A Day With Papa

Mary had obligations that took her away from home today, which meant a day with just Papa and Simone!

First things first, let me just say that...

Simone dressed herself, I had no hand in choosing any of the items of clothing, nor did I even assist in putting the clothing on. She was ready to go to the market.

And what do you get at the market in early May? Strawberries from Denison Farm of course. Mmmmm.... you don't know how good they are until you have them for the first time.

We chased each other from tree to tree, playing "catch me."

And the obligatory playing on Celia the dog.

What do a hippo, two pigs, and lunch have in common?

They're all photos with Simone!

Here she is doing her hippo impression.

A thoughtful pose at lunch.

And two piggy masks made by Simone.

Simone Update

Simone was doing "crazy eyes" the other night while taking a bath. Of course the cutest picture had no crazy eyes... We did have fun taking a bunch of blurry pictures though.

And here she is taking a nap - one of her few. She hasn't taken naps for nearly two years now. I don't know where she gets the energy - Mary and I both like taking naps.

The other updates... Simone is learning how to tell "knock knock..." jokes. Mary says all the kids are now telling them at school. They sit around saying "knock knock, who's there? fork! ha ha ha ha!" - they never get to the punch line. It's hilarious.

We did have a dry spell of no kissing with Simone, and luckily that's over. What seemed to help break the levy were some Richard Scarry books (a childhood favorite of mine) where two pigs were kissing. So we had "piggy kisses" where you touch noses and kiss with your lips. Now we're getting regular kisses, blown kisses, and butterfly kisses. I'm working on fish-lips kisses, so far I can't keep a straight face long enough to get a kiss.

Simone loves to send people cards - we've sent a bunch. Sometimes it's simply a decorated (empty) envelope, sometimes the envelope had a scribbled drawing or a colored picture, and sometimes there's an actual card inside the envelope. And stickers are often involved.

At Little Gym they stamp your hands/feet at the end, which used to be huge for Simone, but she seems to have grown out of it. We went to kid yoga this morning, and Simone didn't want a stamp. Perhaps they'll come back in the future...

"Why?" is starting to make its appearance as a common response, though the most common is still, "What did X say?" where X can be Hazel (the dog), a person, breakfast, the bowl, or the generic "they".

Pink is still huge. She mostly chooses pink clothes, dresses and skirts are big. For a while she didn't like tights, but those are in as well. It's fun to see what patterns she'll put together. I really should get some photos of them.

Mary and Simone went on a bike ride (Mary walked, Simone rode) the other day. It sounds like Simone is getting quite good - she took off down the road (up hill even) building up a head of steam. Mary was walking Hazel and couldn't help as Simone teetered off the edge and crashed. After a couple of minutes she hopped back on the bike and kept on riding. You go girl!

Simone turns four in 25 days, which is pretty amazing. So many changes, I want to get back into recording them on the blog because my memory isn't nearly as good as Simone's, and I want to remember this stuff.

Last Thanksgiving

Wow, I forgot about the Thanksgiving photos....

On that weekend we went for a walk and I spotted this mushroom in a thicket of trees:

Not only was it bright and beautiful. It was HUGE! It was nearly as large as Simone's head.

Here's a family photo for your enjoyment.

April Days

Mary got me a new camera for my birthday (because my old one died at Thanksgiving...).

And, we picked up a swing set from a friend whose kids outgrew it. Yay! While setting it up, Simone said, "Today is a great day!" - She was so excited.

This spring we're putting in raised beds in the back. Due to standard, Oregon, weather, and a plethora of activities (today's was a nap), it's taking longer than we figured. Not only are we adding beds (which are all in place), but also putting in water spigots to each of the beds. Half of the trench is dug, I've got about 25 feet left.

We have planted two of the beds. The one on the right has lots of peas, lettuce, spinach, cabbage and probably some other goodies. The bed to the left of that is full of .... asparagus! 40 plants (hoping they all survive). Most are sprouting little stalks.

And here Simone is being a frisky kitty. You can see the remnants of the dirt/compost pile in the back, which we're using to fill the beds. Once the beds are full and the pipe is laid, we'll put down a bunch (15 yards or so) of wood chips. Many many wheel barrow loads ahead of us.

Daylight Savings

Horrible, horrible idea. Forget the fact that it doesn't save any money or electricity.

Just think of how tough it is to explain to a 3.5 year old that it's time to go to bed, and yes it was dark last night when we went to bed, but tonight it is light. Why? Um...

You don't have to be an Olympic athlete...

... to eat like one.

At least that's what McDonald's current advertisement says.

What's most disturbing about this ad is that you know it (will) work. People may know that world class athletes don't train on a diet of McD's, but will likely be encouraged by the phrase.

It's just sad.

And disturbing.

We pay for our bad health twice: once when we heavily subsidize the food industry by providing the agribusinesses with incredibly cheap corn, and then we pay higher health care costs on the other end when we eat our way to death (diabetes, heart disease, etc.)

Eggnog gone...

A month ago I made some egg nog. I waited the requisite 3 weeks before digging into it, and I must say, it was darned tasty. Both Mary and mom thought it tasted pretty good.

The nog was very smooth and easy to drink. I think I'll probably cut the alcohol just a little bit next time because it was pretty boozy.

What A Day

Mary is gone for the weekend at a retreat, which means Simone and I get to spend the weekend together.

She woke up this morning, pretty chipper. She did ask for momma, but handled it well when I reminded her where Mary was by asking, "When is nana coming?" Ha.

We planned our day while hanging out in bed - there was much to do.

First up was the sheep barn, which is open for lambing season. Mary and I have talked about going every year for the past 9 years, and I was finally going to check it out. We piled into the Burley - with a blanket and a hot water bottle to keep her warm.

It was a beautiful day for a ride, and we cut through Bald Hill. They're doing a bunch of construction there, so I stopped to read the posted "what are we doing?" sign. Turns out they're relocating a major road, which in the long run will be nice (adding a bunch of wetlands), but right now means the walking & bike path is going to be right next to the new road.

The gravel road up to the barn was a bit tough with a road bike - especially while towing a trailer.

the barn was filled with sheep chewing their cud. A few of the sheep had little lambs, cute as can be. Simone really wanted to feed and pet the sheep.

One of the gals decided she'd been pregnant long enough and had her lamb right in front of us. It was pretty exciting - and much faster than the last birth I attended (Simone's).

