Last night, after 5 faithful years of service, my beloved iBook laptop rolled over and died. One minute I was happily surfing the web, the next the screen turned white and stayed that way. The hard drive, thankfully, was fine, but the LCD screen couldn't be saved. After much gnashing of teeth and shedding of tears, I went to sleep last night convinced that my days as a laptop owner were at least temporarily over, but woke up this morning to a new MacBook courtesy of Juan. He's kind of a great husband, if you haven't picked up on that by now.
The new computer is great. It's got a bigger screen; more memory; and because we were able to save the hard drive from my old computer, the transition between the two has been seamless. Even my Internet bookmarks are all where they're supposed to be. Still, I miss my iBook. That computer saw me through a lot of hard times, and it's going to be hard to let it go.
Showing posts with label random things C does. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random things C does. Show all posts
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Ask and ye shall receive
M asked me to make a more lengthy case for why the Kindle rocks, so here goes:
1) CARRY YOUR WHOLE LIBRARY WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO! For non-bibliophiles this may not seem like a big deal, but if you're a book whore like me you know that sometimes you just have to, have to, have to re-read Chapter 4 of your favorite book when you're on the bus/in an airport/at work/somewhere not home where you favorite book happens to live. With a Kindle, not only can you read that chapter (or the whole book) anywhere you want, but even if you didn't bother to download it before you left home that day you can run to Amazon (or a wide variety of other eBook retailers) and buy it no matter where you are. Well, no matter where you are in the continental U.S. International Kindle book buying requires a few more steps and access to a computer, but that detail won't matter to most American readers. The added bonus for those who travel frequently is that you don't have to pack a ton of books or be left with nothing but the in-flight magazine to read if you run out of reading material.
2) E-INK TECHNOLOGY! This really is see-to-believe stuff. Reading a Kindle or other e-book reader is no different from reading a paper book in terms of eye strain. The e-ink technology isn't anything like a computer screen, so even if staring at a monitor for hours on end isn't your thing, it should be a non-issue with a Kindle. You can only buy Kindles through Amazon, but Target carries the Sony 505 Reader and should have one on display if you're interested to see e-ink in action. It's very cool.
3) MAC COMPATIBILITY! Frankly, I probably would have bought a Sony 505 if it had only been compatible with my beloved iBook. Sadly, Sony's readers (which are cheaper than the Kindle, though you can't download books onto them without the help of a computer) only work with Windows. I love my Mac, I will always love my Mac, so the Kindle was my best eReader option.
4) CHEAP(ER) BOOKS (MOSTLY)! There's a lot of debate in the e-Reader community (yes, I'm a member of the e-Reader community now, yes Juan has mocked me for it) about the price of ebooks. Frankly, they're not much lower than the price of most paperbacks, and in some cases the price of the ebook is actually higher than you'd pay with a discount card at, say, Barnes & Noble. Still, if you shop smart you can still usually pay significantly less for your ebooks than you would for the paper versions. When you're plunking down $$$ for the reader in the first place, it's nice to know that eventually you'll make up the cost in book savings.
5) REDESIGN! The original Kindle still has a lot of fans--people love how distinctive it looks, how you can expand your book collection by using an SD card (not available with the Kindle 2), etc... The Kindle 2, however, which I have, is an improvement on the Kindle 1 in several ways. The most significant from a regular user point of view is the fact that it's now very difficult to accidentally turn the page because Amazon redesigned the page turn buttons. Turning pages on purpose requires next to no thought, but you aren't going to accidentally flip through several chapters and lose your place the way you could with the Kindle 1.
6) ANNOTATION, BOOKMARKING, TEXT-TO-SPEECH, ETC...! Just like with a paper book you can make margin notes with a Kindle (you can't with any of Sony's readers), you can bookmark several spots in a book, and unlike a paper book the Kindle will read your books TO you if you choose. This last feature is very controversial and may eventually be phased out because of copyright/legal issues, but for now you can use it on most ebooks. Given that the price of audiobooks is hideously high, text-to-speech technology rocks since the cost is just that of the ebook itself.
7) DID I MENTION PRETTY?! Yes, see previous post. The Kindle is pretty.
8) LOSING SIGHT OF THE DEVICE! I've now read two average-length novels on my Kindle and can verify that, at least for me, the device doesn't prevent me from slipping into the story the way I do with paper books. Some people argue that the white color of the Kindle makes this difficult, but so far it hasn't made a difference to me.
