Getting Things Organized
10 years ago
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Fuzzy B
Brenden and I spent Memorial Day (and most of the weekend) with ourselves. We went shopping Saturday morning because I had to make chicken gumbo for a party at the DZ Saturday night. I have no idea if it tasted good because my sinus infection was raging again and the only thing that tasted good to me were those cheap icy-pops that Wal-Mart sells by the gross for $1.99. Plus, while I was making the roux, I didn't let it get dark enough because Brenden was standing at the kitchen gate wailing for my attention so instead of a nice chocolate brown the gumbo was an ocean-scum color. People told me afterwards that it tasted good but I think they were being polite.
Saturday wasn't all about cooking - I cleaned as well namely the pool. The pool store sold me a 50 pound bag of baking soda because the water was becoming acidic. I also bought Brenden yet another kiddie pool because he could easily collapse the walls on the one I bought for him previously. We went swimming in the big pool too, which is a quite enjoyable 86 degrees now. Brenden hates me when I take him back into the house but I'm on antibiotics and they all have vociferous warnings about sunlight overexposure. Both B and I were glopped with Sunblock 6000, but that crap washes off. Neither of us is burned, which is good because I tend to let Brenden skinny dip and I'd hate for him to have a burned willy.
Despite the relatively late hour, Brenden and I went to the DZ with the vomitous looking gumbo around 6pm and Brenden walked around the tarmac in front of the hangar and I followed until I got tired. I took him home a couple of hours later and we fought about him going to sleep. Fighting over sleep isn't as bad as it sounds, it consists of me putting him in his crib and walking away. He protests for about a minute then he finally concedes that he is indeed tired and falls asleep, on his belly but his knees pulled up so his butt is in the air. Mom told me I used to sleep like that.
We also encountered Miranda and Jason's daughter, Emma Cate, who was born 5 weeks after Brenden. She is as tall, but with super long legs whereas Brenden has these cute little legs with a long torso. She's standing up pretty well but not walking. It's tough judging Brenden's demeanor until I see him with other kids. Brenden seems to be more introverted (uh-oh). I have never seen him try to take anything from another kid (though he'll wrestle with me for the remote all the time). Emma tried to take a toy away from him (her mom stopped and admonished her). What interested me most was when Emma pushed him aside (he was sitting and toppled over) to get at a toy (it wasn't a deliberate push - he was just in the way). Brenden started crying, which I found odd - the cat could push him over incedentally, he could bonk his head off the ground, and he will laugh about it (and tackle the cat). I can't fathom his reaction to Emma. Did she scare him?
Sunday and Mondays were mirrors of Saturday with no Gumbo: playing, a little walking outside, a lot of pool time, and some dancing. Yeah, he's dancing! Well, he likes to play a song on one of his toys, then he'll look at me - if I smile and start clapping, he'll laugh, stand up, and clap and bend his knees up and down. It's awful cute.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
The Happy Couple
This past weekend I made it to my friend Alan's wedding. I'm so glad I made it but I totally hosed up by not taking a day off on Monday. I hosed that up because I simply don't have any vacation time left. Piss poor planning on my part. I also messed up by leaving my camera at mom's so I will have to rip off other people's photos for any blog entries (thanks, Nancy!).
I did snap some photos of my mom's place, which I shall post as soon as I find the time. Mom was happy to see Brenden and B did remarkably well there even though he tried to dig up some plants and bust open a bottle of wine. He only ate a few rocks and woodchips as well as a little dirt. Mom fed him cheese so he decided she was cool.
As for the wedding - it was pretty spiffy. I was nervous as I always am in a social situation where I don't really know anyone (everyone I did know was in the wedding party). Alan's mom remembered me even though we hadn't seen each other since Alan and I were in college together. The first time I got to see Helly she was walking down the aisle and I must say she chose a very beautiful and elegant wedding dress. She walked down the aisle to a cover of "Kashmir" which was different. She also chose elegant looking dresses for her 2 bridesmaids - the dresses had sleeves and no butt bows which I think is a first in recorded history (not true I kid! - the dresses Nancy had for her wedding were nice, too). The gents wore tuxes, but the sharpest dressed there was Lachelle, who was one of Alan's groomspersons. Somebody better post pics!
I was amused by how many people greeted me with "oh, yeah! The skydiver!" when I introduced myself as Alan's friend. I was totally flattered, however, by the people who knew me from reading my blog (hi, Mikey!).
The food was tasty and the Guinness was cold and I got to exchange maybe 4 words with Helly. I feel really bad I didn't stay longer, but then again I'm happy I made the effort to go. It would have been easy to make an "I'm too busy" excuse. As Alan pointed out, Alan, Mark (and Nancy), and I made it to each other's weddings. "The circle is complete".
Congratulations many times over, Alan and Helly. I will do my best to get back over there soon so I can spend some real time with my old (and new) friends.
I did snap some photos of my mom's place, which I shall post as soon as I find the time. Mom was happy to see Brenden and B did remarkably well there even though he tried to dig up some plants and bust open a bottle of wine. He only ate a few rocks and woodchips as well as a little dirt. Mom fed him cheese so he decided she was cool.
As for the wedding - it was pretty spiffy. I was nervous as I always am in a social situation where I don't really know anyone (everyone I did know was in the wedding party). Alan's mom remembered me even though we hadn't seen each other since Alan and I were in college together. The first time I got to see Helly she was walking down the aisle and I must say she chose a very beautiful and elegant wedding dress. She walked down the aisle to a cover of "Kashmir" which was different. She also chose elegant looking dresses for her 2 bridesmaids - the dresses had sleeves and no butt bows which I think is a first in recorded history (not true I kid! - the dresses Nancy had for her wedding were nice, too). The gents wore tuxes, but the sharpest dressed there was Lachelle, who was one of Alan's groomspersons. Somebody better post pics!
