I watched "Lucky Number Sleven" as the family slept, and I probably should have just slept too. It's not that it wasn't a clever movie. Oh it was clever. And many strange characters running around. It was "wacky".
I think that I'm just exhausted with the double-triple-octuple-cross movie. They have such a familiar pattern: They give you everything in the first five minutes, then string you out for the rest of the movie by tactfully omitting key data from each scene until by the end, you say "oh, all those things related to that scene they showed me at the very beginning, so now it all makes sense".
Along the way, there's random violence, crazy throwaway lines, actors having fun in ridiculous outfits and overblown accents... And because we KNOW it's an octuple-cross movie, we're just waiting for the waiter who wandered into the scene randomly to hold the key to the mystery OR shoot someone.
Maybe I need to relax and enjoy things more... but I don't like being put in the position of thinking I need to outsmart a movie, and if I figure it out first, I win, otherwise the movie wins. Some people like Chris Nolan (The Prestige) make excellent puzzle movies, but the movie also has merit BEYOND the puzzle - it's the heart of the movie, not the spine. You can remove the mystery and still have a full structure to enjoy.
A movie like Sleven has the puzzle as it's skeleton, and once it's sussed, there's nothing holding the mass of skin and organs up and it's just a messy pile on the ground.
Not that I hated it... I just felt a bit tired of the whole scheme.
Night night!
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Oh accursed human frailty!
So nobody's sick, it's a beautiful day, we even got a half decent night's sleep. Things were shaping up to be a good day. We had such plans: Gardening, me going to exercise, a BBQ in the evening...
Bella started with a "hunger strike", which fortunately I knew what she was holding out for: A cream cheese bagel from Brueggers. So I packed the kids in the stroller and we headed off... and took the long route home so that Pamela would have time to have a leisurely shower unperturbed by her mini shadow (who likes to help pick out EVERYTHING for mommy, from makeup to underwear to shoes).
Upon our return, I saw Pamela holding an ice bag around her finger... uh oh...
Turns out that while enthusiastically tucking the sheets into Isaac's crib, she pushed just wrong on her fingertip, and tore the tendon clean off. So now the end of her her middle finger of her right hand dangles limply. Sadly, this exact injury happened to Pamela's dad just last year - another tucking incident.
We were on our way up to the Emergency room when a brainstorm hit: There's a big orthopedic specialty clinic just up the street, and recently they put a big sign on their building advertising "Acute Injury Clinic" - an orthopedic urgent care! I pulled over, dialed 411, and got connected. Yes, they deal with EXACTLY the sort of injury Pamela has.
We got to the clinic, and it took only 5 minutes to get in to see a doctor, who had the exact treatment ready... this will take 6 weeks to recover, but should NOT require any surgery. Her finger has a stylish temporary splint, and she'll get the custom molded one on Monday. We were back home in less than an hour and a half - about the amount of time it would have taken to get REGISTERED at a regular Emergency Department, in my experience.
So now, I missed my exercise classes... and I'm doing all of the gardening while Pamela directs the work. She's got the pain, but I'm doing the projects. I'm writing this from the basement where I'm hiding, pretending to "look for something". If you get this, PLEASE SEND HELP. There's only so much beer down here.
Bella started with a "hunger strike", which fortunately I knew what she was holding out for: A cream cheese bagel from Brueggers. So I packed the kids in the stroller and we headed off... and took the long route home so that Pamela would have time to have a leisurely shower unperturbed by her mini shadow (who likes to help pick out EVERYTHING for mommy, from makeup to underwear to shoes).
Upon our return, I saw Pamela holding an ice bag around her finger... uh oh...
Turns out that while enthusiastically tucking the sheets into Isaac's crib, she pushed just wrong on her fingertip, and tore the tendon clean off. So now the end of her her middle finger of her right hand dangles limply. Sadly, this exact injury happened to Pamela's dad just last year - another tucking incident.
We were on our way up to the Emergency room when a brainstorm hit: There's a big orthopedic specialty clinic just up the street, and recently they put a big sign on their building advertising "Acute Injury Clinic" - an orthopedic urgent care! I pulled over, dialed 411, and got connected. Yes, they deal with EXACTLY the sort of injury Pamela has.
We got to the clinic, and it took only 5 minutes to get in to see a doctor, who had the exact treatment ready... this will take 6 weeks to recover, but should NOT require any surgery. Her finger has a stylish temporary splint, and she'll get the custom molded one on Monday. We were back home in less than an hour and a half - about the amount of time it would have taken to get REGISTERED at a regular Emergency Department, in my experience.
So now, I missed my exercise classes... and I'm doing all of the gardening while Pamela directs the work. She's got the pain, but I'm doing the projects. I'm writing this from the basement where I'm hiding, pretending to "look for something". If you get this, PLEASE SEND HELP. There's only so much beer down here.
Friday, April 27, 2007
A Friday Night
Some little bits of status for you:
1) Isaac looks quite on track to be moving directly from the "army crawl" to walking: He's pulling up on everything, standing in his crib, creeping along furniture, and squealing with delight at his cleverness. This is definitely taking precedence over his attempts to coordinate knee-hand crawling: He's back on the belly dragging himself along between vertical objects.
2) At the "old" workplace, I had been given something of an albatross: The largest cube on the floor - almost office sized... but with poor lighting and surrounded by large walls and with the worst cell reception in the area. In addition, the setup forced me to have my back to the door/hall at all times, so every single person who came to speak to me had to clear their throat or say "knock knock" to avoid startling me. But the cube, it was big.
Well, they moved me today to a smaller cube in a less "desirable" row of cubes... but it's near a window, I get great reception, and I face the right way to greet visitors. So don't cry for me argentina - I'm quite happy. But co-workers seem intent in thinking it's a demotion... Which speaks to a strange thing they do there: People move cubes quite often, and the arrangement of the cubes favors seniority: Employees who have been there the longest are closest the the coffee maker, I think. Consultants are clustered in the back room... and will often be shuffled further around in that room if an employee joins - so that the employee can sit in a cube closer to the coffee makers.
It's only my theory: I haven't figured out any other rhyme or reason to this shuffling... I think that Coffee proximity may be it. Oh, I'll survive this madness. It's only for a few months yet. Then I move to my remote windowless office next to the dialysis department at the new client. WHOOOOO!!!!
3) Poor Pamela got a stomach bug yesterday, pulling me home to take care of Isaac (Bella was belle of the ball and had playdates stacked up through the afternoon). I was still trying to get "work" done in the afternoon, with mixed degrees of success. That Isaac is so busy, but then he realizes he's just a baby and is maybe a little scared of all this independence, and needs a cuddle.... So an afternoon watching him is basically play-cry-cuddle-play-cry-feed-lollygag-play-play-play-cry-cuddle... with each phase being between 8 seconds and 3 minutes.
It is a wonder Pamela gets ANYTHING done at all. Much respect going out.
