#NerdsUnite: Romance & The After Dinner Menu

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Penelope Young

The key to keeping the romance alive and passion flowing in a relationship all comes down to the art of seduction. It happens to everyone. No couple is spared from the burden of boredom and routine.  Caught in a world of monotony due to the responsibilities we create, there’s never enough time to really slow down and enjoy our partner like we once did during the whirlwind of seduction. Eventually the mystery fades, and all the magic and sparkly glitter that surrounds us tends to slowly dissipate.

Only it doesn’t really work that way does it? Not everyone falls into the pit of loves despair. Quite honestly there are many couples out there that still seem to have it going on.

 Yes they make us sick. Half the time you want to walk up and smack a couple of heads together at the sight of two love birds sucking face in a grotesque display of public affection but in reality that’s only because we’re secretly jealous. Admit it. Heck, they sure seem happy right?

The truth of the matter is, is that even though we think we become jaded lovers over time, what we’re really waiting for is something to ignite the passion in our own relationship. The only way to successfully do this is by fanning the flames between us. When you engage the soul of your better half, the more they come alive and the passion between the two of you will have no other choice but to thrive.

When caught between the pressures of everyday problems, stress, and arguments, it doesn’t take very long before the passion in a relationship begins to fizzle out. If you truly love your partner, it’s important to take the time to spark the fire, and set the passion between the two of you aflame once more. Below are some basic tips to provide you with the starter fluid you’ll need to jumpstart the sparks of your inferno.

Laugh

Laughing is the sexiest thing a person can do. Not only does it make us feel happy but it makes us want to laugh too. At the beginning of every relationship we tend to connect with our partner because it’s fun to be silly together. Instead of the everyday whining, and complaining we first tend to overlook each other’s flaws simply because we love them! All those pet peeves that tend to drive us crazy over time, started out as things we loved or things that made our partner unique. When you learn to laugh at all the silly stuff with your partner again, the negativity of everyday life gets pushed aside making room for the art of seduction via attraction.

Start dating (each other) again

Does your Friday nights constantly consist of Redbox movies, pizza and beer or dinner at your average restaurant? Nothing puts a damper on the fire like routine. While (even I must admit) beer and movies can be a low-key way to end a stressful week, try mixing it up. Think about it. Monotony kills creativity. Creativity equals excitement. Excitement equals passion. Do you really want to sacrifice the passion in your relationship because the two of you are too lazy to mix it up? Get off your butts and do something spontaneous! Find an activity that intimidates the both of you and do it! The rush of feel-good endorphins you’ll experience in response will not only do wonders for your relationship but boost your bedroom stamina once you’re behind closed doors.

Recycle

Revisit the places you’ve created memories together. Remember when you first met/kissed? Reminisce by reenacting those special moments. Make yourselves feel young again by doing old school things like writing notes, burning mixed CD’s or kissing behind the bleachers. Take yourselves down memory road to the days when the fire between the two of you was ripping hot, and addiction had a different meaning.

Head for the hills

Get out of town. Find a new atmosphere and relish the ambience. Sometimes when we get stuck doing the same thing day-after-day surrounded by the same people and places the love between us tends to grow stale. Leave behind thoughts of work, household chores, and the like. A mini-vacation doesn’t have to be extravagant unless you want it to be. It’s about reconnecting.  Grab your partner and whisk them away to a local hotel. Dim the lights, play some soft music, and run a bubble bath while feeding your lover chocolate strawberries or other edible creations. The mystery of being someplace outside your comfort zone can help spice up the after dinner menu!

All in all, don’t over think it. The pressure to keep it hot can take its toll as well. Remember to take it slow and relish what we love about our partners. Make your love sizzle by inviting more passion into your life by keeping it fresh but keeping it light. Relationships go through many phases. It’s about the compassion we feel for each other that bonds us. Seduce each other with what’s in your heart. 

#nerdsunite

Penelope Young is a freelance writer/web coordinator. She enjoys reading and writing in her spare time while taking life in stride, and enjoying the small things in life - iced coffee, scorpions, and cinnamon bears.

Weird Al Says: #WTF?!

If we put a giant mirror 10 lightyears away from Earth and looked at it through a telescope, theoretically we'd see 20 years into the past. 

#NerdsUnite: Best Gifts To Get Any Star Trek Fan

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Marcela De Vivo

Giving your friends presents is always fun, but perhaps no one is better to shop for than an obsessive collector. Not only are they likely to truly savor a well-chosen gift, but the advent of the internet has offered possibilities that are only as limited as your imagination. Trekkies are no exception among pop-culture addicts, and with eBay and other online stores, you can track down a galaxy of clever gift ideas.

1) Star Trek wine

Take me to your liter!  You can kill two birds with one stone if your friend is a oenophile as well as a Trekkie with this limited release from online wine merchants Vinport.  Beginning at a suggested retail price of $24.99, this mixture of reds comes in three different labels, each of which features a specially designed print celebrating a stone-classic episode of the show, including the legendary “Trouble With Tribbles.” 

The artwork here is truly dynamite, so if your friend is not so much of a wine person, the company sells suitable-for-framing prints.

Why not throw in a Klingon-themed corkscrew while you’re at it?

2) Leonard Nimoy/William Shatner albums

Over the years, Trekkies and lovers of novelty music have treasured the musical output of stars Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner.  Nimoy’s Spock’s Music from Outer Space is a particular tongue-and-check classic, with a straight-faced Mr. Spock speak-singing goofy tracks like “Twinkle Twinkle, Little Earth.” 

Shatner’s 1968 offering The Transformed Man is another delight, with Shatner blending over-the-top deliveries of Shakespeare monologues with histrionic interpretations of songs like “Mr. Tambourine Man.” 