I was amused by how many people greeted me with "oh, yeah! The skydiver!" when I introduced myself as Alan's friend. I was totally flattered, however, by the people who knew me from reading my blog (hi, Mikey!).
The food was tasty and the Guinness was cold and I got to exchange maybe 4 words with Helly. I feel really bad I didn't stay longer, but then again I'm happy I made the effort to go. It would have been easy to make an "I'm too busy" excuse. As Alan pointed out, Alan, Mark (and Nancy), and I made it to each other's weddings. "The circle is complete".
Congratulations many times over, Alan and Helly. I will do my best to get back over there soon so I can spend some real time with my old (and new) friends.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Letter to Brenden Month 11
You are almost a year old and you have done more leaping development in the last month. You walk just fine now - you rarely fall down unless you come across an uneven surface. When we were at your grandparents' place we really enjoyed watching you navigate over the threshold of a door (very carefully). Ilu is highly impressed that you don't want to hold someone's hand while you walk.
You can do some limited sorting - you can put a round toy into a round hole - you can't handle anything with corners yet. I get thrilled though when I demonstrate something to you and you try to do it - this mostly concerns putting something into something else. You also like to play with my hairbrush and try to brush my hair, or yours, or the cat's. Sometimes you like to try to put the hairbrush in my mouth or in the cat's butt. Fortunately you haven't succeeded on either count.
Your love of water amuses us all. I can let you play in the bathtub forever and you would stay. I wish the pool were warmer. I am going to get you a kiddie pool for your birthday.
You like to clap your hands and shake your head. When you first shook your head, your dad and I were a little freaked until I read that kids just like to do that because it feels neat. I would write about something else you do that feels neat when I change your diaper but I don't want to duly embarrass you when you finally get old enough to read this. You clap your hands because of that freakin' Baby Tad sing-along doll that sings "when you're happy and you know it clap your hands..."
You don't really say anything resembling english yet, although sometimes you will repeat 'mama' or 'dada' if we say it first.
Oh, yeah. You are ticklish. You poor child! Don't tell anybody.
You can do some limited sorting - you can put a round toy into a round hole - you can't handle anything with corners yet. I get thrilled though when I demonstrate something to you and you try to do it - this mostly concerns putting something into something else. You also like to play with my hairbrush and try to brush my hair, or yours, or the cat's. Sometimes you like to try to put the hairbrush in my mouth or in the cat's butt. Fortunately you haven't succeeded on either count.
Your love of water amuses us all. I can let you play in the bathtub forever and you would stay. I wish the pool were warmer. I am going to get you a kiddie pool for your birthday.
You like to clap your hands and shake your head. When you first shook your head, your dad and I were a little freaked until I read that kids just like to do that because it feels neat. I would write about something else you do that feels neat when I change your diaper but I don't want to duly embarrass you when you finally get old enough to read this. You clap your hands because of that freakin' Baby Tad sing-along doll that sings "when you're happy and you know it clap your hands..."
You don't really say anything resembling english yet, although sometimes you will repeat 'mama' or 'dada' if we say it first.
Oh, yeah. You are ticklish. You poor child! Don't tell anybody.
My Family
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday Bill Paxton,
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday Bill Paxton,
Happy birthday to you!
Monday, May 15, 2006
Waiting for Breakfast
We're back from Oklahoma, where I had no internet access and watched far less TV than I normally do. We were going to take the Cessna, but bad weather forced us to drive. It's a ten-hour trip and Brenden was surprisingly good. He fussed some but he had no breakdowns.
Dad and Ilu's place is pretty much finished except some work in the kitchen. It is gorgeous, and the best part of the trip for me was sitting on the porch in the back yard and listening to the birds twitter. It was cold, which was a surprise.
Brenden had a great time when he discovered the dog's water bowl. He loved splashing it all over the place. When he got wet, I would strip him down to nothing and keep filling the bowl for him to splash. He actually tried to sit in it which promted us to buy him a little kiddie pool. The kid is part polar bear, I swear! He sat in that damn thing until he shivered but he loved being in the water. I'm thinking of buying him a little pool here for when I don't want to get wet.
Jon and I took dad's 4-wheelers up the side of a mountain (what passes for a mountain in Oklahoma that is). Scary but fun! I have to thank Dad and Ileana both for putting up with us, as well as Brenden's 2am crying sessions.
I owe a letter to Brenden, which I shall get to soon. I have a busy catch-up week.
Dad and Ilu's place is pretty much finished except some work in the kitchen. It is gorgeous, and the best part of the trip for me was sitting on the porch in the back yard and listening to the birds twitter. It was cold, which was a surprise.
Brenden had a great time when he discovered the dog's water bowl. He loved splashing it all over the place. When he got wet, I would strip him down to nothing and keep filling the bowl for him to splash. He actually tried to sit in it which promted us to buy him a little kiddie pool. The kid is part polar bear, I swear! He sat in that damn thing until he shivered but he loved being in the water. I'm thinking of buying him a little pool here for when I don't want to get wet.
Jon and I took dad's 4-wheelers up the side of a mountain (what passes for a mountain in Oklahoma that is). Scary but fun! I have to thank Dad and Ileana both for putting up with us, as well as Brenden's 2am crying sessions.
I owe a letter to Brenden, which I shall get to soon. I have a busy catch-up week.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Best Friends
Just a quick note - B, Jon and I are heading to Oklahoma for vacation for the next week. I'll be sure to take lots of bad photos!
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Random Non-sequitur Photo
The Revenge of the Sinus Infection
I wrote a few months back about having a bad sinus infection. It has not cleared up all the way, and I wonder how long I have actually had it. I'm beginning to think I have had sinus problems since before Brenden was born.
