tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295410282024-03-13T05:36:20.620-07:00Slipping RealityEveryone's already got one, you see?Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-13469824604692736922010-03-24T21:17:00.002-07:002010-03-24T21:47:18.626-07:00No Time to Exchange Them<ul><li>Didn't get the promotion, but I did get the lateral position. In hindsight, I'm very happy about this. More time to learn a few finer details and practice leadership before I'm responsible for it. I'm applying things to my job now that I didn't realize I had learned over the past four years of the previous world. It's challenging but fun and I'm happy with it.</li><li>I've adjusted to the carpool schedule. Those mornings I have to get up before 6am. Don't laugh, but I spend my evenings before setting coffee, packing lunch, picking clothing, gathering my things, and making sure that I don't have to think about a single thing as I stumble around my house, uncaffeinated, before dawn. I thank the technological genius who thought to add a timer to a coffee maker. </li><li>Live by the checklist, die by the checklist. Can't die today--not on my list.<br /></li><li>Still banning HFCS (did you see the <a href="http://www.google.com/url?url=http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2010/03/high-fructose-corn-syrup-prompts-more-weight-gain-than-sugar/&rct=j&ei=vueqS8yBLITmswPu4pSHDQ&sa=X&oi=news_article&resnum=1&ct=result&cd=1&ved=0CDsQqQIoAzAA&q=high+fructose+corn+syrup+health+risks&usg=AFQjCNGYHeDHPMCM6I2AxnEQZM-nKfjmHQ">study released today</a>?) and extended the ban to include soy products as well. I chose soy because most of it is genetically modified and I don't agree with the way <a href="http://www.groovygreen.com/groove/?p=2921">Monsanto treats farmers</a>. Tom has been turning a patch of ground to make a garden and we've taken the plunge to buy only local beef, pork, and chicken and sustainable seafood. I highly recommend <a href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx">Monterey Bay Seafood Watch</a> as a resource. Out here, there's actually a <a href="http://www.arizonabuffalocompany.com/">buffalo ranch</a> about 6miles from me and I've started transitioning from beef to buffalo. It's delicious. And for those wondering about cost, yes, it is more expensive. As a result, meat gets less of a focus to our meals and has become more of a supporting player. Our rule--each cut of meat must provide for at least two meals. This week, we stretched six sausage links to five meals. It takes planning, but it's challenging and fun, too.</li><li>I've been visiting the <a href="http://tonopahrob.com/">farmer's market near me</a> every couple weeks and I'm very happy to see how big it's growing. It started with one farmer and one stand; now he has vendors dealing with bread, sockeye salmon, local meat, homemade jams, jellies, and salsas, fudge, and tamales. We're happy to support it. I'm buying, eating, and loving vegetables that I wouldn't have looked at a few years ago--fennel, turnips, daikon radish--and his carrots and potatoes are sublime. Tom has been baking bread and buys bags of flour at Costco. We haven't bought bread at the grocery since Thanksgiving.</li><li>CJ completed his T-Ball clinic and is currently enrolled in dance class (ballet and jazz). He loves dance and will be in a recital in June. He did well in T-Ball, but seemed unsure at times. His first at-bat in scrimmage he hit the ball, watched it go, then twisted and fell at the base of the tee. His coach tried to pick him up but he did the rubber limbed thing so Coach Mike picked CJ up, slung him under his arm, and ran CJ to first.</li><li>Every day, I become more and more like my dad. Tom stays home with CJ, I go to work, and I have chores on weekends and take out trash.</li><li>I really like <a href="http://www.wine.com/V6/Borsao-Tinto-2008/wine/99663/detail.aspx?s=GoogleBase&cid=GoogleBase">red wine</a>.<br /></li></ul>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-43728414693438956142009-09-02T10:09:00.003-07:002009-09-02T10:18:13.626-07:00No Words ExchangedQuick hits today:<br /><br /><ul><li>Had an interview on Monday for a potential promotion. Also applied for a potential lateral move. Keeping my fingers crossed. I was nervous, but I think I did fine in the long run.</li><li>Finally adjusting to my new carpooling schedule (which requires me to get up before 6am two days a week and I am NOT a morning person). It's been a challenge but caffeine has helped.</li><li>Almost all traces of high fructose corn syrup removed from my house. A bit of residual left in barbecue sauce, ketchup, and a jar of jelly that's almost gone. Did you know baked beans have HFCS? Now working on banning aspartame; I'm down to only one bottle of Diet Pepsi a day. I've been cold-brewing concentrated green tea and mixing with 100% juice or lemonade.</li><li>Farmer's markets start up in a couple weeks. I'm excited. There's monthly one that will be within walking distance at the new ballpark, and another within reasonable driving distance. They're offset by two weeks. I'm going to have to learn to play my cards right.</li><li>CJ drew a picture the other day--a tiny version of himself lying in a half-box, a big circle above that with little circles leading from the half-box to the big circle, and a large version of himself standing in the big circle. Tom asked him what the picture was. CJ responded, "That's a picture of me as a baby dreaming of me as a big boy!"</li><li>I think the arrangement with Tom staying home with CJ full-time is going very well.</li></ul>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-35583763475214902602009-07-29T07:52:00.002-07:002009-07-29T08:19:19.649-07:00Music RequestsI was pondering this last night, and was spurred to post after reading Suze's blog this morning. I need a bit of advice--both on how I should perceive reality and what actions I should take.<br /><br />Tall order? Possibly. Allow me to 'splain:<br /><br />We have been aware that CJ has a love for music since shortly after he was born. I sang to him quite a bit in the early months, but he didn't have a great love for lullabies. He liked it much better when I sang Mahna Mahna or Mr. Blue Sky. As a toddler, he loved to watch us play Guitar Hero and we got him his own toy guitar to "play". I lost count of how many batteries I've gone through from his incessant playing of his Ocean Wonders aquarium, and I recall one night, spent in a hotel room in Burlington, when Tom and I had to hum the aquarium songs to lull CJ to sleep. For almost a year, his bedtime story was singing--all the songs from a book of lyrics and pictures that had come with a CD. The CD was lost a long time ago, but he knows the songs.<br /><br />Before he was 2, he was singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. By 3, he'd figured out that Baa Baa Black Sheep and his ABCs were the same tune, and he could play it on a toy xylophone (one octave, each key a different color). He would sing on the ride home from daycare, asking us which song he should sing. He had a catalog of at least thirty songs, full words and melody, by 4. Some of those songs were tough--I've Been Working on the Railroad, The Green Grass Grew All Around, and the Ants Go Marching. He had the sixth from My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean down pat. He didn't belt out the songs or scream them--he sang strongly, on pitch, in tune, and with proper emphasis and phrasing.<br /><br />I've shared some songs that he likes based on what he hears from around the house and in the car. He has a few childrens music CDs, but he has a strong preference for songs with guitars, especially acoustic guitar. He likes Rolling Stones, Beatles, and Grateful Dead--he even dances like a true little Deadhead!<br /><br />Now that he's home with Tom, Tom is encouraging the music play. He brought out the old Casio I got in high school and has been teaching CJ to play on it. Over the last few days, CJ has learned to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Mary Had a Little Lamb, and scales. Yesterday, he learned do-re-mi (which he sings with perfect pitch while he plays it).<br /><br />Here's where the help comes in: <br />1) Do I gush too much about his seeming talent for music, or is this normal for 4 1/2? I'm pretty impressed, but I impress easily when it comes to this kid. I used to sing, but could never play an instrument so I'm always taken with those who can.<br /><br />2) Since this is play, I don't want to impose any firm structure or expectations. This is about his discovery and his love. I don't want to make him learn to play a song or follow some technique. But, I don't want a lack of structure to harm him later--for example, I am a terrible touch typist because I tauight myself to type when I was a kid, and I have never been able to make the right connections in my brain to overcome the bad habits I taught myself. His brain is making connections at lightning speed. Should I be concerned that a lack of discipline could harm future ability?