4) Watched a movie tonight: The Illusionist. It came out around the same time as "The Prestige" - I'll never know why studios can go for decades without a turn-of-the-century magician movie, then two come out in the same year and everyone confuses them. Anyway, this is the romantic one, and it was excellent.
It was written by Steven Millhauser, who wrote one of the most surreal books I've ever read "Martin Dressler - Tale of an American Dreamer", which chronicles the rise, rise, rise, and fall of a fictional department store. By the peak, the goods on display in this store defy imagination. By comparison, in the Illusionist, the tricks that Edward Norton's character does are similarly fantastic: A full orange tree blossoming from an empty basket, phantom children, etc...
Twas cool.
5) Final update: I brought Chuck from work out to get Pho today. As you may recall from previous updates, Chuck has some unique restaurant mojo, and often times having him along will cause an unexpected dining experience. I'm pleased to report that today's meal was uneventful AND delicious.
Of course, we HAD tried to go last week, and the place was closed. So perhaps that event had cleared the mojo curse on that particular restaurant.
That's enough. Good night!
1) Isaac looks quite on track to be moving directly from the "army crawl" to walking: He's pulling up on everything, standing in his crib, creeping along furniture, and squealing with delight at his cleverness. This is definitely taking precedence over his attempts to coordinate knee-hand crawling: He's back on the belly dragging himself along between vertical objects.
2) At the "old" workplace, I had been given something of an albatross: The largest cube on the floor - almost office sized... but with poor lighting and surrounded by large walls and with the worst cell reception in the area. In addition, the setup forced me to have my back to the door/hall at all times, so every single person who came to speak to me had to clear their throat or say "knock knock" to avoid startling me. But the cube, it was big.
Well, they moved me today to a smaller cube in a less "desirable" row of cubes... but it's near a window, I get great reception, and I face the right way to greet visitors. So don't cry for me argentina - I'm quite happy. But co-workers seem intent in thinking it's a demotion... Which speaks to a strange thing they do there: People move cubes quite often, and the arrangement of the cubes favors seniority: Employees who have been there the longest are closest the the coffee maker, I think. Consultants are clustered in the back room... and will often be shuffled further around in that room if an employee joins - so that the employee can sit in a cube closer to the coffee makers.
It's only my theory: I haven't figured out any other rhyme or reason to this shuffling... I think that Coffee proximity may be it. Oh, I'll survive this madness. It's only for a few months yet. Then I move to my remote windowless office next to the dialysis department at the new client. WHOOOOO!!!!
3) Poor Pamela got a stomach bug yesterday, pulling me home to take care of Isaac (Bella was belle of the ball and had playdates stacked up through the afternoon). I was still trying to get "work" done in the afternoon, with mixed degrees of success. That Isaac is so busy, but then he realizes he's just a baby and is maybe a little scared of all this independence, and needs a cuddle.... So an afternoon watching him is basically play-cry-cuddle-play-cry-feed-lollygag-play-play-play-cry-cuddle... with each phase being between 8 seconds and 3 minutes.
It is a wonder Pamela gets ANYTHING done at all. Much respect going out.
4) Watched a movie tonight: The Illusionist. It came out around the same time as "The Prestige" - I'll never know why studios can go for decades without a turn-of-the-century magician movie, then two come out in the same year and everyone confuses them. Anyway, this is the romantic one, and it was excellent.
It was written by Steven Millhauser, who wrote one of the most surreal books I've ever read "Martin Dressler - Tale of an American Dreamer", which chronicles the rise, rise, rise, and fall of a fictional department store. By the peak, the goods on display in this store defy imagination. By comparison, in the Illusionist, the tricks that Edward Norton's character does are similarly fantastic: A full orange tree blossoming from an empty basket, phantom children, etc...
Twas cool.
5) Final update: I brought Chuck from work out to get Pho today. As you may recall from previous updates, Chuck has some unique restaurant mojo, and often times having him along will cause an unexpected dining experience. I'm pleased to report that today's meal was uneventful AND delicious.
Of course, we HAD tried to go last week, and the place was closed. So perhaps that event had cleared the mojo curse on that particular restaurant.
That's enough. Good night!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Dork Alert
I just want people to know that I have so much geekiness in my head that I've started a second blog. This one is entirely focused on language and my adventures with it.
It's called Language Addict
I'll still post some language-y stuff here... but I think that you might find that the LEVEL of geekiness over there is either your cup of tea or it isn't... and for those of you who are more interested in my Bella and Isaac stories, I'd hate for you to suffer through my obsessions differentiating between two different spanish learning podcasts.
The other advantage I have is that I can share the Languageaddict address with strangers I meet in my language adventures and they won't stumble across too many personal details.
So that's the latest. We'll just have to see how this works.
It's called Language Addict
I'll still post some language-y stuff here... but I think that you might find that the LEVEL of geekiness over there is either your cup of tea or it isn't... and for those of you who are more interested in my Bella and Isaac stories, I'd hate for you to suffer through my obsessions differentiating between two different spanish learning podcasts.
The other advantage I have is that I can share the Languageaddict address with strangers I meet in my language adventures and they won't stumble across too many personal details.
So that's the latest. We'll just have to see how this works.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Los ninos esta noche
Randy and JeMae have been spending a lot of time at my current client hospital: Randy's mom is very ill and possibly on her deathbed. I went to visit them since I'm over that direction and gave them some support - with all of the madness in the past few weeks around us, this is just one more spoke in the crazy wheel.
To help out, Pamela picked up Jenny from the bus after school, and the girls were playing this afternoon. When I got home, I was greeted with wild shrieking... the girls were beyond excited: We were going out to eat and then... TO EDENBOROUGH PARK!!!!!
Dinner was at Fuddruckers. Oh my. They messed up my order every possible way, but in the end, I did eat, so it was ok. The girls liked their food... and the place was pretty quiet. We did play one game in the game room - a totally excellent thing where ping-pong-ball bumblebees are blown aloft by a fan and you are supposed to scoop them and drop them into a bucket. It was surprisingly fun.
Afterwards, we went to the park, which was more empty than I've ever seen it: Bella and Jenny got to do everything - shoot baskets, zoom on wheeled scooter chairs, jump in the moon walk, and climb to the very top of the climbing structure. There were maybe 5 other kids there in total. They were having such a great time! Even Isaac was having fun, chasing a rolling basketball, crawling hither and yon, and working on his standing.
I should mention that Isaac's physicality is getting flat out silly. He's able to pull up to a stand on just about anything. And he's FAST with his crawling: My shame is that on Saturday I had my back turned for just a moment and he bolted past me toward the basement stairs, and pitched over and rolled down two of them. FORTUNATELY, it's just 3 steps to the flight, so there was no epic long tumble which would have been, well, unthinkable. But he got a bruise on his cheek and I feel like the worst dad in the world. I'm getting over that, but the gates are definitely going UP this week.
