As more geeks begin contemplating middle age, it seems more of us are also thinking of doing something about our expanding waistlines. The hosts of the GutCheckCast are looking to do exactly that.

In episode #0, Doug Rapson (Geek Acres) and Zach Ricks (Geek Survival Guide) layout their goals for this project: each wants to get fit, lose weight, and use their new weekly netcast (and the combined willpower of the Podosphere and Twitterati) to do it. They also talk about their current exercise regimes -- Doug's lunch time walks and Dance Dance Revolution, Zach's Couch to 5K experiment -- and their hopes to lose weight without doing a radical overhaul of their diets.

I wish them the best of luck; getting fit's a hard thing to do, but I think both of them are up to the challenge. I've already fought my own weight-loss battles (chronicled here on Nuketown) and I'm planning on fighting another skirmish this spring in an attempt to get my own weight back under 200. I'm looking to these guys for inspiration, and plan on giving them some in return.

"How many Harry Potter movies are there?" Jordan asks me from the back seat of the Wrangler as we drive around Easton. The question isn't surprising; she's just watched Chronicles of Narnia and has decided she's ready to watch the first Harry Potter movie.

"Well, there are seven books," I said, "but there are going to be eight movies, because they're splitting the last book into two films."

There's a pause, then Jordan says "Eight minus two is six."

This seems like a non-sequitur to me. Granted, she's doing math at preschool, but why that particular equation, and why now? I mean, I'd expect eight minus one equals seven, given the conversation, but why two?

My dad was a science teacher, and I spent many a day going to work with him, on Saturdays or summer days, while he set up his classrooms, rebuilt bulletin boards, and generally did teacher stuff. I have pleasant memories of wandering through empty schools, exploring new corridors, and taking the occasional break to draw epic space battles while my dad put the finishing touches on a display case packed with jars of preserved crittees caught at Sandy Hook. I also headed to work with my mom a bunch of times, where she'd show me the computers, the main frames, and -- of course -- the robot that delivered mail.

Yesterday, I got to do the same with one of my kids.

I’d settled into a good routine. Get off work at 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., go to the gym, and then get home by 6:00 to 6:30 in time for dinner with the family. Take care of the kids – giving them baths and cleaning up the house – and help herd them into bed by 8:30. Then my wife and I would have the evening to ourselves. That was the theory, and it was also the practice for a good long while.

And then Luke became a toddler.

I look like death warmed over. There are deep bags under my eyes, my neck muscles are vise-tight despite a massage on Saturday, and my face has that hang-dog, puffy look that comes from one too many nights spent sleeping far too little.

This is actually an improvement.

Things were worse in December and January, which were hell on sleep in the Newquist household as the kids forgot how to sleep through the night, family emergencies smashed our piece of mind, and a nasty stomach virus had my wife and the baby fighting to keep food down. And while it feels like we’ve been under siege for the last three days fighting this virus. Not all of my sleep deprivation is family induced though. There was a marathon session of Civilization IV of Saturday night, and more than a few late night DVD forays to watch the two Resident Evil sequels, the first two discs of Doctor Who, Season 3, and the Futurama movie Bender’s Big Heist.

Some days, I’m my own worst enemy.

T'was a very geeky Christmas once again this year, and the Geek Tree's rocket tree skirt is filled with all manner of games and toys for thirtysomething boys.

First up, this year's Hess truck goes off-roading with a huge engine-revving 4x4 with two motorcycles. Very cool, and an instant hit with the kids. My annual Star Trek ornament was the bridge of the Enterprise from Wrath of Khan, with the Reliant depicted on screen. It has dialog from the movie, which just makes me want to pop the DVD in and watch it.

The Advanced Players Guide, by Green Ronin, with new spells, new classes and the big surprise -- a mass combat system compatible with D&D. Another big Green Ronin book is the Ultramodern Weapons Guide, which is a d20 Modern-compatible hardcover detailing hundreds of weapons with descriptions, pictures, specs and game stats. I know, perfect for Christmas, but I've heard nothing but good things about the book from my fellow gamers.

The Geek Tree has spawned. With my 18-month-old son Luke obsessed with putting almost everything he finds in his mouth, we decided that hanging up my various mini (and easily swallowed) ornaments wasn't a good idea. At the same time, my parents discovered my old Christmas tree from high school, a 18" tree that I used to setup in my room.

A string of white lights later, and the Spawn of the Geek Tree was born.

Like the Geek Tree, the mini-Geek Tree is decorated with a variety of science fiction and comic book ornaments (no fantasy ones though -- I didn't have any small enough for this tree; even the hobbits are out of scale). It's decorated with Hallmark's miniature Star Trek ornaments (the Enterprise-E, Defiant and Voyager) as well as their Star Wars collection (Imperial AT-AT, TIE Fighter and X-Wing).

It's the 23rd of December, which is a date my four-year-old is having a hard time grasping. She's mentally willing for Christmas to be here tomorrow and the whole "Christmas Eve" thing just isn't making sense to her. But she can tolerate Christmas Eve ... it's the Day before the Eve that's really getting to her.

Visions of sugar plums (and the chocolate covered pretzels she just made with her mom) are most definitely dancing in her head, and she's having a hard time grasping why we need to clean the house. And why we can't just flip the time switch and have it be Christmas tomorrow.

She's getting there. She successfully cleaned up her room, and helped me find all the toys downstairs and put them away, earning her a little quality time playing Nintendogs on the DS. But I know this is only a reprieve -- an another hour or two, we'll have another conversation about Christmas ... and how Christmas Eve should really count as Christmas proper...

I'm an uncle again. My sister Kristen had a baby boy earlier this week -- Benjamin Francis weighed in at 8 lbs. 8 oz. and measured 22.5" long. That's an inch and a half longer and about 5 oz. heavier then Luke when he was born ... and about 2 lbs. bigger then Ben's sister Sydney. (Ben came 8 days late, Syd 10 days early).

Hallmark's released their Winter 2007 ornaments, so it's time to warp ahead to the future of this year's Geek Tree. I have my eye on three new ornaments, two spawned by Star Trek and and Joss Whedon's Firefly.