<br /><br />3) At what point do I consider lessons? I never had music lessons, so I don't know how early is too early, or how late is too late. How do I encourage him to develop his talent without killing his passion? How do I keep it from becoming a chore? I'm thinking that we should look into getting him piano lessons when he starts kindergarten next year--am I on the right track?<br /><br />4) He has such a broad interest and a variety of toy (and kid sized instruments)--drums, xylophone, keyboard, guitar, maracas, noise makers, his voice--where do I start? How many lessons do I entertain? Of course, I could ask, and I have asked him what he would like to play. He either answers with a list of everything, or gives me a different instrument. Sometimes, he says no. I know his decision making capability is limited--how much of this is his choice, how much is mine, and when do the scales start to tip?Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-89009254014597903832009-07-09T15:07:00.001-07:002009-07-09T15:11:38.178-07:00Conversations with a Four Year OldChristopher likes to watch Noggin, and there is a Laurie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Berkner</span> song he's learned from <strong>Jack's Big Music Show</strong>. It's called <em>I'm Not Perfect</em>:<br /><br /><blockquote>I'm not perfect, no, I'm not.<br />I'm not perfect but I've got what I got.<br />I do my very best, do my very best, do my very best each day,<br />But I'm not perfect and I hope you like me that way.</blockquote><br /><br />It continues with another verse for We and concludes with a verse for You, with the ending line "And you know I love you that way." It's a very very sweet song and Christopher loves to sing it. Sometimes, he asks us to sing it with him (we sometimes sing in the car on the ride home). The only problem--he is very particular about the words as he knows them. If Tom or I sing the wrong word, Christopher will shout, "No! That's not it!"<br /><br />I sometimes forget that he's a little too young for sarcasm. One night, he asked me to sing with him, then yelled because I used a wrong word. I immediately replied, "I think you've missed the message of the song, buddy."<br /><br />"What do you mean, Mommy?"<br /><br />"Do you know what "not perfect" means?"<br /><br />"No."<br /><br />"It means that we don't always do everything correctly. We're humans, and we make mistakes, and we will mess up sometimes even when we do our best, but that's OK."<br /><br />"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Oooooh</span>," he says, then falls silent. I turn my head, and he has a pensive look on his face, and I think maybe this is one of those <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">impactful</span> life-lesson moments, then he straightens in his seat and declares, "*I'm* perfect!"<br /><br />Tom and I answer in unison, "No, you're not!" then laugh.<br /><br /> *****<br /><br />We often listen to the classic rock station since it's the only one that doesn't drive me to change stations with every other song. I've noticed some more recent songs creeping onto their <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">playlists</span>, and I am gobsmacked that The Joshua Tree apparently qualifies as classic rock now, but I'll try not to rail about that.<br /><br />At 6pm, they play the 6 o'clock <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Stoner</span>, a block of 4 Rolling Stones songs. I'm sorry to say that we often catch this during the commute home. Three times in two weeks, we caught "You Can't Always Get What You Want" in the block, and Christopher was entranced with the choir and the acoustic guitar.<br /><br />A few nights ago, he asked, "Can you play my song, 'You Can't Always Get What You Want'?"<br /><br />"I'm sorry, honey," I told him, "but I don't have that on CD."<br /><br />"Can you make it play on the radio?"<br /><br />"No, I can't make it play. We have to wait for the station to play it."<br /><br />"But I want to hear 'You Can't Always Get What You Want'."<br /><br />"I know, but sometimes, you *can't* always get what you want."<br /><br />"But I *want* it!"<br /><br />I wanted to tell him that if they play it, maybe he should really listen to it, then I remembered about the sarcasm thing and said nothing.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-66280040010950323132009-06-24T13:05:00.003-07:002009-06-24T13:14:04.003-07:00Joke from a Four Year Old and Phonics Lesson"Knock-Knock!"<br /><br />"Who's there?"<br /><br />"It's Pizza!"<br /><br />"It's Pizza, who?"<br /><br />"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Haha</span>, that was a funny joke!"<br /><br /> *****<br /><br />Earlier this week, Christopher and I were discussing letter sounds. He asked me what I started with (what letter my name begins with, in his parlance). I told him, "My name starts with the letter 'B'."<br /><br />He looked puzzled. "But 'Mommy' has a '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">mmmmmm</span>' sound."<br /><br />"That's right! 'Mommy has an '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">mmmm</span>' sound, but my name is Becca."<br /><br />"Oh, yes! That's right! You start with the 'butt' sound."Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-36026738319686023832009-06-15T16:34:00.002-07:002009-06-15T16:58:36.832-07:00Four Months?Seriously, four months? Sorry, I didn't realize it had been that long.<br /><br />Since the last post, Christopher has gotten glasses (spiffy red frames that he loves). Poor thing is farsighted, like me, and his eye was crossing under the strain to focus. He takes good care of his specs, and has improved greatly with his recognition of letters and numbers. Interestingly enough, his poor small motor skills (those used for coloring, tracing, and writing) were related to his eye issues. Once he could see, he rediscovered those activities and loves to draw. Within the last month, he's gone from scribbling to representative artwork--I'll have to scan some since it's impressive. At least, it is to me. Currently, we have to put an eyepatch on his left eye each night to help his brain recognize and accept input from his right eye. His opthalmologist is very optimistic about the patching, given how well he took to his glasses.<br /><br />We took a trip to see Jenn and Jamie, driving to San Antonio. We thought we could make the drive in one day. We were wrong. Driving through West Texas from El Paso is a fat lot of boring, and San Antonio was nothing like we expected. We saw the Alamo. Christopher loved the fish. I was surprised how small it was. I was rather moved by the carvings on the walls in the rooms where soldiers held their ground while woman and children huddled. I couldn't stay very long as I felt guilty being that close to tragedy in a voyeuristic capacity.<br /><br />We also visited the Witte Museum, the Riverwalk, and had a great day at the Children's Museum. We didn't make it to the beach, but there is always next time. Christopher greatly enjoyed the Easter egg hunt he had with Jamie, and asks to go back someday. He even points to the picture of the Alamo on the Texas piece of his America puzzle, and tells us that's where Jenn and Jamie and Buddy and Ziggy live.<br /><br />In May, I introduced Christopher to the library (and how to say "library" correctly, which he does, as well as the word, "correctly"). The actual branch is due for construction next year, but there is a room off City Hall where the county has put up shelves of bestsellers and popular childrens' books. Christopher likes to go and play with the puzzles while I browse the shelves, and then he helps me check them out using a scanner. He's signed up for the Summer Reading Program, and is already 25% complete. We're due to go this weekend--the check-out times are very generous, three weeks, and I try to make an afternoon of it with him. We go to the library, then Goodwill, then someplace for lunch, then home. It's like our date. He loves Goodwill. I don't take him very often since that's one errand he typically runs with Tom at least once a week.<br /><br />Speaking of Tom, we received news in June that his job was eliminated. His last day is July 3rd. Since CJ starts school next fall (2010), Tom will stay home with him full-time and continue his-pre-school education. We've told Christopher that he won't go to daycare anymore to start the conversation. We know he doesn't recognize the full impact, but we know he will ask questions as information sinks in, the more we talk to him about it. We wanted to give him plenty of time to adjust to the idea. The daycare has been fantastic--they'll keep his information and place him in drop-in status so we can take him at anytime for the day should the need arise (like, if Tom gets called for jury duty and I have to go to the office). We knew this was a possibility since last fall and have planned quite a bit for the eventuality. We'll be fine, so please don't worry too much. Tom is very excited about staying home, and has wished to do so for some time.