Why? Because I finally talked to a doctor about it yesterday, when I went in about my sinuses again. Apparently a symptom for a chronic infection is a loss of a sense of smell. I told my doctor that my ability to smell has become completely null, and I know this because I can put my nose in close proximity to one of Brenden's messier diapers and can't get even a faint whiff. In the meantime my husband, who is in the other room, is making gagging noises from the odor.
If I had to lose one of my five senses, smell would be my choice but I sure do miss it. Is there anything better than the smell of fresh garlic and onions being sauteed in olive oil? And many women have come up to Brenden and just stuck their noses in his hair, breathed deeply, and sighed: "I just love the way babies smell!"
I wouldn't know, I have never smelled him.
I can't smell cut grass, the cat's fur, or a burning candle. I can't smell anything I'm cooking, and that means I can't really taste it either. Of all things it makes me feel lonely.
So self-pity aside, I honestly thought I was losing my ability to smell because of my age. Now it looks like it is the infection, which means there's a cure (hooray!). The doctor prescribed me a more aggressive antibiotic treatment, along with a gentle decongestand, an orally ingested steroid (Prednisone, natch) and Rhiniocort, a corticosteroid. The latter I'm already taking (in the form of Nasonex). He said if it doesn't clear up this time he's going to refer me to a specialist.
The good news is this morning, I got into my car and realized it smelled like cold Burger King onion rings (Why? I don't eat those). I got to work, made a cup of coffee, and remembered how atrocious the coffee is at work because it smells like burnt ass. I put some Tropical Coconut lotion on my hands and I can smell it!
I'm already planning to cook something for dinner that requires me to saute garlic and onions, and I'm really looking forward to smelling Brenden. Even if his diaper is dirty.
I wrote a few months back about having a bad sinus infection. It has not cleared up all the way, and I wonder how long I have actually had it. I'm beginning to think I have had sinus problems since before Brenden was born.
Why? Because I finally talked to a doctor about it yesterday, when I went in about my sinuses again. Apparently a symptom for a chronic infection is a loss of a sense of smell. I told my doctor that my ability to smell has become completely null, and I know this because I can put my nose in close proximity to one of Brenden's messier diapers and can't get even a faint whiff. In the meantime my husband, who is in the other room, is making gagging noises from the odor.
If I had to lose one of my five senses, smell would be my choice but I sure do miss it. Is there anything better than the smell of fresh garlic and onions being sauteed in olive oil? And many women have come up to Brenden and just stuck their noses in his hair, breathed deeply, and sighed: "I just love the way babies smell!"
I wouldn't know, I have never smelled him.
I can't smell cut grass, the cat's fur, or a burning candle. I can't smell anything I'm cooking, and that means I can't really taste it either. Of all things it makes me feel lonely.
So self-pity aside, I honestly thought I was losing my ability to smell because of my age. Now it looks like it is the infection, which means there's a cure (hooray!). The doctor prescribed me a more aggressive antibiotic treatment, along with a gentle decongestand, an orally ingested steroid (Prednisone, natch) and Rhiniocort, a corticosteroid. The latter I'm already taking (in the form of Nasonex). He said if it doesn't clear up this time he's going to refer me to a specialist.
The good news is this morning, I got into my car and realized it smelled like cold Burger King onion rings (Why? I don't eat those). I got to work, made a cup of coffee, and remembered how atrocious the coffee is at work because it smells like burnt ass. I put some Tropical Coconut lotion on my hands and I can smell it!
I'm already planning to cook something for dinner that requires me to saute garlic and onions, and I'm really looking forward to smelling Brenden. Even if his diaper is dirty.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Nothing to do with Monkey-Boy
This post has nothing to do with Brenden. I've written almost exclusively about my son since he was born, and then there were those 9 months that I was pregnant. I think it's time I diversify.
Here's my review of An Unfinished Life. Every once in a while the Cinemablend review staff will have screeners available for review. I always volunteer for screeners - free movies! Plus you never know you might get something good. Like a copy of a movie with your favorite redhead.
Except for one offhand comment about his royal hotness, I didn't make much mention of his role in the movie. It was a small role, and he played an abusive piece of white trash. I was happy when Robert Redford kicked him in the nuts, and I was kind of hoping the bear would come along and eat him. Still, it was nice to see him in a relatively new movie.
My viewing habits are shifting towards tv shows lately. Since Battlestar Galactica won't be back with new shows until November, the Sci-Fi channel is showing Doctor Who in its place. I haven't watched the show since the Tom Baker / Peter Davison days. Thanks to CGI and a bit better budget, this time around the good doctor's special effects are a whole new class of cheese. I'm sorry Chris Eccleston only played the Doctor for one season, because he did a super job. He brings the doctor's cheerfulness to the right pitch - just a tad on the manic side.
We finally broke down and are now subscribing to HBO simply because I didn't want to wait two frackin' years for the last season of The Sopranos to come out on DVD. I still don't like anyone on the show, well not totally, but anything mob-related is like catnip to me.
The good thing about this show is that the mob guys are such evil idiots. Unfortunately just about everyone else (FBI, non-mob bystanders, Tony's family) are idiots as well.
We're still watching 24 even though it went way beyond silly a long time ago. I accept it for what it is and it's an enjoyable way to spend a Monday. I applaud Fox for deciding to run the show on uniterrupted consecutive weeks. Now if only the folks responsible for Lost would do the same.
This season I'm suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because every character I ever liked (except 2) has been killed off. Everyone has Dead Pools, and it's not a matter of who will die, it's how soon.
And then of course there's American Idol. The great fun of the evening is trying to guess how drunk/stoned Paula Abdul is. It's fun to make snarky comments about the contestants but sometimes getting through the show can be a real chore. Thank goodness for my TiVo remote.
Television Without Pity recaps AI and the poor bastard that has to write those recaps must be suffering from brain damage. His recaps have an almost hallucinatory, stream-of-conciousness quality to them. I was dismayed when I learned that he was to start covering Battlestar Galactica but he's doing a terrific job. He loves that show, and he's actually a quite passionate, articulate writer. I highly recommend his BG recaps.
