On top of the usual holiday stress and the fun of moving, both our children have moved away from the nice peaceful stages of their lives that we have grown accustomed to.
Frances is in full "terrible-twos" mode. Her two favorite phrases are "By myself!" and "No Johann, that's mine" (even if it actually is his).
Johann has progressed to the point where he can be a pain to his sister. He often tries to play with what she's playing with or using. Frances has become pretty good about not letting him get to her pancake syrup or eat crayons.
To top it all off, he has learned to climb stairs. He started sometime last week by climbing 2 steps to get to a landing. Tonight he made it up those steps and up the next 3 before we noticed him. (It was my fault. I was watching him. I thought he was still in the planning stage but apparently he was finished with his research and went for a test run.)
He was doing fine though, climbing very solidly. He might have made it all the way up if he hadn't gotten distracted by us 3 watching and cheering him on (while making sure he was safe of course).
He did feed me a bit of his "Biter Biscuit" today though. Stuck it right into my mouth. I thought that was very considerate of him to think that I might be hungry.
mwz
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Friday, December 01, 2006
Recent Accomplishments
We are pretty busy suffering from colds and packing but I thought I should mark some recent accomplishments of the children.
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Johann learned to crawl at his uncles house. Now he is crawling all over the place. He can even crawl over to a coffee table and pull himself up to standing. It's pretty impressive when you realize that he was hardly mobile at all a week before.
This evening, I was taking down my desk (which is one of those modular things that you have to assemble) and Frances was "helping" me. She thought it was fun that I had the desk turned upside down (it did kinda look like a fort).
At one point though, she picked up my screw driver, which I had set down for a second and wouldn't give it back. She was sticking it into one of the pre-drilled holes and turning it. Being completely unsuccessful at getting her to give it back to me, I decided to try something else.
I guided the screw driver to one of the pegs that needed to be unscrewed and showed her which way to turn. To my amazement, she continued turning it in that direction until it came out.
We were both very excited.
After that, she started another one and again she correctly unscrewed it. She wound up doing 8-10 pegs, most without direct supervision. That freed me up to do some other packing.
Today, Frances went from "helping" to actually helping. I think I have Handy Manny to thank.
mwz
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Johann learned to crawl at his uncles house. Now he is crawling all over the place. He can even crawl over to a coffee table and pull himself up to standing. It's pretty impressive when you realize that he was hardly mobile at all a week before.
This evening, I was taking down my desk (which is one of those modular things that you have to assemble) and Frances was "helping" me. She thought it was fun that I had the desk turned upside down (it did kinda look like a fort).
At one point though, she picked up my screw driver, which I had set down for a second and wouldn't give it back. She was sticking it into one of the pre-drilled holes and turning it. Being completely unsuccessful at getting her to give it back to me, I decided to try something else.
I guided the screw driver to one of the pegs that needed to be unscrewed and showed her which way to turn. To my amazement, she continued turning it in that direction until it came out.
We were both very excited.
After that, she started another one and again she correctly unscrewed it. She wound up doing 8-10 pegs, most without direct supervision. That freed me up to do some other packing.
Today, Frances went from "helping" to actually helping. I think I have Handy Manny to thank.
mwz
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Wii Camping Experience
This is my experience camping out for the Nintendo Wii.
The people at the head of the line were on top of things. They came up with a system where everyone in line got a number written on their hand in marker. Once you had a number, you could leave the line to go get stuff from your car or walk to a gas station to go to the bathroom (which I did). It made the whole thing stress free.
The same people brought a TV and were playing movies. It turns out that I have very little interest in the Chipmunks Christmas Special. But at about 1am someone brought a Wii he had gotten at Wal-Mart and hooked it up to the TV. It was interesting to watch them play Wii Sports but when they started playing Zelda I quit watching (I didn't want to ruin the game for me).
I soon found out that I am no longer in the hard-core Nintendo demographic. For one, I don't work at a game store. For two, I was the oldest person there. For three, one of the people waiting was a freshman in High School. That made me feel really old.
But everyone was really nice. Don't know what to say about that but it was pretty easy to talk to people. Although, no one discussed names. I only knew what number they were in line.
It was cold. Above freezing but just barely. I was really glad that Ariel convinced me to bring a sleeping bag. But even that wasn't really enough. I eventually realized that I could keep 95% of my body warm and some part of me was just going to have to be cold. When the cold part got too cold I would change my covering scheme. Sometimes my ankles slightly exposed (under my jeans of course) and sometimes my face would be slightly exposed. I discovered that I couldn't even read the book I brought because having my fingers out (even in gloves) was to cold.
Combine that with sitting in a chair all night and I didn't really get much sleep. I maybe slept 2 hours that night.
Then after a long and uncomfortable night, around 6am a manager came out and told us that they would be giving out tickets at 7 and we could get the systems at 8. That perked everyone up. She handed out cards explaining what they had for sale to get people thinking about what they were going to buy.
At seven, we all lined up at the door in order of our numbered hands and the manager gave out numbered tickets. Then we got to go home for a bit.
I grabbed some cereal and tried not to sit down for fear that I would fall asleep.
A little before 8, we went back and lined up again in numerical order. Then they started letting us in 2 by 2. The store hadn't opened yet so it kinda felt like they were opening it up just for us. Like a rich person going to Tiphany's to pick out jewelry, except we weren't rich and this was Target.
About 30 seconds after they let my pair in, they let the rest go in. And we all lined up again in the electronics section. One by one an employee asked us "what would you like", meaning games and accessories. It kinda felt like having a gaming butler.
I asked for Zelda, an extra remote and an extra nunchuck (it attaches to the remote) but they were already out of the nunchucks. So I stormed out of there in a huff.
Okay, I bought everything else on my list and when home to set up the system.
After a an hour or so of play, I crashed and slept for a couple hours. Later that afternoon, I took another 2 hour nap. Then I went to bed at 8pm and got up at 8am. It felt very much like being sick.
I'm still feeling shell shocked from the experience. I have become much less tolerant of the cold. My showers have become longer because I can't stand the idea of getting out of the warmth. I am much happier laying in a warm bed.
Okay, I can't come up with any more examples than that but it really has altered my perspective. It really makes me feel fortunate that I have shelter at night and feel really bad for homeless people. Because even the people who wear a bunch of layers can't be warm enough. I only suffered in the cold for one night but some people do it every night.
Ignoring that last depressing paragraph, I am glad I did it. It was interesting (if a bit miserable) and I have my Wii.
mwz
The people at the head of the line were on top of things. They came up with a system where everyone in line got a number written on their hand in marker. Once you had a number, you could leave the line to go get stuff from your car or walk to a gas station to go to the bathroom (which I did). It made the whole thing stress free.
The same people brought a TV and were playing movies. It turns out that I have very little interest in the Chipmunks Christmas Special. But at about 1am someone brought a Wii he had gotten at Wal-Mart and hooked it up to the TV. It was interesting to watch them play Wii Sports but when they started playing Zelda I quit watching (I didn't want to ruin the game for me).
I soon found out that I am no longer in the hard-core Nintendo demographic. For one, I don't work at a game store. For two, I was the oldest person there. For three, one of the people waiting was a freshman in High School. That made me feel really old.
But everyone was really nice. Don't know what to say about that but it was pretty easy to talk to people. Although, no one discussed names. I only knew what number they were in line.
It was cold. Above freezing but just barely. I was really glad that Ariel convinced me to bring a sleeping bag. But even that wasn't really enough. I eventually realized that I could keep 95% of my body warm and some part of me was just going to have to be cold. When the cold part got too cold I would change my covering scheme. Sometimes my ankles slightly exposed (under my jeans of course) and sometimes my face would be slightly exposed. I discovered that I couldn't even read the book I brought because having my fingers out (even in gloves) was to cold.
Combine that with sitting in a chair all night and I didn't really get much sleep. I maybe slept 2 hours that night.
Then after a long and uncomfortable night, around 6am a manager came out and told us that they would be giving out tickets at 7 and we could get the systems at 8. That perked everyone up. She handed out cards explaining what they had for sale to get people thinking about what they were going to buy.
At seven, we all lined up at the door in order of our numbered hands and the manager gave out numbered tickets. Then we got to go home for a bit.
I grabbed some cereal and tried not to sit down for fear that I would fall asleep.
A little before 8, we went back and lined up again in numerical order. Then they started letting us in 2 by 2. The store hadn't opened yet so it kinda felt like they were opening it up just for us. Like a rich person going to Tiphany's to pick out jewelry, except we weren't rich and this was Target.
About 30 seconds after they let my pair in, they let the rest go in. And we all lined up again in the electronics section. One by one an employee asked us "what would you like", meaning games and accessories. It kinda felt like having a gaming butler.
I asked for Zelda, an extra remote and an extra nunchuck (it attaches to the remote) but they were already out of the nunchucks. So I stormed out of there in a huff.
Okay, I bought everything else on my list and when home to set up the system.
After a an hour or so of play, I crashed and slept for a couple hours. Later that afternoon, I took another 2 hour nap. Then I went to bed at 8pm and got up at 8am. It felt very much like being sick.
I'm still feeling shell shocked from the experience. I have become much less tolerant of the cold. My showers have become longer because I can't stand the idea of getting out of the warmth. I am much happier laying in a warm bed.
Okay, I can't come up with any more examples than that but it really has altered my perspective. It really makes me feel fortunate that I have shelter at night and feel really bad for homeless people. Because even the people who wear a bunch of layers can't be warm enough. I only suffered in the cold for one night but some people do it every night.
Ignoring that last depressing paragraph, I am glad I did it. It was interesting (if a bit miserable) and I have my Wii.
mwz
Wii Camping
Somehow, I became one of those people. I camped out overnight to get the Nintendo Wii on launch day. That wasn't the plan but that's what happened.
The plan was to go to Wal-mart for the midnight release. I was going to get there somewhere between 8pm and 10pm. The internet led me to believe that Wal-Mart would have 50 units (no, I didn't go to the actual Wal-Mart page) so I didn't think there was going to be any problems getting one.
However at 6:30 we drove by the Wal-Mart and Ariel estimated that there were 30 people in line. So, we went home and had supper and I went back.
When I got there, a little after 7pm, I was the 24th person in line and it turned out that there were only 20 Wiis at the store. I wasn't sure what to do so I sat there for about a half an hour. The people behind me did a full count of the line (the original count was correct) and then went in and asked the store manager how many they had (that number was also correct). Faced with the reality that I wouldn't be getting one from this store, I left.
I drove to a neighboring town's Wal-Mart and their line was full also.
Faced with defeat and feeling a little cheated, I decided to just stop by Target to find out how many they were going to have the next morning. I figured I could just come a little before open and find get one then. It turned out they had campers too. But they also had 24 units.
I went over to the line and asked them if they had slots left. They said yes and it was to tempting.
I called Ariel and told her I was spending the night. She wearily said that was fine (she is pretty supportive of me).
So, I grabbed the sleeping bag and the canvas chair (one of those bag chairs) that I brought for the Wal-Mart wait and got into line. That's how I wound up camping overnight for a Wii.
mwz
The plan was to go to Wal-mart for the midnight release. I was going to get there somewhere between 8pm and 10pm. The internet led me to believe that Wal-Mart would have 50 units (no, I didn't go to the actual Wal-Mart page) so I didn't think there was going to be any problems getting one.
However at 6:30 we drove by the Wal-Mart and Ariel estimated that there were 30 people in line. So, we went home and had supper and I went back.
When I got there, a little after 7pm, I was the 24th person in line and it turned out that there were only 20 Wiis at the store. I wasn't sure what to do so I sat there for about a half an hour. The people behind me did a full count of the line (the original count was correct) and then went in and asked the store manager how many they had (that number was also correct). Faced with the reality that I wouldn't be getting one from this store, I left.
I drove to a neighboring town's Wal-Mart and their line was full also.
Faced with defeat and feeling a little cheated, I decided to just stop by Target to find out how many they were going to have the next morning. I figured I could just come a little before open and find get one then. It turned out they had campers too. But they also had 24 units.
I went over to the line and asked them if they had slots left. They said yes and it was to tempting.
I called Ariel and told her I was spending the night. She wearily said that was fine (she is pretty supportive of me).
So, I grabbed the sleeping bag and the canvas chair (one of those bag chairs) that I brought for the Wal-Mart wait and got into line. That's how I wound up camping overnight for a Wii.
mwz
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Rovian Plot
We all knew that Karl Rove was a genius but I didn't realize how great of a genius he is, until today. What dawned on me was that Mr. Rove doesn't lose.
And he still doesn't.
What I now understand is that Karl Rove is a liberal.
The plan was to propel George Bush into the white house. Once there Mr. Bush can then run the republican party into the ground by talking like a conservative but not really acting like one. Any honest conservative knows that Mr. Bush isn't one. Just look at the Medicare bill and No Child Left Behind. To my knowledge, there hasn't been a spending bill that he hasn't loved. He is pro-amnesty for illegal aliens and he even tried to put a person of unknown leanings on the supreme court (Harriet Miers). He has done just about everything domestically to irritate his base and everything diplomatically to mobilize his "opponents".
Then come 2006, Congress is ripe for the picking.
The democrats hadn't held Congress since 1994. How else to destroy public support for conservatives than by destroying the Republican party from within.
Now that the game is won, Mr. Bush will now show his true colors and the left will have full run of the government for the first time since the beginning of the Clinton administration. Already, Mr. Bush is siding with the Democrats on minimum wage. Who knows what's next? But if this theory is correct, you won't be hearing talks of impeachment much longer...
Of course, none of this is correct but it was kinda fun to think all paranoid for a little while. The republican leadership has destroyed the party without any need for an over-arching goal. They just did it because they are power hungry and stupid.
mwz
And he still doesn't.
What I now understand is that Karl Rove is a liberal.
