Being Geek Chic is a blog for stylish geeks, sophisticated nerds and people who enjoy the musings of a complete dork. Join us as we dream of driving the TARDIS, cuddle with our eBooks and test out an iPad sleeve. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi and a team of brilliant lady nerds. Meet the team.
In complete honesty, I’m brand new to Doctor Who, and I only found an episode on Netflix because Liz asked me to prep for BGC’s 30 days of Doctor Who. The episode was called “Blink” and featured Carey Mulligan fishing around and solving timey wimey problems while the Doctor was stuck in 1969.
But now I’m hooked. And lucky for me, I had a Doctor Who fan and near-expert at my fingertips: my sister! Meet Tessa Bauer: a 24-year-old chemist with streaks of glambition and fabulosity. Her shoe collection rivals Carrie Bradshaw’s (in the first few seasons, at least), she thrives on mixing chemicals and tinkering with lab equipment, and she’s been known to let her dog get a little pudgy.
So here you have it: a conversation between two sisters about the adventurous, charming, cheeky and brilliant Doctor Who. Enjoy!
Me: So let’s start with this, very basic: why do you enjoy watching Doctor Who?
Tessa: Hmm. Well I started watching Doctor Who because I felt like I needed to expand my nerdiness.
Me: Your nerdiness?
Lady Geek Keli Catalano threw her caution to the wind when she turned her passion into a full-time career. She launched her design boutique and paper art studio Colette Paperie in 2008, but not without guts.
She’s “a risk-taker, a rule-breaker and proud of it.”
Catalano’s paperie offers greeting cards that are whimsical and wise.
Her cards spout messages like, “Happy Mother’s Day Mom…from the best thing you ever made out of an egg” and “Let’s ketchup soon.”
I love her mission to promote sending “paper mail instead of an e-mail.”
Who wouldn’t love receiving a Colette Paperie card in their post?
And before you think Keli’s mind is all tricks and no wit, check out this video blog of life lessons she’s gathered. My favorite? Lesson #7:
“Don’t give a flying crap about what anyone else thinks of you.”
Until next week, lady geeks!
Post by Emma Bauer, who works as BGC’s official intern. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, history scholar, tea drinker, fashion devotee, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. On twitter: @emmalynnbauer
Guest post by Emma Bauer, who has been an avid reader of BGC for a while, so she’s now BGC’s official intern. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, history scholar, tea drinker, fashion devotee, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. On twitter: @emmalynnbauer
What are the ingredients of a perfect apology? Eye contact? A promise of reform in the future? Sincerity?
I think we can agree, though, that the one thing an apology shouldn’t contain is an insult to the receiver.
In one of my classes the other day, the professor noticed a student sleeping. Understandably, the professor got frustrated, woke the student, and digressed into a conversation he had with a colleague. Apparently, the two professors have noticed a trend that only male students fall asleep in their classes. The professor then joked to our class, “it must be because the boys work harder.”
Being a fairly hardworking girl both in and out of class, my blood began to boil. Regardless of whether the professor meant his comment, it was inappropriate to say in the classroom. Would the same statement have been made regarding a religion or a race? No!
Having a class in the same department later that afternoon, I noticed the professor’s office door was open. I stepped inside, and after a bit of small talk, presented him with the fact that his comment was offensive to me. I was hoping to receive an apology and a “thanks for telling me” remark, but instead, I got a killer,
“I’m sorry you didn’t understand I was being sarcastic.”
Oh geez. That’s it. I didn’t understand. Thank you for clearing that up, professor.
As small as the situation may have been, in wake of the recent attacks on feminism, I’m glad I spoke out against something I felt was unfair. If everyone kept silent about the things that hurt them, where would we be?
Mr. Limbaugh’s apology to Sandra Fluke last week was equally frustrating:
“I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke. … In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone’s bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level.”
Once again, Limbaugh chooses to fault others for their response to the situation he created as opposed to an honest admittance of fault.
Why is it so difficult for people to be sincere when apologizing? Or admit that they are wrong?
Perhaps the best we can do is to take a breath or two, realize the faults in my professor and Mr. Limbaugh, learn from their mistakes, and carry on.
- Emma