So we have learned:
Battlestar Galactica: Quality, compelling television!
American Idol: Destroys brain cells!
24: If you don't watch, Jack Bauer will shoot your WIFE!
Here's my review of An Unfinished Life. Every once in a while the Cinemablend review staff will have screeners available for review. I always volunteer for screeners - free movies! Plus you never know you might get something good. Like a copy of a movie with your favorite redhead.
Except for one offhand comment about his royal hotness, I didn't make much mention of his role in the movie. It was a small role, and he played an abusive piece of white trash. I was happy when Robert Redford kicked him in the nuts, and I was kind of hoping the bear would come along and eat him. Still, it was nice to see him in a relatively new movie.
My viewing habits are shifting towards tv shows lately. Since Battlestar Galactica won't be back with new shows until November, the Sci-Fi channel is showing Doctor Who in its place. I haven't watched the show since the Tom Baker / Peter Davison days. Thanks to CGI and a bit better budget, this time around the good doctor's special effects are a whole new class of cheese. I'm sorry Chris Eccleston only played the Doctor for one season, because he did a super job. He brings the doctor's cheerfulness to the right pitch - just a tad on the manic side.
We finally broke down and are now subscribing to HBO simply because I didn't want to wait two frackin' years for the last season of The Sopranos to come out on DVD. I still don't like anyone on the show, well not totally, but anything mob-related is like catnip to me.
The good thing about this show is that the mob guys are such evil idiots. Unfortunately just about everyone else (FBI, non-mob bystanders, Tony's family) are idiots as well.
We're still watching 24 even though it went way beyond silly a long time ago. I accept it for what it is and it's an enjoyable way to spend a Monday. I applaud Fox for deciding to run the show on uniterrupted consecutive weeks. Now if only the folks responsible for Lost would do the same.
This season I'm suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because every character I ever liked (except 2) has been killed off. Everyone has Dead Pools, and it's not a matter of who will die, it's how soon.
And then of course there's American Idol. The great fun of the evening is trying to guess how drunk/stoned Paula Abdul is. It's fun to make snarky comments about the contestants but sometimes getting through the show can be a real chore. Thank goodness for my TiVo remote.
Television Without Pity recaps AI and the poor bastard that has to write those recaps must be suffering from brain damage. His recaps have an almost hallucinatory, stream-of-conciousness quality to them. I was dismayed when I learned that he was to start covering Battlestar Galactica but he's doing a terrific job. He loves that show, and he's actually a quite passionate, articulate writer. I highly recommend his BG recaps.
So we have learned:
Battlestar Galactica: Quality, compelling television!
American Idol: Destroys brain cells!
24: If you don't watch, Jack Bauer will shoot your WIFE!
Monday, April 24, 2006
Walking
Brenden and I had our first (of many to come, I am sure) War of the Wills this weekend. He's just tall enough to reach a knob on our stereo receiver. Instead of putting it higher to where he can't reach it, I decided to try to instill some discipline. I kept saying "no", moving him away, and trying to distract him, but he would inevitably walk/crawl right back and start fiddling again. It got to the point where I would stand in front of the receiver and then he would bitch at me while trying to push me out of the way.
Eventually, and I mean some times it took 5 minutes or longer, he would go find something else to do. But he would try again later on and the whole process would be repeated. Finally around 7 last night he did it again, and I said "you know what, Brenden? I don't care. Have fun."
He fiddled, looked at me, fiddled, looked at me, fiddled, then he lost interest and walked away. That whole sequence took less than 30 seconds. Sheesh, kid!
We are going outside in the back yard more. I am letting him go wherever he wants as he is showing less inclination at shoving strange things in his mouth. Matter of fact the only thing I removed from his mouth this time was a rock. After playing in the grass for a while he decided to investigate the pool. I had a grip on the back of his shirt - I figured if he lost his balance I could keep him from falling in.
What I was not prepared for was his attempt to do a gainer right into the pool. He got halfway in before I got my other arm under him and pulled him out. He was too shocked to cry, plus he was busy coughing up that water he tried to breathe. He cried some but no hysterics. I got him dried off and changed with little fuss. On one hand it was pretty funny - you should have seen that look on his face! I think he thinks it's one big bathtub.
On the other hand, if he ever gets outside without me knowing it, he will most likely head straight for the pool and fall in. That's a sobering thought. I'm going to buy a door alarm plus some better latches for the screen door. Damn, I better lo-jack Brenden while I'm at it.
Eventually, and I mean some times it took 5 minutes or longer, he would go find something else to do. But he would try again later on and the whole process would be repeated. Finally around 7 last night he did it again, and I said "you know what, Brenden? I don't care. Have fun."
He fiddled, looked at me, fiddled, looked at me, fiddled, then he lost interest and walked away. That whole sequence took less than 30 seconds. Sheesh, kid!
We are going outside in the back yard more. I am letting him go wherever he wants as he is showing less inclination at shoving strange things in his mouth. Matter of fact the only thing I removed from his mouth this time was a rock. After playing in the grass for a while he decided to investigate the pool. I had a grip on the back of his shirt - I figured if he lost his balance I could keep him from falling in.
What I was not prepared for was his attempt to do a gainer right into the pool. He got halfway in before I got my other arm under him and pulled him out. He was too shocked to cry, plus he was busy coughing up that water he tried to breathe. He cried some but no hysterics. I got him dried off and changed with little fuss. On one hand it was pretty funny - you should have seen that look on his face! I think he thinks it's one big bathtub.
On the other hand, if he ever gets outside without me knowing it, he will most likely head straight for the pool and fall in. That's a sobering thought. I'm going to buy a door alarm plus some better latches for the screen door. Damn, I better lo-jack Brenden while I'm at it.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
The Pool is Open!