Anyway, now the kids are all asleep and all seems well with the world. Jenny is spending the night, and got a little sad because she misses her parents who have been at the hospital so much. So she got extra cuddles.
We're counting the days, by the way, to the installation of the new playset in the back yard. Oh, years ago we said "we don't need a playset - there's a great park just down the hill". And we didn't. But now there's Isaac. And when he's napping, Pamela can't really bring Bella down to the park to play. The baby monitor range isn't good enough for one thing.
So we decided to splurge - there was a coupon in the paper - discounts, free delivery and install. So we decided to do it. On Sunday we went to the showroom, and Bella played for over an hour while we decided on all of the details. She jumped up and grabbed the olympic rings and swung herself back and forth - she is STRONG. This will be a good thing for her.
Finally - Isaac got a bit of a cold, and has been a little snuffleubagus. Last night, his stuffy nose got him all awake AND mad, and I wound up driving for 20 minutes with him in back to chill him out. It worked, and that's the first time I've had to do that sort of thing with EITHER kid. Of course I was thinking "Earth Day and I'm burning a gallon of dinosaur mash to put a kid to sleep... " But whatchagonnado?
Ok, the triple post evening is over. Thank you all for your patience.
To help out, Pamela picked up Jenny from the bus after school, and the girls were playing this afternoon. When I got home, I was greeted with wild shrieking... the girls were beyond excited: We were going out to eat and then... TO EDENBOROUGH PARK!!!!!
Dinner was at Fuddruckers. Oh my. They messed up my order every possible way, but in the end, I did eat, so it was ok. The girls liked their food... and the place was pretty quiet. We did play one game in the game room - a totally excellent thing where ping-pong-ball bumblebees are blown aloft by a fan and you are supposed to scoop them and drop them into a bucket. It was surprisingly fun.
Afterwards, we went to the park, which was more empty than I've ever seen it: Bella and Jenny got to do everything - shoot baskets, zoom on wheeled scooter chairs, jump in the moon walk, and climb to the very top of the climbing structure. There were maybe 5 other kids there in total. They were having such a great time! Even Isaac was having fun, chasing a rolling basketball, crawling hither and yon, and working on his standing.
I should mention that Isaac's physicality is getting flat out silly. He's able to pull up to a stand on just about anything. And he's FAST with his crawling: My shame is that on Saturday I had my back turned for just a moment and he bolted past me toward the basement stairs, and pitched over and rolled down two of them. FORTUNATELY, it's just 3 steps to the flight, so there was no epic long tumble which would have been, well, unthinkable. But he got a bruise on his cheek and I feel like the worst dad in the world. I'm getting over that, but the gates are definitely going UP this week.
Anyway, now the kids are all asleep and all seems well with the world. Jenny is spending the night, and got a little sad because she misses her parents who have been at the hospital so much. So she got extra cuddles.
We're counting the days, by the way, to the installation of the new playset in the back yard. Oh, years ago we said "we don't need a playset - there's a great park just down the hill". And we didn't. But now there's Isaac. And when he's napping, Pamela can't really bring Bella down to the park to play. The baby monitor range isn't good enough for one thing.
So we decided to splurge - there was a coupon in the paper - discounts, free delivery and install. So we decided to do it. On Sunday we went to the showroom, and Bella played for over an hour while we decided on all of the details. She jumped up and grabbed the olympic rings and swung herself back and forth - she is STRONG. This will be a good thing for her.
Finally - Isaac got a bit of a cold, and has been a little snuffleubagus. Last night, his stuffy nose got him all awake AND mad, and I wound up driving for 20 minutes with him in back to chill him out. It worked, and that's the first time I've had to do that sort of thing with EITHER kid. Of course I was thinking "Earth Day and I'm burning a gallon of dinosaur mash to put a kid to sleep... " But whatchagonnado?
Ok, the triple post evening is over. Thank you all for your patience.
Language Nuttiness
This weekend was the big Auction at church. Pamela worked her tuchis off on this - she was in charge of decorations, as well as provided a lot of items for auction. Coming right on the heels of the Great Adoption Debacle of 2007, our lives were pretty hectic.
Well, the auction was a great success - over 200 people, over $25k raised for the church, and a crazy good time with good food, cerveza, lots of laughter, and way more auction items that the human mind can process. We bid of a good lot of things, and fortunately only won a few of them.
There was a heated moment during the live auction when Pamela was soundly outbid on a tour of the state capitol and luncheon with the secretary of state.... by the head minister. We really couldn't raise on that. Plus she had doubled the price just like THAT. The lady meant business, it was clear.
One thing I DID win was a Cinco de Mayo dinner party... with the condition that the conversation be all En Español por todo la noche. I'm excited but nervous, because this is just two weeks away, and I need to CRAM on vocabulary for the event. Here's my plan:
- 2 good Spanish Podcasts a day. www.notesonspanish.com has a series of 10 minute long conversations between two people - no script, just a topic... with transcriptions. They are from Madrid, so there may be some lisping that may not work if the diners are Latin American. www.spanishsense.com is the sister site to Chinesepod, and they're Argentinian, and theirs are a bit more basic, but there are good points in there.
- 1 page of translations a day: I'll write out a few key discussion points in English, and then translate them.
So if all goes to plan, in 12 days, I should be a bit more comfortable.
Now, there's actually a chance that this dinner won't happen - I was the only one who bid on it - there were 4 chairs for auction. Oh, and yes, I'd be stag - it was PER SEAT. So either I'll be sitting alone with two social justice advocates, or it might get canceled. We'll see. But I'm sticking with "The Plan." Wish me luck!
Well, the auction was a great success - over 200 people, over $25k raised for the church, and a crazy good time with good food, cerveza, lots of laughter, and way more auction items that the human mind can process. We bid of a good lot of things, and fortunately only won a few of them.
There was a heated moment during the live auction when Pamela was soundly outbid on a tour of the state capitol and luncheon with the secretary of state.... by the head minister. We really couldn't raise on that. Plus she had doubled the price just like THAT. The lady meant business, it was clear.
One thing I DID win was a Cinco de Mayo dinner party... with the condition that the conversation be all En Español por todo la noche. I'm excited but nervous, because this is just two weeks away, and I need to CRAM on vocabulary for the event. Here's my plan:
- 2 good Spanish Podcasts a day. www.notesonspanish.com has a series of 10 minute long conversations between two people - no script, just a topic... with transcriptions. They are from Madrid, so there may be some lisping that may not work if the diners are Latin American. www.spanishsense.com is the sister site to Chinesepod, and they're Argentinian, and theirs are a bit more basic, but there are good points in there.
- 1 page of translations a day: I'll write out a few key discussion points in English, and then translate them.
So if all goes to plan, in 12 days, I should be a bit more comfortable.
