Coffee with Dad and my boys on my birthday.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The Only Child of An Only Child
We had a busy weekend, lots of errands, breakfast with my mom, dinner with a friend and a 2nd birthday party for an old friend's little boy. It's a sad state of affairs when I think about the fact that she's my only IRL friend who has a child anywhere near The Boy's age. Makes me sad that he is relatively socially isolated(from kids his own age, anyway). So as much as I cherish this time together and as much as I cling to him being all mine, I'm also really eager for him to start school next September - to have frequent interaction with other little kids. To have little friends and toddler interaction beyond what he gets from Gymboree and his little neighborhood buddies.
Anyway, because he doesn't get the chance to socialize much we jumped at the chance to get out and go to a birthday party. The party was at Travel Town in Griffith Park, a place The Boy loves. Lots of trains and dirt, other little kids and a wooden train set set up for them to play with(good practice for Christmastime ;) )
It was hot out but lovely. So happy birthday, toddler buddy! And thanks for a great day at the park.
Anyway, because he doesn't get the chance to socialize much we jumped at the chance to get out and go to a birthday party. The party was at Travel Town in Griffith Park, a place The Boy loves. Lots of trains and dirt, other little kids and a wooden train set set up for them to play with(good practice for Christmastime ;) )
It was hot out but lovely. So happy birthday, toddler buddy! And thanks for a great day at the park.
Friday, October 21, 2011
FIve Minute Friday
This post may not be in the true spirit of 5 Minute Fridays, but it's cute and took five minutes.
One of the things in my exceptionally blessed life that makes me saddest is my inability to take The Boy out for walks. They're difficult for me and unsafe for my run-aroundy Boy.
Sad. Very sad. The good news, however, is that along with going on his daily morning walks with Grandpa
The Boy also gets to go on lunchtime walks with Hubs. They run around, check the mail, say "hi" to the neighbors, play with any toys that may have been left out from the morning. Sometimes The Boy takes his trike out or scoot-along car(I'm not really sure what they're called). It's really good for the both of them - gets some of The Boy's energy spent and allows for Hubs to stop thinking about work for a while.
It's a beautiful thing and I love watching them enjoy their time together.
So here's what yesterday's lunchtime walk looked like:
Happy weekend!
One of the things in my exceptionally blessed life that makes me saddest is my inability to take The Boy out for walks. They're difficult for me and unsafe for my run-aroundy Boy.
Sad. Very sad. The good news, however, is that along with going on his daily morning walks with Grandpa
The Boy also gets to go on lunchtime walks with Hubs. They run around, check the mail, say "hi" to the neighbors, play with any toys that may have been left out from the morning. Sometimes The Boy takes his trike out or scoot-along car(I'm not really sure what they're called). It's really good for the both of them - gets some of The Boy's energy spent and allows for Hubs to stop thinking about work for a while.
It's a beautiful thing and I love watching them enjoy their time together.
So here's what yesterday's lunchtime walk looked like:
Happy weekend!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Teaching for the Impatient
I have ADHD. Seriously. I was diagnosed with it in college and used Ritalin to get me through my math and science requirements. I am incredibly impatient and bore really, really easily.
So, it's interesting trying reconcile my inability to stay focused and communicate any kind of learning with my 2 year old, who is, by definition, unfocused and hyperactive.
We read lots - lots and lots. Along with the books mentioned in this post we also have several several art books, an elementary school age anatomy book that The Boy has an inexplicable fondness for and our new favorite: a book about the solar system called "What's Out There,"
We have alphabet flash cards, alphabet blocks and an alphabet book - all of which The Boy loves. He's also taken to having me draw letters with crayons or on his etch-a-scetch thingy, but whatever letter he asks for always seems stand for me, Hubs or Cat, regardless of what actual letter he asked for. "Draw 'A'!" He'll say, then after I do he'll say "A is for Dada." Whatever, it's something. And I love seeing the excitement in his little face when he's learning.