The plan was to propel George Bush into the white house. Once there Mr. Bush can then run the republican party into the ground by talking like a conservative but not really acting like one. Any honest conservative knows that Mr. Bush isn't one. Just look at the Medicare bill and No Child Left Behind. To my knowledge, there hasn't been a spending bill that he hasn't loved. He is pro-amnesty for illegal aliens and he even tried to put a person of unknown leanings on the supreme court (Harriet Miers). He has done just about everything domestically to irritate his base and everything diplomatically to mobilize his "opponents".
Then come 2006, Congress is ripe for the picking.
The democrats hadn't held Congress since 1994. How else to destroy public support for conservatives than by destroying the Republican party from within.
Now that the game is won, Mr. Bush will now show his true colors and the left will have full run of the government for the first time since the beginning of the Clinton administration. Already, Mr. Bush is siding with the Democrats on minimum wage. Who knows what's next? But if this theory is correct, you won't be hearing talks of impeachment much longer...
Of course, none of this is correct but it was kinda fun to think all paranoid for a little while. The republican leadership has destroyed the party without any need for an over-arching goal. They just did it because they are power hungry and stupid.
mwz
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Cards and Johann
The St. Louis Cardinals finally won a world series (after I started paying attention to baseball). The first year that I payed attention to baseball was 1987. My family was a Cardinal family and fortunately the local off network tv station carried most of the games that season. I watched a lot of them. Then when the Cards lost in 7 to the Twins, I was crushed.
But now that they have another title under their belt, I can feel a little better about that '87 series. Sure, we lost. Sure, I cried (literally). But we have finally won with me watching.
And Johann watching. Sorta.
In the evenings, I have been giving Ariel a break and holding Johann. He sleeps a good portion of the evening on my shoulder and I do my best to entertain him when he's awake. Therefor, I watched a lot of the playoffs with him right there. That was kinda nice.
Tonight, not only did the Cardinals win for the first time in forever, but Johann also did a couple interesting things.
I have a habit of drumming with my hands. Johann started to mimic me by slapping his hand down on mine. So I stopped drumming and started saying "Give me five". He would slap my hand several times. It was pretty neat. I don't think he understood that I was communicating instructions with my voice but I can pretend.
The other thing that he did was honk my nose. He reached up to my face and instead of grabbing my glasses (which is what I expected), he squeezed my nose. It took me a little bit to understand what he was doing but when I said "Beep" he laughed and squeezed my nose again. I think he has seen Frances honk my nose. He thought it was great fun.
Basically, it was an eventful night.
mwz
But now that they have another title under their belt, I can feel a little better about that '87 series. Sure, we lost. Sure, I cried (literally). But we have finally won with me watching.
And Johann watching. Sorta.
In the evenings, I have been giving Ariel a break and holding Johann. He sleeps a good portion of the evening on my shoulder and I do my best to entertain him when he's awake. Therefor, I watched a lot of the playoffs with him right there. That was kinda nice.
Tonight, not only did the Cardinals win for the first time in forever, but Johann also did a couple interesting things.
I have a habit of drumming with my hands. Johann started to mimic me by slapping his hand down on mine. So I stopped drumming and started saying "Give me five". He would slap my hand several times. It was pretty neat. I don't think he understood that I was communicating instructions with my voice but I can pretend.
The other thing that he did was honk my nose. He reached up to my face and instead of grabbing my glasses (which is what I expected), he squeezed my nose. It took me a little bit to understand what he was doing but when I said "Beep" he laughed and squeezed my nose again. I think he has seen Frances honk my nose. He thought it was great fun.
Basically, it was an eventful night.
mwz
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Advertisement
I've had a couple thoughts about television advertisements lately that I thought I would share.
The first one occurred to me while I was watching a show on a VHS tape (thanks Mom and Dad for taping Battlestar Galactica for me). I was fast-forwarding through the commercials when I thought about Tivos. Even though the "commercial skip" features have been extracted, you can still fast forward through the commercials. I suspect this will become quite common (until the collapse of broadcast TV).
When a commercial is being fast-forwarded, you can still see some of it. It might still catch your eye but since the product may only appear periodically in the spot, you are not really being advertised to very affectively.
But if the add had a logo or a watermark stuck in the same spot throughout the spot on the screen (or even slowly moving across the bottom) the viewer would still know what the product was for and are still being advertised to.
I think that's a beautiful idea. Especially since people with Tivos are usually a good demographic to advertise to.
The second advertising thought I had was while watching Monday night football. It was the Bears/Cardinals game where the Cardinals blew a big lead and then missed the game winning field goal. I didn't really have a dog in the hunt except that I know a lot of Bears fans.
But that got me thinking, a lot of fans were really disappointed by the outcome of that game. It can feel pretty bad after blowing a game. Does any company really want their product presented to people when they are in such a poor state of mind?
I don't know if sporting events are really a good place to advertise. It's one thing if you can tie your product to the sport experience, like beer and brats with football. But for anything else it's a question. Half of the audience is going to be unhappy, sometimes extremely so.
I wonder if there has been a study on the negative effects of sports ads on a product.
mwz
The first one occurred to me while I was watching a show on a VHS tape (thanks Mom and Dad for taping Battlestar Galactica for me). I was fast-forwarding through the commercials when I thought about Tivos. Even though the "commercial skip" features have been extracted, you can still fast forward through the commercials. I suspect this will become quite common (until the collapse of broadcast TV).
When a commercial is being fast-forwarded, you can still see some of it. It might still catch your eye but since the product may only appear periodically in the spot, you are not really being advertised to very affectively.
But if the add had a logo or a watermark stuck in the same spot throughout the spot on the screen (or even slowly moving across the bottom) the viewer would still know what the product was for and are still being advertised to.
I think that's a beautiful idea. Especially since people with Tivos are usually a good demographic to advertise to.
The second advertising thought I had was while watching Monday night football. It was the Bears/Cardinals game where the Cardinals blew a big lead and then missed the game winning field goal. I didn't really have a dog in the hunt except that I know a lot of Bears fans.
But that got me thinking, a lot of fans were really disappointed by the outcome of that game. It can feel pretty bad after blowing a game. Does any company really want their product presented to people when they are in such a poor state of mind?
I don't know if sporting events are really a good place to advertise. It's one thing if you can tie your product to the sport experience, like beer and brats with football. But for anything else it's a question. Half of the audience is going to be unhappy, sometimes extremely so.
I wonder if there has been a study on the negative effects of sports ads on a product.
mwz
Monday, October 09, 2006
Circle
I had the following conversation with Frances today.
Frances: I want circle.
Me: What?
Frances: I want circle.
Me: What kind of circle.
Frances: A round circle. (Waving her arm in a circle.)
Me: ...
It turned out she wanted a top that she and Arial trace sometimes to make circles.
mwz
Frances: I want circle.
Me: What?
Frances: I want circle.
Me: What kind of circle.
Frances: A round circle. (Waving her arm in a circle.)
Me: ...
It turned out she wanted a top that she and Arial trace sometimes to make circles.
mwz
Sitting (Kid's news 4 of 4)
Johann can sit up now on his own well enough that we don't have to put pillows around him anymore. He has even started to occasionally prefer sitting on the ground over being held.
He can sit and play with toys which is so very nice. Although, he does have this amazing ability to get things that should be well out of his reach. If there is paper on the floor in his vicinity, he will get it into his mouth. The force is strong with him.
mwz
He can sit and play with toys which is so very nice. Although, he does have this amazing ability to get things that should be well out of his reach. If there is paper on the floor in his vicinity, he will get it into his mouth. The force is strong with him.
mwz
Tea Party (Kid's news 3 of 4)
We left Frances with her grandma some this weekend. While we were gone, she worked out how to have a tea party.
According to Grandma, Frances spread out a small blanket in the living room and set out a serving tray and some small cups on her own. Grandma asked her if she was having a picnic and if they should invite some friends. Together they gathered up a couple bears, a frog and doll.
Presumably they played with them but I'm going to skip to what I saw.
When we got back, Frances went over to the blanket with me and set up the bears that had fallen over and found the frog again. Then she set the cups in front of each one. With each guest she lifted their cup to their mouth so they could drink, then pretended to pick up something from the tray and put it in their mouths.
I was impressed. That was full on imagination.
mwz
According to Grandma, Frances spread out a small blanket in the living room and set out a serving tray and some small cups on her own. Grandma asked her if she was having a picnic and if they should invite some friends. Together they gathered up a couple bears, a frog and doll.
Presumably they played with them but I'm going to skip to what I saw.
When we got back, Frances went over to the blanket with me and set up the bears that had fallen over and found the frog again. Then she set the cups in front of each one. With each guest she lifted their cup to their mouth so they could drink, then pretended to pick up something from the tray and put it in their mouths.
I was impressed. That was full on imagination.
mwz
Knock Knock (Kid's news 2 of 4)
Two weeks ago, Frances learned a knock knock jokes. It goes:
Knock Knock (who's there?)
Orange (Orange who?)
Hehe
The way she says "orange" is adorable. It sounds like "oinge". And the "hehe" is her laughing at the joke, sort of. She doesn't normally say "hehe" when she is really laughing. It's her way of punctuating the joke.
mwz
Knock Knock (who's there?)
Orange (Orange who?)
Hehe
The way she says "orange" is adorable. It sounds like "oinge". And the "hehe" is her laughing at the joke, sort of. She doesn't normally say "hehe" when she is really laughing. It's her way of punctuating the joke.
mwz
Daddy (Kid's news 1 of 4)
This weekend Johann has started saying "Dada" and sometimes "Daddy". He says it like Frances says it so I don't know if he's copying her or if that's just how our kids sound. He doesn't repeat the "da" sound much (like "dadadada"). It's like he knows that there are only two in the word.
mwz
mwz
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Children
I have been quite busy lately. But I wanted to document the stuff that Frances and Johann have been doing.
Johann:
Today, Arial sat Johann up on the floor and he stayed sitting for a few seconds. This is the first important step to being able to put him down occasionally. As it is we have to hold him or put him in the excersaucer. That's something he's started doing lately too. He is quite happy in the excersaucer for a fair amount of time. That is really nice.
We finally put batteries back in the bouncy seat (to make it shake) and I bent it back to it's normal shape (it had bent down from having a previous child sit in it a lot). Now Johann loves it as much as Frances did. We kinda gave up on the bouncy seat early on because he didn't seem to like it and Frances learned how to turn it on (but didn't care to turn it off) so the batteries never had any charge. I wish we would have tried it again sooner.
A little over a week ago, we started feeding Johann baby food. We do this during supper (one person eats while the other feeds, then we swap). It was much easier to get him to eat than it was Frances. At first we thought that he was just naturally inclined but we decided that we were just better at feeding that we were with Frances.
Frances:
This evening Frances and I went on some errands. In the middle there was about a 15 minute drive and Frances was starting to get antsy. So I decided to get ice cream from McDonald's. She got a small cup of vanilla. I put a bib on her and she ate very happily the whole way. She didn't make much of a mess. It felt a little weird though, I suddenly became a dad taking his daughter out for ice cream. I'm so old...
Frances is so good with Johann (when she's not trying to poke his eye). Sometimes she runs up and says "Big hug" and hugs him. Other times she gives him Eskimo kisses. When we change his diaper with her in the room, she usually gets out the diaper and opens it up for us.
She definitely is in her terrible twos though. You can tell that she is testing the boundaries sometimes. Today, she went down for her nap and I told her that if she got up from the bed that she would have to go into her crib. She then spent a half an hour with her legs dangling off the bed with her toes inches from the floor. She knew that if she touched the floor she would have to go into her crib but she wanted to see how close she could get.
Another time, she was throwing some balls in the living room (which I'm fine with). She threw one against the wall and I told her not to do that. She kept doing it. I tried to get her to throw the ball into the open space in the living room (she doesn't have strong enough of an arm to throw something all the way across the room). Finally, I told her that if she threw the ball against the wall again, I would take it away. She then slowly touched the ball against the wall. Technically, she didn't throw the ball but I didn't like where that was going so I took the ball away.
mwz
Johann:
Today, Arial sat Johann up on the floor and he stayed sitting for a few seconds. This is the first important step to being able to put him down occasionally. As it is we have to hold him or put him in the excersaucer. That's something he's started doing lately too. He is quite happy in the excersaucer for a fair amount of time. That is really nice.
We finally put batteries back in the bouncy seat (to make it shake) and I bent it back to it's normal shape (it had bent down from having a previous child sit in it a lot). Now Johann loves it as much as Frances did. We kinda gave up on the bouncy seat early on because he didn't seem to like it and Frances learned how to turn it on (but didn't care to turn it off) so the batteries never had any charge. I wish we would have tried it again sooner.
A little over a week ago, we started feeding Johann baby food. We do this during supper (one person eats while the other feeds, then we swap). It was much easier to get him to eat than it was Frances. At first we thought that he was just naturally inclined but we decided that we were just better at feeding that we were with Frances.
Frances:
This evening Frances and I went on some errands. In the middle there was about a 15 minute drive and Frances was starting to get antsy. So I decided to get ice cream from McDonald's. She got a small cup of vanilla. I put a bib on her and she ate very happily the whole way. She didn't make much of a mess. It felt a little weird though, I suddenly became a dad taking his daughter out for ice cream. I'm so old...
Frances is so good with Johann (when she's not trying to poke his eye). Sometimes she runs up and says "Big hug" and hugs him. Other times she gives him Eskimo kisses. When we change his diaper with her in the room, she usually gets out the diaper and opens it up for us.
She definitely is in her terrible twos though. You can tell that she is testing the boundaries sometimes. Today, she went down for her nap and I told her that if she got up from the bed that she would have to go into her crib. She then spent a half an hour with her legs dangling off the bed with her toes inches from the floor. She knew that if she touched the floor she would have to go into her crib but she wanted to see how close she could get.