I found a nifty floatie for B at Target yesterday. It was warm enough to try out. It's still a mite chilly but we had fun.
Brenden's bipedal skills have sharpened immensely since he took his first steps. If you are so inclined (or just bored) you can take a look at some of them here.
Brenden's bipedal skills have sharpened immensely since he took his first steps. If you are so inclined (or just bored) you can take a look at some of them here.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Mowing the Cat
I'm sorry this pic isn't centered very well. I bought Brenden a push toy for a walker and he has fun with it. He tends to push it until he hits something, then he bitches and keeps pushing until I help him turn it. Stubborn lad.
I wish I could remember what blog I read that linked to this song. I spent the weekend singing it to Brenden and using the cats as unwilling demonstation subjects. It is stuck in my head, of course.
Brenden is trying to walk! He will let go of the furniture and take 3 - 5 steps and fall down. It was a fun weekend.
I wish I could remember what blog I read that linked to this song. I spent the weekend singing it to Brenden and using the cats as unwilling demonstation subjects. It is stuck in my head, of course.
Brenden is trying to walk! He will let go of the furniture and take 3 - 5 steps and fall down. It was a fun weekend.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
BSG Voting Slip
Sweet animal crackers, Lileks has outdone himself this time. And the great thing about it none of his commentary makes it funnier. The ad just speaks volumes for itself.
I know I haven't made any comments about season 2b of Battlestar Galactica. It was damn good, with the cliffhanger from season 2a resolved rather dramatically.
Things we learned in 2b:
1)Being a Pegasus officer is a form of suicide. Hopefully not for Commander Adama, who is now in charge. No, not Bill Adama, who is Admiral Adama now. Lee Adama is the Head Cheese. Him and his new squeeze Dualla.
2)Starbuck goes back to Caprica and rescues Anders. They're married!
3)Boomer 1.0 (the one who shot Adama) and the Model Six who seduced Gaius way back in the miniseries both have been downloaded into new bodies and thanks to their contact with humanity, think the Cylons made a big mistake in destroying humanity and are trying to change things in Cylon society.
4)2 episodes dealt with the squicky subject of Ab0rt*0n. I applaud the writers for not siding with either side of the issue, but merely using it to point out how politicians use the subject to manipulate voters.
5)Speaking of politicians, Baltar is now president of the Colonies. Laura is now a schoolteacher again. Baltar sucks as a president, which shouldn't surprise anyone.
6)Speaking of Laura, she is cured of her incurable cancer. It really doesn't matter how; like many fans I really didn't care all I know is she didn't die. Yet.
7)Speaking of dying, Boomer 2.0 and Helo's daughter was born premature. Roslin decided it would be a big mistake to let a Cylon raise the cybrid so they stole the baby and told Boomer her kid was dead. That's not going to end well.
8)Speaking of ending well, the fleet found a hospitable planet and everybody but a skeleton crew(s) are living there.
9)The Cylons find it too.
10)Because of Boomer 1.0 and Caprica Six, the Cylons don't blow the little colony to smithereens; instead they are keeping it like a little people zoo. I think that's called a 'reservation'. Or maybe a 'concentration camp'.
11) The latest cylon model looks suspiciously like Al from Quantum Leap.
I know I haven't made any comments about season 2b of Battlestar Galactica. It was damn good, with the cliffhanger from season 2a resolved rather dramatically.
Things we learned in 2b:
1)Being a Pegasus officer is a form of suicide. Hopefully not for Commander Adama, who is now in charge. No, not Bill Adama, who is Admiral Adama now. Lee Adama is the Head Cheese. Him and his new squeeze Dualla.
2)Starbuck goes back to Caprica and rescues Anders. They're married!
3)Boomer 1.0 (the one who shot Adama) and the Model Six who seduced Gaius way back in the miniseries both have been downloaded into new bodies and thanks to their contact with humanity, think the Cylons made a big mistake in destroying humanity and are trying to change things in Cylon society.
4)2 episodes dealt with the squicky subject of Ab0rt*0n. I applaud the writers for not siding with either side of the issue, but merely using it to point out how politicians use the subject to manipulate voters.
5)Speaking of politicians, Baltar is now president of the Colonies. Laura is now a schoolteacher again. Baltar sucks as a president, which shouldn't surprise anyone.
6)Speaking of Laura, she is cured of her incurable cancer. It really doesn't matter how; like many fans I really didn't care all I know is she didn't die. Yet.
7)Speaking of dying, Boomer 2.0 and Helo's daughter was born premature. Roslin decided it would be a big mistake to let a Cylon raise the cybrid so they stole the baby and told Boomer her kid was dead. That's not going to end well.
8)Speaking of ending well, the fleet found a hospitable planet and everybody but a skeleton crew(s) are living there.
9)The Cylons find it too.
10)Because of Boomer 1.0 and Caprica Six, the Cylons don't blow the little colony to smithereens; instead they are keeping it like a little people zoo. I think that's called a 'reservation'. Or maybe a 'concentration camp'.
11) The latest cylon model looks suspiciously like Al from Quantum Leap.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
I want to bang on the drum all day
I wish I had taken a 'before' photo of the pool because it's starting to look really good. It's a balmy 70 degrees right now so I'm not going to do any swimming yet.
The pool pump had problems over the weekend - just a wiring problem that Jon fixed yesterday - but I went out to look at it on Sunday but instead of trying to fix the pump I decided to commit genocide on a colony of ants who had taken up residence near the pump. Despite the high-powered hose those bastards came back. Jon dug them up and added gasoline on Monday. I wonder if they got the message?
If you look closely at this picture you might see a light blue easter bunny. Dad and Ileana stopped by on their way back to Oklahoma and they brought this toy. If you press it's foot it starts singing 'Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail, hippity hoppity Easter's on it's way...."