Still, as well as we're doing it's an interesting process. He'll have me read The Gruffalo 10 times in a row then insist on skipping pages in Mother Goose. He loves being educated on his eyes, lungs and pancreas but often finds Thomas boring. Then there's my low boredom threshold - You'd be surprised how quickly a book can be read when you've already read it several times and you'd much rather be playing with Legos.
I read catalogues and junk mail and try desperately to read with feeling the backs of books and instructions to toys. The Boy is insatiable. I am easily bored, but I read things as often as he wants and explain things as banal as the difference between paws and hands because I love him more than my own life.
SO who cares if there isn't really much to actually read in the latest JCrew catalogue! If The Boy says, "Mama read," I read.
So, it's interesting trying reconcile my inability to stay focused and communicate any kind of learning with my 2 year old, who is, by definition, unfocused and hyperactive.
We read lots - lots and lots. Along with the books mentioned in this post we also have several several art books, an elementary school age anatomy book that The Boy has an inexplicable fondness for and our new favorite: a book about the solar system called "What's Out There,"
We have alphabet flash cards, alphabet blocks and an alphabet book - all of which The Boy loves. He's also taken to having me draw letters with crayons or on his etch-a-scetch thingy, but whatever letter he asks for always seems stand for me, Hubs or Cat, regardless of what actual letter he asked for. "Draw 'A'!" He'll say, then after I do he'll say "A is for Dada." Whatever, it's something. And I love seeing the excitement in his little face when he's learning.
Still, as well as we're doing it's an interesting process. He'll have me read The Gruffalo 10 times in a row then insist on skipping pages in Mother Goose. He loves being educated on his eyes, lungs and pancreas but often finds Thomas boring. Then there's my low boredom threshold - You'd be surprised how quickly a book can be read when you've already read it several times and you'd much rather be playing with Legos.
I read catalogues and junk mail and try desperately to read with feeling the backs of books and instructions to toys. The Boy is insatiable. I am easily bored, but I read things as often as he wants and explain things as banal as the difference between paws and hands because I love him more than my own life.
SO who cares if there isn't really much to actually read in the latest JCrew catalogue! If The Boy says, "Mama read," I read.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
My Sweet Boy
Maybe it's because I'm feeling kind of loopy from the cold I caught off The Boy, or maybe it's because he seems to be growing even more quickly lately, but I feel like I don't write often enough about how sweet my sweet boy is... which is incredibly sweet.
He says "bless you" when you sneeze, loves hugs and kisses, giggles when he pets Cat, says "you're welcome" when he's done you a favor and (usually) loves putting his toys away or helping to tidy up. He offers hugs before parting ways with friends and squeaks a super cute "huggle" before offering a hug if he sees that I'm sad. He's a huge fan of saying, "Mama kiss it better" if he's hurt himself. He kisses his stuffed animals - and an extremely tolerant Cat. Possibly sweetest of all is that he asks "are you okay?" when he sees me struggling to walk. Man, this kid breaks my heart.
His new favorite thing to say is, "I'm getting big," with a huge smile on his face. And he is. He eats with a fork and spoon and often chooses to sit on his knees instead of his new booster seat. He pushes his car onto its side, puts his helmet on and makes vroom vroom noises saying "I'm riding my bike." He's also a fan of make believe - pretending to make me tea and sandwiches then asking if I'd like more. See, even more sweetness.
I just don't know what I did to deserve such a sweet boy. Even now, when he's covered in snot and snoring beside me, I cannot help but be in awe of his perfection.
He says "bless you" when you sneeze, loves hugs and kisses, giggles when he pets Cat, says "you're welcome" when he's done you a favor and (usually) loves putting his toys away or helping to tidy up. He offers hugs before parting ways with friends and squeaks a super cute "huggle" before offering a hug if he sees that I'm sad. He's a huge fan of saying, "Mama kiss it better" if he's hurt himself. He kisses his stuffed animals - and an extremely tolerant Cat. Possibly sweetest of all is that he asks "are you okay?" when he sees me struggling to walk. Man, this kid breaks my heart.