Another time, she was throwing some balls in the living room (which I'm fine with). She threw one against the wall and I told her not to do that. She kept doing it. I tried to get her to throw the ball into the open space in the living room (she doesn't have strong enough of an arm to throw something all the way across the room). Finally, I told her that if she threw the ball against the wall again, I would take it away. She then slowly touched the ball against the wall. Technically, she didn't throw the ball but I didn't like where that was going so I took the ball away.
mwz
eMusic 3
Last months new music:
Tonya Donelly - Sleepwalk
This is a four song EP. I like Tonya Donelly and this album is alright.
Throwing Muses - Throwing Muses (2003)
This is a pretty solid Throwing Muses disc. It took me a couple of listens to get into it but now I like it well enough. There are a couple songs that get stuck in my head which is double edged. I like the songs but they kinda give me a headache when I just keep singing/humming/whistling them.
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Apparently, Arial and I saw Neko Case at Lilith Fair a while back. She is in the book I keep of bands that I've seen. More recently she had a song on a sampler album that I got from eMusic. That song is easily the best track on the album but the others are still pretty decent if you are in the mood for Sarah McLaughlin type fold.
Superchunk - On the Mouth (no link)
eMusic must have lost the contract with Superchunk's label because all trace of them has been removed from the eMusic site. I'm glad I got this when I did.
Superchunk is a band that I would have really liked in high school. I wish I would have checked them out sooner. There are some good songs on this album but they would have been way better if I could be nostalgic about them.
Pavement - Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
Track 10
Eventually, I'll get the remaining two tracks.
Tonya Donelly - Sleepwalk
This is a four song EP. I like Tonya Donelly and this album is alright.
Throwing Muses - Throwing Muses (2003)
This is a pretty solid Throwing Muses disc. It took me a couple of listens to get into it but now I like it well enough. There are a couple songs that get stuck in my head which is double edged. I like the songs but they kinda give me a headache when I just keep singing/humming/whistling them.
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Apparently, Arial and I saw Neko Case at Lilith Fair a while back. She is in the book I keep of bands that I've seen. More recently she had a song on a sampler album that I got from eMusic. That song is easily the best track on the album but the others are still pretty decent if you are in the mood for Sarah McLaughlin type fold.
Superchunk - On the Mouth (no link)
eMusic must have lost the contract with Superchunk's label because all trace of them has been removed from the eMusic site. I'm glad I got this when I did.
Superchunk is a band that I would have really liked in high school. I wish I would have checked them out sooner. There are some good songs on this album but they would have been way better if I could be nostalgic about them.
Pavement - Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
Track 10
Eventually, I'll get the remaining two tracks.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Mid-life Crisis
Not to long ago, I was playing a lot of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 for the PS2 (it's an old game but I hadn't played it in a while). Watching the bonus videos of the developers trying to skateboard made me want to do it.
When I was in Jr High, I skateboarded a bit. Mostly, I just went around in circles on our back patio but sometimes I would use it for transportation. The boards I had were skinny and small from the late seventies/ early eighties. Basically, that meant that I didn't bother to try to learn any tricks (not to mention, no one I knew skated).
Yesterday, I went to target and bought a cheap board. I want to spend as little money on this as possible because I'm to old to really get any good at it. But something just to mess around with seemed like a good idea.
So, now I'm trying to ollie. The internet is full of information about how to do one and I've read a lot about it. Unfortunately, that doesn't translate very well into real life.
I'm practicing in the grass because someone suggested that. After about 30 attempts, I've manage to get the back wheels off the ground twice, just barely. I'm hoping that more practice will lead me to getting multiple centimeters into the air.
I guess it doesn't help that I am actually sharing the board with Frances. I worked out that she can lay on her stomach and safely push herself around. She has stopped trying to stand on it because I make her hold my hand when she does that. I suppose she feels more in control this way.
Well, I'm probably too old to learn a new skill but it is pretty good exercise.
mwz
When I was in Jr High, I skateboarded a bit. Mostly, I just went around in circles on our back patio but sometimes I would use it for transportation. The boards I had were skinny and small from the late seventies/ early eighties. Basically, that meant that I didn't bother to try to learn any tricks (not to mention, no one I knew skated).
Yesterday, I went to target and bought a cheap board. I want to spend as little money on this as possible because I'm to old to really get any good at it. But something just to mess around with seemed like a good idea.
So, now I'm trying to ollie. The internet is full of information about how to do one and I've read a lot about it. Unfortunately, that doesn't translate very well into real life.
I'm practicing in the grass because someone suggested that. After about 30 attempts, I've manage to get the back wheels off the ground twice, just barely. I'm hoping that more practice will lead me to getting multiple centimeters into the air.
I guess it doesn't help that I am actually sharing the board with Frances. I worked out that she can lay on her stomach and safely push herself around. She has stopped trying to stand on it because I make her hold my hand when she does that. I suppose she feels more in control this way.
Well, I'm probably too old to learn a new skill but it is pretty good exercise.
mwz
Thursday, July 20, 2006
A Terrible Thought
Today, I had a horrible thought. What does Johann (or any baby) do when he has an itch?
mwz
mwz
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
eMusic 2
I forgot to blog my eMusic picks last month. I'm sure everybody was upset about that because reading about music is so much fun...
Anyway, I don't care about making an interesting blog. So, here's what I got last month.
Interpol - Antics
I really liked their song "Slow Hands" and I had read good things about Interpol, so I thought I would check them out. That's really why I'm excited about eMusic, I can check out new bands without much cost. Anyway, the album is pretty good. Nothing I go out of my way to listen to but I'm not disappointed when I do.
Magnapop - Magnapop
I like Magnapop. I have two other albums of theirs ("Hotboxing" and "Rubbing Doesn't Help") and they are both fairly solid. In the past, they have had support from Bob Mould and Michael Stipe. It was a toss up between getting this album (their first) and their most recent (their first after an 8 year break). I chose this album and I think that was a fine choice. I don't think it's as good as Hotboxing but it's decent.
Bob Mould - Body of Sound
I don't really know what I was thinking. I knew that Mr. Mould had gotten into electronica and I had been really disappointed by his last album "Modulate" which was mostly electronica. This album though was supposed to be a return to rock. Unfortunately, he still through in a quite a few effects like the irritating voice modulation that Cher used on "Live After Love". Mr. Mould is a musical genius (just not in electronica) and there are still some okay songs on the album but you really have to listen past some embarrassing experimentation first.
Pavement - Crooked Rain Crooked Rain LA's Desert Origins
Tracks 1-9
With my remaining songs for the month I picked up the first 9 songs of this album. This album has "Cut Your Hair" which I really liked in high school. I have another Pavement album (the name escapes me) and it is fine music that just kinda blends into the background. There are very view Pavement songs that I get an itch to listen to but they are always a good choice for music to listen to when I'm working. The first 9 songs of this album are no different. Next month I will probably get the remaining 3 to fill out the original album but not the remaining 30 some on the extended version.
mwz
Anyway, I don't care about making an interesting blog. So, here's what I got last month.
Interpol - Antics
I really liked their song "Slow Hands" and I had read good things about Interpol, so I thought I would check them out. That's really why I'm excited about eMusic, I can check out new bands without much cost. Anyway, the album is pretty good. Nothing I go out of my way to listen to but I'm not disappointed when I do.
Magnapop - Magnapop
I like Magnapop. I have two other albums of theirs ("Hotboxing" and "Rubbing Doesn't Help") and they are both fairly solid. In the past, they have had support from Bob Mould and Michael Stipe. It was a toss up between getting this album (their first) and their most recent (their first after an 8 year break). I chose this album and I think that was a fine choice. I don't think it's as good as Hotboxing but it's decent.
Bob Mould - Body of Sound
I don't really know what I was thinking. I knew that Mr. Mould had gotten into electronica and I had been really disappointed by his last album "Modulate" which was mostly electronica. This album though was supposed to be a return to rock. Unfortunately, he still through in a quite a few effects like the irritating voice modulation that Cher used on "Live After Love". Mr. Mould is a musical genius (just not in electronica) and there are still some okay songs on the album but you really have to listen past some embarrassing experimentation first.
Pavement - Crooked Rain Crooked Rain LA's Desert Origins
Tracks 1-9
With my remaining songs for the month I picked up the first 9 songs of this album. This album has "Cut Your Hair" which I really liked in high school. I have another Pavement album (the name escapes me) and it is fine music that just kinda blends into the background. There are very view Pavement songs that I get an itch to listen to but they are always a good choice for music to listen to when I'm working. The first 9 songs of this album are no different. Next month I will probably get the remaining 3 to fill out the original album but not the remaining 30 some on the extended version.
mwz
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Johann the Jounger
I haven't been blogging much about Johann. That's because Johann doesn't do much. He has recently started being at least a little interesting and not just a blob that requires the holder to be standing.
Now when you talk to him or smile at him, he gets this huge smile on his face. It is like looking at perfect happiness. At those times, he is a little blob of joy.
I just bought Final Fantasy X-2 at my local used game shop. It's an RPG so I don't have to constantly be pressing buttons. It's a lot like an interactive movie. This allows me to hold Johann in the rocking chair and play.
He seems to enjoy it. He watches the game while he's awake (and I sing to him sometimes) and then he goes to sleep. He has slept many hours since I got that game.
It's a win-win. He gets some daddy time and some good rest, Arial gets a break and I don't feel guilty for playing a game that is basically a big time suck.
mwz
Now when you talk to him or smile at him, he gets this huge smile on his face. It is like looking at perfect happiness. At those times, he is a little blob of joy.
I just bought Final Fantasy X-2 at my local used game shop. It's an RPG so I don't have to constantly be pressing buttons. It's a lot like an interactive movie. This allows me to hold Johann in the rocking chair and play.
He seems to enjoy it. He watches the game while he's awake (and I sing to him sometimes) and then he goes to sleep. He has slept many hours since I got that game.
It's a win-win. He gets some daddy time and some good rest, Arial gets a break and I don't feel guilty for playing a game that is basically a big time suck.
mwz
Monday, July 10, 2006
Drummer or Pickpocket
Normally, we have child gates up that keep Frances out of the kitchen and therefor out of the stairs. But the other day, we had people looking at our house (we are selling) and we took them down.
Frances used that opportunity to go to the basement by herself. I was unloading groceries at the time so I let her go. We have a decent basement with not much danger. By the time I finished with the groceries, I could hear her drumming.
I went down to have a look and she had crawled up on the chair (I don't have a stool) and was playing. What I really thought was impressive though was that she had put on her ear protection (a pair of noise reduction ear muffs). I was so proud.
Yesterday, I took Frances up to take her nap. I often nap with her since it settles her down and lets me take a nap. This time though, she was a little more hyper and was bouncing on the bed a bit more than usual.
She lay down and I thought that she had calmed down, so I went to sleep.
When I woke, she was playing with something. I looked over and it was a bunch of cards. After putting on my glasses, I recognized them as cards from my wallet. I felt for my wallet and sure enough, it was gone.
Frances had removed it after I had fallen asleep and I didn't notice at all.
So, if she can't cut it as a drummer, she can always turn to a life of crime. I think she could be quite good at it.
mwz
Frances used that opportunity to go to the basement by herself. I was unloading groceries at the time so I let her go. We have a decent basement with not much danger. By the time I finished with the groceries, I could hear her drumming.
I went down to have a look and she had crawled up on the chair (I don't have a stool) and was playing. What I really thought was impressive though was that she had put on her ear protection (a pair of noise reduction ear muffs). I was so proud.
Yesterday, I took Frances up to take her nap. I often nap with her since it settles her down and lets me take a nap. This time though, she was a little more hyper and was bouncing on the bed a bit more than usual.
She lay down and I thought that she had calmed down, so I went to sleep.
When I woke, she was playing with something. I looked over and it was a bunch of cards. After putting on my glasses, I recognized them as cards from my wallet. I felt for my wallet and sure enough, it was gone.
Frances had removed it after I had fallen asleep and I didn't notice at all.
So, if she can't cut it as a drummer, she can always turn to a life of crime. I think she could be quite good at it.
mwz
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Fourth of July Weekend Part 2
On the fourth itself, I took Frances to see fireworks with a friend of ours... I'll call him Bob. Arial stayed home because she didn't want to have to feed Johann out in public (and she told me that she didn't really want to see fireworks anyway... and that she likes the burnt part as well as the crust...). Bob's wife is very pregnant and didn't want to deal with the whole adventure.
So us three went downtown for fireworks looking like a gay couple with our adopted daughter (as Bob pointed out). We managed to find a parking spot on the street that was free in the evenings.
We walked to a place where we could see the fireworks and found a spot on the grass, the very wet grass and lay down our blankets. The water instantly soaked through one of the blankets where ever we put weight on it but the other was water resistant so it took a little bit for our pants to get soaked.
Frances started off pretty good. I didn't really bring much for her to play with. There were a couple books in the diaper bag but that was about it. Soon she was up and doing laps around us which was fine. The only part I didn't like was when she would go behind the stroller and there would be a little bit that I couldn't see her. I pushed over the stroller and that solved that.
Frances' shorts were a little loose and they kept slipping down. She was fine when she stood still, but she wasn't doing much of that. I dug through the diaper bag looking for a safety pin but didn't find one. Finally, after some thought, I removed the shoelace from one of my shoes and tied it around her like a belt. That worked great but it made it a little more difficult trying to keep my shoe on while chasing after her.
She grew bored again (since it's a long time to wait for a little girl). So, I opened up umbrella and gave it to her. She held it wonderfully and started walking around. It seemed like since Frances was under the protection of the umbrella that she had more courage because pretty soon she was walking in a straight line away from our blankets.
I followed and tried to guide her back but it was pretty difficult. From my viewing angle above, I could only see the umbrella and not the direction that Frances was actually pointing. So I would think that she was going the right way only to realize that she was facing left. Plus, I couldn't actually touch her to guide. I could only guide the umbrella itself.