Shatner’s so-bad-it’s-good legacy of music gained such attention over the years that he even made a more serious album that flirted with alternative rock, self-consciously titled Has Been, and it’s legitimately good. No true Star Trek fan should be without at least one of these albums.

3) Star Trek games

 Appealing to a rabid fan-base for forty years, Star Trek has boldly gone into business with about every possible product tie possible. Over the years, this has meant an avalanche of Trekkie-friendly games, ranging from original board games to spaced-out versions of old classics like Monopoly. 

For a group of proud sci-fi nerds ready to show off their trivia chops, SceneIt’s Star Trek installment of its popular DVD identification game is a great party present.

4) Star Trek cooking ware

The best presents are so often things with a daily, practical use, so if your friend loves to cook, spice up a humdrum utensil by making it Trekkie. There are plenty of novelties out there, so simply cross-search “Star Trek” with anything your friend uses on the regular-- pizza cutters, oven mitts and cookie cutters are all in existence, ready to help you put some great kitsch in the kitchen.  Yes, there is even a Star Trek cookbook.

5) Into Darkness merch

With the current hot release of J.J. Abram’s latest take on the franchise, Star Trek:  Into Darkness, the market is ablaze with a new wave of posters, promotional materials and clothing, giving plenty of options for anyone in love with the current wave of ST films. 

For a more social gift, take a group of fans out to see Into Darkness in IMAX if it’s playing in a theater near you. 

6) Replicas and other fan memorabilia

Another realm of staggering dimensions is that of collectible miniatures and toys commemorating the various incarnations of the show. Of course, a model of the Starship Enterprise is a natural choice, as would be either an action figure or mounted figurine of your friend’s favorite  character or episode. There are so many coffee-table Star Trek books in circulation that there are a number of guides just to navigate ST print material. 

As you may have guessed by now, if you can imagine it, it probably exists somewhere online.  Star Trek tea?  Tea. Earl Grey. Hot. awaits you. Golf club covers, underwear, smartphone covers that look like Enterprise communicators-- there’s something for every Trekkie! The best idea is simply to incorporate another side of your friend’s personality with their love of Star Trek and start browsing. 

Don’t let the fun stop there--think about getting some novelty wrapping or gift boxes to fully customize a theme gift. 

May the force be...er, gift long and prosper!

#nerdsunite

Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer from Southern California who writes on everything from personal health and fitness, to gaming and technology, to business and marketing. She has many friends that are fans of Star Trek that would love any one of these gift ideas. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter today!

Words of Wisdom with @Jesus_M_Christ

#NerdsUnite: The secret life of a veterinary technician

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Lindsay. She and I met ... well, somewhere in the social space. I think we might have started talking through this site directly, then through facebook - maybe ... I'm not sure. But she's awesome. I talk to her on twitter almost every day, and she's really rad and TOTALLY a big huge animal lover. Like crazy huge!! In these series of posts she will be talking about her life and random adventures with sometimes more than two legged creatures. I guess there's only one more thing left to say ... HIT IT LINDSAY!!</editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @TheCraftafarian

Sometimes life just gets away from you. Suddenly I look up and it's been almost two months since my last post--which means the same time has past since i posted on my blog.

Where have I been?

Mostly work.  Home hospice care for a family pet. Pet sitting a lot. Trying to craft but inspiration of any kind escapes me lately. I need to become more disciplined, more zen. Watch less TV (oh now I love mindless reruns of family guy, Simpsons, American dad, Cleveland show. It's not good for productivity). After weeks of being double and triple booked with pet sitting and kennel duty at my clinic--all I really want to do is sit on the couch, smoke a lil maryjane, and relax and unwind from the mentally, physically, and emotionally draining day-week-month that I have had.

(Oh yeah and after a month of putting all my energy, love, and modern medicine the pancreas and kidneys just couldn't do their job anymore and we had to say goodbye to beloved Milo, David's family pet.)

I put all I have into my work--body, mind, soul/spirit/energy. Sometimes it's not enough. Sometimes the disease isn't progressed and they pull through. Sometimes shit happens when it isnt supposed to. Sometimes we need a break.

I have to write more. I've been better with my depression and anger but learning to let go and just be zen is something that must happen for my health. Writing allows an outlet for me, when I can actually express myself into words that is.

So what has happened in the last two months?

Well went to Denver for 5 days in April and it was amazing. I would love to move there one day but another visit is definitely in our future. We went to several different local places for food, beer, entertainment. Sampled some of Denver's finest herbal medicine :) Exquisite! We were unable to obtain transportation to visit some further outlying areas without spending all day traveling to one place so we have big plans for next time.

I told briefly of Milo--which is enough.

Work has been extremely overwhelming lately--nothing I can't handle but not for extended lengths of time. We may be looking to add another experienced vet tech--we need a good tech to add to our work family.

Oh yeah and PETA is taking issue with some anonymous online commenters...it's getting pretty heated between them and anonymous (the hacker group). I'm on board just because I feel I have been misinformed by PETA on exactly what they do--perhaps it's for the donations. I know they have done good work for some animals but the concern is they are misleading donors. Now the shelter is one of last resort. I just want non profit groups to be honest and transparent with their donors.

That's what going on over here...I've been working on trying to be more inspired by going outside or doing things I enjoy. I've been saying for months (a year?) that I need to improve certain things in my life--and I have slightly but I have not committed fully to making myself happy. As Jen says, you are in control of your own happiness. :)

Peace. Love. Paw prints. Think Zen. <3

Nerds. I WILL be back next week. Dammit. 

<3 Lindsay

Sent from my iPad

#nerdsunite

Click here to follow Lindsay on Twitter!