Now, there's actually a chance that this dinner won't happen - I was the only one who bid on it - there were 4 chairs for auction. Oh, and yes, I'd be stag - it was PER SEAT. So either I'll be sitting alone with two social justice advocates, or it might get canceled. We'll see. But I'm sticking with "The Plan." Wish me luck!
Oh how typical
As everyone here knows, Jimmy's starting a new gig. And you all know that I did try to do the right thing by my current client, and that I got everything well arranged. Boy, for transitions, I really thought I had done a good one here. Well, word finally filtered back through my consulting firm that the owners are so VERY disappointed that I have acted so unprofessionally (for working with my client on a transition rather then them, who don't know what I do) and are worried about how they could possibly recover face with the client, and certainly we won't be working together again.
Not to my face of course... but a mole inside the meeting let me know.
I'm just a little frustrated because I actually DID quit them almost 3 years ago. I've been the best not-an-actual-employee they've had. In a year when this current gig is done, you can bet won't be the first people I call for the next gig.
It was fun, but knowing that those people were not being gracious makes me realize they're not my friends. So it's time to move on.
Not to my face of course... but a mole inside the meeting let me know.
I'm just a little frustrated because I actually DID quit them almost 3 years ago. I've been the best not-an-actual-employee they've had. In a year when this current gig is done, you can bet won't be the first people I call for the next gig.
It was fun, but knowing that those people were not being gracious makes me realize they're not my friends. So it's time to move on.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Bella on Tragedy
Today, we went out for a Burrito for dinner. Bella spied a flag at half mast and asked why... much as she had asked back in the President Ford funeral days. I reminded her that it's at half mast because people are sad about something, though I wasn't sure what.
She said "maybe someone died? Or maybe an EAGLE died? That would be really sad."
Sensing a possible moment to ask her about her feelings, with all of the emotions of the past weeks, I asked her what she thought was very sad.
"If a bunny died, that would be the saddest thing. Oh, or a dead butterfly. OR A DEAD BUTTERFLY WITH A DEAD LADYBUG ON IT - that would be the most sad thing. Actually, the dead bunny would be sadder. I love bunnies."
And that's that, I suppose!
Work Update:
I had my orientation at the NEW client today: I'm very excited about this project. It's much smaller than my current project, but it's working with doctors and technology that I need to learn, and I was getting that geek excitement going. I'm formally declared with my current project and consulting company, and there don't seem to be any repercussions, so we're cruising along!
My new office is almost comical in a Brazil sort of way: It's on a different floor than either the IT department or the Cardiology department, in a tucked away corner. It's a big room, but no windows, holes in the walls with exposed wiring, and a locked filing cabinet that's not mine... but I think I'll be able to bring some speakers in and enjoy the privacy... and my cellphone coverage is GREAT throughout the site.
Geek Update:
Last week was Japanese week, this week is Chinese week for language, and I'm still loving it. There's a program at Chinesepod where you can get a 10 minute phone call every day to help you practice and progress.... and maybe in a month or two or three I just might do that for a little bit. I can only imagine it would be amazing practice. I only wish JapanesePod had a similar program.
On the BrainReady front: The third book is on it's way to Amazon, but can be bought anytime at The BrainReady Lulu Store. I've started work on the new 8x11 brainflex worksheets too: I have 6 done so far, and should have another full book of them in 2 weeks or so. These incorporate more of the deeper creative exercises from the BrainChallenge books, have larger fonts, and are generally more readable for tired eyes than the first BrainFlexes.
We're trying to think of really how to get these exercise books out into the hands of some people who need them: Anyone know how to get a case of books out to brain-injured Vets in the VA system without getting trapped in purchasing/requistions hell? I'd give a case away just to get some good feedback and help a few people in need... send me your ideas, ok?
Allright - that's enough update for the day.
She said "maybe someone died? Or maybe an EAGLE died? That would be really sad."
Sensing a possible moment to ask her about her feelings, with all of the emotions of the past weeks, I asked her what she thought was very sad.
"If a bunny died, that would be the saddest thing. Oh, or a dead butterfly. OR A DEAD BUTTERFLY WITH A DEAD LADYBUG ON IT - that would be the most sad thing. Actually, the dead bunny would be sadder. I love bunnies."
And that's that, I suppose!
Work Update:
I had my orientation at the NEW client today: I'm very excited about this project. It's much smaller than my current project, but it's working with doctors and technology that I need to learn, and I was getting that geek excitement going. I'm formally declared with my current project and consulting company, and there don't seem to be any repercussions, so we're cruising along!
My new office is almost comical in a Brazil sort of way: It's on a different floor than either the IT department or the Cardiology department, in a tucked away corner. It's a big room, but no windows, holes in the walls with exposed wiring, and a locked filing cabinet that's not mine... but I think I'll be able to bring some speakers in and enjoy the privacy... and my cellphone coverage is GREAT throughout the site.
Geek Update:
Last week was Japanese week, this week is Chinese week for language, and I'm still loving it. There's a program at Chinesepod where you can get a 10 minute phone call every day to help you practice and progress.... and maybe in a month or two or three I just might do that for a little bit. I can only imagine it would be amazing practice. I only wish JapanesePod had a similar program.
On the BrainReady front: The third book is on it's way to Amazon, but can be bought anytime at The BrainReady Lulu Store. I've started work on the new 8x11 brainflex worksheets too: I have 6 done so far, and should have another full book of them in 2 weeks or so. These incorporate more of the deeper creative exercises from the BrainChallenge books, have larger fonts, and are generally more readable for tired eyes than the first BrainFlexes.
We're trying to think of really how to get these exercise books out into the hands of some people who need them: Anyone know how to get a case of books out to brain-injured Vets in the VA system without getting trapped in purchasing/requistions hell? I'd give a case away just to get some good feedback and help a few people in need... send me your ideas, ok?
Allright - that's enough update for the day.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Worst Case Scenarios
1) We have two step-cousins who are at Virginia Tech in the engineering department. Fortunately, they're both safe after todays horrible rampage, but one lives in the dorm where it started... and they both usually have classes in the building where the second phase of the shooting happened. We're very lucky there.
2) The worst came true for Cary and Laurie - the Birthmom decided not to go with them, saying she didn't feel like she knew them well enough... the sad thing is that they were here that whole week prior, and the adoption agency never managed to get a meeting together with them - they never spoke before the girl was born. The agency also never got any of the basic legalities started (the pre-birth placement agreement, the cooperative agreement), and now appear to be offering other families for her to consider. They did not do right by Cary and Laurie, who are just shellshocked.
Now, it's always the right of either party to say no - it has to work that way. But in this case, the agency did NOTHING to help prepare either party for this, and they weren't even THERE during the one meeting to help coach or mediate.
So we're very heartbroken for them. If there can be a silver lining, it has been that we have got to know Cary and Laurie very well now, and really like them: It makes this rejection even harder because we know they have such good hearts and would be such great parents.
3) Our dear friend Kari in Chicago's mom had a mild heart attack yesterday. She was discharged today with some recommended diet changes and some meds, but no angioplasty was needed thank goodness.
