Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Spring Gift Guide - Part Three

Part Three of an Ongoing Series to Help You Find the Perfect Gift.


The Geek- The person you call when you need an answer to a bit of trivia even Wikipedia can not provide. 


I will admit that these offerings tend to fall under the categories of my own particular brand of geekiness. Geeks come in so many flavors, it would be impossible to incorporate them all. The diversity makes me happy, my inability to celebrate it properly is a disappointment. 


Molecular Talisman
To understand my love of the first product, you must first know a bit about me. I have chronic migraines, at my worst, I had symptoms every day for months at a time. I'm also working toward a degree in biology, and my mom is a pharmacist. These seemingly random facts are pertinent, I promise, just stick with me. 


Migraineurs are thought to have screwy dopaminergic metabolisms. So, a couple of years ago, when my migraines were very bad, my mom gave me a Dopamine Molecule Charm Necklace from Made with Molecules. Raven Hanna's rendition of a dopamine molecule has become a bit of a personal talisman for me. It reminds me of all of the things that must go right in our bodies for them to function, and how something tiny can can cause it to all go wrong. Mostly, it reminds me of the beauty present in the natural world, and of the unique ways we all see and celebrate that beauty. Oh, and that at some point, I will have to finish another organic chemistry class. 


Mine! (photo by me)


Sci-Fi 
This one really needs no explanation. It is the Live Long and Prosper Cuff from Madame Poindextra, a shop full of geeky goodness. 



Continuing with the Spock theme, Angela Rossi of BeatUpCreations  seems to always have a Spock offering, and they are all geek gift worthy. A Vulcan on an antique plate, um, yes please. 


If you have a Doctor Who fan in your life, you can earn some serious geek cred by providing him with his very own, non-decomposing, decorative vegetable from Freckled Crafts, purveyor of woolen celery.



Jim McHugh (Fixed. Sorry about renaming you!) of McIllustrator will turn your favorite people (and pets) into their favorite characters. I especially like the Yoda-pup. 




Baby Blanket
I'm not a gamer by any stretch, but I spent a good part of my childhood guiding a pixelated Luigi through a two-dimensional world. This baby blanket from punzie is the perfect gift for the new or future geeklet in your life.


Chemistry Crayons
QueInteresante offers chemistry labels for crayons, so that each color matches to a chemical that produces that color. Start 'em young.




Soap
I've always thought erythrocytes were kind of cute. If you know someone who (legally) plays with blood all day, give her something to wash it off (along with a reminder that she should really be wearing gloves) with these adorable RBC soaps from Cleaner Science. Would it be insensitive to send one of their Petri dish soaps as a get well present?




Ira Glass Finger Puppet
Well, that pretty much sums it up. It is a finger puppet, that looks like Ira Glass, made by Abbey Hambright of abbeychristine, and he it is adorable.




 Wrap It Up
I often buy cards in advance only to lose them or forget to give them to the recipient. If you lack my short term memory issues, then this set of A Geek For All Seasons cards from Shopgibberish is for you. Maybe of I had a whole stash of cards, it would be easier to remember to send them out, hmmm... 



I really need to find someone to whom I can send this card from Power Ups. Maybe I should just make it my personal stationery. 




As far as I'm concerned, this bag full of rocks would be a fantastic gift. Imagine how impressed your pal will be when she opens it to find an additional prize! Kirsten Vaughan of My Funky Camelot offers several varieties of geeky bags, as well as other impressive wares. 




Donation
If you are unsure of your recipient's specific tastes, but know he or she is a generally geeky type person, I recommend sending a DonorsChoose.org gift card.  She will be able to select which educational project to fund, making the gift interactive and incredibly personal. Another option, and something I've done for my mom and grandparents, is to donate to a project in his or her name. If you donate over $100, you will receive handwritten notes from the students. You can either have these sent to your recipient, or collect them with the teacher's thank you note in a folder or binder to present as your gift. 











I hope I've jump started your geeky gifting ideas. Further installments of this series will focus on gifts for recipients with different personality types and interests. 



4 comments:

  1. Wow, I love all of these creative things! I must be a geek. I'm so happy to know that your dopamine necklace is so meaningful to you. (I feel the same way about the serotonin I wear daily!)

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  2. So cool! Thanks for having me on your blog! Great collection!

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  3. Thanks for including me! Great stuff!

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  4. Thank you so much for including my card!

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