His new favorite thing to say is, "I'm getting big," with a huge smile on his face. And he is. He eats with a fork and spoon and often chooses to sit on his knees instead of his new booster seat. He pushes his car onto its side, puts his helmet on and makes vroom vroom noises saying "I'm riding my bike." He's also a fan of make believe - pretending to make me tea and sandwiches then asking if I'd like more. See, even more sweetness.
I just don't know what I did to deserve such a sweet boy. Even now, when he's covered in snot and snoring beside me, I cannot help but be in awe of his perfection.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Jinx!
Full disclosure - I wrote this post about our outing 2 weekends ago but didn't get around to posting it until yesterday. And, wouldn't you know, I'm totally paying for it now?
The cold-flu thing that The Boy had on Saturday - complete with snot and fever - all but disappeared yesterday. But this morning, oh this morning... snot and lethargy gave way to more puke than I've seen since The Exorcist. The Boy flooded the living room with puke. Cat ran away and Hubs and I needed to shower and change our clothes after the clean-up. And the clean-up was thorough, but everything still smells like vomit.
My poor little guy, sweet pea that he is, even said "I'm OK," as he hugged Hubs with tears in his eyes once he was done hurling, but I think we'll spend the rest of the day curled up under the blanket anyway.
The cold-flu thing that The Boy had on Saturday - complete with snot and fever - all but disappeared yesterday. But this morning, oh this morning... snot and lethargy gave way to more puke than I've seen since The Exorcist. The Boy flooded the living room with puke. Cat ran away and Hubs and I needed to shower and change our clothes after the clean-up. And the clean-up was thorough, but everything still smells like vomit.
My poor little guy, sweet pea that he is, even said "I'm OK," as he hugged Hubs with tears in his eyes once he was done hurling, but I think we'll spend the rest of the day curled up under the blanket anyway.
Digging Deep
In an attempt to take blogging more seriously I'm going to follow Christina's lead by trying my hands at Monday Listicles, which originated from Northwest Mommy.
For my first official listical I've written about why I think I'll never be any good at this blogging thing
1. I have an anti-talent for all things computer related. Seriously. This post mentioned my uselessness when it comes to computers, all technology really, but it really didn't explain my continuing confusion about computers and the internet - having a cursory understanding of both being essential to blogging. At least I think so, but then I don't really know about computers or the internet.
2. I find it really hard to dig deep. Robyn spoke of just "taking it" in the post on her blog, and I often feel the same way about not wanting to vent, verbalize, make light of any problems I may be going through. When I was 13 or 14 and trying to get over the mess my parents' marriage had made of my head my beloved Dad told me, "no one likes a complainer." I took that to heart and this day find it easier to complain about the quality of my morning coffee than to express concern for the boy or ask for help re: my MS.
3. I can't figure out what my point of view is.
4. I have too few girlfriends and hence find communicating with women, either in real life or online, awkward.
5. Colloquialisms go over my head. I have no idea what to do with popular nomenclature either with regards to parenting, internetting or anything else that I might find myself writing about. Maybe it's because I'm old. Maybe it's because of my aforementioned awkwardness. I really don't know.
6. I'm an atrocious self-editor and cannot see typos or spelling and grammatical mistakes to save my life. I can edit other peoples work just fine, but I have a gigantic blind spot when it comes to anything I've written.
7. I'm an even more atrocious photographer than I am an editor.
8. I suck at self-promotion and blogging seems to involve, in my opinion anyway, a great deal of look-at-meism.
9. I don't do brevity. I'm either too long winded as to not make sense or too terse to be meaningful. I'd like to say what I mean and have it make sense, but I'm too many years out of grad school and my rhetoric muscles have gotten weak.
10. I have a 2 year old. 'Nuff said.
So here's a list of things I need to work on, kind of like a metaphor for life really. I'll try to work on these 10 things and have a less critical listical next time.