4) A good friend at work lost her baby last week in almost the same manner as we lost Alexander (same age, major genetic issues, needed to do live birth...). Then not a week later, her mother in law passed away, and they all needed to go to a funeral in South Dakota.
So there's some craziness swirling in the air right now - I hope it calms down soon...
2) The worst came true for Cary and Laurie - the Birthmom decided not to go with them, saying she didn't feel like she knew them well enough... the sad thing is that they were here that whole week prior, and the adoption agency never managed to get a meeting together with them - they never spoke before the girl was born. The agency also never got any of the basic legalities started (the pre-birth placement agreement, the cooperative agreement), and now appear to be offering other families for her to consider. They did not do right by Cary and Laurie, who are just shellshocked.
Now, it's always the right of either party to say no - it has to work that way. But in this case, the agency did NOTHING to help prepare either party for this, and they weren't even THERE during the one meeting to help coach or mediate.
So we're very heartbroken for them. If there can be a silver lining, it has been that we have got to know Cary and Laurie very well now, and really like them: It makes this rejection even harder because we know they have such good hearts and would be such great parents.
3) Our dear friend Kari in Chicago's mom had a mild heart attack yesterday. She was discharged today with some recommended diet changes and some meds, but no angioplasty was needed thank goodness.
4) A good friend at work lost her baby last week in almost the same manner as we lost Alexander (same age, major genetic issues, needed to do live birth...). Then not a week later, her mother in law passed away, and they all needed to go to a funeral in South Dakota.
So there's some craziness swirling in the air right now - I hope it calms down soon...
Sunday, April 15, 2007
In other news...
While the news of the previous post has been pretty foremost in our thoughts, I did happen to live the life of Jimmy through it as well:
Friday Night was launch night for the new workout programs... and I did two in a row: Weights and Dance. And I loved both of them: I really want/need to make time for 1-2 dance classes a week in addition to my weights class. It's good cardio, and the moves and coordination are a real challenge. Also, it's fun to wiggle my hips.
Saturday I discovered that the people who do the ChinesePod lessons that I love so much have done a SPANISH site: www.spanishsense.com And the lessons are fantastic - I'm at the intermediate level, so they're quite challenging but rewarding. So yes, I'm actively working on Japanese, Spanish, and Chinese. I just don't want the Spanish to get stale... It's the one language I could actually use daily around here, and I should really get more comfortable with it.
While the language tapes I've used (Pimsleur) have been very good, they're very focused around business language - small talk about kids, introductions, travel. All conversation forms are around the formal "you" (vous, usted, ihnen). They're not everyday conversational. And that's where the Chinesepod/Spanishsense lessons really shine - they're focused around conversations you might have with a coworker or friend. And the lessons are around 10-14 minutes, which is perfect for my commute.
Book: Yes, the second BrainChallenge book is finally in print: http://stores.lulu.com/brainready (it'll be at Amazon in a month or two - but we'll get less mo-nay for it, so go on and buy it here.) I do note that while it's available for download for a few fewer dollars, the book form really is the best package, for the Challenges at least.
Life: We spent a LOT of time this weekend enjoying the sunshine and being outside in "the big room". Bella has pink cheeks, as do I. The neighborhood came alive, with the kids starting a lemonade stand and playing tag in the front yards... Even Isaac was enjoying some outside time - he was pleased to hear how his delighted shrieks echoed in the world.
Finally, with the craziness of the weekend (and not always the good crazy), I didn't have time to make that American Idol contest entry: It had a good hook, but the lyrics... meh. I just don't do lyrics that well, and I especially can't do lyrics when I'm trying to target it toward sometone that I'm not (Joe and Jasmine America).
PS - in the NYTIMEs crossword this AM (last Sunday's for most others - we have a one week delay in our local paper), a clue was "Different World Actress" - Awwww YEAH you know I love that JASMINEGUY. I even had her single back then.
Friday Night was launch night for the new workout programs... and I did two in a row: Weights and Dance. And I loved both of them: I really want/need to make time for 1-2 dance classes a week in addition to my weights class. It's good cardio, and the moves and coordination are a real challenge. Also, it's fun to wiggle my hips.
Saturday I discovered that the people who do the ChinesePod lessons that I love so much have done a SPANISH site: www.spanishsense.com And the lessons are fantastic - I'm at the intermediate level, so they're quite challenging but rewarding. So yes, I'm actively working on Japanese, Spanish, and Chinese. I just don't want the Spanish to get stale... It's the one language I could actually use daily around here, and I should really get more comfortable with it.
While the language tapes I've used (Pimsleur) have been very good, they're very focused around business language - small talk about kids, introductions, travel. All conversation forms are around the formal "you" (vous, usted, ihnen). They're not everyday conversational. And that's where the Chinesepod/Spanishsense lessons really shine - they're focused around conversations you might have with a coworker or friend. And the lessons are around 10-14 minutes, which is perfect for my commute.
Book: Yes, the second BrainChallenge book is finally in print: http://stores.lulu.com/brainready (it'll be at Amazon in a month or two - but we'll get less mo-nay for it, so go on and buy it here.) I do note that while it's available for download for a few fewer dollars, the book form really is the best package, for the Challenges at least.
Life: We spent a LOT of time this weekend enjoying the sunshine and being outside in "the big room". Bella has pink cheeks, as do I. The neighborhood came alive, with the kids starting a lemonade stand and playing tag in the front yards... Even Isaac was enjoying some outside time - he was pleased to hear how his delighted shrieks echoed in the world.
Finally, with the craziness of the weekend (and not always the good crazy), I didn't have time to make that American Idol contest entry: It had a good hook, but the lyrics... meh. I just don't do lyrics that well, and I especially can't do lyrics when I'm trying to target it toward sometone that I'm not (Joe and Jasmine America).
PS - in the NYTIMEs crossword this AM (last Sunday's for most others - we have a one week delay in our local paper), a clue was "Different World Actress" - Awwww YEAH you know I love that JASMINEGUY. I even had her single back then.
RollerCoaster
Oh what ups and downs. On Friday, that baby decided to exit the womb... at 11:59pm. Cary and Laurie drove up Saturday and visited the baby in the hospital - got to spend an hour with her, and came here beaming. We cracked open some champagne, had cheese and sausages and ice cream, and had a great party.
We started today with a big breakfast and they were off to pick up the kid and check into a hotel (until the legalities are complete, they need to keep the kid in a place that would qualify for foster care certification: Our house might qualify but it's not certified, so a hotel it will be.)
But when they got there, they learned the birthmom is having second thoughts... they waited at the hospital for an hour, then spent a few hours walking around Stillwater... but as of the late afternoon, things were still unsettled.
One possibly positive sign is that the mom and baby chose to stay in the hospital one more night, which means the baby is not formally in birthmom's custody until discharge... so if tomorrow she decides to go ahead with the adoption as planned, the kid would be discharged directly to them.
