Here's Why We Celebrate International Women's Day!

Gotta love beautiful Tulips.

Let's start of with wishing all the lovely ladies out there a happy International Women's Day! I hope you all have a beautiful day and are appreciated, not just today but every day. Although today is an occasion for celebration, this wasn't always the case. The earliest Women's Day was held on February 28, 1909, in New York. In a little over 2 years it grew to something nobody expected, on March 19, 1911 IWD was marked for the first time, by over a million people! Thanks to marches and women defending their rights and asking for equality, now, over 100 years later we get to celebrate this day every year on March 8th. Though it started as a Socialist political event, nowadays in some countries it simply remains a day when women are celebrated and people express their love for them with flowers or presents. A bit of a mix between Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. In other places the political and equal human rights theme designated by the United Nations is still a strong presence on this day and social awareness of
the struggles of women everywhere are discussed and examined. The celebration part of the day differs from country to country, tradition to tradition. Some do it by giving the women in their lives flowers or presents, some do it by wearing purple ribbons in support of the equal rights movement. At the end of the day it doesn't really matter how you chose to celebrate as long as the women in your life feel special. Of course they should always feel special, but having this one day a year that's basically all about them and their equal rights and importance makes for a pretty special feeling. *Take it from this female blogger*. So no matter where you are today and how you celebrate based on where you live or what traditions you follow, make sure to take a minute and make a woman feel special today. Now don't go thinking you need big presents or hundreds of flowers or something like that, don't get fooled by the greeting card companies into going over the top. It's all about the simple gestures, a phone call, a message, a flower, some chocolate, a compliment. Whatever it is that you know will have a pleasent impact on that person today is enough, trust me. I hope everyone feels very special today and appreciated. This geeky blogger wishes you a lovely day filled with laughter and happiness. I leave you with this beautiful message from Google.
Geek out!

So, Spring. We meet again!

Sunshine, flowers, birds singing, sugar, spice, and everything nice.. Wait, I may have gotten lost there for a minute, where was I? Ah yes, Spring is here! And though I am a huge fan of winter for obvious reasons, the beautiful snow, building snowmen, drinking hot chocolate in front of a fire, spring does have it's upsides. The weather for one, the sun comes out of hibernation and brings with it nice opportunities like romantic walks or the chance to go on a photography adventure around the city without needing 10 layers of clothing to prevent freezing, and so on.
Everyone celebrates the arrival of spring in their own way depending on their customs and traditions. Depending on where you are today you could celebrate by going swimming at midnight, or if you happen to be in Romania there's the traditional mărțişor. One of the oldest customs in Romania is gifting a mărțişor, usually a small pin like medallion paired with red & white strings. Also part of this years tradition is the cold apparently. Seems the weather around here hasn't gotten the news that it's time for the rain to go into hibernation. Spring also means more beautiful flowers. Just think of all the tulips, lilacs, hyacinth and peonies, oh the lovely peonies. Anyway, tell me some of your traditions, how do you spend the first day of spring? What are your tips for a getting spring started the right way?

Wherever you are and however you decide to celebrate this day, make sure you have fun and enjoy this lovely day. Let's kick today off with some dancing, with an assist from Brandon Flowers - Still Want You . Now get on your feet and get to dancing.

Geek out!

8 Songs to Change Your Life

Music will change your life.

Though I have said many times that, for me at least, coffee makes the world go 'round I also believe music plays a big part in that. That's probably one of the reasons my headphones are permanently attached to me, ha ha. So without further ado, here are 8 songs that will change your life!
The first one is the "current obsession", the one song that you can listen to on repeat all day without getting sick of it. For me at the moment that song is by Aron Wright - I Surrender. It was recently featured on Grey's Anatomy and ever since then it has found it's way into my heart and head. It's one of those songs that brings you the classic tale of hurt and hope.
Next up is the "love song", that will always make you think of someone you love or have loved deeply. I bring you: James Bay - Scars. His raspy voice makes even your fingertips tingly and your heart ache for days long past.
There's the "apology song" that lists a lot of regrets for past wrong doings and makes even the best of us think twice about our past actions. City and Colour - The Girl perfectly sums up the sacrifices others make for us and the regret of not appreciating them more for it.
Hozier - Take Me To Church brings us the "brave song", the one song that while discussing current social issues also makes you want to be brave. All about silenced screams it is pushed through by one of the best voices of our time.
The "declaration song" comes from The Lumineers - Ho Hey. A short upbeat song that simply states a desire to be with someone.
OneRepublic - I Lived is one heck of a "party song"! While it might start out slow, it propels you into a dancing mood within seconds!
For the days that you feel like crawling under your blankets, shutting the blinds and never leaving your bed again, I give you the "comfort song" The Civil Wars - Dust to Dust. It will match your mood while silently comforting you with the softness of Joy Williams and John Paul White's voices.
Finally, the "guilty pleasure song" is that one song you know you like and makes you smile but you're too afraid to share with anyone. Walk the Moon - Shut Up and Dance always manages to lift my spirits, ha ha!
There are many more songs that can replace the ones I mentioned above and make our life just a little bit better, sadly I can't list them all or we would never get through this article, ha ha. For every part of our life there is a song that will either help us through it or make it even better and match our happiness. So dive in and enjoy the music.
Geek out!

Valentine's Day Aftermath

Tulips and coffee sound perfect to me.

Well, here it is. Monday morning, the 15th of February, also known as the day after Valentine's day. This day has become one of the most popular and commercially profitable days of the year. Advertisers unite to create some of the most heart warming and tear-jerking commercials, that advertise the importance of getting the perfect gift, making the right restaurant reservation and all the other details that make up the perfect valentine's day celebration. They have infiltrated everything, starting with the flowers and ending with the clothes you wear. 

Now you might say: well wait a minute, aren't you being a bit harsh? Or cynical?
All I can say is, in my eyes this isn't a real holiday. Not in the traditional way at least. It just makes people crazy, puts unwanted pressure on relationships and, with the help of the formerly mentioned advertisers, creates unrealistic expectations.
I mean come on, people nowadays will not be happy with just getting some beautiful flowers unless they have a hidden Tiffany box in the bouquet. Limits have to be pushed and new ones created. What's next? Buying a puppy that delivers the flower bouquet with the hidden Tiffany box?
Celebrating love should be simple, classic and elegant. Not this over the top circus like event. But then again, that's just my opinion. Though, I have to give it up to the marketing world, they sure created a massively productive beast turning Valentine's day into a brand that dominates the film and business industry while taking over the online world for a few days a year.

There are of course the people that chose to celebrate in a more modest way, Netflix and food! Flowers are always welcome of course. Yep, you guessed it, that's how this blogger spent last Sunday and I have to say, it was like a mini vacation and I loved every minute of it. Let me know what your thoughts are on this beloved holiday and how you spent it. Gear up for a new week with some good reading materials and coffee of course. 

Geek out!