After the birth we headed out because we had a children's matinee to get to. Regi Carpenter led us in some songs and a very interactive version of the three little pigs. Simone soaked up the stories. We saw a classmate of Simone's at the matinee and also our neighbor.

After the stories we headed outside and over to central park's playground where we bumped into another friend of Simone's (and Mary's). The kids played and the parents chatted it up. The five of us headed over to the library to get some more books, where we parted ways.

Simone and I then walked over to the "move store" to get a movie. She'd been debating between Kipper and Mamma Mia since we planned the day in bed at 7am. In the end we went with Kipper (though I was pushing for the new release of "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs" which got great reviews).

Then we headed to the co-op to pick up some food, and back on home to let poor Hazel out of her crate.

Of course we had dinner, watched Kipper, and went to bed. whew!

We'll have to see what tomorrow brings...

Winter Olympics Take 2

I've been watching the women's downhill.

First impression: Best last name ever Görgl. (Though I think NBC spells it Goergl). Really cool name.

Second impression: Lindsey Vonn's run was pretty impressive. And even better, the commentators analyzed it afterwords and showed how Lindsey (Ms. Vonn) was favoring her injured shin. That was worth watching. Congrats to her and her gold medal (crushing the competition).

Winter Olympics

It's the first night of the Olympics (opening ceremonies don't count).

My impression: way way way too many commercials. I'm pretty sure there is more time spent on commercials than actually showing competition.

The short-track skating was pretty exciting with Ohno getting silver only because the two Koreans took each other out on the last turn.

What I don't get is why the commentators are so bad. I'm watching the women's moguls - and some gal started down the hill. The commentators commented that she was skiing with a torn ACL. Then we're treated to this, "She's skiing with a torn ACL. Imagine... what it'd be like to ski 3 football fields with a torn ACL."

Thanks genius. I have no idea what it'd be like. Imagine, the most beautiful sunset in the world, it's like the most beautiful sunset in the world.

That, and all the women "really excel in the middle section [of the moguls]". They all excel doing moguls? That's not helping me understand the sport or what to look for while watching the event.

And then there was the short track. Lots of bumping and passing going on. One of the commentators asked, "is that [bump] legal?" The other jumped in and really helped out with, "I wouldn't want to have to make that call at this level." Thanks a lot for your help. What about this gem? "She's skiing for a medal here." Really? In the Olympics? She wants a medal? I thought she was skiing for fourth, or maybe for the commemorative dessert plates.

And earlier there was the ski jumping, and again they'd say the same thing about all the jumpers. "Look how he explodes... immediately gets over the skiis... really loking for the air...". So... not... useful.

The commentators are really helping no more than if they were saying, "ooh, ahh. very pretty."

Some of the best athletes, some of the worst commentators.

Makes me wish I were watching the Canadian coverage (just ask my dad about the XC skiing event he watched 10 years ago when a skier broke a pole...)

Hungry

I love the "Hungry" monster that weight watcher's is using in their ads.

On a whim, I just googled for it and it turns out, Hungry is dangerous: Weight Watchers' Hungry Dolls Recalled.

Sigh... it's true, they can't be found.

Butter

We just made butter.

I saw some whipping cream in the fridge, it was still good, but I knew we didn't have any plans for it (well, I thought briefly of making truffles...).

A pint of cream in a quart jar. Shake 15 minutes. voila!

Simone, Cute As Ever

I got a Nano for Christmas (thanks Mary), and it takes video. Pretty decent quality. Here are two videos of Simone.

The first is on a walk Nana, Grandpa, Mary, Simone and I took. Beautiful day.



The second was when Simone and I were downtown:

Obama and Democrats - Not Good At Politics

I believe I've said it before, but Democrats seem to be horrible at politics (I can't find any blog posts on it, but a search through my chat records show I say it all the time). It just boggles the mind they can be so incompetent.

Dems won a majority in House and Senate and took the Whitehouse on a campaign for change. What do we have?

• Guantanamo still open.
• Gays still not allowed in the military
• We're still in Iraq (the current plan leaves <50,000 in Iraq)
• Health care reform dead (60% people have said for years they want universal health care)
• Biggest financial crisis since 1928 and no reform for Wall Street (maybe a tax on bonuses, BFD)

Paul Krugman reacts to Obama's state of the union speech, specifically regarding Obama said he'll freeze government spending. Krugman writes:

[I]t’s a spectacular demonstration of Obama’s failure to change the narrative. Not only is he accepting the general Republican world view, he’s parroting their dumb attacks on his own policies.

So true. One thing goes wrong and Democrats all over are embracing Republican policies. Eh? This is crazy talk.

And I thought Jon Stewart's analysis of Democrat's reaction to losing the Senate race in Massachusetts was spot on. The Democrats are acting like the Republicans have the majority with 41 seats, and are acting like they need Republican permission to do anything. Jon nails it when he says to Democrats, "No matter what you do, the Republicans are never going to let you into the station wagon. They're never going to let you in!" (at 3:00 in the video).

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Heck, Jon couldn't be more right on his January 18th show (@10:00) when he ranted about how poorly the Democrats are playing politics:

This isn't about Republicans playing checkers while Democrats play chess. This is Republicans playing chess while Democrats are in the nurses office because, once again, they've glued their balls to their thighs.

And, lastly, I wholeheartedly with David Brin's post on the difference between the Democrat and Republican parties. My summary would be that Republicans stick together and Democrats can't unify on anything.

It's a sad state of affairs, and it's looking to get a whole lot worse...

Eggnog

I just made the aged eggnog recipe (hat tip Michael Ruhlman).

Now I have to wait 3 weeks (or up to a year) to try it.

A year? you ask. Yes, up to a year (or longer). The reason it can last that long is that it is half alcohol (think Bailey's).

Children's Book Review: Clifford's Birthday Party

I've talked about Clifford before, and I've reviewed one of Simone's books before. Now I'm combining the two for a Clifford book review.

Yesterday, Simone and I went to the library and had a wonderful time. I found some books that look interesting. We read The Pink Refrigerator (by Tim Egan), which is a very sweet book. While I was looking for gems to read, Simone found Clifford's Birthday Party, and read it peacefully until it was time to leave - at which point she wanted to bring it home...

So I did.