Brenden of course gets a big kick out of it and tries to attack it whenever I start the song playing.
And by attack I mean he gets a big smile on his face and lunges at the bunny and starts mouthing its face and drooling on it. It took me a while to understand his behavior.
It occured to me on Sunday. What do I do when I'm playing with him? I'll play, then all of a sudden I'll be overwhelmed with mommy hormones and I'll smile, sweep him up in a big hug, and plant kisses all over his face.
Brenden is merely imitating me. Except I don't drool. Much.
The pool pump had problems over the weekend - just a wiring problem that Jon fixed yesterday - but I went out to look at it on Sunday but instead of trying to fix the pump I decided to commit genocide on a colony of ants who had taken up residence near the pump. Despite the high-powered hose those bastards came back. Jon dug them up and added gasoline on Monday. I wonder if they got the message?
If you look closely at this picture you might see a light blue easter bunny. Dad and Ileana stopped by on their way back to Oklahoma and they brought this toy. If you press it's foot it starts singing 'Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail, hippity hoppity Easter's on it's way...."
Brenden of course gets a big kick out of it and tries to attack it whenever I start the song playing.
And by attack I mean he gets a big smile on his face and lunges at the bunny and starts mouthing its face and drooling on it. It took me a while to understand his behavior.
It occured to me on Sunday. What do I do when I'm playing with him? I'll play, then all of a sudden I'll be overwhelmed with mommy hormones and I'll smile, sweep him up in a big hug, and plant kisses all over his face.
Brenden is merely imitating me. Except I don't drool. Much.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Smiley
I hope your Friday wasn't as fun as ours. I had to leave work early to pick up B from daycare - all the schools were letting our early because of the impending weather.
It didn't really strike until about 9 pm, and from then until midnight, I spent the night glued to the T.V. watching the approaching line of storms. I also spent a good deal of that time in pants-wetting terror because the tornado sirens in town kept going off.
Look, if it was just me at home, I'd pop a beer and find a baseball game to watch. But I had my 10-month old snoring in my arms, and I kept wondering what the hell I would do if a tornado did hit?
Of course I was ready to go into the hallway with something heavy to cover us, but what if something happened to me? Would the rescue people find Brenden before he got hurt? What if he did get hurt but I was unconcious or dead?
Bleah.
It didn't really strike until about 9 pm, and from then until midnight, I spent the night glued to the T.V. watching the approaching line of storms. I also spent a good deal of that time in pants-wetting terror because the tornado sirens in town kept going off.
Look, if it was just me at home, I'd pop a beer and find a baseball game to watch. But I had my 10-month old snoring in my arms, and I kept wondering what the hell I would do if a tornado did hit?
Of course I was ready to go into the hallway with something heavy to cover us, but what if something happened to me? Would the rescue people find Brenden before he got hurt? What if he did get hurt but I was unconcious or dead?
Bleah.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Brenden at the DZ
If it's April it must be time to start working on the pool!
Halfway through March the pool looked pretty decent, with just a thick layer of leaves on the bottom to mar its perfection. I spent a warm afternoon fishing out a bagful of leaves around that time. Not a week later, the weather warmed considerably and the algae bloomed. My beautiful pool turned into a swamp. I should have bought the requisite chemicals right then, but yo soy la slacker so I didn't get around to that until this weekend.
So the algae is dead and the pool is nominally blue but the bottom is now covered with a thick ooze. I turned on the pump to 'waste' and started vacuuming the bottom. When the pump is on waste it just sucks up the water and spits it out with no filtering. If I tried to filter and recirculate, I'd have to shut the pump off and backwash to clear the filter every 5 seconds. As it was the pump was spewing nasty booger-green water. I have barely scratched the surface - I mean the bottom - but it will be a month at least before the pool temperature will be tolerable.
So far I have only worked on the pool if Jon was able to watch Brenden. I'm going to have another go at vacuuming this afternoon if weather permits so I'm going to bring his exersaucer out so I can keep an eye one him. An exersaucer is kind of difficult to describe. He can sit upright in it, turn around, and it has a lot of little squeeky / rattle toys on it that he can play with. One thing he can't do is move it around but just to be safe I think I'll tie it to the patio furniture so that he can't bounce it into the pool.
Speaking of El Jefe:
Holy crapoly, you're 10 months old! And you're sick again! Will you stop it? If you get sick I get sick! And this time instead of a cold followed by a sinus infection, I have a cold with a sinus infection!
Ah, guilt from mommy. I'm starting early, aren't I? It's a good thing you can't read yet.
So what's new with you? Not much to be honest. I don't really feed you baby food anymore - just the fruit. You are refining your grip so that you don't sqish peas too hard any more. Green beans seem to work better, and you just dig the hell out of goldfish crackers. You like scrambled eggs which is a great quick protein fix. Last night you ate scrambled eggs and peas, most of which you fed yourself. I'm truly sorry that the pool isn't clean yet because you were a mess! It would have been so easy just to grab your ankles and dunk you a couple of times after that.
I'm joking, honey. Partways. But it's cool that you can feed yourself so well.
Your new daycare provider has proven to be a mixed blessing. She opens late and closes early, which means your dad and I have split taking you and retrieving you. I mean mixed because your dad is taking care of you more and just like everything else he attempts he does it well! Sonya took an entire week off for Spring Break and you and dad had a great time!
Our favorite game is 'pass the toys' - I hold out a toy, if it's an animal I make the appropriate animal noises (you have an awful lot of ducks, hon. What's up with that?). You grab it out of my hand and stuff it in your mouth. I move onto another toy and we repeat. You are obsessed with you 'Baby Tad' singing frog - you push a button on his belly and he rewards you with a song. At that point you tackle the frog and start chewing on his lips.