Bottom line--I love this little machine. If you're on the fence about buying an e-Reader, I would strongly recommend checking out this forum for the scoop on a wide variety of e-Readers, including the Kindle.
1) CARRY YOUR WHOLE LIBRARY WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO! For non-bibliophiles this may not seem like a big deal, but if you're a book whore like me you know that sometimes you just have to, have to, have to re-read Chapter 4 of your favorite book when you're on the bus/in an airport/at work/somewhere not home where you favorite book happens to live. With a Kindle, not only can you read that chapter (or the whole book) anywhere you want, but even if you didn't bother to download it before you left home that day you can run to Amazon (or a wide variety of other eBook retailers) and buy it no matter where you are. Well, no matter where you are in the continental U.S. International Kindle book buying requires a few more steps and access to a computer, but that detail won't matter to most American readers. The added bonus for those who travel frequently is that you don't have to pack a ton of books or be left with nothing but the in-flight magazine to read if you run out of reading material.
2) E-INK TECHNOLOGY! This really is see-to-believe stuff. Reading a Kindle or other e-book reader is no different from reading a paper book in terms of eye strain. The e-ink technology isn't anything like a computer screen, so even if staring at a monitor for hours on end isn't your thing, it should be a non-issue with a Kindle. You can only buy Kindles through Amazon, but Target carries the Sony 505 Reader and should have one on display if you're interested to see e-ink in action. It's very cool.
3) MAC COMPATIBILITY! Frankly, I probably would have bought a Sony 505 if it had only been compatible with my beloved iBook. Sadly, Sony's readers (which are cheaper than the Kindle, though you can't download books onto them without the help of a computer) only work with Windows. I love my Mac, I will always love my Mac, so the Kindle was my best eReader option.
4) CHEAP(ER) BOOKS (MOSTLY)! There's a lot of debate in the e-Reader community (yes, I'm a member of the e-Reader community now, yes Juan has mocked me for it) about the price of ebooks. Frankly, they're not much lower than the price of most paperbacks, and in some cases the price of the ebook is actually higher than you'd pay with a discount card at, say, Barnes & Noble. Still, if you shop smart you can still usually pay significantly less for your ebooks than you would for the paper versions. When you're plunking down $$$ for the reader in the first place, it's nice to know that eventually you'll make up the cost in book savings.
5) REDESIGN! The original Kindle still has a lot of fans--people love how distinctive it looks, how you can expand your book collection by using an SD card (not available with the Kindle 2), etc... The Kindle 2, however, which I have, is an improvement on the Kindle 1 in several ways. The most significant from a regular user point of view is the fact that it's now very difficult to accidentally turn the page because Amazon redesigned the page turn buttons. Turning pages on purpose requires next to no thought, but you aren't going to accidentally flip through several chapters and lose your place the way you could with the Kindle 1.
6) ANNOTATION, BOOKMARKING, TEXT-TO-SPEECH, ETC...! Just like with a paper book you can make margin notes with a Kindle (you can't with any of Sony's readers), you can bookmark several spots in a book, and unlike a paper book the Kindle will read your books TO you if you choose. This last feature is very controversial and may eventually be phased out because of copyright/legal issues, but for now you can use it on most ebooks. Given that the price of audiobooks is hideously high, text-to-speech technology rocks since the cost is just that of the ebook itself.
7) DID I MENTION PRETTY?! Yes, see previous post. The Kindle is pretty.
8) LOSING SIGHT OF THE DEVICE! I've now read two average-length novels on my Kindle and can verify that, at least for me, the device doesn't prevent me from slipping into the story the way I do with paper books. Some people argue that the white color of the Kindle makes this difficult, but so far it hasn't made a difference to me.
Bottom line--I love this little machine. If you're on the fence about buying an e-Reader, I would strongly recommend checking out this forum for the scoop on a wide variety of e-Readers, including the Kindle.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Loooooove
If you've been wondering why I haven't been updating much lately there are two reasons. One is that work has been crazy busy and by the time I get home at night the last thing I have mental energy for is blogging. For that I suck, since this blog is essentially the best record of Luke's early years that I have. If I don't post, what will I be able to look at years from now to remember this time in his life? Bad Mama.