For my first official listical I've written about why I think I'll never be any good at this blogging thing
1. I have an anti-talent for all things computer related. Seriously. This post mentioned my uselessness when it comes to computers, all technology really, but it really didn't explain my continuing confusion about computers and the internet - having a cursory understanding of both being essential to blogging. At least I think so, but then I don't really know about computers or the internet.
2. I find it really hard to dig deep. Robyn spoke of just "taking it" in the post on her blog, and I often feel the same way about not wanting to vent, verbalize, make light of any problems I may be going through. When I was 13 or 14 and trying to get over the mess my parents' marriage had made of my head my beloved Dad told me, "no one likes a complainer." I took that to heart and this day find it easier to complain about the quality of my morning coffee than to express concern for the boy or ask for help re: my MS.
3. I can't figure out what my point of view is.
4. I have too few girlfriends and hence find communicating with women, either in real life or online, awkward.
5. Colloquialisms go over my head. I have no idea what to do with popular nomenclature either with regards to parenting, internetting or anything else that I might find myself writing about. Maybe it's because I'm old. Maybe it's because of my aforementioned awkwardness. I really don't know.
6. I'm an atrocious self-editor and cannot see typos or spelling and grammatical mistakes to save my life. I can edit other peoples work just fine, but I have a gigantic blind spot when it comes to anything I've written.
7. I'm an even more atrocious photographer than I am an editor.
8. I suck at self-promotion and blogging seems to involve, in my opinion anyway, a great deal of look-at-meism.
9. I don't do brevity. I'm either too long winded as to not make sense or too terse to be meaningful. I'd like to say what I mean and have it make sense, but I'm too many years out of grad school and my rhetoric muscles have gotten weak.
10. I have a 2 year old. 'Nuff said.
So here's a list of things I need to work on, kind of like a metaphor for life really. I'll try to work on these 10 things and have a less critical listical next time.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Hot Stuff
Since we live in Southern California we have the misfortune of not really being able to enjoy 4 distinct seasons. Instead we have have rain and slightly temperate weather in Winter, sometimes rain and sort of temperate, but often hot, Springs, HOT Summers and a slow descent into Fall - deceptively cool mornings followed by scorching afternoons; several coolish days followed by a heat wave.
We're having a heat wave now and, because hope springs eternal, I try to imagine that this will be the angry burst of Summer before the temperatures dip for good and we actually get our Autumn - that won't be the case, but I'm a dreamer.
Trying not to let my own preference for cooler weather deter The Boy from enjoying himself when it's hot as Hades, we went out and to enjoy our Sunday morning ritual.
A croissant
A splash around in the fountain
Then a walk through the market
Hope you had a lovely weekend!
We're having a heat wave now and, because hope springs eternal, I try to imagine that this will be the angry burst of Summer before the temperatures dip for good and we actually get our Autumn - that won't be the case, but I'm a dreamer.
Trying not to let my own preference for cooler weather deter The Boy from enjoying himself when it's hot as Hades, we went out and to enjoy our Sunday morning ritual.
A croissant
A splash around in the fountain
Then a walk through the market
Hope you had a lovely weekend!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Schooled in pre-school
I have many hopes for The Boy; that he'll find true love, lead a happy life and get a good education. I also really hope that he won't inherit my tendency to procrastinate. A prime example of my procrastination being my utter ignorance, some might say wilful ignorance, of what it takes to get my kid into pre-school.
Friends whose kids are younger than The Boy have long since settled on pre-school, signed up for waiting lists, paid deposits and made friends with teachers and directors. I, on the other hand, had waited to last week to make a call to schedule an interview/walk-trough. Very lazy of me and it's definitely high-time I get my butt in gear and begin our first steps to Operation Cal/UCLA/Harvard/Yale or whatever Graduating Class of 2030(followed, of course, by graduate work at one of the aforementioned schools).