<br /><br />Oh--nothing major, but I quit smoking last month. It's been over 5 weeks. I'm very pleased. This time, I did it cold turkey--just decided I was done after that pack was done, and held to it. It's been tough at times, and I take it moment by moment. I may be consuming more caffeine and tea, but I haven't killed anyone, so I consider it a success. Now I'm just trying to adjust to the way my body reacts now--I breathe easier, my senses of taste and smell are improved, but I'm often tired, and my brain is slow. I forget I've been using a stimulant constantly for 14 years. My body has to remap itself and my body has to adjust to finding a different form of motivation and energy. I've found some excitement in food; I'm even now with my weight from when I quit, but I've been experimenting in my kitchen. Tomatoes have been lovely, as has fruit, so I'm eating fresh foods, little red meat (more seafood), and trying my hand at making my own "staples". To date, I've made sherbet, banana muffins, bread, gingersnaps, granola, chex mix, and yogurt. Yes, yogurt. Which was awesome this morning with grapes, banana, and fresh granola.<br /><br />Maybe in another four months, I'll get around to posting the recipes.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-45568718303850265842009-02-18T15:47:00.003-07:002009-02-18T15:56:10.006-07:00Sad DayThis morning, I took my 12 year old cat Zeke to the vet. Unfortunately, Zeke did not come home with me.<br /><br />He's been in gradual decline since Thanksgiving, which accelerated over the past two weeks. Xrays this morning showed he had cancer through most of his major organs with nothing we could do. The vet kindly talked me through the euthanasia procedure and I was present when it was done.<br /><br />Zeke was always an stubborn right bastard, but we loved him very much. I am very sad, as is Tom. We have no idea what to tell Christopher--so far we've only told him that Zeke had to stay at the animal hospital. We were very clear to him this morning that we were taking Zeke to the vet--an animal doctor--not at all like his doctor.<br /><br />All Christopher knows about death is from Lion King--he tells me, "Lion King fell down and got dive." He doesn't know the actual word. Any tips on how or what to tell him when he asks?Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-24936858402066618822008-12-16T14:32:00.002-07:002008-12-16T15:29:03.580-07:00Le Geek, So ChicChristmas time is almost here, which means things are busy. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CJ's</span> birthday is Friday (he turns 4 and is very excited about it), then Tom's birthday is less than two weeks after Christmas. I almost have all the shopping done. I know it isn't <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">CJ's</span> or Tom's fault that they were born so close to Christmas, and I know I'm not going overboard, but I'm sure it will seem almost obscene once I get everything wrapped.<br /><br />This past weekend we put up the Christmas tree, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">CJ</span> had a grand time helping us put up the ornaments and a star. Now he wants a tree for his room, and another tree in some unvoiced location. He just decided this morning he must have three Christmas trees. He also wants a lion, a fire engine, a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">rocketship</span>, a cowboy, and blocks for his bath.<br /><br />I've been getting into the holiday mood by cooking and baking. A couple weekends ago, I baked a chocolate cake with chocolate <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">buttercream</span> frosting and several batches of oatmeal raisin cookies. I've also cooked large pots of beef <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">stroganoff</span>, chili, and chicken and dumplings. Later this week I'll bake <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">CJ's</span> birthday cake (spice cake with cream cheese frosting) and I'm sure I'll make some more warm comfort food. I plan to spend part of next week making gingerbread cookies with Christopher since he asked. I've never done homemade gingerbread, but it should be fun and I can't wait to have my boy help me with cutting cookies and decorating them. It's been cold and rainy--not as bad as folks back East are seeing, but cold for the desert. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">CJ</span> wants to see snow and a fireplace and snowmen. I might need to turn on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">YuleLog</span> on TV on Christmas morning!<br /><br />Speaking of TV, I recently stumbled across a site called <a href="http://www.cancelcable.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">CancelCable</span>.com</a> that gave some wonderful information on how to cut the ties with the cable company and access TV in other ways. Some are old-fashioned, others are new-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">fangled</span>, but it opened my eyes overall to how much I have been paying for my entertainment.<br /><br />See, I get cable. I have for a while. I used to have a satellite dish but it came loose during a monsoon season and we could never get it aligned just right after that. I got tired of coming home to find "Attention: Acquiring Signal" on every channel. Shortly before <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">CJ</span> was born, we got a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">TiVo</span> Series 2 with DVD burner and lifetime subscription that I loved dearly until it died. I haven't buried it yet. It sits in my linen closet while I decide whether to buy a new hard drive for it.<br /><br />After the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">TiVo</span> died, I got an dual tuner <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">HD</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">DVR</span> from the cable company and fell in love again. Oh, how fickle I am! I like shiny things. I especially like shiny things in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">HD</span>. But I read the site and started thinking about what I actually watch versus what I pay to watch, and I realized I wasn't getting quite the deal I thought.<br /><br />See, I thought I was being frugal for eschewing the premium channels, but getting the "free" tier of movie channels. I never watch them. If you include football on Sundays, when the TV is on for about 9 hours for all the games, we watch about 30 hours of TV a week. Most of that is recorded via <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">DVR</span> and watched later (except the football games, which we watch live). It roughly equates to me paying $1 for every hour I watch. That seems like a little, but not enough of a deal for me.<br /><br />Spurred by my reading of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">CancelCable</span>.com, I decided to reevaluate the situation based on what I had. I have an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">XBox</span> 360 that can run as a Media Center Extender. I have a PC with a TV tuner running Windows Vista Home Premium with Media Center. I have a wireless-B network that I need to upgrade anyway. I got an over-the-air digital antenna to hook up to the PC and enabled Media Center to watch live TV and record. I got a new router that I need to hook up, and a couple of plug-in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">ethernet</span> adaptor to create a wired network--they use existing electrical cabling to carry the signal. Once I get that done, I'll finish setting up the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">XBox</span> as an extender, which will let me watch live TV or recorded TV from my PC elsewhere in the house.<br /><br />To replace my other cable channels, I'll use <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Hulu</span>.com and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Netflix</span> streaming (a membership with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Netflix</span> costs less than $10 a month, significantly less than my cable service). Some shows I can catch on YouTube or on the network website.