The second is that lately I've had a compelling incentive to put down my laptop and read instead. Here it is:
It's pretty and it's white and it almost makes me never want to buy another paper book. Now I can carry around my entire library with me wherever I go! This is basically the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Kindle = love.
The second is that lately I've had a compelling incentive to put down my laptop and read instead. Here it is:
It's pretty and it's white and it almost makes me never want to buy another paper book. Now I can carry around my entire library with me wherever I go! This is basically the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Kindle = love.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
A Hefty Dose of Reality
This afternoon I hosted a baby shower for a dear friend who's about to have her second child. Most of the invitees (including the mom-to-be) have kids around Luke's age, so the shower morphed into a playdate involving 9 adults and 6 kids under 3.
Rather than get into all the messy details, let's just say that my house is covered in stickers, there are mysterious stains on the living room rug, my TV has sticky fingerprints all over it, and Luke went to bed half an hour early because he was so exhausted from all the activity. If this is what it's like to have a big family, I am officially ruling out more than one kid after Luke.
Rather than get into all the messy details, let's just say that my house is covered in stickers, there are mysterious stains on the living room rug, my TV has sticky fingerprints all over it, and Luke went to bed half an hour early because he was so exhausted from all the activity. If this is what it's like to have a big family, I am officially ruling out more than one kid after Luke.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Korea
We're going to do it, we're moving to South Korea. Six months from now military movers will box up all our stuff, put it on a boat, and we'll pick it up in Korea.
Korea.
I sort of can't believe it. We've done nothing but talk about this move since we first learned it was a possibility late last week, but it still hasn't quite sunk in.
Korea.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared, but I'd also be lying if I said I wasn't really excited. I'm the type of person who would never up and move overseas on her own, but if the last five years have taught me anything it's that change is a good thing. Yes, it's frightening, and yes there are things I will desperately miss about the States, but ultimately I really believe that this will be an amazing experience we'll be grateful to have in the long run.
So, Korea.
More as we find out exactly what we need to do in preparation for the move.
Korea.
I sort of can't believe it. We've done nothing but talk about this move since we first learned it was a possibility late last week, but it still hasn't quite sunk in.
Korea.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared, but I'd also be lying if I said I wasn't really excited. I'm the type of person who would never up and move overseas on her own, but if the last five years have taught me anything it's that change is a good thing. Yes, it's frightening, and yes there are things I will desperately miss about the States, but ultimately I really believe that this will be an amazing experience we'll be grateful to have in the long run.
So, Korea.
More as we find out exactly what we need to do in preparation for the move.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Quirk
More memes! I was tagged for this one by MJ which seems quite appropriate since I'm one of the friends who nicknamed her "Quirk" back in high school and the subject of the meme is (what else?) quirks.
In case anyone is wondering, my nickname in high school was A Loof.
Now, on with the meme!
Six of C's Quirks
1) I hate to talk on the phone. I don't know how quirky this really is since it seems like I know an increasingly large number of people who would rather drive large metal spikes into their eardrums than talk on the phone (I blame the internet) but unless you're my parents, you're twenty times more likely to receive an e-mail from me than a phone call. There's just so much pressure on the phone to find interesting things to talk about, versus e-mail where you can ramble on for paragraphs and either go back before hitting the "send" button and delete everything or send it all and rest assured that the recipient will just skim for the good stuff.
2) I have no problem discussing how Macbeth and Harvey Dent (from "The Dark Knight") are remarkably similar characters with my students. In fact, I've had lengthy discussions on the subject with my second period in the last week, and while it may seem like we're goofing off on the surface, I have elaborate character development maps all over the board by the end of those discussions to prove that not only are they both tragic heroes, but that the Batman franchise nails the archetype far more often than Shakespeare ever did. If I can talk about superhero movies and Shakespeare at the same time AND finally get my students to understand the tragic hero, I consider it a good day.
3) If I have M&Ms, I can't just eat them one at a time, I have to eat two so they're even in my mouth--one on each side as I bite down. Same thing with baby carrots, olives, and pretty much anything else bite-sized.
4) I don't like breakfast food unless it's relatively bland. Sausage? No way. Bacon? HATE. Plain toast? Now you're talking. Lunch and dinner, bring on the strong-tasting food, but leave my palate alone before noon OR ELSE.
