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Some of you may remember me, though I've been mostly gone a long time. I've been having an interesting time lately.
I joined Hatrack when my youngest was a baby. I had just moved to a new city and left my career to raise my children. Some of you may remember I fought a battle with Post-partum Depression, and I won. I got my joy back, though I still struggled with energy-level issues, just being tired.
Well, it turns out the PPD was probably a side-effect of an underlying thyroid condition, probably brought on by pregnancy. I've just been diagnosed with hypothyroid a few months ago, and my tiredness -- a part of my life that I had accepted as the natural result of age or parenting -- has vanished.
I have accomplished more in the last five months than I had in a year before that. It's amazing, like a prince's kiss in a fairy story. I'm awake. I'm doing stuff. I talk faster and move faster, and my ideas are becoming realities at rate I didn't think was possible.
I'm posting about this for two reasons:
Number one -- if any of that sounds like you, get your thyroid checked. They've changed the way thyroid test results are read in the last few years, so a thyroid with a "normal" range five years ago could be "low" now, even if the numbers haven't changed.
Number two -- a direct result of my treatment has been doing stuff and making things. Needlepoint projects that had been almost complete TEN YEARS AGO, have now been given to people I love, instead of sitting there in piles, guilty French knots glaring at me.
Just doing normal stuff was such a struggle before, that now I find I have developed the habit of struggling to do things. This means I've begun picking harder things to do.
I, the once technologically illiterate female, have built a website. It's called GeekaChicas. The idea behind it has its roots in Hatrack, and many of the awesome women I met here (and elsewhere on the web) who amaze me on a daily basis.
I wanted to make a site for the FemmeGeeks among us, and show off the awesome talents of my friends. Current and future contributors from Hatrack include Narnia, CT, xnera, pH and mackillian, among others, whom many of you may recognize (though they have different handles there).
I was wrestling with perfectionism and a steep learning curve, not wanting to show it to people until it was "perfect." Then, my friend ANonnyMouse (who works as head of communications for the American Embassy in an Unfriendly Country) sent me an article for the site, called "Never Break What You Can't Fix or Never Fix What You Can't Break." It's about fear of doing things we don't know how to do with computers and software, and how we learn by trial and error.
It kicked me in the pants, and although much of the website is still far from where I want it to be, I'm very proud of the work my Geek Sisters have done. I'm proud of them -- they are sharp, witty and sometimes outrageous, and not promoting what they have done because the FAQ page is a stub seemed kind of silly. And selfish. The submissions were piling up, and I decided that sometimes you have to just jump in and dog-paddle to learn to swim.
So, please check it out, and tell me what you think, make suggestions -- I'm still learning. We have plans to publish articles on all sorts of different Geekery (games, crafting, digital painting, sailing, fencing, etc. as well as the usual pop culture scifi stuff, and some original video content):
I'm thrilled that you've discovered what was going on with your body!
Thanks for telling us about it. I've read that many women suffer from this without knowing it, mainly due to the standards on test results. I'm glad things are changing. I'm going to get mine rechecked.
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I think my thyroid probably bounced a bit -- function fluctuating until it a probable last gasp in September. (I cleaned house for a week, and hardly sat down, then lost all energy and got checked.) I knew the same thing had happened to my mom, so I had been sure to have it checked when I first noticed how tired I was, but the old scale had me as borderline (five years ago, but probably "low" by current standards). By the time I got the meds in December, I was basically at zero function.
The website has been so much fun, so far! I truly LOVE doing stuff with it. Even the busty mudflap girl. Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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My favorite thing about your new site is the diversity of the contributors and topics. Reviews, new stuff, and you are just getting started. Congratulations!
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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quote:Well, it turns out the PPD was probably a side-effect of an underlying thyroid condition, probably brought on by pregnancy. I've just been diagnosed with hypothyroid a few months ago, and my tiredness -- a part of my life that I had accepted as the natural result of age or parenting -- has vanished.
Great! I spent about 4 months with a completely dead Thyroid, and it was probably the most miserable time in my life. The little gland is very powerful.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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Your site looks terrific! And I really liked the descriptions of the contributors. Very classy, though the busty lass seems a bit overly endowed.
And, this is my 100th post. Seems like an appropriate topic to post on! Posts: 315 | Registered: Dec 2005
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That looks great! So good to hear about treating the thyroid leading to more energy!
I'm mostly geeking out on other things right now (parenting type stuff more than general geekiness; car seats, kid gadgets, exploring CDing possibilities, etc.) but I will enjoy reading your site nonetheless, though I may not join the forum immediately.