I'm not a fan of Clifford, or pretty much any cartoonish dog. They're all big, dumb, clumsy, destructive animals - and the stories just laugh it off as no big deal. Oh Clifford! (Marmaduke, Harold the Huge, etc.)

To nobody's surprise, the Birthday Party stuck to the standard script, making it another horrible book (that will soon disappear back to the library). Simone, if you're reading this, I love you dearly, but Clifford books are terrible. It's for your own good, trust me.

Page 1: you get the standard two line, "My name is Emily Elizabeth, and this is my dog Clifford." that seem to begin every Clifford story. He's having a party. Innocent enough.

Pages 2-4: Nobody shows up, where could they be? There they are, why didn't you show? Wow - 4 pages in and it's still pretty benign.

Page 5: It begins... the reason nobody showed up is "they didn't have very good presents for Clifford - not good enough for such a special friend." Moral: you had better bring awesome presents, or don't bother showing up. Birthday parties are about presents, nothing more.

Page 6: The book tries to smooth things over, "I told them not to be silly." (good start) "Clifford would like whatever they got for him." (ouch). Moral: go get me my damn presents! Notice the promise that Clifford would like what they gave him - we'll get back to that.

Page 7: everyone came to the party (bearing gifts).

Pages 8-11: Clifford gets an inflatable ball, everyone plays, and then Clifford begins his destructive streak: he pulls out the stopper, knocking some dogs over (Emily is actually frowning in that page). And it culminates on page 12: "That was a mistake." by the ball knocking everyone over and flying away (like a balloon). Not very destructive by Clifford's standards, yet the gift is lost to all and people were tossed around like rag dolls.

Pages 13-14: A piñata! Cool.

Pages 15-17: Clifford is given a stick and ... you guessed it ... he destroys everything in sight: the piñata is broken open , kids are running in fear (both the girl in yellow (Alisha) and Emily are running away from Clifford with worried faces - they're in a full sprint). Tree branches, fence posts and shed pieces are flying every which way. After the fleeing, the dogs look happy chewing on bones but the tree is dead, the fence is ruined, the shed is destroyed, a shovel and lawn mower are bent, and the bird path and picnic table are on their side. "we decided not to give Clifford any more piñatas." What they should have decided was to get rid of him, but then we wouldn't get the rest of the lovely story.

Pages 18-19: Time to take a break from the destruction but laugh at the present (a sweater) the next girl gives Clifford. ha ha ha, silly girl - to dumb to realize that the sweater would never fit a dog the size of her house...

Pages 20-22: Clifford gets a robotic dog, which he steps on and destroys. "They don't make toys the way they used to." Right... toys that could withstand a 10 ton animal stepping on them.

Pages 23-25: Clifford gets a gift certificate for a shampoo and haircut. Nice. Each person is shown thinking what funny hairdo Clifford would have. Surprisingly gentle humor.

Page 26: The true colors come to light, Emily thanks Cynthia for the gift but "slipped the certificate to Scott and Suzie." Yes, right in front of Cynthia, Emily re-gifts the gift. I'm not saying you need to use/keep all the gifts you get, but at least have the courtesy to wait until the person's back is turned before you ditch the gift. Oh, and what was that line about "Clifford would like whatever they got for him."? Liar.

Pages 27-30: The book ends with a huge cake, filled with Clifford's family, and the words "Clifford liked the presents his friends gave him, but having his family and friends with him was the best birthday present of all." Good last line half of the line. But the part about liking the gifts? He either destroyed the gifts, re-gifted them, or made fun of them. Sure, maybe he liked them, but he has a funny way of showing it.

All in all, I give this book a "D". It would be a failure except for the part about family and friends being the best part.

I can't believe the book was written in 1988. It reads like it was out of the 50s or 60s.

It's too bad Simone likes Clifford so much, I really struggle with it.

Pullups

Simone can do 5 of them.

I'm pretty sure she'll reach 10 pullups before I do...

Health Care

My ignorance on health care is pretty vast. It's an incredibly complex issue, but one thing just stands out above all others: that US spends way more than other countries (by pretty much any measure), and we're way behind everyone in terms of quality of life. Check this quote from wikipedia:

Currently the U.S. has a higher infant mortality rate than most of the world's industrialized nations.^{[nb 1][11]} The USA's life expectancy lags 42nd in the world, after most rich nations, lagging last of the G5 (Japan, France, Germany, UK, USA) and just after Chile (35th) and Cuba (37th).^[12][13][14] The USA's life expectancy is ranked 50th in the world after the European Union (40th).^[15][16] The World Health Organization (WHO), in 2000, ranked the U.S. health care system as the highest in cost, first in responsiveness, 37th in overall performance, and 72nd by overall level of health (among 191 member nations included in the study).^[17][18] A 2008 report by the Commonwealth Fund ranked the United States last in the quality of health care among the 19 compared countries.^[19]

Downright embarrassing.

Pretty much whomever you talk to thinks they have a good idea as to why the costs are so out of control. It's the doctors, or it's the insurance industry, or it's the greedy/lazy americans, it's the inefficiency of the system, etc. etc. etc.

Recently I listened to two This American Life stories on healthcare: "More Is Less" and "Someone Else's Money". Give them a listen, they're well worth it. The first episode covers reasons why each of the standard reasons for cost increases is true, and the second goes over the history of how we got to where we are today. Plus, the second one covers pet health insurance, and looks at it as a model that we might follow for people health insurance.

That last bit on the pet health insurance really convinced me. Now I believe the problem is the entire system. It has removed the consumers (people) from the actual cost of the health care, and that's just a recipe for disaster in a capitalist environment. That and the drug companies are to blame.

Random Thoughts

I'm at work (yes, check the timestamp) waiting for things to build so I can run tests and go home (well, go to the folks house and then to Mexico on vacation!!!!). But, going to Mexico isn't why I'm writing.

I've just got some time to kill and have random thoughts.

Cellphone While Driving Ban in Oregon
This makes no sense. I'm not a fan of folks driving while talking, but I do it myself. Now that they've banned it, I won't do it until I get a headset (thanks bro!).

But all the studies around cell phone usage that look at headset usage find no real difference between using the cellphone by itself and using a headset. The problem isn't the lack of a hand, the problem is the diverted attention.

So this is yet another piece of legislation that is some knee-jerk reaction that isn't going to make us any safer and will just add to the cruft that cops have to deal with.