5) I watch TV out of the corner of my eye. I've done this for the longest time (and if you've been to my house, our family room arrangement might suddenly make sense now that you know this fact about me) and while it's probably partly because I have mild astigmatism, mostly it's just because I find the TV itself is rarely engrossing enough to keep my full attention so I'm always doing something else while watching TV. I'll knit, I'll cross-stitch, I'll play online (sometimes while also knitting or cross-stitching) and watch TV at the same time, just out of the corner of my eye.
6) I don't understand the appeal of "30 Rock." I've tried, I really have, but I just find it contrived and too cute for its own good.
In case anyone is wondering, my nickname in high school was A Loof.
Now, on with the meme!
Six of C's Quirks
1) I hate to talk on the phone. I don't know how quirky this really is since it seems like I know an increasingly large number of people who would rather drive large metal spikes into their eardrums than talk on the phone (I blame the internet) but unless you're my parents, you're twenty times more likely to receive an e-mail from me than a phone call. There's just so much pressure on the phone to find interesting things to talk about, versus e-mail where you can ramble on for paragraphs and either go back before hitting the "send" button and delete everything or send it all and rest assured that the recipient will just skim for the good stuff.
2) I have no problem discussing how Macbeth and Harvey Dent (from "The Dark Knight") are remarkably similar characters with my students. In fact, I've had lengthy discussions on the subject with my second period in the last week, and while it may seem like we're goofing off on the surface, I have elaborate character development maps all over the board by the end of those discussions to prove that not only are they both tragic heroes, but that the Batman franchise nails the archetype far more often than Shakespeare ever did. If I can talk about superhero movies and Shakespeare at the same time AND finally get my students to understand the tragic hero, I consider it a good day.
3) If I have M&Ms, I can't just eat them one at a time, I have to eat two so they're even in my mouth--one on each side as I bite down. Same thing with baby carrots, olives, and pretty much anything else bite-sized.
4) I don't like breakfast food unless it's relatively bland. Sausage? No way. Bacon? HATE. Plain toast? Now you're talking. Lunch and dinner, bring on the strong-tasting food, but leave my palate alone before noon OR ELSE.
5) I watch TV out of the corner of my eye. I've done this for the longest time (and if you've been to my house, our family room arrangement might suddenly make sense now that you know this fact about me) and while it's probably partly because I have mild astigmatism, mostly it's just because I find the TV itself is rarely engrossing enough to keep my full attention so I'm always doing something else while watching TV. I'll knit, I'll cross-stitch, I'll play online (sometimes while also knitting or cross-stitching) and watch TV at the same time, just out of the corner of my eye.
6) I don't understand the appeal of "30 Rock." I've tried, I really have, but I just find it contrived and too cute for its own good.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Winner
I did it. I spent 30 days writing a novel and I finished it tonight, just hours before the deadline. Over 50,000 words (which translates to roughly 200 pages, give or take depending on spacing and font size) that, if nothing else, proved to me that not only could I start a novel, I could finish it. It's complete crap, of course, but with some major editing I think it could turn into something I'm really and truly proud of.
Now off to celebrate my achievement! Wine and peanut butter pretzels for everyone!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Just to be very clear about this
1993--C babysits by herself for the first time, the microwave explodes.
1997--C is left home alone over the weekend for the first time, gets in her one and only car accident.
1998--C is left home alone over the weekend for the second time, the car survives but she is evacuated by a SWAT team because the crazy neighbors started threatening one another with guns.
2005--C is left home (albeit only for the day--I debate lumping this story in with the others because Juan was just at the library studying) and the building across the street from the condo catches fire and burns almost to the ground.
2008--C is left home alone with Luke over two consecutive weekends and manages to not only have her car battery unexpectedly die in a Wal-Mart parking lot, BUT, almost loses three years worth of pictures, music, lessons, and OH YEAH THAT NANO THING when the baby dumps an entire cup of coffee all over her laptop.
Needless to say, I don't have a good track record when it comes to staying home by myself. Thankfully (for today, at least) the laptop started working again when it had been dried out and cleaned up a bit, and all the data I needed on it has now been backed up several different places just in case it's waiting until the next time I'm alone to off itself in a more permanent way.
1997--C is left home alone over the weekend for the first time, gets in her one and only car accident.
1998--C is left home alone over the weekend for the second time, the car survives but she is evacuated by a SWAT team because the crazy neighbors started threatening one another with guns.