(Or I might. Just depends. )
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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CT -- They're a wild and wacky bunch, but, yes, quite diverse. One of my unacknowledged life hobbies is seeking out unusual and interesting people.
Xavier-- My father in law's went out, too! More women than men have this problem (pregnancy can result in thyroiditis, damaging the gland), but it happens to men, too. But when you've just had a baby and you're tired... you kind of think maybe that's just what happens, you know? But it is horrible. Glad you're better, too!
Amka Problemka! I remember you, too! Good to see you! Still making movies? (Unless my brain has you confuzzled with someone else-- I'm not eidetic memory girl anymore *snicker*)I've been doing some filmmaking projects with my oldest, who is really into it.
Sala -- congrats on the 100th post! I'm glad you like the look of it! It's still evolving. The About Us page is ugly, incomplete, and needs some cosmetic fixes, but we sure had fun doing it! (Oh, and I *almost* de-bust-ified the mudflap girl (she made me uncomfortable *snerk*), but my crew of Magnificent Beeyotches loved it, so I kept her Boobalicious. )
KETCHUP!! Don't feel pressured to join, dear -- I just wanted to share, and show people what I was doing. The forum there is open, and right now you don't have to register to post (that may change if people, erm, actually start to post there *giggle*). But it's just good to see you! I've been posting here and there for a couple weeks, but not much. I have a million things going at once now. *hugs*
I just put up my friend Fluffy Bunny's Uwe Boll recap/snarkfest. I swear, her toenail clippings are funnier than me! *snicker*
{Edit: forget that, part of it is missing, for some reason. Argh. Edit#2: Fixed. *sigh*}
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Hey love! I have missed you. But then, I've missed myself and figure I'll locate myself AFTER I graduate. Which I do in *checks calendar* 24 days.
Website looks awesome. You, naturally, are awesome as well!
We ever going to finish our novels and get published together, or what? (I still haven't given up on mine...it's just cooking on a back burner)
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Thanks, hon! I've missed you, too! Congrats on your upcoming graduation!
I finished a very rough first draft of the shapeshifter novel, and started a new re-write. The re-write chapter you saw will still be partly usable, I think, but I decided to finish it first and then do the re-write instead of what I was doing.(This is also since I started the thyroid meds, oddly enough.) Ron got a great job in New Orleans, and we'll probably be moving in the summer sometime, so heaven knows when things will settle down for me.
Maybe once I get the website stuff down so it isn't so time-consuming to add content. *grin* The learning curve is steep for me, now.
Edited to add: I can tell Hatrackers are visiting the site, because the Tenth Doctor is soaring up the poll! Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Olivia, it looks great! I'll have to check out the new site in more detail when I get time. It's good to see you again.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Olivet: Edited to add: I can tell Hatrackers are visiting the site, because the Tenth Doctor is soaring up the poll!
I only voted for the Tenth Doctor because my two ACTUAL favorites aren't on the poll. (Logan Cale from Dark Angel and Timothy McGee from NCIS, FTR. In fact, my third favorite, Daniel Jackson from SG-1, isn't on there either. )
And I wasn't feeling pressured. Just letting you know I'll probably keep browsing but may or may not participate more actively, but I still lurve you. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Tatiana! *hug* You're the person who made me "real" aren't you? I mean, the first Hatracker whom I met in person. The site still has some warts, but I think it's decent for a woman who can't program an oven, or get the clock on her microwave set to the proper time after a power outage. *g* The cool thing is I'm learning a lot. Sorry if it seems a bit like a toddler bragging about her big girl panties, but I'm every bit as proud and excited as one.
Ketchup -- sorry about that! I don't watch much television, so I had to rely upon friends and an EW article to tell me who the best TV Geeks were. I didn't really mean it as a 'hotness' poll, but I think it may have turned out that way. I know several geek girls who would have Aldis Hodge's mocha-latte babies. (He's Alec Hardison on Leverage.) I think Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds) is winning because I linked to the poll in the notes of a (rather crappy, but I'm learning) fan vid I posted on YouTube ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtPe_ogYLNQ ) some months ago. It's gotten a surprising number of hits, for something put together with duct tape and spittle. Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I remember you as well. While some of us don't post here as much it is amazing how many still do, and how many more still lurk.
It's good you put the site up, as the only way to GET some FAQ is to have people....well, ask questions. lol
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Kwea, I'm one of those lurkers who, after years of lurking, finally decided to join up, and have finally made it to three digits worth of postings! I remember Olivet, even though I wasn't even signed up then!