NVC And The USA
I've been doing a little reading around Nonviolent Communication - essentially a process you can follow to improve communication. (I could use the skills.) I'm not very far into the book, but one thing struck me early on.

The book gives several examples of communication that hinders the process when you're expressing your observations. Things like moral judgment and labeling can really get in the way. I don't have the book in front of me, but one of the examples is language used in the cold war, setting "us" versus "them", good vs. bad, communist, etc.

As much as I appreciate having Obama as president, the language he (and everyone in his administration) is using is just continuing the same dialog with new (and equally polarizing) language: terrorists, criminals, terrorist states, etc.

Our language and our actions have not changed, and it's no wonder there are large numbers of people who see the U.S. as an imperialistic country with designs on ridding the world of all traces of Islam. Whether or not that is true, that is certainly a perception.

It doesn't matter whether or not our intentions are "good." People in Iraq/Afghanistan/Pakistan who see their families and friends killed and harmed by our military, who see only ruin brought on by our invasion and occupation of their countries, they do not view our actions as "good". They couldn't give a rat's @ss that we're doing this to make the world "safer" - our actions have had a direct, severely negative, effect on their lives. It's no wonder Al-Qaeda has no shortage of recruits.

Our leaders could use some NVC training.

TSA
The security screenings they've put in place since the underwear bomber are not going to make us any safer. Many folks (Bruce Schneier is my favorite) have pointed out all sorts of problems with the various TSA policies, but it's a large bueracracy and will probably never really improve.

It's just annoying to have to jump through all these dumb hoops when they don't make us any safer.

Photographic Memory
Turns out, Simone has an excellent memory - perhaps photographic. She remembers all sorts of passages from books we haven't read in months, and when you change a word in the story she's heard before, she'll correct you. Which is fine, but sometimes I try to soften the language (Angelina the Ballerina is kind of harsh at times) and Simone will catch me - because she's heard the written variation one time...

Phone Monopolies
A while back I wanted to switch from Qwest to some other phone carrier, and the only option was to go to Comcast for a "land line". There is another provider, Pioneer, who provides service in Philomath - but is prevented by law from competing in Corvallis (a mere 3 miles away). It's a bunch of crap. There's no marketplace for services. The basic Qwest phone service runs nearly $30/month for just a land line. Comcast charges the same (when you get their "special deal").

So, that's why we switched our phone number to be an extra line on our cell phone account (only costs us $10/month more).

But then that gets me all riled up about cell phone service in the U.S. We're a good generation or two behind other countries in terms of services. Everything is set up for the cell phone providers. It's painful to switch, the carriers are on different frequencies and different wireless standards, phones are locked in - and because of that, your monthly payments basically subsidize people who trade in their phones every two years. Plus, because of all the companies competing using different technologies, we have 2-3 times as many cell phone towers as we need because everyone had to put up their own towers... It just seems like a waste. Imagine if customers had the power to easily switch carriers and weren't locked in to 2 year plans (to subsidize the phone purchases) - it'd be more like Europe where the carriers actually have to compete to get their customers.

Anyway, the build is done, time to get back to work...

Bringing It, 7 Weeks Now

Seven weeks ago Mary and I started the P90-X program, and we've been following it pretty strictly. The first month we even followed the dietary guides (eating 50% of our calories from protein).

Eating right has been a little... challenging, through the holidays. And now that they're over, we're heading to Mexico for a week. But, we'll definitely be doing our workouts (haven't missed one yet). I just put all the workout videos on my new Ipod Nano w/video.

We measured ourselves after the first month, and not a lot changed for me. My weight was down only a pound and a half, which was a little disappointing. My waist was down an inch though, and I think I'm starting to look a little different in the mirror.

I still can't keep up with the "Ab-ripper X" program, but I'm feeling good about all the other exercises. I can now do 6 pull ups, whereas I was barely able to do 3 when we started.

This Makes Me Feel All Warm And Fuzzy Inside

Did you hear about the musicians that are suing the RIAA for being pirates?

I sure hope they get the same justice they found for folks who "pirated" their music. Remember the $675,000 fine for sharing 30 songs? And $1.92 MILLION fine for a woman who shared 24 songs?

The CRIA (Canadian version of RIAA, whose members include Soni, EMI, Universal Music, and Warner Music) is being sued for distributing more then 300,000 songs. Boo-yah!

Luckily the case is in Canada, where (hopefully) the courts won't be as friendly to businesses as they are here.

The potential damages could be $6 BILLION.

Peeling Onions

My latest project at work is like peeling onions. It's been going on for the whole quarter, and it's pretty much been a constant task of peeling one layer to reveal another one, peeling that and finding another one. And since I'm the first person to use this new technology, I'm the lucky one who gets to peel each layer back.

Just the other day I realized there's another reason the analogy fits so well.

Just like peeling onions, this project makes me cry.

Wow

Mary got a copy of Martha Stewart magazine last month. It was open on the table so I took a look (honestly, I was only there for the pictures). It was open to the page that had a photo of these:

They're not meringues, they're orange macaroons.

Make them, make them, make them.

(there are none left here)

Bring It!

Mary found out about this infomercial-style workout, P90X. Turns out, it's hugely popular - it got more searches than the hula-hoop, wii exercise, yoga, and other exercise searches last year. Some people Mary knew had gotten great results using this program to get/stay in shape.

I thought it sounded a little odd - the whole infomercial thing was kind of a turnoff. But, I like to think I'm a supportive husband, and I'm all for getting in better shape myself. So I said I'd be up for it.

Mary ordered the DVD's, and I got the power bands and pullup bar. The DVDs came along with a couple of brochures - one detailing the workouts and one with a meal plan. Turns out we're going to eat differently.

We sit down and watch one of the workouts (Chest and Back) before we embark on this... and it looked pretty good. Difficult to do, yes, but a real workout. And the main character, the dude behind the program, Tony Horton, seemed like a real guy. He told some corny jokes, was humorously self-deprecating - very watchable.

P90X is basically a workout 6 days a week, a different workout each day, and a change of the workouts every 4 weeks. Every 4th week is a "rest" week (which jives with all the reading I've done on training). The program pushes you, but does an ok job of showing you variants for
those who aren't as capable as the perfect specimens on the videos.

We decided to do the "lean" program, which differs from the "classic" in that there the lean program does one more aerobic day in place of a strength training day. Depending on how things go after the first 90 days, we might go back and do the "classic".