2005--C is left home (albeit only for the day--I debate lumping this story in with the others because Juan was just at the library studying) and the building across the street from the condo catches fire and burns almost to the ground.
2008--C is left home alone with Luke over two consecutive weekends and manages to not only have her car battery unexpectedly die in a Wal-Mart parking lot, BUT, almost loses three years worth of pictures, music, lessons, and OH YEAH THAT NANO THING when the baby dumps an entire cup of coffee all over her laptop.
Needless to say, I don't have a good track record when it comes to staying home by myself. Thankfully (for today, at least) the laptop started working again when it had been dried out and cleaned up a bit, and all the data I needed on it has now been backed up several different places just in case it's waiting until the next time I'm alone to off itself in a more permanent way.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
NaNoWriMo Update
So far I'm doing fairly well with NaNoWriMo. I decided to write a murder mystery that's been kicking around my head for a few years now and it's coming along nicely. I've introduced my main characters, written far too much exposition, and just killed my first victim. Life is good. I'm also mostly keeping up with the 1667-words-a-day requirement to ensure that I make it to 50,000 words by November 30. Here's a cool widget from NaNoWriMo to show you how I'm doing--the green days are the ones where I made the daily goal, the red ones where I didn't.
So not perfect, but on track as of yesterday and today. Keep sending the writing vibes--they're working!
So not perfect, but on track as of yesterday and today. Keep sending the writing vibes--they're working!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Holy Crap, I'm Writing a Novel
In a burst of "Gee, C, you don't have enough on your plate right now, let's add something new" I signed up for NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month. From November 1-30 I'll be attempting to write 1600+ words a day to make it to an eventual goal of 50,000 words and one completed book.
*gulp*
I'm also trying to get some of my more ambitious students involved by offering a full letter grade bump to anyone who manages to finish with 50,000 words. We'll see if anyone takes me up on the challenge.
So wish me luck! I'll post a few updates now and then about how it's going (hopefully well) and maybe an excerpt or two if it goes VERY well.
*gulp*
I'm also trying to get some of my more ambitious students involved by offering a full letter grade bump to anyone who manages to finish with 50,000 words. We'll see if anyone takes me up on the challenge.
So wish me luck! I'll post a few updates now and then about how it's going (hopefully well) and maybe an excerpt or two if it goes VERY well.
Friday, October 03, 2008
C and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
1:00 AM: I wake up, WIDE AWAKE with a throbbing sinus headache
3:00 AM: Still awake
4:00 AM: Still awake
5:00 AM: Drift off
5:45 AM: Alarm rings, time to get up
6:00 AM: Luke starts crying, get him from his crib, somehow manage to smear poop all over one of my hands during diaper changing.
7:20 AM: Finally get out of the door, ridiculously late
7:30 AM: Drop Luke off at daycare, he screams bloody murder when I go to leave. Worst dropoff we've had in over a month, I feel horrible and worry that he's getting sick again.
8:10 AM: Finally get to work and find a line of students already forming outside my door because (of course) today is the last day for them to turn in late work before I have to hand in progress report grades.
8:20 AM: The first bell rings, I realize I forgot to put on deodorant and socks today.
8:55 AM: Finally get the students working independently so I can turn my attention to the piles of papers that have magically appeared on this, the last day to turn them in.
8:56 AM: My computer dies. Really dies. Blue Screen of Death Dies.
8:58 AM: IT says to bring it down but they aren't making any promises. Also, I can't have a loaner computer to finish my grading. Sorry.
9:00 AM: My headache returns with a vengeance.
9:15 AM: I call Juan (who's working nights and is thus home, sleeping) and beg him to bring my laptop from home to school so I can enter grades. He got no sleep the night before and doesn't think he's safe to drive. Dammit.
11:30 AM: I get my BFF to cover my study hall so I can leap in the car and race home to get the laptop
12:15 PM: Get halfway back to school with the computer before I realize I forgot the power cord on the kitchen counter. My battery can last around 30 minutes at this point without needing to be plugged in, so I've just made this trip for, essentially, nothing.
12:17 PM: My head really hurts
12:30 PM: Get back to campus, inhale some lunch, greet my next class
1:10 PM: My laptop, predictably, dies.
1:15 PM: A student asks if I'm okay. I seriously consider bursting into tears but decide against it.