Eventually, I got her back and we had juice bags, but only one since we had just had an incident. Well, actually Frances had like one and a half since she finished hers pretty quick and then grabbed Bob's. Of course Bob didn't want to upset her, so he just let her have it. I didn't see it or I would have stopped her (I was working on getting my own straw in. I didn't have many juice boxes growing up so it is a bit of a challenge for me).
After juice, she went back to running circles around us, occasionally crouching down to say "Set! Go!" before running again.
When the first fireworks went up, I tried to get her to come back to me. She didn't listen and kept running... until she saw them. Then, she stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the sky in awe.
I grabbed her and set her on my lap. We spent about five minutes watching fireworks and saying "ooo". Then she got bored again. I can't really blame her, I had gotten bored of the fireworks too. So she got up and slowly walked towards the fireworks, like she was testing her boundaries. She finally stopped about 10 feet in front of us. A couple times, I grabbed her and brought her back to the blanket but she would just hop up and go back to the same spot. So I gave up and let her stand there (I think she thought she had to say "ooo" if she was with me and she was tired of that).
Then, she started circling again but this time she went as wide as possible, coming closer than I liked to the other people around us. But she didn't seem to be bothering them, so I let her continue. Occasionally, she would swing in closer to me to kinda check in and then go back to the races.
When the finally started, she stopped running and came over to me and we watched the end together.
All in all it was a good time. We saw fireworks, no one got lost and Frances was asleep in her car seat pretty much by the time I got the car started.
mwz
So us three went downtown for fireworks looking like a gay couple with our adopted daughter (as Bob pointed out). We managed to find a parking spot on the street that was free in the evenings.
We walked to a place where we could see the fireworks and found a spot on the grass, the very wet grass and lay down our blankets. The water instantly soaked through one of the blankets where ever we put weight on it but the other was water resistant so it took a little bit for our pants to get soaked.
Frances started off pretty good. I didn't really bring much for her to play with. There were a couple books in the diaper bag but that was about it. Soon she was up and doing laps around us which was fine. The only part I didn't like was when she would go behind the stroller and there would be a little bit that I couldn't see her. I pushed over the stroller and that solved that.
Frances' shorts were a little loose and they kept slipping down. She was fine when she stood still, but she wasn't doing much of that. I dug through the diaper bag looking for a safety pin but didn't find one. Finally, after some thought, I removed the shoelace from one of my shoes and tied it around her like a belt. That worked great but it made it a little more difficult trying to keep my shoe on while chasing after her.
She grew bored again (since it's a long time to wait for a little girl). So, I opened up umbrella and gave it to her. She held it wonderfully and started walking around. It seemed like since Frances was under the protection of the umbrella that she had more courage because pretty soon she was walking in a straight line away from our blankets.
I followed and tried to guide her back but it was pretty difficult. From my viewing angle above, I could only see the umbrella and not the direction that Frances was actually pointing. So I would think that she was going the right way only to realize that she was facing left. Plus, I couldn't actually touch her to guide. I could only guide the umbrella itself.
Eventually, I got her back and we had juice bags, but only one since we had just had an incident. Well, actually Frances had like one and a half since she finished hers pretty quick and then grabbed Bob's. Of course Bob didn't want to upset her, so he just let her have it. I didn't see it or I would have stopped her (I was working on getting my own straw in. I didn't have many juice boxes growing up so it is a bit of a challenge for me).
After juice, she went back to running circles around us, occasionally crouching down to say "Set! Go!" before running again.
When the first fireworks went up, I tried to get her to come back to me. She didn't listen and kept running... until she saw them. Then, she stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the sky in awe.
I grabbed her and set her on my lap. We spent about five minutes watching fireworks and saying "ooo". Then she got bored again. I can't really blame her, I had gotten bored of the fireworks too. So she got up and slowly walked towards the fireworks, like she was testing her boundaries. She finally stopped about 10 feet in front of us. A couple times, I grabbed her and brought her back to the blanket but she would just hop up and go back to the same spot. So I gave up and let her stand there (I think she thought she had to say "ooo" if she was with me and she was tired of that).
Then, she started circling again but this time she went as wide as possible, coming closer than I liked to the other people around us. But she didn't seem to be bothering them, so I let her continue. Occasionally, she would swing in closer to me to kinda check in and then go back to the races.
When the finally started, she stopped running and came over to me and we watched the end together.
All in all it was a good time. We saw fireworks, no one got lost and Frances was asleep in her car seat pretty much by the time I got the car started.
mwz
Friday, July 07, 2006
Fourth of July Weekend Part 1
We had a mildly interesting weekend.
On Saturday, we decided to go to a drive-in movie. We used to do this when we just had Frances but this was the first attempt with Johann. The movies we went to see were Cars and Nacho Libre.
As is our tradition, we picked up some juice boxes and snacks (cheese puffs and pretzels on this occasion) on the way. It's kinda fun to eat junk food and watch movies (we don't normally get that kind of snack food).
Things were going pretty well other than the car side speakers didn't really work, so we had to use the radio. Frances was having fun sitting in the front seat having juice and eating cheese puffs. Johann was having an okay time sleeping on Arial.
Unfortunately, halfway through Cars, a flaw in our parenting skills became apparent. I was holding Johann and Arial had Frances. I heard some sort of commotion and looked over at the other two in time to see a gush of liquid flow from Frances' mouth onto Arial.
I guess we let Frances have to much junk food and juice.
Frances was obviously scared, so we tried to comfort her (while not spreading the vomit). After a little bit of discussion, I went to the bathroom for paper towels. I could only find toilet paper (and the hand driers were attached to the walls pretty well). So, we cleaned up as much as we could with a large wad of toilet paper.
Then we stripped off Frances' puky clothes and put both of the kids into their car seats. It was a warm night but we gave Frances a blanket anyway. And we left.
Everyone but Johann got a bath/shower that night. While Arial was in the shower, I held both Frances and Johann and rocked in a chair. Frances seemed so pathetic, laying on my chest. I said, "I love you sweetheart" and in this tiny, little voice, she said "too" (which is how she says "I love you, too"). It was the most heartbreaking and heartwarming thing I've ever heard.
She got her bath and fell asleep right away after being put to bed. The next morning she was none the worse for wear. She slept a little longer in the morning but it was like nothing had happened.
She's a tough little girl. (On a side note, she scrapped her knee bloody today but she didn't cry. She was a little unhappy when it happened but for the most part, she didn't let it interrupt her play. She didn't even seem to be that phased when I cleaned up the wound. She is a tough little girl.)
mwz
On Saturday, we decided to go to a drive-in movie. We used to do this when we just had Frances but this was the first attempt with Johann. The movies we went to see were Cars and Nacho Libre.
As is our tradition, we picked up some juice boxes and snacks (cheese puffs and pretzels on this occasion) on the way. It's kinda fun to eat junk food and watch movies (we don't normally get that kind of snack food).
Things were going pretty well other than the car side speakers didn't really work, so we had to use the radio. Frances was having fun sitting in the front seat having juice and eating cheese puffs. Johann was having an okay time sleeping on Arial.
Unfortunately, halfway through Cars, a flaw in our parenting skills became apparent. I was holding Johann and Arial had Frances. I heard some sort of commotion and looked over at the other two in time to see a gush of liquid flow from Frances' mouth onto Arial.
I guess we let Frances have to much junk food and juice.
Frances was obviously scared, so we tried to comfort her (while not spreading the vomit). After a little bit of discussion, I went to the bathroom for paper towels. I could only find toilet paper (and the hand driers were attached to the walls pretty well). So, we cleaned up as much as we could with a large wad of toilet paper.
Then we stripped off Frances' puky clothes and put both of the kids into their car seats. It was a warm night but we gave Frances a blanket anyway. And we left.
Everyone but Johann got a bath/shower that night. While Arial was in the shower, I held both Frances and Johann and rocked in a chair. Frances seemed so pathetic, laying on my chest. I said, "I love you sweetheart" and in this tiny, little voice, she said "too" (which is how she says "I love you, too"). It was the most heartbreaking and heartwarming thing I've ever heard.
She got her bath and fell asleep right away after being put to bed. The next morning she was none the worse for wear. She slept a little longer in the morning but it was like nothing had happened.
She's a tough little girl. (On a side note, she scrapped her knee bloody today but she didn't cry. She was a little unhappy when it happened but for the most part, she didn't let it interrupt her play. She didn't even seem to be that phased when I cleaned up the wound. She is a tough little girl.)
mwz
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Tchsoo
It was late in the day today and I was working in my office when Frances came running up the stairs. She seemed very excited. I assumed that Arial had sent her up to tell me that supper was ready as she does occasionally now.
I turned in my chair and waited for her to say "ready" but instead Frances said, "tchsoo" and she ran past me to my desk. She held her arms up reaching for something and said, "tchsoo" again. Usually when she does this, she wants to tap on the keyboard or move the mouse around but this time she wasn't pointed at either of those.
I looked to where she was pointed and saw the tissue box. She has never asked me for a tissue specifically but sometimes she likes to play with them if they are within reach.
So I asked, "tissue?" and she said "Yes".
So I gave her one expecting her to wipe her face or pretend to clean my desk but instead she ran back down stairs. I was still unsure about the status of supper so I followed her. To my surprise, Frances ran over to Johann who was happily laying on the floor and started wiping under his face.
Apparently, he had quietly spit up and Arial hadn't noticed. Frances apparently did see it and decided to clean it up herself. She did a pretty good job of it too.
I guess my little girl has grown up to the point where she can be actually helpful.
mwz
I turned in my chair and waited for her to say "ready" but instead Frances said, "tchsoo" and she ran past me to my desk. She held her arms up reaching for something and said, "tchsoo" again. Usually when she does this, she wants to tap on the keyboard or move the mouse around but this time she wasn't pointed at either of those.
I looked to where she was pointed and saw the tissue box. She has never asked me for a tissue specifically but sometimes she likes to play with them if they are within reach.
So I asked, "tissue?" and she said "Yes".
So I gave her one expecting her to wipe her face or pretend to clean my desk but instead she ran back down stairs. I was still unsure about the status of supper so I followed her. To my surprise, Frances ran over to Johann who was happily laying on the floor and started wiping under his face.
Apparently, he had quietly spit up and Arial hadn't noticed. Frances apparently did see it and decided to clean it up herself. She did a pretty good job of it too.
I guess my little girl has grown up to the point where she can be actually helpful.
mwz
Thursday, June 08, 2006
eMusic 1
I have taken the plunge into the world of online music purchasing. I didn't go to iTunes because their files have digital rights management (DRM) associated with them, meaning that they are crippled so you can't copy them anywhere you want (admittedly, Apple lets you copy the songs a bunch of times before they quite working but when a computer only lasts ~4 years, I will run out of copies in my lifetime and I don't want to buy the same songs over and over and over).
Anyway, I decided to go with eMusic (www.emusic.com). They have non-DRM'd mp3s that I can keep forever. They also have an interesting business model. You buy a subscription and each month you get a certain number of songs. For $10 I am getting 40 songs a month. Of course if I forget to use my downloads, I lose them but that is how they make money. (BTW, if anyone is interested in eMusic (and you know me), let me know and I can "refer" you meaning that not only do you get a free trial, but I get some free music too. Be aware that the 4 major label's don't like eMusic, so it only has indie records.)
So, I've decided that each month I would write about what I downloaded and why (and maybe a quick review if I've listened to it enough). They have a bunch of free tracks that I might occasionally download but I'm not going to write about them because generally they aren't that interesting.
I know that reading about music is pretty lame but I'll stick in links to eMusic where you can sample the songs at least.
50 Foot Wave - Golden Ocean
The first time I heard 50 Foot Wave (fronted by Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses) I was a little bit skeptical. Ms Hersh's voice has grown pretty rough but soon I discovered the music was really good. 50 Foot Wave is like Throwing Muses turned into a punk band. Now I kinda like her gravely voice, it seems like it fits the music. Golden Ocean is darn good.
Kristin Hersh - The Grotto
Kristin Hersh is a musical genius. She is a the female Bob Mould (but without the embarrassing electronica mid-life crisis). Between her work with Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave, she has put together some really pretty, solo, acoustic albums. This is the third that I've heard ("Hips and Makers" and "Strange Angels" are the other two) and all three are beautiful. She has such an interesting sense for music.
Tanya Donelly - Whiskey Tango Ghosts
Every band that Tanya Donelly has been in has had at least one great album. Throwing Muses' (Real Ramona), the Breeders' Pod and Safari and Belly's Star are all incredible. I also quite liked her first solo album "Love Songs for Underdogs". I've listened through this album a couple times and nothing has really grabbed me yet. It seems very... adult, like maybe I'll like it when I'm older. I'm sure that in three years, I will re-discover it and absolutely love it. But for now, it is pretty but just kinda blah.
Juliana Hatfield - Made in China
Juliana Hatfield is very prolific and yet all of her albums are solid. She is a pretty safe bet for an album full of songs that I'll like and that is pretty much what I got with Made in China. If you are interested in her, check out her album, Beautiful Creatures, it's my favorite of her solo albums.
Dr. Frank - Eight Little Songs
Dr. Frank is from the punk band Mr. T Experience. I really like their later stuff as well as the other solo album of his that I have. His lyrics are usually pretty clever and the music is usually fun. This album is no exception. It is pretty much eight interesting and catchy little songs.
Well, that's all I got for my trial period. I'll do more when I get them.
mwz
Anyway, I decided to go with eMusic (www.emusic.com). They have non-DRM'd mp3s that I can keep forever. They also have an interesting business model. You buy a subscription and each month you get a certain number of songs. For $10 I am getting 40 songs a month. Of course if I forget to use my downloads, I lose them but that is how they make money. (BTW, if anyone is interested in eMusic (and you know me), let me know and I can "refer" you meaning that not only do you get a free trial, but I get some free music too. Be aware that the 4 major label's don't like eMusic, so it only has indie records.)