Mary and I took the pre-test, passing with nearly flying colors. I wasn't flexible enough (failing the toe touch).

That was over two weeks ago. We kept it up through Thanksgiving and all.

The workouts can be intense, but you can throttle it back if you want (you pansy).

What is really nice about the videos is that there's someone telling you what to do. It's kind of like watching TV, you plug in and turn off your mind. He tells you, do pushups, you do them - you don't have to think about it. Workouts on my own are usually laxidasical, I take longer and longer breaks or just decide it's time to hit the shower. Here he just lays it out, and no individual exercise is more than maybe 2 minutes, so you're always changing it up.

Plus, all the exercises are real and need minimal equipment. You're doing push-ups, pull-ups, lunges, jumps, stretches, punches, etc. etc.

Mary found a video on their web page where people told their stories. One of the ladies said that she often hears friends talk about celebrities, dismissing their fitness by saying, "well, if i had a
trainer telling me what to eat and what to do..." - this program does that for you. No more excuses.

We'll see if we keep it up for the 90 days, I think we can.

Rolls and "Dog Park"

The other morning, Simone and I hung out for a few hours alone. Simone decided she wanted to make something with flour, and she'd just found the packets of yeast, so I suggested we make rolls. Here are two pics of Simone kneading the dough. She can be quite the kitchen helper (she helped cut out and ice some gingerbread cookies just the other night).




After putting the rolls together, we chose to go to the "dog park" - which is a kids playground at the church down the street. They've got a fence around the park, so we go there and watch Hazel run around. Hazel still loves the slides, so we had a great time cheering her down them.

Kid-sized

Everything seems to have two categories, regular and "kid-sized".

Simone and I were looking though a Christmas catalog at breakfast today (the cover had a 4 button trumpet, very silly). We got to the page that had the musical bells, looking like this:



What did dear Simone say? "Look Papa! Kid-sized plungers!"

We're Born With It

Looks like we might very well be born with an understanding of math:

One sign that this skill truly is innate: Children enter the world with a head for numbers. Veronique Izard, a cognitive psychologist at Harvard University, demonstrated this in a recent study of newborns. She and her colleagues played cooing sounds to babies, with varying numbers of sounds in each trial. The babies were then shown a set of shapes on a computer screen, and the scientists measured how long the babies gazed at it. (The length of time a baby spends looking at an object reflects its interest.) Newborns consistently looked longer at the screen when the number of shapes matched the number of sounds they had just heard. For example, a baby who heard “tuuu, tuuu, tuuu, tuuu” would look the longest at four shapes, less at eight, and still less at twelve. Izard’s study suggests that newborns already have a basic understanding of numbers. Moreover, their concept of numbers is abstract; they can transfer it across the senses from sounds to pictures.

Read the whole article here.

I Don't Know What To Say

From the LA Times:

Churches outnumber schools, clinics and banks put together. Many promise to solve parishioner's material worries as well as spiritual ones — eight out of ten Nigerians struggle by on less than $2 a day.
...
It's hard for churches to carve out a congregation with so much competition. So some pastors establish their credentials by accusing children of witchcraft.
...
There's a scar above Jane's shy smile: her mother tried to saw off the top of her skull after a pastor denounced her and repeated exorcisms costing a total of $60 didn't cure her of witchcraft.

We just got the book "Tear Soup", and it's what I read to Simone in bed tonight. I couldn't help but think about how much soup must be made in Nigeria right now.

Ugh....

I woke up this morning with the song for Never Ending Story playing in my head. This does not bode well for the day.

AT&T: Why Do You Make It So Hard To Give You Money?

So, we've got AT&T for our cell phones. We've been relatively happy, we're simple users - we just make calls and we don't really text.

Our last 2 year contract is over and now it's time to upgrade phones. I don't really like how in the U.S., the cell carriers have a lock on the market and force you to subsidize people's phones. I wish the phones weren't locked to carriers and you were free to move between them (yes, I know you can buy unlocked phones, the point is that the 99% of folks are locked into their carrier).

Anyway, it's time to get new phones, and we're also going to add a line (move the home phone to a cell line).

I get a corporate discount. Why do I tell you this? Because you can only use your corporate discount on the web page. When I called in to do the upgrades, the kind lady informed me that I get a discount, only she can't give it to me. ungh? Yup, she can see the discount, but can't use it. Great, only the web page was down at that time, so I couldn't use the web page.

When I can finally log in, the web page is even slower than Comcast's. It literally takes from one to three minutes for each link to be processed. It's like I'm using dialup, only, I know I'm not using dialup because I can watch a YouTube videos while I wait.

So, I go through the agonizing steps to get my new phone, and then try to add Mary's phone. Whamo, I'm logged out of AT&T and am presented with a login page asking for my zip code and phone number. Evidently, you can only upgrade one phone at a time, even though they're all on the same account. Oh, and the free phone I just upgraded to? It costs $18 to activate. Fine, whatever, I pay the price and finish the order. I click on "continue shopping" and it logs me out again.

After much swearing, I try to log in again to get my phone upgraded. Nope, not tonight, the server is having problems and cannot log me in because of server error 114.

AT&T: I'm trying to throw money at you. Really, your mediocre service is fine, I want to buy some stuff and upgrade my plan. You're making it incredibly difficult to do so. If it weren't such a pain to switch carriers, I would...

SImone Smorgasbord

Just before Labor Day, we went camping at Paradise Campground, just down the McKenzie River from where we were married a short 8 years ago.

We got a campsite that had this view:



Pretty nice, eh? Check out the other photos from the trip here.

This one was kind of odd, a cross between Dopey and Blair Witch:



After camping we went to the beach. It rained, it poured, we stayed warm and dry with a big fire every day. It was great. Simone took a few good pictures:


Simone cuddling with the stuffed monkey.


Simone sprinting.


Simone's doll is holding a coin


Simone and Mary

Oh, and what did I learn today? Simone knows "left" and "right"! I was all excited to teach her, but she passed the test with flying colors - even figuring out the right answer to, "which side of mine are you on?"

Ever wonder which colors Simone likes to use for coloring? Here they are, lined up by usage. Apparently green and white are not so much fun...



And a bonus Hazel note: did you know she likes going down slides? Check it out:


Hazel in motion.

Vodka Vodka Vodka

I'm not a huge van of vodka, mainly because I think there's no real reason to drink alcohol unless you can taste it. And, the better the vodka, the less flavor it has (vodka being just water and ethanol).