2:00 PM: Dismiss my last class, run to the library (tailed by half a dozen students wanting help with late homework) to log onto one of their computers so I can finish grading. Also hoping for some leftover pot luck chocolate cake and/or Diet Coke to make myself feel better.
2:03 PM: No cake, no Coke. No librarian (who I love and wanted to vent to) since she left early. I should have left early today too.
4:00 PM: The final bell rings, I'm maybe a third of the way through my stacks of papers. Realize I'm going to have to come in over the weekend.
4:30 PM: Kick the last of my students out of the library, close up, head home.
4:35 PM: My head REALLY hurts.
5:00 PM: Get home. Luke screams and bursts into tears the second he sees me since he knows that Mama coming home = Daddy leaving soon.
5:20 PM: Luke stops tantruming.
5:23 PM: Juan gets up to leave, Luke starts crying again.
5:30 PM: My head--in case you were wondering--HURTS.
3:00 AM: Still awake
4:00 AM: Still awake
5:00 AM: Drift off
5:45 AM: Alarm rings, time to get up
6:00 AM: Luke starts crying, get him from his crib, somehow manage to smear poop all over one of my hands during diaper changing.
7:20 AM: Finally get out of the door, ridiculously late
7:30 AM: Drop Luke off at daycare, he screams bloody murder when I go to leave. Worst dropoff we've had in over a month, I feel horrible and worry that he's getting sick again.
8:10 AM: Finally get to work and find a line of students already forming outside my door because (of course) today is the last day for them to turn in late work before I have to hand in progress report grades.
8:20 AM: The first bell rings, I realize I forgot to put on deodorant and socks today.
8:55 AM: Finally get the students working independently so I can turn my attention to the piles of papers that have magically appeared on this, the last day to turn them in.
8:56 AM: My computer dies. Really dies. Blue Screen of Death Dies.
8:58 AM: IT says to bring it down but they aren't making any promises. Also, I can't have a loaner computer to finish my grading. Sorry.
9:00 AM: My headache returns with a vengeance.
9:15 AM: I call Juan (who's working nights and is thus home, sleeping) and beg him to bring my laptop from home to school so I can enter grades. He got no sleep the night before and doesn't think he's safe to drive. Dammit.
11:30 AM: I get my BFF to cover my study hall so I can leap in the car and race home to get the laptop
12:15 PM: Get halfway back to school with the computer before I realize I forgot the power cord on the kitchen counter. My battery can last around 30 minutes at this point without needing to be plugged in, so I've just made this trip for, essentially, nothing.
12:17 PM: My head really hurts
12:30 PM: Get back to campus, inhale some lunch, greet my next class
1:10 PM: My laptop, predictably, dies.
1:15 PM: A student asks if I'm okay. I seriously consider bursting into tears but decide against it.
2:00 PM: Dismiss my last class, run to the library (tailed by half a dozen students wanting help with late homework) to log onto one of their computers so I can finish grading. Also hoping for some leftover pot luck chocolate cake and/or Diet Coke to make myself feel better.
2:03 PM: No cake, no Coke. No librarian (who I love and wanted to vent to) since she left early. I should have left early today too.
4:00 PM: The final bell rings, I'm maybe a third of the way through my stacks of papers. Realize I'm going to have to come in over the weekend.
4:30 PM: Kick the last of my students out of the library, close up, head home.
4:35 PM: My head REALLY hurts.
5:00 PM: Get home. Luke screams and bursts into tears the second he sees me since he knows that Mama coming home = Daddy leaving soon.
5:20 PM: Luke stops tantruming.
5:23 PM: Juan gets up to leave, Luke starts crying again.
5:30 PM: My head--in case you were wondering--HURTS.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Wii likey
In a moment of sheer insanity I told Juan that if he could find a Wii he could buy it. Call it an early birthday/Father's Day/anniversary present. I was convinced that he wouldn't be able to track one down, especially since most stores seem to get shipments in the middle of the week and his only days off are generally Saturdays and Sundays. Imagine my surprise when he got up at 6:00 this morning, headed over to Target, and managed to score one of the handful of systems they put on sale today.
Now, I am not a video game fan. I don't think I've so much as picked up a controller since the joystick went out of fashion, and the idea of spending hours repeating the same limited actions over and over again appeals about as much as a root canal. The Wii intrigued me, though, since at least it gets players up off the couch. So, when Juan brought the boxes home this morning I thought hey, maybe I'll like this.