But your favorite toy of all time is the TiVo remote. It's the one remote in the house that rewards you with noises when you press buttons. If I let you play with it all I hear is "kerPLIK kerPLIK BONK BONK BONK bing bing bink plikplikplikplikplikplik BONK BONK BONK" for hours on end. Last night I was just trying to change the freakin' channel to watch American Idol and you started crying hysterically, trying to grab the remote out of my hand. I finally dug through the TiVo menus and found the setting that turns off the TiVo sounds. You're going to hate me forever now, aren't you?
Halfway through March the pool looked pretty decent, with just a thick layer of leaves on the bottom to mar its perfection. I spent a warm afternoon fishing out a bagful of leaves around that time. Not a week later, the weather warmed considerably and the algae bloomed. My beautiful pool turned into a swamp. I should have bought the requisite chemicals right then, but yo soy la slacker so I didn't get around to that until this weekend.
So the algae is dead and the pool is nominally blue but the bottom is now covered with a thick ooze. I turned on the pump to 'waste' and started vacuuming the bottom. When the pump is on waste it just sucks up the water and spits it out with no filtering. If I tried to filter and recirculate, I'd have to shut the pump off and backwash to clear the filter every 5 seconds. As it was the pump was spewing nasty booger-green water. I have barely scratched the surface - I mean the bottom - but it will be a month at least before the pool temperature will be tolerable.
So far I have only worked on the pool if Jon was able to watch Brenden. I'm going to have another go at vacuuming this afternoon if weather permits so I'm going to bring his exersaucer out so I can keep an eye one him. An exersaucer is kind of difficult to describe. He can sit upright in it, turn around, and it has a lot of little squeeky / rattle toys on it that he can play with. One thing he can't do is move it around but just to be safe I think I'll tie it to the patio furniture so that he can't bounce it into the pool.
Speaking of El Jefe:
Letter to Brenden Month 10
Holy crapoly, you're 10 months old! And you're sick again! Will you stop it? If you get sick I get sick! And this time instead of a cold followed by a sinus infection, I have a cold with a sinus infection!
Ah, guilt from mommy. I'm starting early, aren't I? It's a good thing you can't read yet.
So what's new with you? Not much to be honest. I don't really feed you baby food anymore - just the fruit. You are refining your grip so that you don't sqish peas too hard any more. Green beans seem to work better, and you just dig the hell out of goldfish crackers. You like scrambled eggs which is a great quick protein fix. Last night you ate scrambled eggs and peas, most of which you fed yourself. I'm truly sorry that the pool isn't clean yet because you were a mess! It would have been so easy just to grab your ankles and dunk you a couple of times after that.
I'm joking, honey. Partways. But it's cool that you can feed yourself so well.
Your new daycare provider has proven to be a mixed blessing. She opens late and closes early, which means your dad and I have split taking you and retrieving you. I mean mixed because your dad is taking care of you more and just like everything else he attempts he does it well! Sonya took an entire week off for Spring Break and you and dad had a great time!
Our favorite game is 'pass the toys' - I hold out a toy, if it's an animal I make the appropriate animal noises (you have an awful lot of ducks, hon. What's up with that?). You grab it out of my hand and stuff it in your mouth. I move onto another toy and we repeat. You are obsessed with you 'Baby Tad' singing frog - you push a button on his belly and he rewards you with a song. At that point you tackle the frog and start chewing on his lips.
But your favorite toy of all time is the TiVo remote. It's the one remote in the house that rewards you with noises when you press buttons. If I let you play with it all I hear is "kerPLIK kerPLIK BONK BONK BONK bing bing bink plikplikplikplikplikplik BONK BONK BONK" for hours on end. Last night I was just trying to change the freakin' channel to watch American Idol and you started crying hysterically, trying to grab the remote out of my hand. I finally dug through the TiVo menus and found the setting that turns off the TiVo sounds. You're going to hate me forever now, aren't you?
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Cousins and Uncles
Holy Crap but my last post was lame! Tedious, boring, dull dull dull!
Let me tell you what the Maynard household was like last night. I'm driving home from work, and as I'm about to turn off into our subdivision, I get a text message from Jon: "BRING BEER". So I turn around and head towards Decatur.
Just inside the city limit is a classic gas station/liquor store combination. As I'm paying for my 12-pack of Michelob Light, the owner of the store gives me a free beer. It's a Budweiser Select in one of those aluminum bottles. I guess they aren't selling very well if they have to give them away, but hey a free beer is a free beer.
I get home and I'm greeted by the wail of a 9-month old and the anguished look of a frazzled father. Brenden needed a hug, a bottle, and a diaper change. Then I fed him dinner which consisted of diced chicken (thighs are the best - more flavor plus they don't taste like pencil shavings if you overcook them) and green beans plus the occasional goldfish cracker. I help him eat, as well as chase the cats off (they are eyeing his diced chicken) while I work on my aluminum beer.
Once he's happy (and I'm working on a Michelob), I wash out the aluminum bottle and give it to Brenden. He is absolutely thrilled as he cruises around the room and bonks objects with his new bottle. I have noticed (as many parents have before me) that a child's interest in a toy is inversely proportional to the amount of money spent on it.
Let me tell you what the Maynard household was like last night. I'm driving home from work, and as I'm about to turn off into our subdivision, I get a text message from Jon: "BRING BEER". So I turn around and head towards Decatur.
Just inside the city limit is a classic gas station/liquor store combination. As I'm paying for my 12-pack of Michelob Light, the owner of the store gives me a free beer. It's a Budweiser Select in one of those aluminum bottles. I guess they aren't selling very well if they have to give them away, but hey a free beer is a free beer.
I get home and I'm greeted by the wail of a 9-month old and the anguished look of a frazzled father. Brenden needed a hug, a bottle, and a diaper change. Then I fed him dinner which consisted of diced chicken (thighs are the best - more flavor plus they don't taste like pencil shavings if you overcook them) and green beans plus the occasional goldfish cracker. I help him eat, as well as chase the cats off (they are eyeing his diced chicken) while I work on my aluminum beer.