But, because of that, it works really well as an ingredient in flavored alcohols (like kahlua, or nocino). And this is the weekend of flavored vodkas. I have a bottle of vodka and vanilla beans to make some vanilla extract. I've got a bunch of cherry pits that I crushed that are infusing a vodka with an intense almond flavor.

And, lastly, I took 8 jalapenos, chopped them up and soaked in vodka to make a green pepper vodka. Why? Well, on memorial day I was treated to a wonderful drink that was just like a mojito, except it used jalapeno vodka in place of rum. And, I must say, it is an awesome drink.

That's what I'm drinking right now:

• 1 oz fresh lime
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 1 oz jalapeno vodka
• 2 oz club soda

cheers!

Tasty Dinner

A quick note to remind myself of a very tasty dinner.

• grilled salmon, marinated in soy, garlic, lemon and lime zest
• coconut basmati rice
• chinese fried green beans

I also tried grilling some cantaloupe, but that wasn't worth repeating.

R.I.P. Agnes

We came home from vacation to find Agnes pretty lethargic - hiding under the coop. At night I went out to shut the girls in their coop, where I found Agnes out from under the coop, but just laying there. Mary and I brought her inside to get a better look at her, and she passed away...

to the chicken coop in the sky.

Slideshow

Ourdoings.com just emailed me to let me know I can put a slide show in my blog with a simple cut and paste. Check it out:




Now that's service.

Blatant Plug

We just had a tankless hot water heater installed. Why? Because we're eco-hippie folks.

Turns out, our former (tank) hot water heater decided its time was up and began leaking on our wood floors. yay...

We looked at our options. Some company (who shall remain nameless) sent out a dude who was ho-hum on tankless heaters. He looked around and called back with a bid the next business day.

Rice Heating came out two days later, with documentation on three different options (one tanked heater, two tankless), full costs of each, tax incentives/energy rebates, the works. And, the bid was 20% under the other company. Plus, with all the information given us, it was obvious that the net difference in cost between the high-end tankless and the tanked heater was a mere $350. Plus, according to Energy Star, we'd make up the difference in about 3 years.

We chose to go with Rice Heating.

Calvin Rice (the owner of the company) himself came to install the hot water heater and did a very nice job. Jeremy was the guy who gave us the bid, and came back after it was all done to give us all the paperwork for the rebates/taxes. The paperwork was already filled out and came with stamped envelopes. The guys always remembered our names (including Simone's and Hazel's (Jupiter was nowhere to be found)). They took time to answer all the questions we had at every point in the process, and will be coming out to service the hot water heater (and the furnace!) twice in the next year for free.

The two bid processes left were so completely different, and Rice's followed through extremely well, providing great service. I've no doubt that if I called them up in a month or two to ask about some inane detail on how to operate the remote or about the gas connection, they'd have someone stop by the house free of charge (I don't know that, I just got that impression).

So, if you're in the area and need some heating/cooling work done, I'd go with Rice's.

Some flower photos from the past few months...

Check out these little albums:

Flowers While Hiking Saddle Mountain

Orchid Blooming At Home

Pansy At Home

Tulip Closeups

More Tulip Close-ups

Here's am example of what's in store:

First Tomato

We have a Sungold tomato plant, which produces lots of super sweet tiny tomatos. This was the first one.

Mmmmm.... it smells like heaven.

And it tastes as good as it smells.

All Around The Mulberry Bush

Ever wondered about a mulberry? This is what it looks like:


It tastes kind of like a cross between bing cherries and a blackberry, only not as strong. But it is very sweet.

Oh, and it's not so much a bush as a tree. Who would have thunk it?

Mmm... peach, tomato salad

I read a caption that said, "peach and tomato salad" and thought, I've got both of those, time for lunch!

Chef Rowley Leigh, Cafe Anglais
Peach, tomato and basil salad

Pour boiling water over six white peaches and let stand for 10 to 30 seconds, depending on the ripeness of the fruit. Refresh in cold water and skin. Do the same for six large tomatoes, which should still be firm and full of flavour. Slice the tomatoes thinly and salt them. Cut the peaches into thin segments. Arrange them in an overlapping circle, alternating the two fruits. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the salad and drizzle lightly with oil (very lightly if you are using walnut oil). Tear six basil leaves and scatter these over the salad. Mill some black pepper, and serve.

hat tip: The Kitchn

Nocino, take 2

A couple of weeks ago I bottled up some Nocino.

Something that had concerned me was knowing when the walnuts were ripe enough to use. In France they harvest them mid-June, which seemed way too early to do here.

My favorite cooking blogger, David Lebovitz, wrote an article on Nocino himself, just last week. In it, he described a little more clearly, the condition of the walnuts they use in France (see, he lives in France). Plus, he posted a couple of photos.

I determined I'd picked the walnuts too early. sigh...

So, I waited, and today seems like a good day to pick them. Now, the walnuts have a very thin shell - it's just a little tough to cut through with a chef's knife. Plus, the walnut meat is starting to show a skin - just like the pictures in Lebovitz' post.

Anyway, I just bottled some more. Yum!

Home Depot

Home Depot. What can I say?

I want to like you, for a big company you treat your employees well.
While I generally prefer the local (smaller) hardware stores, some
times your huge selection is what I need.

But, I've got to say, your employees know about as much as I do about
home repair, and that's something in between diddly and squat.

I'm sure there are a few crusty old men who retired from their jobs at
65 who work at Home Depot for something to do and a little pocket
money. They probably know something, but I always get the people who
talk knowledgeable but end up giving me bad information.

The latest saga was our exterior water spigot. It's one of those
frost-free kinds that turn the water off 12" from the handle,
hopefully eliminating any problems from cold weather because there's
no water in pipes outside the foundation of the house.

So it's leaked. For two years, maybe four. But it only leaks when the
water is on, so not that big a deal. That is, until we want to go
on vacation - we can't set a timer on that spigot because it'd leak like
100 gallons of water a day, which I just can't do.

Last year, maybe the year before, I went to a Home Depot (b/c the
local hardware shop didn't carry these spigots) and asked where I'd
find the parts to fix one.

Ok, now before you get all snarky on me. Yes, if I'd just done a
little thinking - I'd have realized it's probably just like every
other spigot in the house, and since I've repaired leaks in bathroom
spigots a couple of times, I should realize it's the same principle
for the exterior ones. Heck, I'm pretty sure I've even done it for an
exterior one (at my old Portland house). That's not the point.