So, I've decided that each month I would write about what I downloaded and why (and maybe a quick review if I've listened to it enough). They have a bunch of free tracks that I might occasionally download but I'm not going to write about them because generally they aren't that interesting.
I know that reading about music is pretty lame but I'll stick in links to eMusic where you can sample the songs at least.
50 Foot Wave - Golden Ocean
The first time I heard 50 Foot Wave (fronted by Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses) I was a little bit skeptical. Ms Hersh's voice has grown pretty rough but soon I discovered the music was really good. 50 Foot Wave is like Throwing Muses turned into a punk band. Now I kinda like her gravely voice, it seems like it fits the music. Golden Ocean is darn good.
Kristin Hersh - The Grotto
Kristin Hersh is a musical genius. She is a the female Bob Mould (but without the embarrassing electronica mid-life crisis). Between her work with Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave, she has put together some really pretty, solo, acoustic albums. This is the third that I've heard ("Hips and Makers" and "Strange Angels" are the other two) and all three are beautiful. She has such an interesting sense for music.
Tanya Donelly - Whiskey Tango Ghosts
Every band that Tanya Donelly has been in has had at least one great album. Throwing Muses' (Real Ramona), the Breeders' Pod and Safari and Belly's Star are all incredible. I also quite liked her first solo album "Love Songs for Underdogs". I've listened through this album a couple times and nothing has really grabbed me yet. It seems very... adult, like maybe I'll like it when I'm older. I'm sure that in three years, I will re-discover it and absolutely love it. But for now, it is pretty but just kinda blah.
Juliana Hatfield - Made in China
Juliana Hatfield is very prolific and yet all of her albums are solid. She is a pretty safe bet for an album full of songs that I'll like and that is pretty much what I got with Made in China. If you are interested in her, check out her album, Beautiful Creatures, it's my favorite of her solo albums.
Dr. Frank - Eight Little Songs
Dr. Frank is from the punk band Mr. T Experience. I really like their later stuff as well as the other solo album of his that I have. His lyrics are usually pretty clever and the music is usually fun. This album is no exception. It is pretty much eight interesting and catchy little songs.
Well, that's all I got for my trial period. I'll do more when I get them.
mwz
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
At a Wedding
About a month or so ago we went to a friend's wedding. Frances had a great time at the reception.
There was another little boy there who was a couple months younger than Frances. Of course people were trying to pair the two. Some of them even tried to get them to kiss before I put a stop to it. Fortunately, he was very shy (other wise I would have had to beat him up for hitting on my daughter). But Frances danced with him for as long as he had the courage.
Repeatedly, the boy's grandmother (I'm assuming) suggested that they dance on the dance floor together. I thought that was a little bit odd since the first dance hadn't even happened. I thought that would be a bit rude to try to take the spotlight from the wedding couple, so I ignored her.
When the boy was taken away (back to their table I assume), Frances grabbed my hand and started leading me. She took me right to the dance floor, which I thought was amazing since we hadn't been near it all night and no one was dancing (as I said it was to early). But she led me right to it.
She danced with another older girl for a bit and then we respectfully stood off to the side during the special dances.
But when those dances were done, she wanted right back on the floor. She danced and danced and loved every minute. It was amazing to see how much energy she could exert for such a long time. Song after song she danced and not just a slow rocking kind of dance. This was a full out jump around kind of dance.
We made her take breaks but after an hour or two she was beat. She still wanted to dance but it mostly amounted to staggering around in a large circle. We decided that it was a little dangerous with her walking between people who didn't necessarily see her. So we called it a night.
She had a blast at the wedding reception and was asleep by the end of the mile drive back to where we were staying. She slept very well that night.
mwz
There was another little boy there who was a couple months younger than Frances. Of course people were trying to pair the two. Some of them even tried to get them to kiss before I put a stop to it. Fortunately, he was very shy (other wise I would have had to beat him up for hitting on my daughter). But Frances danced with him for as long as he had the courage.
Repeatedly, the boy's grandmother (I'm assuming) suggested that they dance on the dance floor together. I thought that was a little bit odd since the first dance hadn't even happened. I thought that would be a bit rude to try to take the spotlight from the wedding couple, so I ignored her.
When the boy was taken away (back to their table I assume), Frances grabbed my hand and started leading me. She took me right to the dance floor, which I thought was amazing since we hadn't been near it all night and no one was dancing (as I said it was to early). But she led me right to it.
She danced with another older girl for a bit and then we respectfully stood off to the side during the special dances.
But when those dances were done, she wanted right back on the floor. She danced and danced and loved every minute. It was amazing to see how much energy she could exert for such a long time. Song after song she danced and not just a slow rocking kind of dance. This was a full out jump around kind of dance.
We made her take breaks but after an hour or two she was beat. She still wanted to dance but it mostly amounted to staggering around in a large circle. We decided that it was a little dangerous with her walking between people who didn't necessarily see her. So we called it a night.
She had a blast at the wedding reception and was asleep by the end of the mile drive back to where we were staying. She slept very well that night.
mwz
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Easter and Frances
This was the first Easter that Frances was able to really appreciate. We didn't dye eggs but we did go to an Easter egg hunt at church.
I wasn't sure if Frances was old enough to really understand what she was supposed to do but I was wrong. We showed her the first two eggs and she got the idea. Then she was on a mission.
She initially found some easy eggs on the ground and under bushes. And each time she put one in the sack we all said "Yea". From then on, when she would spot one, her face would lighten up and she would pick it up and say "yea".
She moved on from finding just the easy ones to finding harder ones. She was finding them behind things and in crevices. She even went back and picked up some that she had seen before but passed up to get easier eggs.
When all the eggs were found, we had trouble telling her that we were done. Her eyes kept scanning the ground and more distressing, she would just wonder off while continuing to look. We were always keeping a close eye on her but there is the fear that she will break into a run right into the street before we can react. She didn't though.
Apparently, there were "silver eggs" (aluminum foil) hidden in various places and if you found one of those you got a special prize. At the end, the lady running it asked if Frances had gotten one. I said "no" and then she started asking the older kids to find Frances one. I told her that it was okay because she didn't know any difference. She didn't know that she was missing a prize by not having a silver egg. But the lady said "but there is a prize for [Frances]".
So, one of the older kids (who had helped hide the eggs) found one and gave it to Frances. She then got to her choice of a Pez dispenser or a grocery store ball. She chose the ball (as was expected).
She had such a good time finding eggs at church that her grandma (mother's side) suggested that we re-hide them in the back yard. She had a great time doing that too.
mwz
I wasn't sure if Frances was old enough to really understand what she was supposed to do but I was wrong. We showed her the first two eggs and she got the idea. Then she was on a mission.
She initially found some easy eggs on the ground and under bushes. And each time she put one in the sack we all said "Yea". From then on, when she would spot one, her face would lighten up and she would pick it up and say "yea".
She moved on from finding just the easy ones to finding harder ones. She was finding them behind things and in crevices. She even went back and picked up some that she had seen before but passed up to get easier eggs.
When all the eggs were found, we had trouble telling her that we were done. Her eyes kept scanning the ground and more distressing, she would just wonder off while continuing to look. We were always keeping a close eye on her but there is the fear that she will break into a run right into the street before we can react. She didn't though.
Apparently, there were "silver eggs" (aluminum foil) hidden in various places and if you found one of those you got a special prize. At the end, the lady running it asked if Frances had gotten one. I said "no" and then she started asking the older kids to find Frances one. I told her that it was okay because she didn't know any difference. She didn't know that she was missing a prize by not having a silver egg. But the lady said "but there is a prize for [Frances]".
So, one of the older kids (who had helped hide the eggs) found one and gave it to Frances. She then got to her choice of a Pez dispenser or a grocery store ball. She chose the ball (as was expected).
She had such a good time finding eggs at church that her grandma (mother's side) suggested that we re-hide them in the back yard. She had a great time doing that too.
mwz
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Limon to Johann
Okay, it's been some time but I need to get the birth of my son documented. This account is completely from my perspective, so that's why it may seem a little self centered and not so focused on the heroics that Arial performed.
A couple days after the due date, Arial went to the doctor to get a check up of the baby. They decided that a slightly elevated blood pressure (taken by the nurse who always gets a high blood pressure) was excuse enough to induce labor.
So around 12:30 PM, we went to the hospital (my mom took care of Frances while we were there). After a couple hours of miscellaneous stuff (mostly sitting around), they started the Cervidil. That was 2:30 PM.
I should have remembered this from Francis' birth but the waiting is really boring, exciting and stressful but mostly boring. For a while, Arial read while I labeled the side of one of my reference book to make looking things up faster (I was glad I did it there and not during work because it took a lot longer than I thought it would to color code each chapter). When that was done, I read as well.
Arial started getting small contractions pretty soon after the Cervidil was started. I was surprised at how quick they started. Initially, they were around 15 minutes apart but they got a lot closer together pretty quick.
After a while of reading/comforting/worrying, I started to develop a headache. I then found out that at a hospital, you can't get any sort of head ache medicine if you aren't a patient. They don't have any in a vending machine and the people working there can't give you any. Water, water everywhere...
After a while Arial got cleared to eat supper. Apparently, a lot of doctors won't let soon-to-be mothers eat on the off chance that they will have to get an emergency C-section. That seems cruel to me. How are you supposed to have the energy to birth a baby with no food in your stomach? Fortunately, we had a midwife instead and she didn't think it would be a problem.
I ordered Arial's food for her (since she hates talking on the phone with strange people). Then I went down to the cafeteria to get some supper for myself. I had remembered that their personal pizzas were pretty good, so I got one of those. I decided that it was a special day, so I also bought some "Flamin' Hot Cheetos" (which I love) and a cherry Coke. I don't know why I got the cherry Coke. I've never liked it but I figured there was a chance that my tastes have changed.
In retrospect, pizza, Cheetos and cherry Coke is not really a wise choice when your wife is in labor. No one cares when the father-to-be throws up. But more on that later.
We watched a little TV and then tried to sleep but Arial was having trouble since she was having so many contractions with no break in between. She was starting to wear down. The nurse gave her some sort of short lived sedative. I don't think it really helped all that much.
Around 1 AM, Arial said to me "I feel nauseous" and I replied, "me too". Then, Arial went to the bathroom and puked. I paged the nurse. After Arial was back in bed, I asked if there was another bathroom on the floor since Arial had just puked in her bathroom. The nurse said that there was one on the first floor. I said that it was too late and ran to the bathroom and threw up.
When I came back, it was like I had announced "I'm going to brush my teeth". Nobody acknowledged that I had just thrown up. Not even a cursory "Are you alright?". Nothing.
But then again, I wasn't the one who had been having contractions every 1-2 minutes for hours. And I did feel a lot better after that, so it was all okay.
Before I leave the "No one cares about the father-to-be" theme, I would just like to mention that they have a "nourishment room" for the mothers that has juice, sandwiches and popsicles. They make a point to tell you that it is only for the patients (and not for you). (The next day, Arial gave me some tater tots from her lunch that she didn't want and that made me feel a little more included).
So, it was 1 AM. We wanted someone to check her cervix since she had just puked and was still contracting like mad (and they don't give epidural's until the cervix is over 4 cm). We asked the nurse about that and she pointed out that the Cervidil was scheduled to come out at 2:30 AM and the midwife was going to come and do that. So she could check then. I believe the way she said it was "[the midwife] will be here soon". To us an hour and a half was not soon. But we waited.
When the midwife came, Arial was at 5 cm. It wasn't so bad that we waited. I guess they know what they are doing.
Arial got the epidural and I went for a walk. There aren't a whole lot of people in the hospital at 3 AM. It is kinda peaceful, plus I was really tired of being in the room (I felt bad for Arial because she was stuck there).
When I got back, the epidural was in and everything seemed fine. They gave Arial a self-medication button that she could push every 10 minutes to increase the flow of the drug. Only the left side of her body was getting numb, so she pushed the button, a lot. After about a half an hour, we found out that the thing was supposed to beep (or "sing" as the nurse put it) when she pushed the button. There was a short in the button cable or something. After a bit of fiddling with it, the nurse got it to recognize button pushing.
She then told Arial to try it again and to lay on her right side on the premise that the drug would then fall to that side. That last bit seems a bit odd to me.
After another half hour of one side being numb and the other being normal, the anesthesiologist was finally called back. He discovered that the tube had gotten pushed into her back 2 cm more than it should and that caused the drug to be shunted to one side. He fixed it but it was too late.
Somewhere during the epidural ordeal, the midwife decided that we were all tired of waiting and broke Arial's water (which is really disgusting). So not to long after the anesthesiologist fixed the epidural, it was time to push.
That meant that Arial could feel half of her body. I'm reasonably certain that it wasn't a pleasant experience. In fact, I think I saw actual anguish in her face. That was very distressing.
Fortunately, she only had to push for 7.5 minutes. It was a long 7.5 minutes but that is certainly better than the long 20 minutes that it took for Frances.
Birth is a wonderful thing. However, when the head pops out and it's all gray and bigger than you were expecting and sticking out of a place that there shouldn't be a head, it is kinda freaky. With both children, I was shocked at that sight. Then when they grabbed his head and pulled him out, I was kinda concerned about his little neck. But both of the kids seemed to turn out okay, so that must just be the way it goes.
They got him cleaned up and I took pictures (while Arial dealt with the placenta stuff). Then, after the weighing and the government mandated eye drops, I was able to take him over and hold him in front of Arial.
When she was done having disgusting things removed from her, I handed her the baby and she instantly changed from a weary, bedraggled woman in labor into a radiant new mother. That was amazing. He was like a new battery for her.