Maybe my procrastination is down to me being reluctant to see The Boy grow up. Maybe it's because I'm overwhelmed by the choices before me; Montessori, Reggio Emilia, play-based, language-based what-have-you. Maybe it's because I'm cheap and don't want to shell out the cash. Truth be told, my feet-dragging is probably the result of all of those, but time does not stand still and waiting lists don't magically get shorter.
Anyway, our visit this morning was amazing. The Boy loved it and all the kids looked really happy. They adhere to a "language based" method of learning. I'm not sure what exactly that means but I like what it means for The Boy - play, trikes, art projects, some learning, play, sand boxes, dump trucks and lots of getting dirty. We were told that he'd need extra clothes everyday because of getting dirty, and that the primary function of the school wasn't to "learn" stuff or even to socialize, but to develop a sense of himself apart from me.
That hurt. A lot. But I guess it's time, or will be in September. Sniff.
So yeah, today a room full of 2 year olds, 24 years from now this:
Pic from http://www.capsandgownsnow.com/
Friends whose kids are younger than The Boy have long since settled on pre-school, signed up for waiting lists, paid deposits and made friends with teachers and directors. I, on the other hand, had waited to last week to make a call to schedule an interview/walk-trough. Very lazy of me and it's definitely high-time I get my butt in gear and begin our first steps to Operation Cal/UCLA/Harvard/Yale or whatever Graduating Class of 2030(followed, of course, by graduate work at one of the aforementioned schools).
Maybe my procrastination is down to me being reluctant to see The Boy grow up. Maybe it's because I'm overwhelmed by the choices before me; Montessori, Reggio Emilia, play-based, language-based what-have-you. Maybe it's because I'm cheap and don't want to shell out the cash. Truth be told, my feet-dragging is probably the result of all of those, but time does not stand still and waiting lists don't magically get shorter.
Anyway, our visit this morning was amazing. The Boy loved it and all the kids looked really happy. They adhere to a "language based" method of learning. I'm not sure what exactly that means but I like what it means for The Boy - play, trikes, art projects, some learning, play, sand boxes, dump trucks and lots of getting dirty. We were told that he'd need extra clothes everyday because of getting dirty, and that the primary function of the school wasn't to "learn" stuff or even to socialize, but to develop a sense of himself apart from me.
That hurt. A lot. But I guess it's time, or will be in September. Sniff.
So yeah, today a room full of 2 year olds, 24 years from now this:
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
How We Spent Our Bank Holiday
With coffee and croissants in hand we headed to the park.
First we ate our croissants(Hubs and I drank coffee)
Then The Boy took one trip down the slide, decided he wasn't impressed and spent the rest of his time climbing the ladder
and walking across the wobbly bridge
So he still doesn't like the slide, the swings or kicking his soccer ball around but he luuuurrrrves climbing, running Hubs ragged and almost giving me heart attacks by lunging for the fireman's pole. Now I don't remember having a special love of slides when I was little, but I did really like swings. Don't all kids like swings? And slides for that matter? Is it just my kid being a monkey that makes him want to do nothing but climb and swing from things?
Whatever, he's earned his nap and Hubs and I have earned a break. I've got a cup of tea and a slice of pumpkin cake (from Pinterest!!!!) with my name on them.
First we ate our croissants(Hubs and I drank coffee)
Then The Boy took one trip down the slide, decided he wasn't impressed and spent the rest of his time climbing the ladder
and walking across the wobbly bridge
So he still doesn't like the slide, the swings or kicking his soccer ball around but he luuuurrrrves climbing, running Hubs ragged and almost giving me heart attacks by lunging for the fireman's pole. Now I don't remember having a special love of slides when I was little, but I did really like swings. Don't all kids like swings? And slides for that matter? Is it just my kid being a monkey that makes him want to do nothing but climb and swing from things?