As I was saying, I asked where I'd find the parts to fix one. What
was the response? Oh, you can't fix those, you have to replace them.

WTF, how stupid! But, we live in the throw-away economy in America.
And it *is* a Home Depot employee telling me you can't fix them but
can only replace. So I checked out the replacements: something like
$30, but there's 4 lengths of 2 different sizes each. Oh, and bonus,
they're often soldered.

I don't know how to solder. It's supposed to be straight forward, but
I'm not going to start out by soldering *under* the house, in the spot
furthest from the entrance to the crawl space. Oh, and I'd have to
learn how to *un*solder the original. So... not happening.

And paying some crack showing plumber $60/hour to replace the one
thing just seemed excessive.

So I stalled, and it wasn't a big deal, until the next long vacation
where we really wanted to water the plants in the front yard...

Over the 4th of July I mentioned the leak to my dad and he said to
just take a crescent wrench to the faucet and open it up.

So I did. Lo and behold! It's just like any standard faucet. The
guts came out with a simple twist. Great, now I was on somewhat
familiar turf, I could see the washer I needed to replace.

Into Home Depot I venture again.

The first guy I get tries to help, but doesn't know a lot. He calls
for the "plumbing" guy, and a second guy starts trying to help (not
the plumbing guy). While waiting we're actually trying to get the
handle off the fixture (I didn't have enough time to do that before
leaving the house - Simone had a class to get to). The handle is
crusted on because of all the water that had flowed over it every time
we turned it on. So, we're mucking with a vice and a wrench and
eventually some WD40 (that was the trick). Then, how to get the
washer out? It's turned to hard plastic, and is just chipping away.
Meanwhile, the two guys helping keep mentioning how they don't know
where the washers would be for this.

Finally the "plumbing" guy arrives and declares that they wouldn't
have any washers that fit. We could probably find some whose exterior
dimension fits, but the hole in the washer would be too small. I
question the "expert" saying, "Really? I'd figure these things would
be kind of standardized." The expert knowingly says, "Nah, these
frost-free spigots are all unique. Here you go, some washers that
should fit - you'll just have to bore the hole out."

This is where I made the same stupid mistake, trusting the Home Depot
people.

So I left with some washers whose holes were too small, and some
graphite tape, which happens to be made for exactly the leak I
had... (if only we hadn't picked apart the old washer).

I take my findings home and sit down to try to drill out a larger hole
in a rubber washer.

Ever tried to do that?

It's not easy. First, you can't grip the washer too tightly or the
hole you're drilling will be very oval. But, if you don't grip it
tightly enough, the washer just spins away. And I don't have a drill
press, so it's tough to even drill in the center...

I'm getting frustrated because the damn washer is just not going to
have a good seal because I'm jury-rigging the hole, and it's not going
well. The graphite tape might save me, but it just seems so hacky.

The $60/hour crack-showing plumber is starting to look better by the
minute.

Luckily I'd just installed a new dishwasher.

Huh?

Yah, I'd just installed a new dishwasher. And there were some
left-over parts from the various hoses and adapters that either came
with the washer or I'd bought. There were even two washers.
Hmmm... maybe I'll take a look at those. The first one is way too
large, no chance. The second one ... boo-yah! It was nearly
perfect! It was a flat washer, and the fitting wanted a beveled/cone
washer. Easy enough to fix with a couple swipes of the exacto knife.

I put some of the graphite tape on for added security, tightened down
all the fittings, turned the water on and presto! No more leaks.

So, Home Depot. I'm not listening to your experts any longer. They
can tell me where stuff is, but that's the extent of it. I may take
an hour searching through the 100 washers you have hanging on the
rack, but I'm going to find the right one next time because, contrary
to your expert opinion, it exists.

Simone Has A Bike

We went garage sale hopping two weekends ago and found Simone a bike.
A beautiful purple bike with white wheels and a white seat. It's a
tiny bit too large for her, but she's long enough to stand over the
frame (which was always the ruler we measured bikes by as kids).

We took our treasure home, washed it up real shiny, put the training
wheels back on, and headed over to the nearby school to give it a
whirl in their parking lot.

Simone was pretty interested in biking and started to get the idea of
how to pedal the bike (she gets stuck with the pedals vertical because
she's not pedalling quite fast enough) - but as soon as another car
showed up with two kids and their bikes, she was very excited.

We've since gone biking a couple more times, and just this past
Saturday she had her first fall. We were cycling in the neighbor's
driveway (no cars) and she went off the pavement into the grass. I'd
caught her the couple of times earlier but decided to see what
happened. She quickly came to a stop and teetered to the grassy side
and fell over. Not quite sure what happened, she stood up, started to
pull on the handlebars and then decided that the fall was scary enough
that she wanted Momma and was done with biking for the day.

I know, mean Poppa.

In the past, Mary and I had talked about whether to use training
wheels or not and we both agreed that we'd prefer not to use them.
However, with Simone's current age and disposition toward the bike, I
don't think she'd be interested in the least in the bike if it didn't
have the wheels.

It's a new learning adventure.

All ready to ride

Splashing In The Rain

Metal Minerals Scarcity and the Elements of Hope

This presentation is worth a read. In a nutshell, the problem of peak oil applies just the same to a bunch of metal minerals. Think of copper today, it's already getting more expensive, not drastically, but enough the folks steal wiring out of houses...

Anyway, check it out:

If policy does not change, the ongoing growth in global consumption of metals will cause shortages, aggravate energy scarcity and obstruct the transition towards a sustainable economy.

Technology alone is not going to save us. A holistic approach to the vast underlying problem of exponential growth and overconsumption requires involvement of various disciplines. “Using less” requires nothing less than some form of managed austerity and involves disciplines like psychology, philosophy, law, finance, economics, system dynamics and politics. Nate Hagens has explained during the discussion after this presentation that we need to understand and implement all that we know about human behaviour for any solution to stand a chance of becoming viable (see the recent excellent work by Nate Hagens).

It does make me think, perhaps we should be taking all those vacations and doing all the things we take for granted now, because life may change pretty drastically in the next 10-20 years.

Nocino

A friend of mine told me I should make Nocino. I'd never heard of it, but I like doing weird food things, so I looked it up.