So that's the story of Limon's birth. From now on, he will be referred to as Johann.
mwz
A couple days after the due date, Arial went to the doctor to get a check up of the baby. They decided that a slightly elevated blood pressure (taken by the nurse who always gets a high blood pressure) was excuse enough to induce labor.
So around 12:30 PM, we went to the hospital (my mom took care of Frances while we were there). After a couple hours of miscellaneous stuff (mostly sitting around), they started the Cervidil. That was 2:30 PM.
I should have remembered this from Francis' birth but the waiting is really boring, exciting and stressful but mostly boring. For a while, Arial read while I labeled the side of one of my reference book to make looking things up faster (I was glad I did it there and not during work because it took a lot longer than I thought it would to color code each chapter). When that was done, I read as well.
Arial started getting small contractions pretty soon after the Cervidil was started. I was surprised at how quick they started. Initially, they were around 15 minutes apart but they got a lot closer together pretty quick.
After a while of reading/comforting/worrying, I started to develop a headache. I then found out that at a hospital, you can't get any sort of head ache medicine if you aren't a patient. They don't have any in a vending machine and the people working there can't give you any. Water, water everywhere...
After a while Arial got cleared to eat supper. Apparently, a lot of doctors won't let soon-to-be mothers eat on the off chance that they will have to get an emergency C-section. That seems cruel to me. How are you supposed to have the energy to birth a baby with no food in your stomach? Fortunately, we had a midwife instead and she didn't think it would be a problem.
I ordered Arial's food for her (since she hates talking on the phone with strange people). Then I went down to the cafeteria to get some supper for myself. I had remembered that their personal pizzas were pretty good, so I got one of those. I decided that it was a special day, so I also bought some "Flamin' Hot Cheetos" (which I love) and a cherry Coke. I don't know why I got the cherry Coke. I've never liked it but I figured there was a chance that my tastes have changed.
In retrospect, pizza, Cheetos and cherry Coke is not really a wise choice when your wife is in labor. No one cares when the father-to-be throws up. But more on that later.
We watched a little TV and then tried to sleep but Arial was having trouble since she was having so many contractions with no break in between. She was starting to wear down. The nurse gave her some sort of short lived sedative. I don't think it really helped all that much.
Around 1 AM, Arial said to me "I feel nauseous" and I replied, "me too". Then, Arial went to the bathroom and puked. I paged the nurse. After Arial was back in bed, I asked if there was another bathroom on the floor since Arial had just puked in her bathroom. The nurse said that there was one on the first floor. I said that it was too late and ran to the bathroom and threw up.
When I came back, it was like I had announced "I'm going to brush my teeth". Nobody acknowledged that I had just thrown up. Not even a cursory "Are you alright?". Nothing.
But then again, I wasn't the one who had been having contractions every 1-2 minutes for hours. And I did feel a lot better after that, so it was all okay.
Before I leave the "No one cares about the father-to-be" theme, I would just like to mention that they have a "nourishment room" for the mothers that has juice, sandwiches and popsicles. They make a point to tell you that it is only for the patients (and not for you). (The next day, Arial gave me some tater tots from her lunch that she didn't want and that made me feel a little more included).
So, it was 1 AM. We wanted someone to check her cervix since she had just puked and was still contracting like mad (and they don't give epidural's until the cervix is over 4 cm). We asked the nurse about that and she pointed out that the Cervidil was scheduled to come out at 2:30 AM and the midwife was going to come and do that. So she could check then. I believe the way she said it was "[the midwife] will be here soon". To us an hour and a half was not soon. But we waited.
When the midwife came, Arial was at 5 cm. It wasn't so bad that we waited. I guess they know what they are doing.
Arial got the epidural and I went for a walk. There aren't a whole lot of people in the hospital at 3 AM. It is kinda peaceful, plus I was really tired of being in the room (I felt bad for Arial because she was stuck there).
When I got back, the epidural was in and everything seemed fine. They gave Arial a self-medication button that she could push every 10 minutes to increase the flow of the drug. Only the left side of her body was getting numb, so she pushed the button, a lot. After about a half an hour, we found out that the thing was supposed to beep (or "sing" as the nurse put it) when she pushed the button. There was a short in the button cable or something. After a bit of fiddling with it, the nurse got it to recognize button pushing.
She then told Arial to try it again and to lay on her right side on the premise that the drug would then fall to that side. That last bit seems a bit odd to me.
After another half hour of one side being numb and the other being normal, the anesthesiologist was finally called back. He discovered that the tube had gotten pushed into her back 2 cm more than it should and that caused the drug to be shunted to one side. He fixed it but it was too late.
Somewhere during the epidural ordeal, the midwife decided that we were all tired of waiting and broke Arial's water (which is really disgusting). So not to long after the anesthesiologist fixed the epidural, it was time to push.
That meant that Arial could feel half of her body. I'm reasonably certain that it wasn't a pleasant experience. In fact, I think I saw actual anguish in her face. That was very distressing.
Fortunately, she only had to push for 7.5 minutes. It was a long 7.5 minutes but that is certainly better than the long 20 minutes that it took for Frances.
Birth is a wonderful thing. However, when the head pops out and it's all gray and bigger than you were expecting and sticking out of a place that there shouldn't be a head, it is kinda freaky. With both children, I was shocked at that sight. Then when they grabbed his head and pulled him out, I was kinda concerned about his little neck. But both of the kids seemed to turn out okay, so that must just be the way it goes.
They got him cleaned up and I took pictures (while Arial dealt with the placenta stuff). Then, after the weighing and the government mandated eye drops, I was able to take him over and hold him in front of Arial.
When she was done having disgusting things removed from her, I handed her the baby and she instantly changed from a weary, bedraggled woman in labor into a radiant new mother. That was amazing. He was like a new battery for her.
So that's the story of Limon's birth. From now on, he will be referred to as Johann.
mwz
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Anniversary
Our wedding anniversary is around now and since Arial's mom was here, we decided to go out.
To start we went to a nice Indian restaurant that we like a lot but don't get to go to much because it's a little pricey. It was pretty nice. We got the same things that we always get and discussed how we would be more adventurous with our ordering if we went there more often. (Wow, all of a sudden I felt like I was writing a book report.)
When asked how spicy we wanted our food, Arial said "medium" and I said "hot for Americans but medium to mild for Indians". Mine did not come back "hot for Americans", in fact it was pretty mild. Arial's tasted like it may have once been in the same room that a spice had once been in.
Other than the lack of spice, the food was good.
After a short stop at home to see if Frances was still okay with Grandma (she was, she doesn't need us anymore. :_( ), we went to the Cheesecake Factory and had some cheese cake. There were 8 million people waiting (it seemed like a quarter of them were pregnant). We were told that it would be a 15-30 minute wait. After 30-45 minutes, we were led to a table. The cheesecake was good.
The plan was to then go to an improv comedy show but we were too late leaving the restaurant to get there in time. So instead Arial came up with the plan to go to Wal-Mart and buy a DVD player (ours is broken) and a DVD.
It turns out that you can get a simple DVD player for $33. So we did. The thing is quite small and to our amazement it actually works. It doesn't have a lot of flashy features but it does plays DVDs and CDs which is all we used our old one for anyway.
We plucked Panic Room from the bargain bin and set off for home. The movie was okay. Arial fell asleep for the end, which was fine since it had a really stupid ending.
All in all a pretty nice evening.
mwz
To start we went to a nice Indian restaurant that we like a lot but don't get to go to much because it's a little pricey. It was pretty nice. We got the same things that we always get and discussed how we would be more adventurous with our ordering if we went there more often. (Wow, all of a sudden I felt like I was writing a book report.)
When asked how spicy we wanted our food, Arial said "medium" and I said "hot for Americans but medium to mild for Indians". Mine did not come back "hot for Americans", in fact it was pretty mild. Arial's tasted like it may have once been in the same room that a spice had once been in.
Other than the lack of spice, the food was good.
After a short stop at home to see if Frances was still okay with Grandma (she was, she doesn't need us anymore. :_( ), we went to the Cheesecake Factory and had some cheese cake. There were 8 million people waiting (it seemed like a quarter of them were pregnant). We were told that it would be a 15-30 minute wait. After 30-45 minutes, we were led to a table. The cheesecake was good.
The plan was to then go to an improv comedy show but we were too late leaving the restaurant to get there in time. So instead Arial came up with the plan to go to Wal-Mart and buy a DVD player (ours is broken) and a DVD.
It turns out that you can get a simple DVD player for $33. So we did. The thing is quite small and to our amazement it actually works. It doesn't have a lot of flashy features but it does plays DVDs and CDs which is all we used our old one for anyway.
We plucked Panic Room from the bargain bin and set off for home. The movie was okay. Arial fell asleep for the end, which was fine since it had a really stupid ending.
All in all a pretty nice evening.
mwz
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Immigration...
Every other blog out there has an immigration post, so I thought I would declare where I stand.
I am for immigration.
I am opposed to illegal immigration.
Thank you.
mwz
I am for immigration.
I am opposed to illegal immigration.
Thank you.
mwz
Duck Duck Goose
Frances still says "Si... si... si... Dow!" (pronounced like Sit Down but without the ending consonants). I find it intriguing. She expectantly says a random number of "Si" and then yells "Dow" which is accompanied by some show of excitement like jumping or raising her arms. The way she says it is very much like Duck Duck Goose.
She loves it when you say it with her. It's kinda fun sometimes trying to guess how many "si"s there will be so that you can say "Dow" with her (usually 2 or 3 but not always).
mwz
She loves it when you say it with her. It's kinda fun sometimes trying to guess how many "si"s there will be so that you can say "Dow" with her (usually 2 or 3 but not always).
mwz
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Frances and the Pancakes
Last night, we went out to eat at Bob Evans. I had the "Bob Evans Pot Roast Sandwich" because they put "Bob Evans" in the name. It was a really strange sandwich, pretty much exactly how you would think pot roast would taste on sour dough bread. No better. No worse. But definitely odd.
But that's not the point of this post. Frances had pancakes off of the children's menu. She ate them really well, the best she's eaten at a restaurant in a long time (she usually gets to distracted by the surroundings).
After the meal, the plan was for Arial to drop Frances and I off at Half-Price Books and she would go to Wal-Mart. I thought that was a great plan because both Frances and I like hanging out at Half-Price Books. She normally runs to the children's section.
But last night, she was crying when I took her out of the car. She was crying when we crossed the road. She was still crying when I set her down inside the door.
I held her hand and we walked to the children's section. She cried the whole way, garnering a lot of looks but I was sure that she would stop when we got to the kid's books (all the way at the back of the store). She didn't.
So after a brief period of her continuous crying in the kid's section, I realized that she wasn't going to stop. So, I picked her up and walked back out of the store (still crying).
Fortunately, it was pretty warm out. She didn't want to be put down so I just carried her on my shoulder while she cried. We were basically stranded, so I consoled her as best I could. We walked into a World Market and I was able to calm her down a bit by having her point at various animals. Unfortunately, that was short lived.
We left there (since I didn't know when Arial would be back) and walked back to the Half-Priced Books. She was still crying and still didn't want to go in side.
A woman with a 7 month old came over and that calmed Frances down for a bit while she looked at the other baby. But when they left, she started crying again.
Finally (after somewhere around a half an hour), I kind of cradled her in my arms and she calmed down some. It was then that I began to realize that she had probably ate too many pancakes and had a tummy ache. I slowly took her into the store and walked to the back. There, I was able to find a stool to sit on with her nuzzled into me. We looked at some pop-up books and she perked up a little.
That's when Arial came back. Frances was acting somewhat better but she was still walking very slowly. Arial was kind enough to read to her while I looked at books and CDs (I picked up Dr Frank (of Mister T Experience Fame) "Show Business Is My Life", Shonen Knife "Genki Shock" and K's Choice "Cocoon Crash" and after one listen each, none of them are bad).
This marks the first time that Frances has eaten more than was good for her. I hope it doesn't ruin pancakes for her.
mwz
But that's not the point of this post. Frances had pancakes off of the children's menu. She ate them really well, the best she's eaten at a restaurant in a long time (she usually gets to distracted by the surroundings).
After the meal, the plan was for Arial to drop Frances and I off at Half-Price Books and she would go to Wal-Mart. I thought that was a great plan because both Frances and I like hanging out at Half-Price Books. She normally runs to the children's section.
But last night, she was crying when I took her out of the car. She was crying when we crossed the road. She was still crying when I set her down inside the door.
I held her hand and we walked to the children's section. She cried the whole way, garnering a lot of looks but I was sure that she would stop when we got to the kid's books (all the way at the back of the store). She didn't.
So after a brief period of her continuous crying in the kid's section, I realized that she wasn't going to stop. So, I picked her up and walked back out of the store (still crying).
Fortunately, it was pretty warm out. She didn't want to be put down so I just carried her on my shoulder while she cried. We were basically stranded, so I consoled her as best I could. We walked into a World Market and I was able to calm her down a bit by having her point at various animals. Unfortunately, that was short lived.
We left there (since I didn't know when Arial would be back) and walked back to the Half-Priced Books. She was still crying and still didn't want to go in side.
A woman with a 7 month old came over and that calmed Frances down for a bit while she looked at the other baby. But when they left, she started crying again.
Finally (after somewhere around a half an hour), I kind of cradled her in my arms and she calmed down some. It was then that I began to realize that she had probably ate too many pancakes and had a tummy ache. I slowly took her into the store and walked to the back. There, I was able to find a stool to sit on with her nuzzled into me. We looked at some pop-up books and she perked up a little.
That's when Arial came back. Frances was acting somewhat better but she was still walking very slowly. Arial was kind enough to read to her while I looked at books and CDs (I picked up Dr Frank (of Mister T Experience Fame) "Show Business Is My Life", Shonen Knife "Genki Shock" and K's Choice "Cocoon Crash" and after one listen each, none of them are bad).