Whatever, he's earned his nap and Hubs and I have earned a break. I've got a cup of tea and a slice of pumpkin cake (from Pinterest!!!!) with my name on them.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Top 10
As I'm still a total novice at this blogging thing I'm trying to make more of an effort to blog regularly and learn from my more experienced online friends - to write more and tell more about myself and my boys. I freely admit to needing some serious work done on my photographic skills, but that'll come later.
Anyhoo, in honor of Christina's Listicles and Peeper's 10 on 10, here's a collection of non-Boy related things I'm currently obsessed with, studying or crushing on:
- History - Russia in the 19th Century, specifically its war against France under Napoleon and its war against everybody - well, France, Britain and Turkey and sort of the Hapsburgs, Prussia and the US. It's what I studied in college so it's always a little bit on my mind, but this year has seen a slew of books on Ukrainian history, Crimean War history and a Pushkin book remind me of what I've been missing since grad school. To finish off the year I'll be reading Russia Against Napoleon by Dominic Lieven. What? It says I'm a history geek over there on the right.
- Social Media - Pinterest - It's like crack, man. Embarrassing, don't want to admit to loving it, can't live without it crack. It's internet crack. Not only does it allow me to indulge my love of Audrey Hepburn, travel and fattening foods, it also offers a million almost useless tips for cleaning, organizing, decorating and DIY'ing lampshades/scrapbooks/lame-ass craft craze du jour. Sweet Jeebuz, it's addictive!
- Housework - Cleaning and Organizing - Most people do Spring cleaning, I do Fall cleaning. Mostly because I see Spring as heralding the coming of Summer... And I hate Summer. But the shortening of days and cooling of temperatures turns me into a busy bee. I've scrubbed the floors and the fridge, purged our closets and already taken one trip to Goodwill.
- Food - Anything pumpkin flavored - Half of the food shit I've pinned on Pinterest has pumpkin in it. I had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season the other day and cannot believe how awesome it was.
- Fall shopping - Maroon and Gray - Every year I await the arrival of darker colors in clothes shops. I'm not a big shopper, but every year I allow myself one gray or maroon/plum/wine colored sweater along with a a re-stock of long sleeve black tees. Then I tell myself that whatever expense was worth it since I added color to my wardrobe. Yes, in my world greys and plums count as pops of color.
- Travel - Travel planning - I'm not much of a planner, but I've always loved daydreaming about trips. Staring at a map of Europe with a Eurail Pass in my hand or, more recently, plotting a trip on Expedia and googlemaps. It's more involved now that there's The Boy to consider, and it's certainly more expensive, but it's so much fun thinking of where to visit and imagining how The Boy will respond to new places. I'm currently in the midst of planning The Boy's first trip to San Francisco - and Hubs' first trip there since we moved... 9 years ago.
- Reading - Edgar Allen Poe and John Milton - It's not just that Poe is seasonally appropriate, I'm really digging on them because I'm about to read Poe for the first time since high school, just 'cuz, and I'm about to read Milton's Paradise Lost for the first time ever as the latest, and possibly last, book club book read for the book club my friend and I started so we could read books that we felt clever people should read but we had yet to read ourselves.
- More food - Manicotti - This year's substitute for casserole. I haven't made any yet, but I'm really looking forward to it.
- More clothes - Scarves - I have millions of them and am so glad it's finally time do dig them out of The Closet of Doom.
- Boys and movies- Last but not least, Benedict Cumberbatch
- I love the name, and apparently it's his real name. I had never heard of him until I saw press on the upcoming Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy movie - see history love and Russia fascination for getting why I care about the movie version of a Cold War novel. I think he's dreamy in a funny-looking English sort of way but will probably lose interest before TTSS comes out in December. If that does end up being the case then I can see War Horse, the new Spielberg World War I flick. As a history geek I'm a sucker for well-done war films so I'm pretty excited about this one. I'll probably make a fool of myself by crying hysterically, but I'm cool with that.