Alas, this has everyone very shaken up - from Cary and Laurie to Pamela, and the network of friend, family, and busybodies who contributed. We'd just feel terrible if this fell through... and even if it DOES go through, you know that Cary and Laurie will be on tenterhooks until the final papers are signed in a month or two. Even worse than we ever were.
We'll likely know more on Monday... and we can only hope that however this shakes out it's the best thing for the kid...
We started today with a big breakfast and they were off to pick up the kid and check into a hotel (until the legalities are complete, they need to keep the kid in a place that would qualify for foster care certification: Our house might qualify but it's not certified, so a hotel it will be.)
But when they got there, they learned the birthmom is having second thoughts... they waited at the hospital for an hour, then spent a few hours walking around Stillwater... but as of the late afternoon, things were still unsettled.
One possibly positive sign is that the mom and baby chose to stay in the hospital one more night, which means the baby is not formally in birthmom's custody until discharge... so if tomorrow she decides to go ahead with the adoption as planned, the kid would be discharged directly to them.
Alas, this has everyone very shaken up - from Cary and Laurie to Pamela, and the network of friend, family, and busybodies who contributed. We'd just feel terrible if this fell through... and even if it DOES go through, you know that Cary and Laurie will be on tenterhooks until the final papers are signed in a month or two. Even worse than we ever were.
We'll likely know more on Monday... and we can only hope that however this shakes out it's the best thing for the kid...
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Updating from Mars
Tonight, Bella and I had a date: On our way out to the Burrito store, I caught her eyes rolling back a few times, she was dog tired. But the burrito was a magic refueler - a scooby snack extraordinaire, and she was ready steady to go to Guitar Center.
There she led the charge to all of the departments. In the drum department, she was quite timid, until some boys started playing real loud: Then she started wiggling and joined in. In the keyboard department, she finally made the connection between the knobs above the keys and the sound (thanks to a convenient Moog Little Phatty), and it was like a new store for her - she was playing with the filters on the synths and drawbars on the organs, giggling like a maniac.
We got home and she's STILL unwinding in bed - she really got herself wound up! She had wanted to go to the bookstore too, but I thought I had caught a few yawns... turns out she's got energy to spare!
Geek Story: Weeks ago when I was working that Golive (and watched all those Heroes episodes), a coworker was evangelizing about Firefly, a short lived sci-fi western. She said until I watch it, I don't know nothin' about nothin'. So this week I watched the pilot, and I gotta say, I can see why people were passionate about it. There was great writing, big themes, great effects, snappy dialogue, and some very surreal stuff. I could EASILY see getting together with friends, watching the show and dropping lines of dialogue in public places. But I'm a good 4 years too late, and I feel late to the party. I'm just not sure I have 10 episodes in me... but I'll try one more just to see.
Work: I needed to get some fancy insurance for the new gig, and finally got it arranged today. It's not a small amount of money, but in a way I've been lucky NOT to need it in the past. With this coverage, I can work just about anywhere they have lawyers who care. I was working two angles for the insurance: One was my current agency, who was flummoxed by the requirements and wanted me to wait for a week until somebody who knew better got in. The other was a pro who got it all arranged in a day, and was willing to activate all of it on a verbal promise to pay ("we need to have some level of trust here"). The guy who worked for it got my business.
Exercise: I'm excited that they're launching the new quarterly releases tomorrow, and I'll be good and tired when I get home tomorrow night: I'll be learning the new weights AND dance sets after work Friday... Pamela is graciously putting the kids to bed so that I can be an adonis at the gym (hey, I watched them last night while she got a pedicure, so we're getting even....)
Language: It was all about the Japanese this week for me. It started well, I finally learned some new words that I had heard movie villians say... and it reinvigorated me. I'll hit Chinese next week harder. The nice people at the Chinese website sent me a note: I had told them my goal was to learn Mandarin so I could go to Shanghai for my 40th birthday and have a suit hand tailored on me. They wrote me back saying that's a GREAT goal, and that suits cost less than $100, so I'll probably want to get a dozen, and they can point me to some great tailors who will even design crazy clothes I make up (I'm thinking some sci-fi wear might get made).
So that got me all excited to keep learning languages. Add to that, it's great mind exercise and is keeping me sharp (like I need the help?).
Music: I thought I had a great hook for the American Idol songwriter competition, but once I played it to tape, it was a bit limp. I may not be able to pull this one off. There are over 5000 entries already, alas, and the deadline is Tuesday. Perhaps this weekend it'll all come together? Perhaps.
Off to watch a show now! (no, not writing that great pop song - relaxing!)
(PS - Cary and Laurie are back home: The baby is stubbornly clinging to that woman's uterus and may be delivered early next week. If this is any indication, they'll eventually have a kid who won't be rushed... ;-> )
There she led the charge to all of the departments. In the drum department, she was quite timid, until some boys started playing real loud: Then she started wiggling and joined in. In the keyboard department, she finally made the connection between the knobs above the keys and the sound (thanks to a convenient Moog Little Phatty), and it was like a new store for her - she was playing with the filters on the synths and drawbars on the organs, giggling like a maniac.
We got home and she's STILL unwinding in bed - she really got herself wound up! She had wanted to go to the bookstore too, but I thought I had caught a few yawns... turns out she's got energy to spare!
Geek Story: Weeks ago when I was working that Golive (and watched all those Heroes episodes), a coworker was evangelizing about Firefly, a short lived sci-fi western. She said until I watch it, I don't know nothin' about nothin'. So this week I watched the pilot, and I gotta say, I can see why people were passionate about it. There was great writing, big themes, great effects, snappy dialogue, and some very surreal stuff. I could EASILY see getting together with friends, watching the show and dropping lines of dialogue in public places. But I'm a good 4 years too late, and I feel late to the party. I'm just not sure I have 10 episodes in me... but I'll try one more just to see.
Work: I needed to get some fancy insurance for the new gig, and finally got it arranged today. It's not a small amount of money, but in a way I've been lucky NOT to need it in the past. With this coverage, I can work just about anywhere they have lawyers who care. I was working two angles for the insurance: One was my current agency, who was flummoxed by the requirements and wanted me to wait for a week until somebody who knew better got in. The other was a pro who got it all arranged in a day, and was willing to activate all of it on a verbal promise to pay ("we need to have some level of trust here"). The guy who worked for it got my business.
Exercise: I'm excited that they're launching the new quarterly releases tomorrow, and I'll be good and tired when I get home tomorrow night: I'll be learning the new weights AND dance sets after work Friday... Pamela is graciously putting the kids to bed so that I can be an adonis at the gym (hey, I watched them last night while she got a pedicure, so we're getting even....)
