We've been on vacation and I might get a vacation post up in the next couple days but sometimes it gets kind of daunting. I couldn't let this pass without a post.
Frances loves to carry around pens (she also likes to collect sticks when she is outside but there are no sticks inside, so she is stuck with pens). So today, it didn't come as much of a shock to see her with a pen.
The really cool thing was that she was able to put the cap back on (and that she realized this was something that could be done). She repeatedly took the cap off and put it back on. It was fun to see her do it and then look proud when I cheered for her.
Arial also says that she has started figuring out the shape sorter but I haven't seen it so I'm not going to blog about it... Not that I don't believe Arial... I just have nothing to say on the topic.
mwz
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Sin City
Last night we rented Sin City for our last movie before we quit our Blockbuster movie pass thing (they raised the rates). It was incredibly good.
It was visually interesting and it kept my interest the whole way through. Normally, I'm too antsy to watch a movie (at home) without getting up and walking around but I sat and watched all of Sin City.
Also, it had Rori from Gilmore Girls and Bruce Willis (who reminds me of one of my brothers).
You should go rent it, unless you don't like movies with a lot of violence or are opposed to comic book movies in general (as Arial is).
mwz
219
It was visually interesting and it kept my interest the whole way through. Normally, I'm too antsy to watch a movie (at home) without getting up and walking around but I sat and watched all of Sin City.
Also, it had Rori from Gilmore Girls and Bruce Willis (who reminds me of one of my brothers).
You should go rent it, unless you don't like movies with a lot of violence or are opposed to comic book movies in general (as Arial is).
mwz
219
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Brick Border
Today, we put in a brick border around the shrubs near our house. It was a lot of work. I had to dig a trench.
Digging a trench may sound easy but keep in mind that it has to be the right depth and width to fit the bricks. You can't just dig a trench all willy-nilly and expect it to come out right. At least I hope not, otherwise I put in a lot of work that I didn't need to do.
That said, I expected it to be difficult so it wasn't much of a shock.
The worst part (it turns out), is that I did the work without a shirt on. Not only did this let the neighbors see my large tummy but it also exposed the pale skin on my torso that is normally protected by my shirt. I didn't think about sun screen and the layer of dirt clinging to me apparently didn't help.
I went to bed (for a nap) at 9pm because I was wiped. At midnight, Arial came to bed and I got up to feed the cats. Afterwards, I couldn't get back to sleep. So here I am, blogging at 2:40 in the morning.
I've gotta try to seem again. Good night.
mwz
219
Digging a trench may sound easy but keep in mind that it has to be the right depth and width to fit the bricks. You can't just dig a trench all willy-nilly and expect it to come out right. At least I hope not, otherwise I put in a lot of work that I didn't need to do.
That said, I expected it to be difficult so it wasn't much of a shock.
The worst part (it turns out), is that I did the work without a shirt on. Not only did this let the neighbors see my large tummy but it also exposed the pale skin on my torso that is normally protected by my shirt. I didn't think about sun screen and the layer of dirt clinging to me apparently didn't help.
I went to bed (for a nap) at 9pm because I was wiped. At midnight, Arial came to bed and I got up to feed the cats. Afterwards, I couldn't get back to sleep. So here I am, blogging at 2:40 in the morning.
I've gotta try to seem again. Good night.
mwz
219
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Rau Rau Rau
Since I work at home, I occasionally leave my office, go downstairs and see Arial and Frances (usually on my way to get a snack, which is why I'm not the slender, young fellow that I used to be). Sometimes when I go back upstairs, Frances protests my leaving. To try to get her to understand that I'm going upstairs (and that she needs to deal with that), I say "Bye-bye" and "I love you" a couple times.
On a couple occasions over the last few weeks, when I've gone upstairs I heard Frances say something that sounded like "I love you". It was in the same intonation that I use when I say it to her in that circumstance.
Now the question is this, are those her first words? Or am I just hearing what I want to hear like the lady whose dog "says" "I love you" but actually just howls three times?
Either way, it is neat that she picked up the intonation from one time and applied it to the next.
mwz
219
On a couple occasions over the last few weeks, when I've gone upstairs I heard Frances say something that sounded like "I love you". It was in the same intonation that I use when I say it to her in that circumstance.
Now the question is this, are those her first words? Or am I just hearing what I want to hear like the lady whose dog "says" "I love you" but actually just howls three times?
Either way, it is neat that she picked up the intonation from one time and applied it to the next.
mwz
219
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Been Away For a While
Last week I had to go on a business trip. It was kind of last minute so I decided to drive the 5 and a half hours. Since I was driving, Arial decided to come along (bringing Frances of course).