It's essentially a green-walnut infused vodka (with some other flavors like cinnamon, clove, lemon). Simone and I picked a bunch of green walnuts from the trees down the street last night and I chopped them up and tossed them in some vodka.

Now I have to wait 6 months, or, as some some report, an entire year.

Brass Monkey

Dunce Upon A Time's article: Why George Bush Makes me Proud to be an American

BC Woods is a brilliant writer. I've been reading some of his stuff on and off, but I only found him recently. A friend clued me into this amazing article. It was written in June 2008, but resonates just as strongly today.

Here's the intro to get you started, click through to read the entire thing:

Almost eight years ago, George Walker Bush took office, and the world has never been the same. Since then, he has redefined what it means to be an American, has never cracked under the scrutiny of his peers, and has remade the entire world according to his sincere beliefs. Considering all this, it is safe to say that George Bush is far and away the greatest president who has ever lived. His courageousness, imagination, and perseverance, are an example to all Americans.

Cash For Clunkers

Unbelievable, I read the story in the paper today. Congress will pay folks $3500-$4500 for upgrading their auto from a gas guzzling SUV/truck getting 16mpg to a mean green machine that gets 18mpg... wait, what?

Yup, you'll get paid $3500 to buy a 18mpg gas guzzler, even $4500 for a 23mpg guzzler.

What a moronic idea.

For a real breakdown devoid of the anger and frustration I harbor, read: The Oil Drum | The 2012 Oil Crunch vs. Cash for Clunkers

Momma's 3 Days Away Summary

Simone did great while Mary was away. A big part of that is due to Nana coming down and hanging with her, but I've got to give credit to Simone as well.

Every once in a while she'd mention "momma" but that was about it.

We waited on the front porch for Mary to come home, and we definitely had a love fest when she walked up to greet us.

I look forward to the next adventure with Simone.

Torture

I'm tired of the torture debate.

I'm especially tired of the media and how it presents the debate. Almost always the story is set up as "human rights" versus "freedom to be safe", i.e. either torture the guy or the ticking time-bomb goes off. Almost never does anyone bring up the fact that torture doesn't work, let alone the fact that not torturing people but instead earning their respect and trust is what works.

Even my favorite, John Stewart, fails to bring up those points and falls into the debate of the ticking time bomb.

The more nuanced, pro-torture, debater brings up the argument that the anti-torturing side thinks that the idea of anything but the most benign interrogation techniques is not allowed. Again, this is a straw man, don't accept the argument, for once you do, you end up debating where to draw the line for torture.

The bottom line is:

• torture doesn't work, you get bad intelligence
• not torturing does work, it has worked, and it will continue to work
• water boarding is torture
• there's never been a ticking time bomb situation - stop watching 24
  

Some Simone Pics

Simone with a daisy. We couldn't find the horses this particular day, so we looked at some flowers.

Simone and Ayli sharing a seat.

Ayli playing peekaboo with Mary. By the end of Carl and Jana's visit, Ayli was smiling lots, but it was so quick. This was the best one I got on film.

Simone waiting for some lunch - so much fun eating at a restaurant, especially one with fish tanks!

Simone, Carl and Ayli at the water fountain.

A picture on our hike at Breitenbush.

Another shot of Simone and Papa at Breitenbush - Simone was pretty worn out from all the tubbing.

Simone and Momma racing around in a car at the playground.

Check out the little photo albums (some of the same pics).

• A couple pictures from Breitenbush.
• Carl, Jana, and Ayli come to visit.

Momma's First Day Away

I guess I'm kind of live-blogging the adventures of Momma being away. It'd be interesting to know what she's going through at the same time, but phones don't work at Breitenbush, so we can't really know.

Simone slept solid the night through, nearly 11 hours. I slept a chunk with her because she requested it shortly after getting the drink last night. Other than slowly rotating in bed, I think she slept peacefully.

Nana drove down early today to hang out with Simone so I could do my time in the office in Wilsonville. I think it was a good move as her first response to me was, "no, no, no" when I walked in the room (I don't know what that's about, but am hoping it's a phase). Then Nana poked her head in the room and Simone lit up, hid against the wall for a second, and came out hopping and dancing. They had a very pleasant morning/day/afternoon, while I did my usual drudgery in Wilsonville.

We had a dinner of left-overs and fresh strawberries (picked by Simone), and now she's in bed, reading stories with Nana.

I'd better go clean off the bed in the back room so Nana has somewhere to sleep tonight.

Momma's First Night Away

Mary is at a retreat for the next three nights, her first nights away.

We spent the day together at Breitenbush, soaking in the tubs, eating lunch and dinner, and taking a nice little hike. It was my second time at Breitenbush, and I must say the food was really good this time (it was rather disappointing the first time) - I guess it just depends on the mood of the cook.

Simone had a great time going from tub to tub at the spiral tubs, and even got into the cold water dunk tank.

We said our goodbyes to Mary and headed home after dinner. Simone sang some for the next half hour and dropped off to sleep. Once home, she transferred to bed real easily, and slept for an hour while I unpacked. I knew she'd woken up when she walked into the kitchen saying, "I want juice."

She's getting very clear like that, both a blessing and a curse.

I opened the fridge, and saw the strawberry lemonade. Simone saw it too and said, "strawberry." So I poured her some.

After downing 6 ounces she asked to be carried into bed (a new and unusual request), so I carried her in and laid her in bed.

She finished the drink, I asked if she was all done, to which she replied, "yeah," turned her head to the side and closed her eyes to go to sleep.

I don't think I've ever had a night like that with her, it was very sweet and just pointed out how much she's changed recently. All sorts of new phrases and sentences are coming out now. Whereas before you could kind of gauge what she might say, pretty much every sentence she utters is new and unique.

It's Made It To The Comics

I knew that our "harsh interrogation techniques" were borrowed from the military's program where soldiers are subjected to ... torture. What I didn't know was that those programs were specifically introduced to give our soldiers an idea of what the communist countries were doing to our soldiers during the cold war specifically to extract false confessions to be used against us. I'm still having trouble choking down the irony.

Now that information has bubbled up to our comic strips:



"We have seen the enemy and it is us." - Walt Kelly

Cupcake Catchers

For the past week, Simone has sporadically mentioned that she wanted a cupcake catcher.

Tonight at dinner we figured it out, she wanted one of the cupcake/muffin tin liners.