This marks the first time that Frances has eaten more than was good for her. I hope it doesn't ruin pancakes for her.
mwz
Frances and the Y
I've started taking Frances with me to the Y when I work out. They have a "child watch" program where they watch your kids while you work out. I can't take her with me all the time because most of my workouts are during times that it isn't offered.
She's gone with me three times now and she really seems to like going. They have toys (that are different from her own toys) and there are other kids and there is coloring. She doesn't want to leave when I get back. She likes seeing me but she wants me to stay and play (rather than take her home).
The worker ladies tell me that Frances is really good and also that she's very quiet. I'd believe that. She doesn't quite talk yet and she's not one to babble to herself.
When she colors, they give me the pictures after words (and I take them because I don't want to look like a jerk who doesn't want his daughters scribbles. They don't know that she has notebooks full of the same scribbles at home).
The last time, there were two pictures. I flipped over one of them and the back was blank. I told her that she could have just flipped it over and let her color on the back (thus saving a page). But she said, "She's so good at filling the page that I don't mind giving her a second". I guess other kids just scribble a bit and then want another piece of paper. But not Frances, she's good at filling the page (and it's true, she is).
mwz
She's gone with me three times now and she really seems to like going. They have toys (that are different from her own toys) and there are other kids and there is coloring. She doesn't want to leave when I get back. She likes seeing me but she wants me to stay and play (rather than take her home).
The worker ladies tell me that Frances is really good and also that she's very quiet. I'd believe that. She doesn't quite talk yet and she's not one to babble to herself.
When she colors, they give me the pictures after words (and I take them because I don't want to look like a jerk who doesn't want his daughters scribbles. They don't know that she has notebooks full of the same scribbles at home).
The last time, there were two pictures. I flipped over one of them and the back was blank. I told her that she could have just flipped it over and let her color on the back (thus saving a page). But she said, "She's so good at filling the page that I don't mind giving her a second". I guess other kids just scribble a bit and then want another piece of paper. But not Frances, she's good at filling the page (and it's true, she is).
mwz
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Climbing
Occasionally, we go to this play group thing at a local elementary school. They set up the gym with all sorts of toys and slides and play houses. I may have mentioned this place before.
They have this plastic fort thing. The walls are about 4-5 feet tall and has a shelf to clime up on about 3 feet up. From the shelf, there is a slide. Frances isn't big enough yet to just hoist herself up onto the shelf, so we've been teaching her how to use the holes in the wall to boost herself up.
In the past, I've had to help place her foot and give her a little, extra boost. Tonight, for the first time, she did it all by herself. Initially, I had to remind her to use the wall but then she was able to do the rest by herself. Pretty soon she was climbing up, sliding down and running around to do it over again, all by herself. That made me proud.
But what really had me beaming with pride was when a slightly older (and bigger) boy came up and tried to hoist himself onto the shelf. As he struggled, my little Frances crawled up right past him. I had to restrain myself from taunting the child that he had been out done by a little, tiny girl. I managed to keep that to myself (because that wouldn't have been very nice). I even told the kid's dad that we had been practicing so that he wouldn't feel bad.
But it did make me smile a big smile.
mwz
They have this plastic fort thing. The walls are about 4-5 feet tall and has a shelf to clime up on about 3 feet up. From the shelf, there is a slide. Frances isn't big enough yet to just hoist herself up onto the shelf, so we've been teaching her how to use the holes in the wall to boost herself up.
In the past, I've had to help place her foot and give her a little, extra boost. Tonight, for the first time, she did it all by herself. Initially, I had to remind her to use the wall but then she was able to do the rest by herself. Pretty soon she was climbing up, sliding down and running around to do it over again, all by herself. That made me proud.
But what really had me beaming with pride was when a slightly older (and bigger) boy came up and tried to hoist himself onto the shelf. As he struggled, my little Frances crawled up right past him. I had to restrain myself from taunting the child that he had been out done by a little, tiny girl. I managed to keep that to myself (because that wouldn't have been very nice). I even told the kid's dad that we had been practicing so that he wouldn't feel bad.
But it did make me smile a big smile.
mwz
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Big Girl Bed
Last Monday, Frances was having trouble going to sleep in her crib. She normally goes to sleep after about 5 minutes of crying. That night, after about a half an hour of crying, I went to check on her.
I picked her up to calm her down but she kept crying. I decided to sing Itsy Bitsy Spider with her (which she normally likes a lot). So that I could do the hand motions, I sat down on the full sized bed that we have in her room.
Just a couple lines into the song, she wiggled out of my arms and crawled to the top of the bed. I asked Frances if she wanted to be tucked in and lifted up the sheets. She crawled down into normal bed sleeping position and I covered her up. She looked very content and started going to sleep so I left her there.
I was pretty sure that she would wake up in the middle of the night and come to our bed (or make a mess somewhere). But in the morning, she was still in there. (She did cry a couple times in the night but all we had to do was go in there and she would go back to sleep.)
So now Frances sleeps in a big girl bed at night (naps are a different story which ends with her getting out of bed until we put her in her crib). We got a bed rail to minimize the possibility that she will accidentally fall out.
She has been going to bed without any crying and sleeping the whole night the last couple days (with no small bursts of crying). I think she is getting used to sleeping with covers. She has also started getting up on her own in the morning which we aren't really thrilled about but she hasn't done anything bad (yet).
I think everyone is happy with the big girl bed.
mwz
I picked her up to calm her down but she kept crying. I decided to sing Itsy Bitsy Spider with her (which she normally likes a lot). So that I could do the hand motions, I sat down on the full sized bed that we have in her room.
Just a couple lines into the song, she wiggled out of my arms and crawled to the top of the bed. I asked Frances if she wanted to be tucked in and lifted up the sheets. She crawled down into normal bed sleeping position and I covered her up. She looked very content and started going to sleep so I left her there.
I was pretty sure that she would wake up in the middle of the night and come to our bed (or make a mess somewhere). But in the morning, she was still in there. (She did cry a couple times in the night but all we had to do was go in there and she would go back to sleep.)
So now Frances sleeps in a big girl bed at night (naps are a different story which ends with her getting out of bed until we put her in her crib). We got a bed rail to minimize the possibility that she will accidentally fall out.
She has been going to bed without any crying and sleeping the whole night the last couple days (with no small bursts of crying). I think she is getting used to sleeping with covers. She has also started getting up on her own in the morning which we aren't really thrilled about but she hasn't done anything bad (yet).
I think everyone is happy with the big girl bed.
mwz
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Random Recommendations
Occasionally, when I find something that I enjoy, I think "I should mention this on my blog". So, now I'm rounding up some of the things that I would recommend.
50FootWave - music
I doubt many of you have heard of 50FootWave. They are Kristin Hersh's new band (she fronted Throwing Muses, not that you've heard of them either). Her voice has gotten a little gravelly but I think it works well in the new band. Plus she still has a knack for writing music.
Anyway, they are giving away mp3s of their new ep "Free Music". So go give them a listen. I don't think this ep is as good as their other, "50FootWave mini-album" but after a couple listens, the songs are really starting to grow on me.
Also, she has a blog that is actually pretty interesting. She doesn't update it that often but when she does it is usually heart warming. I might point you especially to this post.
Ratchet and Clank - video games
Ratchet and Clank have easily become my favorite video game series. (It used to be Zelda but the later games, although very good (excluding Zelda 2 of course) were unable to rekindle the magic of The Legend of Zelda. I guess I'm to old now.)
R&C games are a wonderful combination of platforming and shooting but mostly they are just fun. So much so that even Arial has played it a bit.
Insomniac Games (the makers of R&C) really seem to care about the experience. In the second, they added the best Easter egg I've ever seen by putting in the Insomniac Museum. It was a place to look at all there concepts, play with some discarded ideas and generally learn a bit about game development. Mostly though, it was a nice extra bit to a really nice game.
The third R&C game "Up Your Arsenal" got rid of all the annoyances that other games seem to have. You can skip the initial splash screens, making it faster to just sit down and play for a while. They made "Load Game" the first option in the menu (rather than "New Game" which you use only once and then normally have to skip over every time you boot the game). To top it off they made purchasing ammo a lot easier by including a fill-all option (rather than having to buy ammo for each weapon individually).
I think the Ratchet and Clank series is great, mostly because they seem to care.
Microbe Hunters - book
This is a book that I'm currently reading (nearly finished). It was written in the twenties and is the story of the ground breaking scientists who discovered and studied microorganisms. It is a pretty amazing look at all the work and the pretty impressive steps of logic used to figure out what turned into the foundation of Microbiology. It details the discoveries of things we learned in our first semester of General Micro. It is presented in such a way that shows how impressive it really was to figure out simple things like growing bacteria on agar, things that are basic to modern microbiology (or at least what was modern when I learned about it).
I wouldn't recommend this book for anyone who isn't really into microbiology, but for those of you who are, I highly recommend it. I am finding it fascinating
Well, that's all you get from me today.
mwz
50FootWave - music
I doubt many of you have heard of 50FootWave. They are Kristin Hersh's new band (she fronted Throwing Muses, not that you've heard of them either). Her voice has gotten a little gravelly but I think it works well in the new band. Plus she still has a knack for writing music.
Anyway, they are giving away mp3s of their new ep "Free Music". So go give them a listen. I don't think this ep is as good as their other, "50FootWave mini-album" but after a couple listens, the songs are really starting to grow on me.
Also, she has a blog that is actually pretty interesting. She doesn't update it that often but when she does it is usually heart warming. I might point you especially to this post.
Ratchet and Clank - video games
Ratchet and Clank have easily become my favorite video game series. (It used to be Zelda but the later games, although very good (excluding Zelda 2 of course) were unable to rekindle the magic of The Legend of Zelda. I guess I'm to old now.)
R&C games are a wonderful combination of platforming and shooting but mostly they are just fun. So much so that even Arial has played it a bit.
Insomniac Games (the makers of R&C) really seem to care about the experience. In the second, they added the best Easter egg I've ever seen by putting in the Insomniac Museum. It was a place to look at all there concepts, play with some discarded ideas and generally learn a bit about game development. Mostly though, it was a nice extra bit to a really nice game.
The third R&C game "Up Your Arsenal" got rid of all the annoyances that other games seem to have. You can skip the initial splash screens, making it faster to just sit down and play for a while. They made "Load Game" the first option in the menu (rather than "New Game" which you use only once and then normally have to skip over every time you boot the game). To top it off they made purchasing ammo a lot easier by including a fill-all option (rather than having to buy ammo for each weapon individually).
I think the Ratchet and Clank series is great, mostly because they seem to care.
Microbe Hunters - book
This is a book that I'm currently reading (nearly finished). It was written in the twenties and is the story of the ground breaking scientists who discovered and studied microorganisms. It is a pretty amazing look at all the work and the pretty impressive steps of logic used to figure out what turned into the foundation of Microbiology. It details the discoveries of things we learned in our first semester of General Micro. It is presented in such a way that shows how impressive it really was to figure out simple things like growing bacteria on agar, things that are basic to modern microbiology (or at least what was modern when I learned about it).
I wouldn't recommend this book for anyone who isn't really into microbiology, but for those of you who are, I highly recommend it. I am finding it fascinating
Well, that's all you get from me today.
mwz
Friday, February 17, 2006
Disappointment
Today, I had a couple disappointments.
I was listening to Pandora and a song came on that I really liked. It was by a band called Glitter Mini 9. I went to their website and found out that they broke up three years ago. That is so sad. I had never heard of them and already they are done.
Then, on the way back from my swimming lesson, I was going to stop by our blockbuster to pick up Saw II for the weekend. When I got there, it was closed. Not just for the night but closed for good. All the shelves were empty.
Now there isn't a Blockbuster in walking distance of our house. That sux.
mwz
I was listening to Pandora and a song came on that I really liked. It was by a band called Glitter Mini 9. I went to their website and found out that they broke up three years ago. That is so sad. I had never heard of them and already they are done.
Then, on the way back from my swimming lesson, I was going to stop by our blockbuster to pick up Saw II for the weekend. When I got there, it was closed. Not just for the night but closed for good. All the shelves were empty.
Now there isn't a Blockbuster in walking distance of our house. That sux.
mwz
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Swimming with Frances
Since I've been injured, I haven't been able to exercise. The one positive thing about that (other than the extra sleep) is that I was able to participate in Frances'' swim class.
The class is for babies and toddlers. It turns out that there isn't much you can actually do with young child in a pool.
You can:
It was kinda fun though. Frances was really good at kicking and using her arms when I supported her stomach. Occasionally, I could even feel that she was providing propulsion forces.
When we started the class, they gave out toys. Frances of course wanted the big red ball. That made it difficult to have her splash with her hands but she kind of used it as a flotation device. She also seemed to like holding a kickboard. Even with the kickboard, I was still supporting some of her weight, but she looked just like she was supposed to look like while holding a kickboard.
She also seemed to enjoy "jumping" into the pool. That pretty much meant stepping into the pool while I held her arms. It was very controlled but she thought it was great fun.
All in all, I'm glad that I could to that with her.
mwz
The class is for babies and toddlers. It turns out that there isn't much you can actually do with young child in a pool.
You can:
- Lay them on their back.
- Lay them on their stomach.
- Have them kick.
- Have them splash.
- Have them stoke their arms.
- Have them blow bubbles (aka piss off your child by sticking her face in the water).
- Have them "jump" in the water from the side (while you hold their arms so they don't drown).
It was kinda fun though. Frances was really good at kicking and using her arms when I supported her stomach. Occasionally, I could even feel that she was providing propulsion forces.
When we started the class, they gave out toys. Frances of course wanted the big red ball. That made it difficult to have her splash with her hands but she kind of used it as a flotation device. She also seemed to like holding a kickboard. Even with the kickboard, I was still supporting some of her weight, but she looked just like she was supposed to look like while holding a kickboard.