<br /><br />I did have to invest in some of the infrastructure for needed upgrades, but the Circuit City stores near me are closing so I got great deals on the equipment. Plus, I'll <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">recoup</span> those dollars quickly once I cancel the cable service. I plan to do that shortly after Christmas, after I make sure my network is setup correctly.<br /><br />One interesting thing I learned--I knew that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">HD</span> signals are compressed through the coaxial cable due to bandwidth. The picture was nice enough that I didn't realize how much degradation that compression causes until I went over the air. The difference is incredible! I feel like such an idiot since I didn't know one could catch <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">HD</span> signals over the air. I thought you had to have some sort of converter box. Maybe it was my confusion from when <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">HDTVs</span> were really <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">HD</span> Monitors, and you had to have a converter box for the signal. I didn't know my TV could display the signal as sent without any help.<br /><br />It will be a fun project to complete over the holidays. Most of all, I'm just looking forward to some time off and spent with my family instead of at the office.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-79354260322935801162008-11-19T11:15:00.002-07:002008-11-19T11:34:09.377-07:00Learning More About ThankfulnessShortly after arriving home from work last night, I went to my bedroom to change my clothes before cooking dinner. Christopher was perched on the bed watching TV. Since Halloween, he assumes that whenever I'm changing my clothes, I'm putting on a costume.<br /><br />"Mommy, what are you going to be for Halloween?"<br /><br />"Oh, sweetie, Halloween is over this year."<br /><br />"OK. Mommy, what are you going to be tankful for this year?"<br /><br />This is the first time he's asked me this question, but I know he's been learning about Thanksgiving at daycare. "Well, I'm thankful for your daddy and for you."<br /><br />"OK."<br /><br />"Christopher, what are you thankful for?"<br /><br />He thinks for a few moments while I step into the bathroom and pull on a t-shirt. "I'm tankful for lion."<br /><br />"Lion?"<br /><br />"Yes. And I'm tankful for letters."<br /><br />"Letters are good." <br /><br />"I'm tankful for puzzles!" he exclaims, pointing to his set of wooden puzzles strewn about my bedroom floor. I step over the pieces to get to my dresser.<br /><br />"Puzzles are nice things to have. Are you thankful for anything else?"<br /><br />"Yes. I tankful for <em>you</em>," he points at me, then quickly continues, "And I'm tankful for blankets!" He grabs two handfuls of my comforter as I pull on a pair of warm sweatpants, fresh from the dryer. "And I'm tankful for stepladder!" He points at the item in question, a three-tier ladder currently pressed into service as my bedside table.<br /><br />"Those are a lot of things to be thankful for."<br /><br />"Yes. I'm tankful for all these things I can use!"<br /><br />My mind is suddenly filled with an image of Steve Martin holding a lamp, a chair, and a paddleball game. "I'm very glad you are thankful for all those things, Christopher. Thank you for sharing them with me."<br /><br />"You're welcome, Mommy! Oh--I'm tankful for TV!"<br /><br />This time I laugh. "Yes, honey, I heard."Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-43261171307748707752008-11-10T20:18:00.002-07:002008-11-10T20:24:17.671-07:00I Am Thankful for HonestyAt daycare, the kids did a project where they named the things they were thankful for. Each classroom has a bulletin board in the hallway where they post such classroom projects. Christopher's teacher was putting their board together this morning, and we got to see it completed when we picked him up today.<br /><br />Christopher's room had a leaf for each child and their thing, like, "Johnny is thankful for my mommy." Most of the kids were thankful for Mommy, Daddy, Mommy and Daddy, or various combinations of familial units.<br /><br />One kid was thankful for his blanket. Another kid was thankful for Waffle House.<br /><br />Then I saw the leaf that belongs to our child. "Christopher is thankful for T.V."<br /><br />Oh, my.<br /><br />I couldn't help but laugh. One of his teachers heard me howling and thought I was upset. I told her no, that I was just so proud that our son loves TV more than ANYTHING.<br /><br />Another teacher told me it could be worse. A few of the older boys replied, "Guns," and had to be steered in another direction.<br /><br />Thankful for TV, huh. Oh, well. I suppose it could be worse.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-36537677963623385532008-11-04T21:39:00.002-07:002008-11-04T21:43:09.139-07:00333 Is A Magic NumberI feel like I should be handing out cigars. The count just rose to 338 while I was turning on my PC, but it doesn't matter.<br /><br />Obama won, and I feel like the weight of the world is lifted from my shoulders.<br /><br />As I write this, 62% of all votes have been counted equaling over 85 million votes. The final tally will definitely show a record turnout for an historic election, and I am proud to have done my part.<br /><br />I have nothing more to say. Still absorbing the impact. But I have hope.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-9294118506765904252008-11-03T22:39:00.002-07:002008-11-03T22:56:09.780-07:00Puzzling Potty PracticesI am actively asking for advice--I want to say that upfront. I am completely befuddled about what to do, and I welcome any suggestions.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CJ</span> will be 4 in December, and we've been working on potty training for almost a year. We had backed off a bit when it became clear that he had the concept and could control his bladder but was seeing potty training as a control issue. Rather than press the point and come to an impasse, we pointed out the potty, explained that we'd like him to use it, and left it be.<br /><br />Occasionally, he would go on the potty, but more often he chose his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">pullup</span>. We tried using daycare as an incentive--we already knew from his teachers that he was in the last room until he was potty-trained and that many of his friends had already gone to the next room. A few weeks, the woman who runs the daycare approached us about moving <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">CJ</span> on into the next room. She explained <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">that she</span> was positive that he could go on his own, but was choosing to be lazy since he could have a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">pullup</span> changed rather than stop what he was doing. She also felt that since he was nearing four, and many of his classmates had just turned three, that he was too comfortable in his routine and needed the additional mental stimulation (the new room is set up like preschool).<br /><br />After discussing the pros and cons, we agreed. The transition took place within a week. He's been in the new room for a few weeks and the change is incredible--except for potty-training, and not the way I expected:<br /><br />He goes without complaint during his time at daycare. He stays dry, goes when prompted, goes on his own, and really seems to love going potty. At home, nope. We put him in underwear and celebrate his successes, but he will usually pee on the floor rather than go to the toilet. Just tonight I've changed three wet pairs of underwear and Tom changed one pair of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">poopy</span> underwear.<br /><br />He knows he needs to use the potty--he tells us he peed on the floor instead of going. He doesn't seem to have bladder issues since he can be dry through the night and doesn't have this trouble at daycare.<br /><br />For whatever reason, he is just refusing to go at home.<br /><br />We've tried stickers, toys, and books as incentive. I've even offered <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Dum</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Dums</span>. None of it matters. I'm at the end of my rope. I'm trying to be patient like I'm supposed to be for potty accidents, but I really don't think this is about accidents. Part of me wants to enact consequences like I do when he doesn't listen or willfully disobeys in other ways but I don't want him to get mixed signals.<br /><br />Any suggestions?Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-2831845690955984642008-10-20T15:44:00.003-07:002008-11-03T21:54:48.940-07:00A Few Thoughts on Arizona Proposition 102Again this election Arizonans are asked to make their vote heard on defining marriage as between a man and a woman--this time, in the form of a state Constitutional amendment. Forget the fact that Arizona law already employs this definition and outlaws civil unions. The argument is we need it to "protect" us from those pesky "activist judges" who apparently have nothing better to do than to grant equal rights to gays and lesbians.