Language: It was all about the Japanese this week for me. It started well, I finally learned some new words that I had heard movie villians say... and it reinvigorated me. I'll hit Chinese next week harder. The nice people at the Chinese website sent me a note: I had told them my goal was to learn Mandarin so I could go to Shanghai for my 40th birthday and have a suit hand tailored on me. They wrote me back saying that's a GREAT goal, and that suits cost less than $100, so I'll probably want to get a dozen, and they can point me to some great tailors who will even design crazy clothes I make up (I'm thinking some sci-fi wear might get made).
So that got me all excited to keep learning languages. Add to that, it's great mind exercise and is keeping me sharp (like I need the help?).
Music: I thought I had a great hook for the American Idol songwriter competition, but once I played it to tape, it was a bit limp. I may not be able to pull this one off. There are over 5000 entries already, alas, and the deadline is Tuesday. Perhaps this weekend it'll all come together? Perhaps.
Off to watch a show now! (no, not writing that great pop song - relaxing!)
(PS - Cary and Laurie are back home: The baby is stubbornly clinging to that woman's uterus and may be delivered early next week. If this is any indication, they'll eventually have a kid who won't be rushed... ;-> )
Sunday, April 08, 2007
That Easter Bunny
A quick update:
Bella found her Easter Basket this morning, and methodically worked her way through it. One of the items was a small wood rabbit hutch with a wooden rabbit. She picked it up and turned it around... and said with wonder:
"That Easter Bunny sure knows what he's doing."
Bella found her Easter Basket this morning, and methodically worked her way through it. One of the items was a small wood rabbit hutch with a wooden rabbit. She picked it up and turned it around... and said with wonder:
"That Easter Bunny sure knows what he's doing."
Saturday, April 07, 2007
busy and better
Full house around here: Papabam are in town - they have our bedroom. Bella is squealing with delight at all of the Papa projects, and the two of them have been great cohorts. Only this afternoon did her attention begin to fade, and she ran off to play with a kid her (physical) age for a while... we'll see when we hear from her again!
Cary and Laurie, the couple from Chicago who Pamela and Madge (busybodies extraordinaire) may have found a baby to adopt are staying on our 3rd floor - their baby-to-be should be delivered today or tomorrow. They're sweet people and very excited to be possible parents. They're out this afternoon seeing the sights for a while.
Nick and Rich came over last night for a boy's night, which Cary joined (Papa was welcome, but he got sleepy - too much frolicking with Bella) - where we watched one episode of Heroes and Casino Royale (BEST BOND EVER). We didn't get all fetishistic with the scotch this time, but I did pull out an old favorite to share. It didn't seem right to watch Bond without SOME libation.
(and yes, that meant that last night the house was TRULY full)
If you're keeping count, that means Pamela and I are on inflatable beds on Bella's floor. But it's worth it for family and friends.
I'm feeling much better now, though the sore throat does linger a little. Quick tip for any with sore throats out there: V8 juice is NOT soothing. I found that out, thought I'd share.
In spite of the illness, I managed to finish the formatted content for the third book this week, and it's being reviewed and enhanced by my co-conspirator as he vacations with his family someplace where they have a beach and temperatures above 30f. The weather here is brutally nippy. I think I might be able to have a proof of this one by next week. I'm trying to hustle to get 3 books into a gift basket for a church auction in 2 weeks. IT CAN HAPPEN.
Finally, the other night I picked a month from the right column on the Blog to see where my head was at back in Sept 2006... boy, what a crazy month that was. I need to go back and read my previous blogs more often - it reminded me of a lot.
It's sort of like journaling, but public, so I don't say things like "Gareth is really bugging me today, as he does every day" - it keeps me focused on the positive, the amusing, and the creative... and that's not a bad place to be.
Hope everyone has a great Easter!
Cary and Laurie, the couple from Chicago who Pamela and Madge (busybodies extraordinaire) may have found a baby to adopt are staying on our 3rd floor - their baby-to-be should be delivered today or tomorrow. They're sweet people and very excited to be possible parents. They're out this afternoon seeing the sights for a while.
Nick and Rich came over last night for a boy's night, which Cary joined (Papa was welcome, but he got sleepy - too much frolicking with Bella) - where we watched one episode of Heroes and Casino Royale (BEST BOND EVER). We didn't get all fetishistic with the scotch this time, but I did pull out an old favorite to share. It didn't seem right to watch Bond without SOME libation.
(and yes, that meant that last night the house was TRULY full)
If you're keeping count, that means Pamela and I are on inflatable beds on Bella's floor. But it's worth it for family and friends.
I'm feeling much better now, though the sore throat does linger a little. Quick tip for any with sore throats out there: V8 juice is NOT soothing. I found that out, thought I'd share.
In spite of the illness, I managed to finish the formatted content for the third book this week, and it's being reviewed and enhanced by my co-conspirator as he vacations with his family someplace where they have a beach and temperatures above 30f. The weather here is brutally nippy. I think I might be able to have a proof of this one by next week. I'm trying to hustle to get 3 books into a gift basket for a church auction in 2 weeks. IT CAN HAPPEN.
Finally, the other night I picked a month from the right column on the Blog to see where my head was at back in Sept 2006... boy, what a crazy month that was. I need to go back and read my previous blogs more often - it reminded me of a lot.
It's sort of like journaling, but public, so I don't say things like "Gareth is really bugging me today, as he does every day" - it keeps me focused on the positive, the amusing, and the creative... and that's not a bad place to be.
Hope everyone has a great Easter!
Thursday, April 05, 2007
System Crash
Tuesday I had a pretty rough start to the day and was walking around in a bit of a fog... I attempted a "reboot" at lunch, having a big breakfast and a pot of coffee, which worked to a point, but by 4, I was stumbling out the door trying to get home before passing out.
I got home, and hit the hay for an hour, was slightly refreshed for a date out with Pamela, but got fade-y again by the time we got home just before 10. I dove straight to bed, first donning a full set of pajamas because I was getting chills.
Wednesday AM I figured out I wasn't going anywhere... called in sick to work, and slept until 1pm. I got up enough to make an appointment to get taxes done, came home for 2 more hours of sleep... helped get the kids to sleep again, and went to bed at 8... slept until 7 this morning.
(I should point out that even though I was catatonic, I still was game for mid-night Isaac feedings - I'm not a total slug, I'll care for my children)
I'm not 100% feeling great, and the symptoms were just strange: chills and sweats, a dull headache, and a total lust for sleep. Could it have been that legendary star-rehab excuse of "Exhaustion" or something more sinister? I'm still not feeling great.
Here's hoping it all comes together in time for a fun weekend - I'll be picking up Papabam from the airport in an hour for the weekend...
I got home, and hit the hay for an hour, was slightly refreshed for a date out with Pamela, but got fade-y again by the time we got home just before 10. I dove straight to bed, first donning a full set of pajamas because I was getting chills.
Wednesday AM I figured out I wasn't going anywhere... called in sick to work, and slept until 1pm. I got up enough to make an appointment to get taxes done, came home for 2 more hours of sleep... helped get the kids to sleep again, and went to bed at 8... slept until 7 this morning.