And I second KQ, on all three of her choices as top nerd hottie! (That's me, fanning my face!)
Posts: 315 | Registered: Dec 2005
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So good to see you Olivia! Your site is great! I think I need my thyroid rechecked. MY HCP says it's fine but my energy level says otherwise.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Kwea -- just so, on the FAQ. I want to do some short, funny video content, too. Stuff like that. I've been teaching myself Adobe Premiere Pro over the last month or so. *giggle* When I think of all the stuff I'm actually doing at once right now, I'm kind of floored. I think I'm even talking faster, and certainly typing faster. I feel like my pre-mommy self, in a lot of ways.
Sala- that's hilarious! I lurked for... less than a month, I'm sure. Heh.
It's not nerd hotties, or I would not have included Comic Book Guy. Just geeks of the TV/Fictional/male variety. (Also, I don't know any of those people, though I'm sure they are marvelous!)
I SHOULD have made it hotties, though. Next time!
romany, don't put it off! When I was tested 5 years ago, I would have been low by today's standards, but because they said "It's okay" I didn't have it checked again until it went completely dead and I gained ten pounds waaaay too fast. (I've now lost almost twenty(!) pounds, just by dint of, like, doing stuff, and trying to eat healthy. I started doing South Beach, and then I realized it is just a basic healthy way of eating).
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Yes, when you make it hotties, put them on the list (though again FTR, they are my favorites character-wise. Or at least, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. )
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Olivet, nice to see you back again! I'm glad to hear that you got your thyroid figured out. Now I'm off to check out your website.
Posts: 701 | Registered: Jul 1999
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It's good to see you Olivet! I'm so glad you've gotten the thyroid issue straightened out! Mine's actually being checked (along with some other bloodwork started earlier this week) now, though I'm pretty sure my tiredness is from being a mom. The site looks really fun - what a fun thing to do with such talented chicas!
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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It's good to be back. They say my thyroid problem probably started as post partum thyroiditis, and it's pretty common. It's always a good idea to get it checked. (And probably a good idea not to use generic medicines for thyroid ailments, but that is another rant.)
The website is still in progress, but we're having fun. Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Olivet, yeah, I remember we had a blast that weekend when we got together to hear OSC speak. Too bad I never made it to any of the LotR wenches' gatherings. Are you thinking about doing any more of those? Maybe when The Hobbit comes out?
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Uprooted -- yeah, it does, doesn't it? I think the site may mostly go dark on weekends until we move house -- so much stuff to do. Plus, this weekend we had to deal with some plumbing issues, etc. BUt I'm learning, and getting better at dealing with the interface and so forth. For not really knowing what I'm doing, I think it looks pretty good.
Tatiana-- I'd love to do that again! I'm in the process of moving house (not for real until school is out) so the next one may have to be in New Orleans! Does that sound like something you could do? (I have no idea what the associated costs would be with a new city and all, but it might be even more economical -- I don't know!) When does the Hobbit come out?
Thanks Godric! The site is still in its infancy, but we're having fun. I hope to be around Hatrack a bit more, too, now that I have better time management skills. Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I have Geekachicas on my bookmark toolbar, and now check it daily -- plus have recommended it to several other techy gals I know.
And Fluffy Bunny's movie review was the absolute FUNNIEST thing I have read all this year! I sent links to that particular article to many of my friends.
Posts: 9538 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Tammy -- Hee! I thought it had a certain... bounce to it.
Unfortunately, I'm still figuring out how to work Google Adsense, and sometimes we get Spanish language adverts. (Which is fine, as many of us can read them, but the site isn't a Spanish Language site. So maybe not the best bang for the buck as far as the Spanish language advertisers go.)
Farmgirl -- I will Tell Fluffy Bunny! She'll be pleased to know it. She recently did the Twilight movie, too (I'm hoping to post it soon). A lot of our contributors are funny, but Bunny has the highest probability of sending people after clean underpants. I LOVED the Hypothetical Cat naming the villains.
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Even the busty mudflap girl. ![[Kiss]](graemlins/kiss.gif)
Don't feel pressured to join, dear -- I just wanted to share, and show people what I was doing. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
(Logan Cale from Dark Angel and Timothy McGee from NCIS, FTR. In fact, my third favorite, Daniel Jackson from SG-1, isn't on there either. ![[Blushing]](graemlins/blushing.gif)
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