<br /><br />The intersection near my house is littered with SIX signs urging me to vote Yes! to 102. Never in my life have I wanted more to use my Second Amendment rights to exercise my First Amendment rights against those signs--but apparently that isn't permitted under Arizona law.<br /><br />If marriage is truly a sacred institution between man and wife granted as a covenant by God, as these supporters contend, then I think they don't go far enough to protect marriage. Just preventing gays and lesbians from marrying their partners doesn't fully protect that covenant. If marriage is to survive as these supporters envision it, here are some extra steps they need to take:<br /><br /><strong>1. Put marriage back in the church.</strong> No more marriage certificates, no more Vegas wedding chapels, no more civil ceremonies conducted by a Justice of the Peace. If you want to get married, you must marry your heterosexual partner in church officiated by your pastor. Don't go to church? Sorry, you can't get married.<br /><br /><strong>2. Abolish all legal benefits of marriage.</strong> Since marriage is performed in church and has no legal standing, you and your spouse may no longer derive any legal benefit from your marital status. No more joint tax filings, spousal health insurance benefits, or rights of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">survivorship</span> may be granted under law. Everyone files taxes independently and secures his/her own insurance. If you want your spouse to inherit your 401K, you better cash it out before you kick it. All inheritance would go to your children, like God intended, or to your church.<br /><br /><strong>3. Revoke all divorce laws.</strong> Courts may no longer dissolve marriages since there's no legal contract to dissolve. You said till Death do you part--now you have to live up to it. No petitions, no decrees, no custody arrangements. Churches can decide how to dissolve a marriage, if that's even an option for your faith.<br /><br />My daddy always told me if you're gonna do a job, do it right; don't do it half-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">assed</span>. Come on, Arizona! If you're going to vote Yes! to 102, make sure you do everything else to protect this sacred covenant. Otherwise, it'll just look like those who vote Yes! are just voting for hate and discrimination.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-14662029669675757912008-09-05T11:00:00.003-07:002008-09-05T11:17:22.917-07:00Harper's BizarreI go for months without saying a word, and then the conventions get me all riled up. Here's the latest.<br /><br />Remember that weird yellow dress with the winged collar that Cindy McCain wore on Tuesday night? Well, her entire outfit cost her <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/09/cindy-mccains-300000-outfit.html">over $300,000</a>.<br /><br />Seriously.<br /><br />I am supposed to believe that her husband understands the impact on the economy when she's out there wearing almost 300 grand in jewelry? This kind of largess staggers my mind. With that kind of money, I could pay off my house, my car, and wipe clean all outstanding bills for the rest of the year and STILL have tens of thousands left over.<br /><br />This is the party that understands the middle class and the working poor?<br /><br />I can barely wrap my mind around spending the equivalent of three mortgage payments alone on a dress. That pearl necklace would cover daycare costs for three years.<br /><br />John Edwards got nailed leading up to the primaries for a $400 haircut. McCain can't remember how many houses he owns, and he gets a nomination? Cindy Lou Who spends more than the <a href="http://rationalrevolution0.tripod.com/articles/american_income_taxation.htm">average 2000 pre-tax income of 99% of Americans </a>on a single outfit for a convention, but Barack and Michelle Obama are the elitists?<br /><br />I think Strangeite is right about <a href="http://strangeite.blogspot.com/2008/09/htrae-attacks.html">Htrae</a>. I just don't get it.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-54669930696132337502008-09-04T19:20:00.003-07:002008-09-05T11:39:59.556-07:00It Ain't Easy Being GreenJohn McCain is making his big nomination acceptance speech in front of a giant green screen. Crayola green. Kermit the Frog green.<br /><br />It certainly does its best to emphasize just how hale and hearty this 72 year-old cancer survivor is.<br /><br />I smell another "Make McCain Interesting" contest coming on.<br /><br />(Note to self: find some good video editing software)<br /><br />Update: The <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/5/111829/9917/18/587802">Green Screen Mystery is Solved</a>! Turn out that the green was part of a larger image, specifically the lawn at Walter Reed, uh, Middle School. You gotta click that link to read the full story!Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-24108549220414913912008-09-02T23:09:00.002-07:002008-09-02T23:10:35.277-07:00I Made This!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pScvFUEslzE/SL4qQLhLQII/AAAAAAAAAX0/_cXhhC4lIpA/s1600-h/Juneau1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pScvFUEslzE/SL4qQLhLQII/AAAAAAAAAX0/_cXhhC4lIpA/s320/Juneau1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241673473764049026" border="0" /></a><br />Pardon my rudimentary Photoshop skills....Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-6551522918539721742008-08-27T18:28:00.001-07:002008-08-27T18:30:17.300-07:00So Many Shades of WrongBill Clinton just finished his speech at the DNC, extolling the virtues of Obama and leading to Biden's speech, and the house band played him off with "Addicted to Love".<br /><br />Are they ragging on Bill? How is that an appropriate choice? They played the entire first verse and part of the chorus, stopping abruptly when it was time for the title line.<br /><br />Permit me to break my months of inactivity by plaintively wondering--WTF?!?Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-503020130247044492008-04-18T22:44:00.002-07:002008-04-18T22:48:57.919-07:00Sometimes I Wish I Were Charlene*Catching up on TV from the DVR list tonight, I'm watching last night's Colbert Report.<br /><br />Incidentally, this is one of CJ's favorite shows. He loves the eagle, and gets very excited whenever we watch "Bear Pore".<br /><br />Anyway, I read the article on Yahoo this morning about the Colbert Bump in reference to Hillary's appearance last night. I didn't know that John Edwards also made an appearance and did one of the funniest and smartest monologues I've seen in sometime.<br /><br />Oh, John. I'm so sad things didn't work out this year. I would have voted for you, if you hadn't dropped out five days before our primary.<br /><br />I'm still behind you, and I'll see you in four years. You'll get my vote, and you won't even have to buy me a jet-ski.<br /><br />*a cyber cookie to whomever gets the reference.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-47741571564381337692008-04-18T21:58:00.002-07:002008-04-18T22:28:35.850-07:00But Not the Hippie-potamusI typically check the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">blogroll</span> either at night, shortly before bed, or at work while I eat salad at my desk for lunch. This means I usually don't have the chance to respond as I would like. The past couple days, I've read several interesting blog posts from people I know (or knew, like <a href="http://strangeite.blogspot.com/2008/04/quack-quack-quack.html">Roy</a>) and people I don't know (like <a href="http://sweetwaterjournal.blogspot.com/2008/04/hippie.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Steph</span></a>, and <a href="http://lifeofraemom.blogspot.com/2008/04/hippies-images-and-me.html">Rae</a>) on the meanings of the word, "hippie".<br /><br />The posts piqued my interests for two reasons. One, I've been reading the article on Larry Brilliant in the most recent Rolling Stone. Brilliant is the executive in charge of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">DotOrg</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Google's</span> recent launch into the world of corporate philanthropy. Brilliant is not a typical Silicon Valley CEO--he travelled across Europe to New Delhi with Wavy Gravy in the 70s, toking the entire way, arriving at an ashram of a guru. At the guru's urging, Brilliant travelled back into India and helped medical workers eradicate smallpox from the known world. In the 80s, Brilliant founded the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Seva</span> Foundation, dedicated to healing the blind, and ponied up the money for The Well, an early bulletin board think tank dedicated to the digitized sharing of ideas. He was friends with Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, and won a TED aware for his work at using technology to develop early warning systems to detect pandemics. (I'm going my memory here, so if I got a detail wrong, please don't bust my balls over it). Anyway, Brilliant is an old hippie functioning in the corporate world.