Readers, this is my last post on this blog. I have totally enjoyed it over the past few years. Maybe I will print a book with all my blog posts & photos for memories and sharing in the far future.
So what's next? I just started a new Tumblr blog over at http://ebreed.tumblr.com/. The posts will be short & sweet as I share tidbits of what's going on in this crazy head of mine.
Goodbye all! Meet me over at Tumblr.
Bye-bye. Moving to Tumblr.
I'm A-Tweetin'
Where has miss erica been? Missing in action on my lovely blog, but I've been a-twittering :) I have 2 Twitter accounts that I'm updating now. One's personal, the other is an experiment.
twitter.com/misserica
Try to post quick blurbs about the going-ons of my life. I need to post a bit more that, but I don't want to be spamming folks with too much, like Larry King over at http://www.twitter.com/kingsthings.
twitter.com/newrides
My lab experiment (muhahaha). I'm teasing :) I couldn't find anyone twittering about new rides in 'quick' English, so I made an account. I set a goal ... maybe I could get say 20 people to follow me. In less than 30 days, I have 45 followers. We'll see how my lab experiment turns out (muhahaha, Frankenstein music in background).
Welcome Fido!
Say hello to Fido, our new dog! Sunshine now has a little brother, and no longer has to follow the humans around out of sheer boredom :) We got Fido from the Atlanta Humane Society this weekend. My husband had pre-selected him online. I had picked another dog, but he and Sunshine weren't too cool during the quick meet-and-greet. She and Fido hit it off so well. And, I can see the husband/wife roles come in to play here, which will be great for us. When the dogs get to playing too rough, I'm like "No, be careful!" My husband is like, "Let them go at it. That's how they learn each other."
A little about Fido:
× Terrier/Shar-Pei mix
× 9 months old
× 27 pounds
× Housebroken (no crazy chewing)
× Loves attention. Loves to play.
1-Month Anniversary
Today is my one-month wedding anniversary. I have been married for 30 whole days, and I must admit ... I'm still getting adjusted. The past 30 days has literally felt like maybe months instead of weeks, because we have had so much fun and 'planning for life' stuff to do.
♥ I am still trying to remember my new name :)
People are addressing me as Mrs. Reed, and it still takes me a split-second to think ... "Oh right, that's me." On conference calls at work, I still go "Hello. This is Erica Ba..., I mean Erica Reed."
♥ The official name change stuff will take a while.
So much paperwork and stuff to do, just to change my last name. I'm working through a LONG list. Some things will just have to stay the same. I'm NOT changing my personal email address. Too much of a headache, as everyone knows it and its on all sorts of online accounts I have.
♥ "Let me check with my husband."
If anyone asks about events or plans (work, family, or social), I am getting used to the "let me check with my husband" response.
♥ The best part of all ... I realize that I now have a LIFE PARTNER.
I don't have to do & be everything by myself no more. To be honest, it's a big relief. He helps me in all things, and I am overly gracious. Your day goes a whole lot better when someone helps you clean up all of downstairs this morning :)
I got roses a few days ago. Aren't they pretty :)
All Wrapped Up
Yesterday, I started therapy for lymphedema. The treatment is called manual lymph drainage, and involves me walking around with bandaged legs for 2 weeks. Long story short, this will help reduce my ongoing swelling, and hopefully return me back to a near-normal leg/ankle/foot size. After this, I will still have to wear a compression garment, but I will be more than happy to do that, instead of having the swollen areas and not being able to fit some shoes.
In booties, waiting on my session to start.
All bandaged up with my cast shoes.
Heads-Up Displays (HUDs)
So what in the world is that photo above? Its a future version of something you look at every day - your car dashboard. In technical and car jargon, the version above is called a head-up display (HUD for short). What's a HUD? A transparent display where you can see data, without having to look away. There's lots of research going on for how we can turn our vehicle dashes into HUDs, so we can see helpful stuff while we drive. The trick is how do you do this, without distracting your total focus so you won't end up in an accident. The one above is new design from Ford for future hybrid and electric models. How does miss erica know about HUDs, and why does she even care? I read about these several years ago, and it has sparked my interest ever since. If I ever go back to school to pursue a Ph.D. degree in interface design (which is one of my goals), you best believe I am doing my thesis and research on vehicle HUDs. This definitely captures two of my passions together - CARS and TECHNOLOGY.
Up to this point, we only have very basic HUDs in today's vehicles, mostly just showing RPM and MPH reflected on the windshield
GMC Acadia HUD
BMW X6
2010 Lexus RX
We will return back to our regular, non-geek scheduling momentarily :)