She also seemed to enjoy "jumping" into the pool. That pretty much meant stepping into the pool while I held her arms. It was very controlled but she thought it was great fun.
All in all, I'm glad that I could to that with her.
mwz
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Random
I was going through some old stuff (Arial wants me to get rid of some of it) and I came across an old camera of mine. My parents got it for me in high school. It wasn't top of the line but it took decent pictures. At the time, I thought it was sort of sleek. But now, it seems huge. It has about double the volume of my current digital camera (which isn't very small itself). I was amazed.
There is still film inside. I'm going to try to get the pictures developed and see if anything survived.
We have a fireplace with a stone hearth in our living room. The hearth is about 2 inches high. Today, Frances had some fun with it.
She took the old keyboard that we let her play with and set it so half was on the hearth and half was off (orientation: the number pad was off and the caps lock was on the hearth). She proceeded to "surf" on the keyboard and tried to keep it balanced. It was interesting to watch.
Later in the evening, she took to jumping off the hearth. She was doing it in the same way that I used to jump down stairs. Since she's so little, the hearth is kinda like a small step. She seemed to find it great fun.
mwz
There is still film inside. I'm going to try to get the pictures developed and see if anything survived.
We have a fireplace with a stone hearth in our living room. The hearth is about 2 inches high. Today, Frances had some fun with it.
She took the old keyboard that we let her play with and set it so half was on the hearth and half was off (orientation: the number pad was off and the caps lock was on the hearth). She proceeded to "surf" on the keyboard and tried to keep it balanced. It was interesting to watch.
Later in the evening, she took to jumping off the hearth. She was doing it in the same way that I used to jump down stairs. Since she's so little, the hearth is kinda like a small step. She seemed to find it great fun.
mwz
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Hiccups
This evening,we were in the car after supper. I developed a pretty bad case of the hiccups. Hiccups every ten seconds, bad. After a bit, whenever I would hiccup, I would hear Frances making a hiccup sound from the back seat. She had a great time "hiccuping" with me. It almost made the hiccups worth it.
Oh, Frances said "up" today, meaning pick me up and let me touch the ceiling.
mwz
Oh, Frances said "up" today, meaning pick me up and let me touch the ceiling.
mwz
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Subway and Project Runway
This is a two part post because neither thing is important enough to give individual posts to.
We went to Subway last week or so. They are doing this "instant win" game. They give you a card that you can scratch to reveal a code. You then have to go to their web site and register and then you can "instantly" win.
We got a couple cards. So tonight, I went there and actually entered my information like a good little customer and entered the first code. They have this really stupid (and computationally intensive) JavaScript thing where you virtually scratch off another card to reveal you fate.
I didn't win.
So I go to enter the next code and they tell me that I can only enter one a day. What's up with that? I'm not going to give them another email address for them to spam, so I'm going to have to wait till tomorrow. Arial pointed out that if they want you to eat lunch and supper there, then they should at least allow you to enter twice a day.
I like Subway and all but this promotion sucks.
We have started watching Project Runway on Bravo. We liked last year's season and we are liking this year's too. I don't know why I like it, I just do.
Anyway, the reason I'm posting about this is because one of the designers, Santino, reminds me of J-Funk's husband. They sound pretty close to the same and have similar mannerisms. They could be long lost brothers except that don't look that much alike.
I think of that every time we watch the show.
mwz
We went to Subway last week or so. They are doing this "instant win" game. They give you a card that you can scratch to reveal a code. You then have to go to their web site and register and then you can "instantly" win.
We got a couple cards. So tonight, I went there and actually entered my information like a good little customer and entered the first code. They have this really stupid (and computationally intensive) JavaScript thing where you virtually scratch off another card to reveal you fate.
I didn't win.
So I go to enter the next code and they tell me that I can only enter one a day. What's up with that? I'm not going to give them another email address for them to spam, so I'm going to have to wait till tomorrow. Arial pointed out that if they want you to eat lunch and supper there, then they should at least allow you to enter twice a day.
I like Subway and all but this promotion sucks.
We have started watching Project Runway on Bravo. We liked last year's season and we are liking this year's too. I don't know why I like it, I just do.
Anyway, the reason I'm posting about this is because one of the designers, Santino, reminds me of J-Funk's husband. They sound pretty close to the same and have similar mannerisms. They could be long lost brothers except that don't look that much alike.
I think of that every time we watch the show.
mwz
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Christmas Trip
Okay, I have to post on our Christmas trip to see the family. It's been kinda hanging over my head and I want to write about other stuff like how Frances learned to turn on and off a light switch.
The trip as a whole was good. Blah blah blah... But what I want to talk about Frances' interactions with the other children she met.
When we were staying at my parents house, Arial, Frances and I went out with my high school friends. Toward the end of the evening, we went to one of their houses. Another friend had brought his daughter (who is only a little bit younger than Frances). I was quite pleased because the two of them ran around and played together. I don't think that Frances had actually played with a child roughly her age before. They were both kinda tired and that seemed to make them best friends. That was really cool. Unfortunately, they live many hours apart by car.
When we were in Arial's home town, Frances got to play with her cousins on that side. They are older, like 8 and 5 (roughly). They were really great with her. They played with her a lot and she seemed to like them too. It got to the point where she would actually ask her older cousin to be pick her up. Occasionally, they seemed a little too much in her face but Frances didn't seem to mind all that much.
Oh, and I can't forget to mention that the older cousin gave Frances a stuffed bear that she had gotten from her other grandma (who I guess gives them lots of stuffed animals). I thought that was really sweat that she gave one of her own things to Frances.
Finally, we stopped at my brothers to watch the Iowa bowl game (which didn't turn out so well). He doesn't get ESPN so we had to go to a bowling alley (they were the only thing open that early in the morning). My sister in law was kind enough to watch Frances for us while we were away. They have two children near Frances' age (both a little older). I hear that she got along famously with the younger of the two. Apparently, he was hilarious to Frances. He had her laughing a lot. They played peekaboo together (which Frances loves) and lots of other fun things. She had a really good time (and we did to other than the outcome of the game).
Well, that's that. Frances road in the car very well. She occasionally got a little fussy but that's to be expected for the amount of time she had to sit in her car seat. Even with run-around breaks every two hours, it's a lot of sitting.
mwz
The trip as a whole was good. Blah blah blah... But what I want to talk about Frances' interactions with the other children she met.
When we were staying at my parents house, Arial, Frances and I went out with my high school friends. Toward the end of the evening, we went to one of their houses. Another friend had brought his daughter (who is only a little bit younger than Frances). I was quite pleased because the two of them ran around and played together. I don't think that Frances had actually played with a child roughly her age before. They were both kinda tired and that seemed to make them best friends. That was really cool. Unfortunately, they live many hours apart by car.
When we were in Arial's home town, Frances got to play with her cousins on that side. They are older, like 8 and 5 (roughly). They were really great with her. They played with her a lot and she seemed to like them too. It got to the point where she would actually ask her older cousin to be pick her up. Occasionally, they seemed a little too much in her face but Frances didn't seem to mind all that much.
Oh, and I can't forget to mention that the older cousin gave Frances a stuffed bear that she had gotten from her other grandma (who I guess gives them lots of stuffed animals). I thought that was really sweat that she gave one of her own things to Frances.
Finally, we stopped at my brothers to watch the Iowa bowl game (which didn't turn out so well). He doesn't get ESPN so we had to go to a bowling alley (they were the only thing open that early in the morning). My sister in law was kind enough to watch Frances for us while we were away. They have two children near Frances' age (both a little older). I hear that she got along famously with the younger of the two. Apparently, he was hilarious to Frances. He had her laughing a lot. They played peekaboo together (which Frances loves) and lots of other fun things. She had a really good time (and we did to other than the outcome of the game).
Well, that's that. Frances road in the car very well. She occasionally got a little fussy but that's to be expected for the amount of time she had to sit in her car seat. Even with run-around breaks every two hours, it's a lot of sitting.
mwz
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Sick Zoey
We have been worrying about our youngest cat, Zoey. She's only like 2 or 3 years old (I can never remember, it changes every year). We think she stopped eating on Saturday but it's hard to tell because we don't pay that close attention to her eating habits. We noticed her throwing up a lot on Sunday. Generally speaking, Zoey spits up a lot but she was pretty much just throwing up stomach acid at that point and she was acting like I act when I'm sick (all mopey and tired).
On Monday, she still wasn't eating (although she was still drinking some) and she was gingerly slinking around so we made an appointment with the vet for Tuesday morning.
This isn't a very pleasant thing to deal with. You think about all of the possibilities. Did she swallow something? Does she just have the flu? Is it some kind of kitty cancer? Will she need surgery?
Then, you start doing cost analysis, which makes you feel horrible. We discussed how much we were willing to spend for various levels for certainty of survival (we'd spend more if there was a better chance that she would be okay but we can't afford to fight a losing battle against kitty cancer). But you start thinking things like, what if a simple surgery could fix it but that surgery cost $5,000. How do you look at your cat and say, "we can't spare the money to save you"? Not to mention that we go to a snooty vet where the costs could shoot past our maximum very quickly.
I took her to the vet (because Arial didn't want to, plus I'm closer to Zoey anyways). The vet listened to the symptoms and said that she seemed dehydrated. She said they would keep her for a while, rehydrate her (with an IV), give her something to stop the vomiting and take some X-rays to look for something stuck in her.
They wound up doing two sets of X-rays, one before hydration and one after because the first didn't show anything definitive. The second didn't really change anything. Basically, Zoey's small intestines are kind of bunched up in front instead of loose. The vet said that this can be a sign that there is a string in there, or it could just be how her intestines are.
So basically, they rehydrated her, gave her something to suppress the vomiting, gave her something to induce an appetite and fed her some barium in case she didn't get better and needed another X-ray the next day (I told you that we go to a snooty vet). Then, all we could do was wait a couple hours, feed her and watch to see if she vomits again.
We fed her a half an hour before we were supposed to (because she looked hungry). I gave her a little more than a tablespoon of the canned food that she likes and she ate it all. Then we waited a while to let that settle and I gave her another helping.
As far as we know, Zoey hasn't thrown up since. She is starting to act more like herself, a little more lovey but herself.
I hope that this episode is over. The vet bill was $316 and I don't know if we can afford surgery for her. But she does seem to be getting better and if so, the $316 was well worth it.
mwz
On Monday, she still wasn't eating (although she was still drinking some) and she was gingerly slinking around so we made an appointment with the vet for Tuesday morning.
This isn't a very pleasant thing to deal with. You think about all of the possibilities. Did she swallow something? Does she just have the flu? Is it some kind of kitty cancer? Will she need surgery?
Then, you start doing cost analysis, which makes you feel horrible. We discussed how much we were willing to spend for various levels for certainty of survival (we'd spend more if there was a better chance that she would be okay but we can't afford to fight a losing battle against kitty cancer). But you start thinking things like, what if a simple surgery could fix it but that surgery cost $5,000. How do you look at your cat and say, "we can't spare the money to save you"? Not to mention that we go to a snooty vet where the costs could shoot past our maximum very quickly.
I took her to the vet (because Arial didn't want to, plus I'm closer to Zoey anyways). The vet listened to the symptoms and said that she seemed dehydrated. She said they would keep her for a while, rehydrate her (with an IV), give her something to stop the vomiting and take some X-rays to look for something stuck in her.
They wound up doing two sets of X-rays, one before hydration and one after because the first didn't show anything definitive. The second didn't really change anything. Basically, Zoey's small intestines are kind of bunched up in front instead of loose. The vet said that this can be a sign that there is a string in there, or it could just be how her intestines are.
So basically, they rehydrated her, gave her something to suppress the vomiting, gave her something to induce an appetite and fed her some barium in case she didn't get better and needed another X-ray the next day (I told you that we go to a snooty vet). Then, all we could do was wait a couple hours, feed her and watch to see if she vomits again.
We fed her a half an hour before we were supposed to (because she looked hungry). I gave her a little more than a tablespoon of the canned food that she likes and she ate it all. Then we waited a while to let that settle and I gave her another helping.
As far as we know, Zoey hasn't thrown up since. She is starting to act more like herself, a little more lovey but herself.
I hope that this episode is over. The vet bill was $316 and I don't know if we can afford surgery for her. But she does seem to be getting better and if so, the $316 was well worth it.
mwz
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Odd Things About Spin Instructors
Lately, I've been going to spin classes as a part of my triathlon training. They are kinda fun but I've noticed some strange things about the instructors.
1. They don't realize that most hills crest. It's a common thing to start at a low resistance and work up to a high resistance. They usually say something to the effect of "we're going up a hill". The strange part of that whole thing is that when you are at the highest resistance, they say something like "we're almost at the top" when normally the highest incline would be somewhere in the middle of the hill and then it would slowly become less steep until your at the top. And now that I think about it, most of the hills that I know have the same grade for the majority of it. It doesn't look like the graph of x^2 at all.
2. The majority belong to the cult of "Not Stretching Legs Before Spin Class (Only Arms)" but only a few believe that it's dangerous to stretch your legs while on the bike at all.
3. They don't understand that I pace myself based on how long the class is. If I'm expecting a 45 minute class and it's 40 minutes in, I will give it the rest of what I've got because I want to be spent when I'm done. If the class then goes on for an hour I'm going to be fighting nausea the rest of the time.
4. Similarly, my last instructor didn't understand that by saying "We're almost done" all the time actually makes things go longer. To her, "We're almost done with this hill/sprint" meant 2-3 more minutes. Plus she started saying "We're almost done" at the 35 minute mark (of a 45 minute class that she took for an hour).
5. When I was just getting started, the instructor described a "jump" by saying, "remember when you were a kid and you jumped curbs? It's just like that." But when I said, "You actually jump the spin bike?" (because that sounded wrong), she laughed at me. Apparently, she meant "jumped off curbs". I wonder if she had to wait for a driveway to get back up on the side walk.mwz
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