<br /><br />The second reason is that I might be a hippie myself. I had some very eloquent thoughts on this subject morning, but instead of blogging I had to complete over 40 process and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">subprocess</span> flows, so my thoughts may be rougher than the genius that struck me earlier. Bear with me.<br /><br />Members of the M-Clan can vouch for my hair length since they've seen me most recently. I may have cut an inch off since then, but not much. I own a hybrid vehicle, replaced all my bulbs with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">CFLs</span>, recycle my junk mail, cans, and plastics, and until the soft real estate market set in, had plans to mount solar panels to the roof of my house. I don't wear makeup, hate wearing dresses, and decline to shave my legs. My dream is to have a little patch of land to grow my own veggies and be as self-sufficient as possible, but reality is that I have to work.<br /><br />My work is in the corporate realm--information technology--translating very geeky things into common English, driving project plans, defining processes, and leading a team of analysts doing the same types of things I do. A very non-hippie job. A very yuppie job. <br /><br />I am a study of contradictions. I am a nerd, a geek, a dweeb, and a moron. I am a twisted freak, a loving mother, a decent cook, and an indecent wife. I'm a raving humans right liberal with a fiscal conservative bent. I mutter obscenities under my breath when I pay my quarterly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">HOA</span> dues and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">tsk</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">tsk</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">judgingly</span> when my neighbors leave their trash cans outside their garage doors. I turn my music up, tell the kids to get off my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">xeriscaped</span> non-lawn, refuse to grow up, and mourn the spoiled nature of teenagers today.<br /><br />The things is, I don't necessarily apply these labels to myself because I defined their meanings and truly understand what they represent. These are labels placed on me by others in an attempt to define who I am. It seems very common to me that as a people, we categorize and generalize in an attempt to bring order and obtain easy explanations to complicated issues. As part of that process, we label each other because it is easier to understand a label than it is to understand the complexities of each human brain.<br /><br />And yes, I know that I'm generalizing human behavior, and I get the irony. I think this particular generalization is valid. I'm been thinking about the need to categorize, understand, and explain a lot the past few weeks since <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Battlestar</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Galactica</span> came back, but that's another post.<br /><br />I guess my point is that I am all of things while not being any of these at the same time. I just am who I am, which doesn't seem to be acceptable for those who have to apply a label.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-69815845627433024812008-03-27T00:01:00.003-07:002008-03-27T00:14:21.106-07:00BareNaked JavaDISCLAIMER: I am not a programmer. I work with Java folks, and I don't pretend to be as smart as them. This struck me as a funny idea and I poked through the Java help forums for beginner stuff. If it isn't structurally sound, I'm not surprised. And yeah, pretend I did the indents, cuz I did, but stupid Blogger won't show them.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">class IfHadMillionDollars {</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> public static void main(String [] args {</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> switch (purchase) {</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> case 1: System.out.println("house"); break;</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> case 2: System.out.println("furniture"); // chesterfield or ottoman; break;</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> case 3: System.out.println("k-car"); // reliant automobile; break;</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> case 4: System.out.println("your love"); break;</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> }</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> void buildTreeHouse(){</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> if (isHelping){ // effort not as hard</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> tinyFridge--; // pre-wrapped sausages (bacon == null)</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> }</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> }</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> switch (purchase) {</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> case 5: System.out.println("fur coat"); // coat == real; break;</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> case 6: System.out.println("exotic pet"); // llama or emu; break;</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> case 7: System.out.println("Merrick's remains"); // crazy elephant bones; break;</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> case 8: System.out.println("your love"); break;</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> }</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> void gotoStore(){</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> if (rentLimo){ // cost is increased</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> kraftDinner--; // fancy Dijon Ketchup</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> }</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> }</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> switch (purchase) {</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> case 9: System.out.println("green dress"); // dress == real; break;</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> case 10: System.out.println("art"); // Picasso or Garfunkel; break;</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> case 11: System.out.println("monkey"); // I have always wanted a monkey; break;</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> case 12: System.out.println("your love"); break;</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> }</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> System.out.println("I'd be rich.");</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> }</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"> } </span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">}</span></span>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-91378234091135098292008-03-22T11:16:00.003-07:002008-03-22T11:22:11.521-07:00Latest Police Stats<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/icenomad/roxanne.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg240/icenomad/roxanne.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />NOTE: I did not make this, although I wish I had.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-55157872409476216342008-03-18T22:30:00.002-07:002008-03-18T23:11:13.302-07:00Random SillinessIn case it wasn't already obvious, work and life have been kicking my ass lately. The MMWP has grown to gigantic proportions, and my days are filled with meetings leaving little time (except evenings and weekends) to catch up on emails and regular work.<br /><br />Tonight is one of the few nights I've been able to successfully boycott working after dinner.<br /><br />As a result, most conversations between Tom and me consist of me ranting while he listens as we come home, or us cracking jokes while listening to Stephanie Miller on the way to work. A few nights ago, I spotted a new billboard on our commute route--a Spanish McDonald's board advertising, "Sausage McMuffin con huevo".<br /><br />This spawned some predictable responses:<br /><br /> "What do they call a Quarter Pounder in Mexico?" <br />"Does Mexico use metric or imperial?"<br />"Metric, I think."<br />"What's the Spanish word for quarter?"<br />"What's 'Royale' in Spanish?"<br />"I got it--they call it the Quarter Pounder con queso!"