No, I don't like it. I LOVE it! I kicked butt at Wii boxing (Juan's butt, to be precise) and bowling, but he can beat me pretty easily at tennis and baseball. We're both feeling the burn tonight too, since we were able to play for a solid 90 minutes during Luke's unheard of long afternoon nap. The only problem is that Jasper doesn't quite "get" what we're doing with the remotes and barks like crazy when he sees us playing. Oh well, for this much fun I'm willing to put up with a slightly loud puppy.
Now, I am not a video game fan. I don't think I've so much as picked up a controller since the joystick went out of fashion, and the idea of spending hours repeating the same limited actions over and over again appeals about as much as a root canal. The Wii intrigued me, though, since at least it gets players up off the couch. So, when Juan brought the boxes home this morning I thought hey, maybe I'll like this.
No, I don't like it. I LOVE it! I kicked butt at Wii boxing (Juan's butt, to be precise) and bowling, but he can beat me pretty easily at tennis and baseball. We're both feeling the burn tonight too, since we were able to play for a solid 90 minutes during Luke's unheard of long afternoon nap. The only problem is that Jasper doesn't quite "get" what we're doing with the remotes and barks like crazy when he sees us playing. Oh well, for this much fun I'm willing to put up with a slightly loud puppy.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
I never learn
Why is it that I ALWAYS end up going to the grocery store on Super Bowl Sunday? It's like I'm physically incapable of remembering to buy some completely essential thing until the worst possible day to shop.
Naturally, because I like to up the ante idiocy-wise every year, Luke had to come with me to Albertson's today. He was an absolute angel the whole time, unlike the 20-something man we encountered in the frozen food aisle who ran past us yelling "Get in the fucking line already!" to someone on his cellphone while also steering a cart that, I kid you not, contained at least a dozen cases of Bud Lite.
We got out unscathed, and I am once again pledging to never, EVER go to the supermarket on Super Bowl Sunday again. Until next year, that is.
*****
Edited to add: Thank goodness the Giants won. Perfection is boring. Not that I watched the game--I've spent the evening participating in the anti-Super Bowl: a "Sex and the City" marathon accompanied by brownies and vegetarian chicken nuggets.
Naturally, because I like to up the ante idiocy-wise every year, Luke had to come with me to Albertson's today. He was an absolute angel the whole time, unlike the 20-something man we encountered in the frozen food aisle who ran past us yelling "Get in the fucking line already!" to someone on his cellphone while also steering a cart that, I kid you not, contained at least a dozen cases of Bud Lite.
We got out unscathed, and I am once again pledging to never, EVER go to the supermarket on Super Bowl Sunday again. Until next year, that is.
*****
Edited to add: Thank goodness the Giants won. Perfection is boring. Not that I watched the game--I've spent the evening participating in the anti-Super Bowl: a "Sex and the City" marathon accompanied by brownies and vegetarian chicken nuggets.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
I wasn't even cooking...
Remember this and this? Yeah, well at least those times I was trying to make something.
We had a big day here today (rolling! Luke rolled over!!!) so I decided to celebrate with a nice glass of wine after Juan got home. I went upstairs to the wine fridge, picked out a good Riesling, and pulled out the corkscrew. I had a hard time getting it to actually puncture the cork, but I just thought that the foil around the top was especially thick or something. After a minute I got it in, though, and it was remarkably easy to finish screwing it in.
And then I pulled up. And...no cork came out. Because there wasn't a cork, it was a screw top.
Exhibit A:
After Juan picked himself up off the floor where he had (literally) collapsed from laughing, he insisted on taking photos to commemorate the event. I confess that I was laughing pretty hard by that point too because, really, WHO DOES THAT?
Anyway, that was my evening, and the upside of all of this was that we had to drink a whole bottle of really delicious wine. Pumping and dumping, here I come!
**I would just like to add here that while I'm slightly buzzed, Juan can't turn his head too quickly or he'll fall over. We had exactly the same amount to drink. I may have tried to use a corkscrew with a screw-top bottle, but my husband's the lightweight in our relationship.**
We had a big day here today (rolling! Luke rolled over!!!) so I decided to celebrate with a nice glass of wine after Juan got home. I went upstairs to the wine fridge, picked out a good Riesling, and pulled out the corkscrew. I had a hard time getting it to actually puncture the cork, but I just thought that the foil around the top was especially thick or something. After a minute I got it in, though, and it was remarkably easy to finish screwing it in.