Frances did about as well in the car as can be expected. No major crying fits or anything. Although the first night we got there, we wanted to get some local food. But Frances had been in the car all day and didn't want to be in it any more, even if we were hunting for a good restaurant. So when we saw a large man walking with some KFC (meaning there was one close) we quickly gave up our hope for local cuisine and got some chicken.
It was pretty warm while we were there and the hotel had a pool. So, everyday I took Frances swimming.
Now, you know how sometimes the water is a little cold at first but after you get used to it it is fine? Well it turns out that part of the "getting used to it" is moving and generating your own heat. Curling yourself into a little ball and trying to snuggle close to the large person holding you is not going to get you warm. None of our swimming sessions lasted longer than ten minutes.
The longest time we spent swimming was when I finally figured out (based on something Arial suggested) that when I lifted her out of the water and then put her down (in a fun manner) that she would kick her legs. This got her to the point were she didn't look cold. She also seemed to enjoy it. Unfortunately, that day I was keeping her from her nap and she was tired (and therefore grumpy). That session didn't last that long ether.
One of the guys I was working with gave me a tip on a good, "organic" restaurant. They apparently package their food and sell it in grocery stores (or co-ops, I guess). We thought we would give it a try.
We learned two things:
And we very nearly did.
mwz
217
Frances did about as well in the car as can be expected. No major crying fits or anything. Although the first night we got there, we wanted to get some local food. But Frances had been in the car all day and didn't want to be in it any more, even if we were hunting for a good restaurant. So when we saw a large man walking with some KFC (meaning there was one close) we quickly gave up our hope for local cuisine and got some chicken.
It was pretty warm while we were there and the hotel had a pool. So, everyday I took Frances swimming.
Now, you know how sometimes the water is a little cold at first but after you get used to it it is fine? Well it turns out that part of the "getting used to it" is moving and generating your own heat. Curling yourself into a little ball and trying to snuggle close to the large person holding you is not going to get you warm. None of our swimming sessions lasted longer than ten minutes.
The longest time we spent swimming was when I finally figured out (based on something Arial suggested) that when I lifted her out of the water and then put her down (in a fun manner) that she would kick her legs. This got her to the point were she didn't look cold. She also seemed to enjoy it. Unfortunately, that day I was keeping her from her nap and she was tired (and therefore grumpy). That session didn't last that long ether.
One of the guys I was working with gave me a tip on a good, "organic" restaurant. They apparently package their food and sell it in grocery stores (or co-ops, I guess). We thought we would give it a try.
We learned two things:
- Restaurants that only serve organic food are expensive. Pesticides are used for a reason and part of that is to keep costs down.
- We don't like "wholesome" food. After our pricey meal where we consumed what looked like a reasonable amount of food, we were still hungry.
And we very nearly did.
mwz
217
Monday, August 01, 2005
Laundry Detergent
I believe the people who make my laundry detergent are a bunch of shysters.
We have liquid detergent. I don't know what brand (it is all the way in the basement and I'm not going down to check). Like most liquid detergents, the cap is also a measuring cup.
For a while, I assumed that you just fill up the cap and dump it in. I mean they make the thing, they should be able to make it the right size so I don't have to measure much.
But one time, I noticed three lines about a third from the top. I looked at the bottle and sure enough, these were the measurement markings. The top was for really large or dirty loads and was about a quarter from the top. That means that even if I was doing extra large loads (which is most of the time) I was still using a third more than I needed.
I think that the detergent company expected a lot of people not to pay attention to the faint lines on the cap. The cap didn't need to be this large, there is plenty of space for the spigot (I love the spigot design, BTW). This way, they can say that the bottle does X number of loads but really it does much less (unless you read the bottle). I mean, does anyone actually count how many loads of laundry they get from a bottle of detergent.
Just something to watch out for, I guess.
mwz
217
We have liquid detergent. I don't know what brand (it is all the way in the basement and I'm not going down to check). Like most liquid detergents, the cap is also a measuring cup.
For a while, I assumed that you just fill up the cap and dump it in. I mean they make the thing, they should be able to make it the right size so I don't have to measure much.
But one time, I noticed three lines about a third from the top. I looked at the bottle and sure enough, these were the measurement markings. The top was for really large or dirty loads and was about a quarter from the top. That means that even if I was doing extra large loads (which is most of the time) I was still using a third more than I needed.
I think that the detergent company expected a lot of people not to pay attention to the faint lines on the cap. The cap didn't need to be this large, there is plenty of space for the spigot (I love the spigot design, BTW). This way, they can say that the bottle does X number of loads but really it does much less (unless you read the bottle). I mean, does anyone actually count how many loads of laundry they get from a bottle of detergent.
Just something to watch out for, I guess.
mwz
217
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