(I should point out that even though I was catatonic, I still was game for mid-night Isaac feedings - I'm not a total slug, I'll care for my children)
I'm not 100% feeling great, and the symptoms were just strange: chills and sweats, a dull headache, and a total lust for sleep. Could it have been that legendary star-rehab excuse of "Exhaustion" or something more sinister? I'm still not feeling great.
Here's hoping it all comes together in time for a fun weekend - I'll be picking up Papabam from the airport in an hour for the weekend...
Monday, April 02, 2007
High Jinks
Three additional details:
1) Both our washer and our dryer decided last week that they'd had enough of us and our two kids of laundry. The dryer was demanding ever more in blood sacrifice to continue working (every single zipper, and many snaps and buttons, and more than a few bra straps all proved appetizing to this monster) The washer just gave up. So we got some new ones. LG model, cool blue, and charming in all ways. They don't beep or buzz, they chime. They don't rumble, they quietly whir. In fact, only the spin cycle may be an issue, since it's a much faster spin than the old machine, it creates some crazy vibrations in the house... we're looking into floor mats or something. But putting it on medium or low spin speed solves the problem somewhat too.
Is it possible to be in love with a washer dryer combo? Perhaps... perhaps my friends.
2) At work the other day, I heard over my cube wall two people who said "maybe we should ask Jim...". So I dove under my desk and called out "Jim's not here!" They came around the cube wall, and burst out laughing. And for the rest of the day they laughed. And the next day, more people came around and said "Oh, you're not under your desk today?" And the NEXT DAY.... Boy, you just pull one gag, and it gets people for DAYS.
The crazy thing is that was totally "normal" for my days as a director back at ValueRX - we pulled that gag all the time, to the point where it wasn't even worth mentioning. We were insane then, I guess. But it's fun to shake up the squares.
3) I'm sure everybody already knows it, but when a rabbit jumps straight up in the air, it's called "Jinking". So High Jinks brings to mind the image of rabbits leaping up in the air, which sounds both mischievous (for aren't rabbits quiet little animals?) and magical. I love it when language brings imagery to mind.
1) Both our washer and our dryer decided last week that they'd had enough of us and our two kids of laundry. The dryer was demanding ever more in blood sacrifice to continue working (every single zipper, and many snaps and buttons, and more than a few bra straps all proved appetizing to this monster) The washer just gave up. So we got some new ones. LG model, cool blue, and charming in all ways. They don't beep or buzz, they chime. They don't rumble, they quietly whir. In fact, only the spin cycle may be an issue, since it's a much faster spin than the old machine, it creates some crazy vibrations in the house... we're looking into floor mats or something. But putting it on medium or low spin speed solves the problem somewhat too.
Is it possible to be in love with a washer dryer combo? Perhaps... perhaps my friends.
2) At work the other day, I heard over my cube wall two people who said "maybe we should ask Jim...". So I dove under my desk and called out "Jim's not here!" They came around the cube wall, and burst out laughing. And for the rest of the day they laughed. And the next day, more people came around and said "Oh, you're not under your desk today?" And the NEXT DAY.... Boy, you just pull one gag, and it gets people for DAYS.
The crazy thing is that was totally "normal" for my days as a director back at ValueRX - we pulled that gag all the time, to the point where it wasn't even worth mentioning. We were insane then, I guess. But it's fun to shake up the squares.
3) I'm sure everybody already knows it, but when a rabbit jumps straight up in the air, it's called "Jinking". So High Jinks brings to mind the image of rabbits leaping up in the air, which sounds both mischievous (for aren't rabbits quiet little animals?) and magical. I love it when language brings imagery to mind.
Family Weekend
Boy, suddenly it's Monday, and somehow a weekend passed without a trace! I do know we did a LOT of work on the house (the basement tool room was the victim this time - and our lucky garbage man has a 8 square feet of solid garbage to haul away), and I finally moved the ever growing "garage sale" pile out from our living room (where frankly it was starting to feel a bit like a garbage house) into the garage... and around 50 paint cans out to the front porch.... yes there was massive schlepping.
Jenny came over in the afternoon on Saturday (it was good and rainy). Midway through the afternoon, the girls ran up to me and demanded to be taken to Edenborough Park - a large indoor playground near us. As it was rainy, I warned them it would be good and busy, but they were undeterred. On the way, Bella confessed: "We were in the basement pretending we were at Edenborough, and then we said HEY let's go to the REAL Edenborough". They played for hours, and it was fun to watch Bella running all over the place, going down the big slides.
Sunday we visited with Grandma and Grandpa in the AM, then off to the Burrito store for some lunch. That afternoon, I had to move lawn furniture out of the garage (to put garage sale stuff IN) - Bella helped despite the rain... then everyone but me fell asleep, so I crept off to exercise (ooh - I am so daring).
Today I had my first meeting with the new client, and am positive this will be a fun gig! I'm a good week away from a signed contract however, so keep it under your hats still, people.
My second book is available - just not through Amazon yet. If you're curious, check it out: http://www.lulu.com/content/763322 It's very different from the Brainflexes - less busywork, more reflective content.
Finally (and I realize this is a totally scattery post today - I'm just trying to get caught up) Isaac started talking again today: While he was going through his "how do I crawl?" phase, he stopped talking more or less. Today, he was right back with the AH DAH DAH!!! But at least now, he's singing it a bit more, and not bellowing it. It's very cute. Trust me.
Allright - that's enough tonight. More later.
Jenny came over in the afternoon on Saturday (it was good and rainy). Midway through the afternoon, the girls ran up to me and demanded to be taken to Edenborough Park - a large indoor playground near us. As it was rainy, I warned them it would be good and busy, but they were undeterred. On the way, Bella confessed: "We were in the basement pretending we were at Edenborough, and then we said HEY let's go to the REAL Edenborough". They played for hours, and it was fun to watch Bella running all over the place, going down the big slides.
Sunday we visited with Grandma and Grandpa in the AM, then off to the Burrito store for some lunch. That afternoon, I had to move lawn furniture out of the garage (to put garage sale stuff IN) - Bella helped despite the rain... then everyone but me fell asleep, so I crept off to exercise (ooh - I am so daring).
Today I had my first meeting with the new client, and am positive this will be a fun gig! I'm a good week away from a signed contract however, so keep it under your hats still, people.
My second book is available - just not through Amazon yet. If you're curious, check it out: http://www.lulu.com/content/763322 It's very different from the Brainflexes - less busywork, more reflective content.
Finally (and I realize this is a totally scattery post today - I'm just trying to get caught up) Isaac started talking again today: While he was going through his "how do I crawl?" phase, he stopped talking more or less. Today, he was right back with the AH DAH DAH!!! But at least now, he's singing it a bit more, and not bellowing it. It's very cute. Trust me.
Allright - that's enough tonight. More later.
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