Christmas holiday, for example, we went to see the first installment of The Hobbit together.  If one of us finds a new tv or book series, we let the other know (or lend them a copy).

I'm hoping that as my baby girl gets bigger, my partner & I will be able to pass along our love of geeky things in the same sort of way that my dad did, leaving pleasant memories behind.