And then I pulled up. And...no cork came out. Because there wasn't a cork, it was a screw top.
Exhibit A:
After Juan picked himself up off the floor where he had (literally) collapsed from laughing, he insisted on taking photos to commemorate the event. I confess that I was laughing pretty hard by that point too because, really, WHO DOES THAT?
Anyway, that was my evening, and the upside of all of this was that we had to drink a whole bottle of really delicious wine. Pumping and dumping, here I come!
**I would just like to add here that while I'm slightly buzzed, Juan can't turn his head too quickly or he'll fall over. We had exactly the same amount to drink. I may have tried to use a corkscrew with a screw-top bottle, but my husband's the lightweight in our relationship.**
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
When You Send C to Target...
Yesterday J discovered that we were almost out of diapers, so he asked me to run to Target sometime today to pick some up. He really should have known what he was getting himself into at that point, but alas he didn't remember the Cardinal Rule of Target. Namely, Do Not Send C There By Herself Or You Will Live To Regret It.
But I get ahead of myself.
So, there I was, Luke by my side, and the entirety of Target in front of me. I like Target. In fact, I'll go as far as to say that I love Target just a little bit. So much stuff! Such reasonable prices!
Diapers, right. I needed diapers. Oh, and Stage 2 nipples for Luke's bottles since we're hoping that a faster flow will help end Bottle Strike: 2007.
(is it me or am I giving a lot of things proper names in this post?)
Diapers and bottle nipples, check!
But the baby section was tantalizingly close to the Halloween section, and it wouldn't hurt to check out the deals, would it? No, indeed it would not. And, in fact, I found some great ones!
This t-shirt--only $5!
This wreath, 50% off!
CANDY! It's Halloween and we need CANDY!
Oh, and a festive felt bucket to put the candy in!
But really, I shouldn't buy anything else.
Or should I???
"The Office" stuff! They have I (heart) Jim notepads! Magnets! Just fifty cents!
(And yes, I do plan to use the I (heart) Jim notepads for my hall passes when I go back. So there, boring post-it note people!)
MOVIES! J was just saying the other day that he wanted Transformers and the latest season of "Scrubs"!
(please note, I was a cool wife and bought the version of Transformers with a box that actually is a Transformer. Best Wife Ever.)
Needless to say, by the time I was done there was barely any room for the baby in my cart, much less any other random Target merchandise. Thus I checked out, crammed everything into my trunk somehow, and ended up at home on Halloween night taking pictures of my Target purchases.
Luke is not impressed by Target, but Daddy is pretty happy about his movies.
But I get ahead of myself.
So, there I was, Luke by my side, and the entirety of Target in front of me. I like Target. In fact, I'll go as far as to say that I love Target just a little bit. So much stuff! Such reasonable prices!
Diapers, right. I needed diapers. Oh, and Stage 2 nipples for Luke's bottles since we're hoping that a faster flow will help end Bottle Strike: 2007.
(is it me or am I giving a lot of things proper names in this post?)
Diapers and bottle nipples, check!
But the baby section was tantalizingly close to the Halloween section, and it wouldn't hurt to check out the deals, would it? No, indeed it would not. And, in fact, I found some great ones!
This t-shirt--only $5!
This wreath, 50% off!
CANDY! It's Halloween and we need CANDY!
Oh, and a festive felt bucket to put the candy in!
But really, I shouldn't buy anything else.
Or should I???
"The Office" stuff! They have I (heart) Jim notepads! Magnets! Just fifty cents!
(And yes, I do plan to use the I (heart) Jim notepads for my hall passes when I go back. So there, boring post-it note people!)
MOVIES! J was just saying the other day that he wanted Transformers and the latest season of "Scrubs"!
(please note, I was a cool wife and bought the version of Transformers with a box that actually is a Transformer. Best Wife Ever.)
Needless to say, by the time I was done there was barely any room for the baby in my cart, much less any other random Target merchandise. Thus I checked out, crammed everything into my trunk somehow, and ended up at home on Halloween night taking pictures of my Target purchases.
Luke is not impressed by Target, but Daddy is pretty happy about his movies.
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