Anyhoo, in honor of Christina's Listicles and Peeper's 10 on 10, here's a collection of non-Boy related things I'm currently obsessed with, studying or crushing on:
- History - Russia in the 19th Century, specifically its war against France under Napoleon and its war against everybody - well, France, Britain and Turkey and sort of the Hapsburgs, Prussia and the US. It's what I studied in college so it's always a little bit on my mind, but this year has seen a slew of books on Ukrainian history, Crimean War history and a Pushkin book remind me of what I've been missing since grad school. To finish off the year I'll be reading Russia Against Napoleon by Dominic Lieven. What? It says I'm a history geek over there on the right.
- Social Media - Pinterest - It's like crack, man. Embarrassing, don't want to admit to loving it, can't live without it crack. It's internet crack. Not only does it allow me to indulge my love of Audrey Hepburn, travel and fattening foods, it also offers a million almost useless tips for cleaning, organizing, decorating and DIY'ing lampshades/scrapbooks/lame-ass craft craze du jour. Sweet Jeebuz, it's addictive!
- Housework - Cleaning and Organizing - Most people do Spring cleaning, I do Fall cleaning. Mostly because I see Spring as heralding the coming of Summer... And I hate Summer. But the shortening of days and cooling of temperatures turns me into a busy bee. I've scrubbed the floors and the fridge, purged our closets and already taken one trip to Goodwill.
- Food - Anything pumpkin flavored - Half of the food shit I've pinned on Pinterest has pumpkin in it. I had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season the other day and cannot believe how awesome it was.
- Fall shopping - Maroon and Gray - Every year I await the arrival of darker colors in clothes shops. I'm not a big shopper, but every year I allow myself one gray or maroon/plum/wine colored sweater along with a a re-stock of long sleeve black tees. Then I tell myself that whatever expense was worth it since I added color to my wardrobe. Yes, in my world greys and plums count as pops of color.
- Travel - Travel planning - I'm not much of a planner, but I've always loved daydreaming about trips. Staring at a map of Europe with a Eurail Pass in my hand or, more recently, plotting a trip on Expedia and googlemaps. It's more involved now that there's The Boy to consider, and it's certainly more expensive, but it's so much fun thinking of where to visit and imagining how The Boy will respond to new places. I'm currently in the midst of planning The Boy's first trip to San Francisco - and Hubs' first trip there since we moved... 9 years ago.
- Reading - Edgar Allen Poe and John Milton - It's not just that Poe is seasonally appropriate, I'm really digging on them because I'm about to read Poe for the first time since high school, just 'cuz, and I'm about to read Milton's Paradise Lost for the first time ever as the latest, and possibly last, book club book read for the book club my friend and I started so we could read books that we felt clever people should read but we had yet to read ourselves.
- More food - Manicotti - This year's substitute for casserole. I haven't made any yet, but I'm really looking forward to it.
- More clothes - Scarves - I have millions of them and am so glad it's finally time do dig them out of The Closet of Doom.
- Boys and movies- Last but not least, Benedict Cumberbatch
Thursday, October 6, 2011
RIP Steve Jobs
I am not a computer person. Back in the day I needed my lab partner to do all the work on a Commodore 64 in my 7th grade computer science class. I still mostly flail about uselessly on the computer, relying on my code-writing Hubs to back up my junk and save me from errant viruses.
As hopeless as I am with computers, my mom always had a knack for them(take that, sociological pundits who claim technology is the preserve of the young!). Back in the late eighties she was giddy as a school girl when she brought home a small, beige boxy looking thing with an Apple logo on it. She did all kinds of stuff with it - I played Tetris. A year or so later she got an Apple laptop. It was grey and heavy, there was no color on the screen and the font was fuzzy.
When I transferred to Cal in the Winter of '98 that's what I took with me. The small, leaded suitcase type thing with an Apple logo that I inherited from my mother. I kept it for a year and it served me well, allowing me to write dozens of essays and papers in the little studio I lived in in North Berkeley. It also introduced me to personalized email - I'd previously been sharing an email address with my dad and my best friend. Sadly it took the better part of an hour to read an email and respond to it so I wasn't a massive fan of email at first.