Once he's happy (and I'm working on a Michelob), I wash out the aluminum bottle and give it to Brenden. He is absolutely thrilled as he cruises around the room and bonks objects with his new bottle. I have noticed (as many parents have before me) that a child's interest in a toy is inversely proportional to the amount of money spent on it.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Dad & Son
Letter to Brenden Month 9
So I'm only 3 weeks late. It's been a hectic Month! This one is going to be short, too.
Brenden, honey - you are still developing at a rapid pace. We have pretty much stopped feeding you baby food, except for some of the fruits. When I change your diapers, you vaccilate between fighting like mad with me and laying still, all happy, with your legs up in the air.
You are cruising pretty well. You can almost make a full circuit of the living room by holding onto things. Matter of fact, you are starting to get bored with just the living room. I hope it turns warm pretty soon, so I can spend some of our weekend afternoons keeping you from eating bugs outside.
Most of all I love how you are starting to sleep through the night. You wake me up occasionally with a 'WHAAA!' but you settle back down pretty fast.
You are so huggable, hon. Don't grow up too fast, ok?
So I'm only 3 weeks late. It's been a hectic Month! This one is going to be short, too.
Brenden, honey - you are still developing at a rapid pace. We have pretty much stopped feeding you baby food, except for some of the fruits. When I change your diapers, you vaccilate between fighting like mad with me and laying still, all happy, with your legs up in the air.
You are cruising pretty well. You can almost make a full circuit of the living room by holding onto things. Matter of fact, you are starting to get bored with just the living room. I hope it turns warm pretty soon, so I can spend some of our weekend afternoons keeping you from eating bugs outside.
Most of all I love how you are starting to sleep through the night. You wake me up occasionally with a 'WHAAA!' but you settle back down pretty fast.
You are so huggable, hon. Don't grow up too fast, ok?
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Happy
Cutting my teeth on bars
And rusty chains, I’m gonna break my
Rusty cage and run
Now lets see how many hits I get because of Soundgarden. Anyway, here's a pic of el jefe when he was in the hospital earlier this month. As you can see his disposition was unaffected.
Here are my reviews I haven't linked to:
Corpse Bride
Class of 1984
Pulse
Pride & Prejudice
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Some of the grammar and syntax errors really make me cringe. I have been in a hurry lately, as is the editing staff (they are overworked, I am running after my kid).
I am reviewing Everything is Illuminated next - all I know about it is a hobbit stars and that creepy guy from Phantoms directed it.
And rusty chains, I’m gonna break my
Rusty cage and run
Now lets see how many hits I get because of Soundgarden. Anyway, here's a pic of el jefe when he was in the hospital earlier this month. As you can see his disposition was unaffected.
Here are my reviews I haven't linked to:
Corpse Bride
Class of 1984
Pulse
Pride & Prejudice
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Some of the grammar and syntax errors really make me cringe. I have been in a hurry lately, as is the editing staff (they are overworked, I am running after my kid).
I am reviewing Everything is Illuminated next - all I know about it is a hobbit stars and that creepy guy from Phantoms directed it.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Ed's Tag
I truly need to start posting more. I have kept writing reviews for Cinemablend but I have been too lazy to post links. I shall do that shortly.
My brother has finally unloaded his Atlanta house and will be moving up to Andover, Massachusetts at the end of this month. That sucks, the skydiving is much better in this part of the country! I wish him and his wife, Jen, well in the People's Republic of Taxachusetts.
Alabamastan is a much better place to live! Unless you want a beer or a sex toy.
And now for a slightly melancholic moment and brief movie review:
When Johnny Cash died I recall making the comment that he must not have wanted to keep fighting because his wife had died. That was just a romantic notion on my part; I knew just enough about Johnny and June to know their romance was legendary.
I finally saw Walk the Line last week and I now wonder if my comment wasn't more true than I believed. If you go by the movie, Johnny Cash was a weak man who just desintigrated when his first marriage went to hell. The pills didn't help either.
I saw Ray and a lot of people have commented on the similarities to the story. The biggest difference of course was that Ray Charles had a very tough streak in him and that's what pulled him through his problems.
If Walk the Line told the truth, if June Carter (and her family) hadn't helped Johnny Cash, we would have lost that legend a *lot* earlier than we did.
The thing I admire most about Ray Charles is his strength. The thing I admire most about Johnny Cash is June Carter Cash. No wonder he passed away only four months after she did.
I can't watch Cash's video for his cover of 'Hurt' without bursting into tears.
My brother has finally unloaded his Atlanta house and will be moving up to Andover, Massachusetts at the end of this month. That sucks, the skydiving is much better in this part of the country! I wish him and his wife, Jen, well in the People's Republic of Taxachusetts.
Alabamastan is a much better place to live! Unless you want a beer or a sex toy.
And now for a slightly melancholic moment and brief movie review:
When Johnny Cash died I recall making the comment that he must not have wanted to keep fighting because his wife had died. That was just a romantic notion on my part; I knew just enough about Johnny and June to know their romance was legendary.
I finally saw Walk the Line last week and I now wonder if my comment wasn't more true than I believed. If you go by the movie, Johnny Cash was a weak man who just desintigrated when his first marriage went to hell. The pills didn't help either.
I saw Ray and a lot of people have commented on the similarities to the story. The biggest difference of course was that Ray Charles had a very tough streak in him and that's what pulled him through his problems.
If Walk the Line told the truth, if June Carter (and her family) hadn't helped Johnny Cash, we would have lost that legend a *lot* earlier than we did.
The thing I admire most about Ray Charles is his strength. The thing I admire most about Johnny Cash is June Carter Cash. No wonder he passed away only four months after she did.
I can't watch Cash's video for his cover of 'Hurt' without bursting into tears.
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