<br /><br />I spent a good deal of time amending everything I saw with "con huevo". It's just fun to say. Billboard for healthcare? "Cigna con huevo!" City bus with a PSA plastered to the side? "Just say no con huevo!" Be caller number 9 to win tickets to big concert, "Kansas con huevo!"<br /><br />Somewhere around there, things took an odder turn. Tom has a smattering of French from his childhood spent growing up 40 miles from the Canadian border, trying to get a peek of boobies from the CBC programming coming from Montreal. I recall ridiculously little of my 2 1/2 years of Spanish--just about enough to translate "con huevo". I asked Tom what quickly became a dangerous question:<br /><br />"What's the French word for egg?"<br />"Oeuf."<br />"Uff?"<br />"Oeuf."<br />"Uhff?" I was trying to curl my mouth around my teeth but it wasn't working right. My French pronunciation is pitiable. "How is that spelled?"<br />"O-e-u-f."<br />"Well, that there's your problem! There are entirely too many vowels in that word!"<br /><br />Tom laughed. "French has that. Remember 'oui'?"<br />"Wee? Oh, oui! Oui!<br />"Why do ya ask?"<br />"I was wondering if the French call it, 'Sausage McMuffin avec oeuf'."<br />"I'm sure they have a different name."<br />"I hope so. Avec oeuf isn't as cool as con huevo!"<br /><br />This is about the time when I morphed into Beavis. "Huevo! Con huevo! Necessito huevo por mi queso! Si!" Then it was time for another of my stupid questions. "Hey, if I go to France, and I order two eggs, would I ask for "duh uff?"<br />"Duh-zehrv."<br />"What?"<br />Tom repeats it, something sounding like a pretentious pronunciation of deserve. <br />"Where'd the z come from?"<br />"When the x precedes a vowel, it sounds like a zed."<br />"Zed? Since when are you kiwi?"<br />Tom ignores me. "Zed. 'Deux oeuv'."<br />"Duh uhv...wait--where is the v coming from?"<br />"Plural. F becomes a v. Deux oeuv."<br />"Duhuhvvvvv."<br />"Close."<br />"What about three eggs?"<br />"Trois oeuv, I think."<br />"Five?"<br />"Cinq oeuv."<br />"Sank oeuv?"<br />"Your pronunciation sucks."<br />"I know!"<br />"Just sayin'"<br />"My mouth isn't made right."<br />"Uh-huh."<br />"What oeuv?"<br />"No, I said uh-huh."<br /><br />Tom's making a turn onto another surface street, and I realize we've been carrying on this silliness for almost twenty minutes of our ride. Tom is counting in French under his breath, while I'm still pondering the whole oeuf to oeuv thing and this mysterious zed. "So French has a hidden Z?"<br />"Sometimes."<br />"Is there a silent q?"<br />"No."<br />"There are silent t's and silent r's."<br />"Yeah, tons of those."<br />I try counting to ten as Tom laughs at my attempt, "Uhn, duh, twah, cat, sank, seize, set, wheat, nuff, deesay."<br />"Dix."<br />"What?"<br />"You said deesay. Not deesay, dix."<br />"Deece?"<br />"Yep. What's deesay?"<br />"Deesay? Oh, dice. Twelve in Spanish."<br />"Oh, OK."<br />"So, Deece uhv?"<br />"No, dix oeuv." He says it again like he's drawing out deserve.<br />"I thought that was two eggs?"<br />"No, deux oeuv, dix oeuv. It's different."<br />"Not different enough if I'm ordering. I don't wanna ask for two eggs and get a dozen."<br />"Ten, not twelve."<br />"Whatever."<br />"Nuff of."<br />"What?"<br />"Nine eggs. Neuf oeuv."<br />"As is, 'I've had enough of neuf oeuv?'"<br />Tom laughs. "Yeah, that would work."<br /><br />What's really weird about this whole conversation?<br /><br />I'm allergic to egg yolks. I'll never order eggs in any language.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-12112138688484075472008-01-02T19:33:00.000-07:002008-01-02T19:38:56.074-07:00All That GasI was checking my email a few moments ago when I heard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CJ</span> wildly laughing in our bedroom. I had set him up earlier with an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Animaniacs</span> DVD and decided to go investigate to see what was tickling him so.<br /><br />It was a Great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Wakkorotti</span> cartoon. In this one, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Wakko</span> "sings" Blue Danube completely in belches, unhinging his jaw in more and more impossible ways until a great big burping finish. That was what my son was finding so funny. It reminded me of something I wrote about five year ago, when I actually owned <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">slippingreality</span> dot com and was giving running a website a try (it died a painless death, but that's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ok</span>. It was a fun experiment with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">FrontPage</span>).<br /><br />Anyway, here's what I wrote--please to enjoy:<br /><br /><h3><span style="font-family:georgia, Times New Roman, Times;"><span style="color:#006633;">Farts are funny.<!--mstheme--></span></span></h3> <span style="font-family:georgia, Times New Roman, Times;"> </span><p><span style="font-family:georgia, Times New Roman, Times;"><span style="font-size:85%;">It's a fact. Everyone knows this, even children. When I was a kid, my dad would make a production number out of his farts, leaning in the doorway and cocking one leg up, knee bent, to let one rip. He did this to much amusement from my sister and me, and to much consternation from my mother. I used to think his beaming expression after one of these displays was in reaction to the giggle fit coming from us; now I know that his grin was the result of his own amusement.</span></span></p> <span style="font-family:georgia, Times New Roman, Times;"> </span><p><span style="font-family:georgia, Times New Roman, Times;"><span style="font-size:85%;">When visiting the family last March, I babysat my nephew, 5, and my niece, 2. We were watching Nickelodeon for the eighth hour when a commercial came on featuring an animated lawn mower which ate grass and belched. My nephew loved it. He imitated the noises and laughed, and looked at me and said, "Burps are funny." Then my niece, who was nestled in my lap, looked at me with her angelic face and announced, "Farts funny, too!"</span></span></p> <span style="font-family:georgia, Times New Roman, Times;"> </span><p><span style="font-family:georgia, Times New Roman, Times;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Farts are usually dismissed as a juvenile attempt to make people laugh without substance, but Aristophanes used flatulence as a humor device in many of his early plays, most of which are considered classics. Some modern movies are falling back on the fart jokes, and are becoming box office hits.</span></span></p> <span style="font-family:georgia, Times New Roman, Times;"> </span><p><span style="font-family:georgia, Times New Roman, Times;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Why are farts so funny? Part of it is the word. Fart. Fart fart fart. It's fun to say, and it's hard not to laugh when someone says it. Part of it is the sound. The fart doesn't have to be real; a polyester clad posterior on a leather chair can provide hours of entertainment if the weather conditions permit. The sounds can be tiny or thunderous, and can sometimes contain harmony if done just right. Tom can sound like a brass band after eating popcorn. This is why we don't go to the movies very often.</span></span></p> <span style="font-family:georgia, Times New Roman, Times;"> </span><p><span style="font-family:georgia, Times New Roman, Times;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Sometimes farts are funny only to the ones who smelt it, and not the ones who dealt it. During that same visit last March, Tom's niece wanted to show us her dance routine. To the Backstreet Boys. I won't go on that tangent now. Her dance contained mostly gymnastic movements, and at the height of her cartwheel, she erupted with a blast that was rather impressive for her small size. Initially, she was embarrassed as Tom, his brother, and I resembled three monkeys who could speak no evil as we fought laughter. She yelled at her brother, who was singing the praises of her flatulence from the doorway, until he began to blow fart noises on his arm and she started to laugh and finished her dance. The noises brought her back from the momentary horror. Of course, she had to start her song over, but again, I won't get into that.</span></span></p> <span style="font-family:georgia, Times New Roman, Times;"> </span><p><span style="font-family:georgia, Times New Roman, Times;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Me? I don't fart.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:georgia, Times New Roman, Times;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Honestly.</span></span></p><p> <span style="font-family:georgia, Times New Roman, Times;"> <span style="font-size:85%;">Farts are funny. It's an incontrovertible fact. And I'll try to remember that tonight when Tom pulls the covers over my head.