I later inherited a much bigger but not quite as slow PC and my little Apple laptop went to Apple heaven at a Mac store in Oakland.
5 years after that Hubs got me a pink IPod mini, which doesn't seem so mini anymore. I don't have an IPhone but am thinking of replacing my current laptop with a Macbook.
It's funny how much a PC-using non-computer person thinks about Steve Jobs, but I guess that's just a testament to all he's contributed to the world - the world of technology anyway.
So rest in peace, Mr. Jobs.
As hopeless as I am with computers, my mom always had a knack for them(take that, sociological pundits who claim technology is the preserve of the young!). Back in the late eighties she was giddy as a school girl when she brought home a small, beige boxy looking thing with an Apple logo on it. She did all kinds of stuff with it - I played Tetris. A year or so later she got an Apple laptop. It was grey and heavy, there was no color on the screen and the font was fuzzy.
When I transferred to Cal in the Winter of '98 that's what I took with me. The small, leaded suitcase type thing with an Apple logo that I inherited from my mother. I kept it for a year and it served me well, allowing me to write dozens of essays and papers in the little studio I lived in in North Berkeley. It also introduced me to personalized email - I'd previously been sharing an email address with my dad and my best friend. Sadly it took the better part of an hour to read an email and respond to it so I wasn't a massive fan of email at first.
I later inherited a much bigger but not quite as slow PC and my little Apple laptop went to Apple heaven at a Mac store in Oakland.
5 years after that Hubs got me a pink IPod mini, which doesn't seem so mini anymore. I don't have an IPhone but am thinking of replacing my current laptop with a Macbook.
It's funny how much a PC-using non-computer person thinks about Steve Jobs, but I guess that's just a testament to all he's contributed to the world - the world of technology anyway.
So rest in peace, Mr. Jobs.
Monday, October 3, 2011
2 Years Old and Already a Do-Gooder
My mom hosted her annual BikeMS fundraiser 2 weekends ago. She's been hosting 2 fundraisers a year for years; a Spring one for The Walk and a late Summer/early Fall one for the bike ride. Mom can't really show The Boy off at the Spring event yet as it's an inside affair and too crowded for The Boy to keep his cool, but he's gone to the Bike event for the last 2 years and been a great, big hit.
As friends and family crowded the yard of the house I grew up in The Boy charmed everyone with his smile and wore out Hubs with his energy. He also spent some time playing with a little girl who is a few months younger than him who happens to be his 3rd cousin? 2nd cousin once removed? What the heck is The Boy's relation to my cousin's kid?
It was a great afternoon and evening and I love the fact that The Boy will grow up learning from his grandma's example of philanthropy. Or civic duty? Again, I'm not really sure.
The best thing about going was that my dad's little brother, Mom's former brother in law, was down from the Bay Area. He was my absolute favorite uncle growing up - I've got lots of uncles - but he's only had the opportunity too meet The Boy once before, like a year ago. Here they are with my mom.
So relatives were seen, money was raised, wine was drunk and a good time was had by all.
As friends and family crowded the yard of the house I grew up in The Boy charmed everyone with his smile and wore out Hubs with his energy. He also spent some time playing with a little girl who is a few months younger than him who happens to be his 3rd cousin? 2nd cousin once removed? What the heck is The Boy's relation to my cousin's kid?
It was a great afternoon and evening and I love the fact that The Boy will grow up learning from his grandma's example of philanthropy. Or civic duty? Again, I'm not really sure.
The best thing about going was that my dad's little brother, Mom's former brother in law, was down from the Bay Area. He was my absolute favorite uncle growing up - I've got lots of uncles - but he's only had the opportunity too meet The Boy once before, like a year ago. Here they are with my mom.
So relatives were seen, money was raised, wine was drunk and a good time was had by all.
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