</span></span></p>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-75210778865486433932008-01-01T23:20:00.001-07:002008-01-02T19:24:38.941-07:00The New Year's Day University of Phoenix Insight Jobing.Com Tostitos Fiesta PostIt's been a very good vacation, the longest we've taken at home in sometime. Tom goes back to work tomorrow, and CJ returns to daycare, but I'm still off through Monday. I'm hoping to continue the progress we've made on the homefront, and complete a bit of online training before returning to work.<br /><br />We started off slowly, recovering from last minute Christmas shopping, birthday festivities, and general stress. Since last Thursday, we've managed to reorganize some clutter in the living room, tackle Christopher's messy bedroom (truly like entering the Heart of Darkness, I emerged muttering, "The horror; the horror." My fault for buying him all those toys, I suppose), and do a complete Clean Sweep of our bedroom.<br /><br />I don't know if you've ever seen Clean Sweep on TLC--homeowners get help clearing out their junk rooms. A decorator and carpenter redo the rooms while the homeowners sort out the mess before it goes back into the house. I watch for two reasons: 1) I feel a little better about being such a packrat compared to people who have rooms so full of stuff they can barely open the door anymore, and 2) It gives me ideas on how to tackle my own clutter problems and make things more manageable.<br /><br />In the living room, I got some large baskets to fit under the coffee table and end tables for CJ's toys. I know a lot of parents have those huge trunk-type tables, but we foolishly bought our furniture in our child-free days without thinking about where we would need to stash crayons, puzzles, and several plastic dinosaurs. In CJ's room, I sorted through his clothes to pull out what he's outgrown and stashed them in a container that fits under his bed. We'll put the clothes out at a yard sale in a few months. Our bedroom was a much larger effort--it had become a catchall for various things throughout the house, my clothes were stacked on top of my dresser for lack of room, and Tom wanted to change the furniture arrangement.<br /><br />First, Tom helped me go through my clothes and I pared quite a bit from my wardrobe. I felt some guilt; as a kid, we didn't have a lot of money, so anything I bought to wear I had to wear, whether I liked it or not. I don't buy clothes often, but I have a closet full of blouses I've worn once and then realized I didn't like them, shirts and pants that didn't fit right after a few washes, and other t-shirts and things that I hesitated to throw away once they became ragged, thinking I would fix them. I was pretty ruthless--I made a big pile for yard sale and made enough space for everything to fit. Then we went through baskets and boxes of junk and sorted those out, and managed to store most of it under the bed. Finally, we moved the furniture around per Tom's idea, and it's like we've discovered a whole new room! We now have space for a couple chairs in there so we can sit and watch cartoons with CJ in there, or get away and read.<br /><br />I should mention this is all stuff we've been wanting to do for most of the year, but got derailed through various means.<br /><br />We also managed to get out of the house a few times. Today we went to get coaxial cable and special fasteners so I could run cable over the bedroom doorway from the outlet (we moved the TV to another wall), stopped at Chik-Fil-A for yummy chicken, and all got haircuts. There were a few moments where I began to freak while Tom got his haircut--Christopher didn't recognize Tom without his glasses and long hair while dressed in that black cape and got rather upset, insisting I go with him to help find Daddy. Once Tom took the cape off, put his glasses on, and spoke to CJ, CJ was fine with it. Tom watched CJ while CJ and I got haircuts. My stylist was very good, but was a little too enthused by my "virgin hair". Apparently, hairdressers don't see untouched, uncolored, unpermed, completely un-product-covered hair like mine, and she ran her fingers through it quite a lot. Enough so that Tom asked if she was hitting on me, but I don't think she was.<br /><br />Right now, Tom is in bed sleeping since he has to wake early tomorrow. Christopher is still fighting bedtime, so I'm still up until I'm sure he's asleep. For the past two hours, he's tried laying on the couch in the living room, then I brought him back into his room. Last I checked, he was busily covering pictures in a board book with black crayon then wiping it off with a diaper wipe. It's one of his favorite bedtime activities.<br /><br />Hope the New Year brings good things to everyone. I'm hoping it brings more great moments to my family like the ones we've had this week. As boring as the events may seem when written down, this has been one of best vacations in a long time.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29541028.post-88163052593163563692007-12-25T20:48:00.000-07:002007-12-25T21:07:25.139-07:00The Only Winning Move Is Not to PlayToday, Christopher gave me a Rubik's Cube for Christmas. Tom told me it was genuinely from him; CJ saw it when the two of them were at Barnes and Noble, and CJ grabbed it and carried it around the store while telling Tom, "We haf to go show Mommy."<br /><br />That would explain why the top of the package was already partially opened.<br /><br />Anyway, I am now freaking <span style="font-style: italic;">obsessed</span> with this thing. I stared at it for some time, and told Tom I was afraid to touch it, that I would mess it up. He laughed and told me it's there to play with, not to just stare at for hours. So finally, I picked it up and gave it a twist...<br /><br />I had a Rubik's Once before, when I was about 5. Mom couldn't get it out of my hands. She had to hide it before I left for school. I spent days twisting, twisting, twisting, trying to solve it. One morning, Mom found the cube sitting by her chair, solved. She picked it up and a sticker fell off. I had gotten so frustrated with the darned thing I had peeled off each sticker and restuck them in order.<br /><br />I haven't tried peeling this one yet.<br /><br />I've already spent several moments today twisting, peering, shaking my head, twisting backwards, and occasionally biting my tongue to keep from cursing (CJ said "shit" at the store yesterday, but that's another story). I got all the yellows at one point, but had to abandon them to try to align my blues and whites.<br /><br />Heaven help me. I'm on vacation for another week and a half, and I can already tell I'm getting nothing productive done.<br /><br />Merry Christmas!<br /><br />OK, since I mentioned it--CJ picked up the s-word from either Tom or me (we're equal opportunity shitters) and said it a couple times over the weekend. We didn't make a big deal and directed him to something else. Yesterday, we went out to finish our Christmas shopping and split up at the shopping center. Tom went to one store, and I took CJ to Linens 'N' Things.<br /><br />I was trying to find a coffee grinder for my friend, Jay, who is seriously into coffee. I couldn't find one. I was next to all the coffee makers and carafes, and I knew they had to be there somewhere. I said to CJ, who was riding in the cart, "I can't find the coffee grinders. I wonder if they're out?"<br /><br />My sweet little angel looked at me and with perfect inflection intoned, "Shit."<br /><br />Again, I didn't make a big deal of it. He had a good point. Just then, I found what I was looking for and moved on.<br /><br />Later, we were looking at candles while Christopher sang "Jingle Bells" to me ("Jinga bell, Jinga bell, Jinga alda way! Oh wah fun, do-doo-doo, jinga alda way!"). He started singing it using nonsense words, bobbing his head, "Shoo shoo shoo, shoo shoo shoo, shoo shoo doo doo shoo!", and then I realized he was using the s-word again instead of "shoo". Luckily, he was singing softly, no one overheard, and I was able to get him back on the right words.<br /><br />I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with this latest development. My own darned fault, I know. I have a mouth like a sailor at home; it's a failing. Anyway, for any who have gone through this: Am I doing the right thing, letting it go and directing him to another word or activity or should I do something else? It seems to me that if I laugh, or get angry, then he'll say it more often--or who knows what other word he might pick. I'm sure I've given him plenty of choices.<br /><br />And yes, later on, I told Tom what had happened while CJ was watching Bugs Bunny in our bedroom, and we laughed our asses off.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01573195570934029465noreply@blogger.com5