Selling Out... Furniture, that is!

Not my soul, of course, don't worry. I'm actually beginning the process of selling certain furniture items, like our bedroom set, and our miscellaneous unnecessary items, like half the stuff in our storage areas. Partially because I love to get rid of things we're not really using, partly because I no longer want those items (goodbye, big bed, and hello, platform!), partly for the money, and partly because if we end up getting a job out of this area, we are going to have to move... without a lot of our stuff. Especially if this current job opportunity works out, but really if *anything* comes through outside of Modesto, we will most likely end up moving into a smaller place than where we are currently living. It would be difficult to sell everything, pack, find a new place, and move all in the two weeks or so we'd have between a job offer and beginning work, so I'd rather do it in stages. Do you see how I'm confidently assuming we'll get an offer sometime soon? Just blame it on The Secret.

Anyway, we're selling our bedroom set. I do love it, but it has outlived its usefulness, and besides-- I want a platform bed, eventually. In the meantime, we'd probably just use our futon, which is currently in Joel's office. I'm actually looking forward to getting this big furniture out of our room! We'll figure out what to do with all the stuff in the drawers later.



I put up the entire set-- headboard, footboard, two nightstands, bureau + mirror, on Modesto's Craigslist for $500. That's not asking a lot, compared to so many others out there, and I think it's a great deal. Just check out the gorgeous Harlequin "diamond" details, and the curving, bowed out areas.



I've loved it since 2004, but now it's time to re-home this furniture. Goodbye, bedroom set, you served me well!

Bjork Yourself Today

And now, a tribute to Bjork, for no real reason other than I like to take some time every so often to celebrate weirdness, humor, creativity, and quirkiness. Enjoy!

The famous swan dress from the Oscars, and winner of many "Worst Dressed" awards:


One of her most awesome songs, and one that catapulted her into the mainstream's awareness:


Just for funsies, an imagined conversation between P.Diddy and Bjork:


And, to leave you on a more serious note, Ethan Hein does an excellent job discussing Bjork's otherwordly style and her impact on the music scene in his "Cold Technology, Hot Beats" blog post Björk thought she could organize freedom, how Scandinavian of her.

Food: Taco Salad

This salad is a combination of a couple of recipes, one I "borrowed" from a close friend (T, you know who you are!) and one I "adapted" from an issue of Taste of Home magazine (Simple & Delicious). Combined and modified just a bit, the two make for an awesome taco salad that is filling and scrumptious. You can spice it up more by using hotter chips or tossing in diced jalapenos, but we usually just serve El Mexicano jalapenos (with the seeds and membranes removed, of course) on the side for those who want more heat in their meal. We also tend to serve with pan-warmed tortillas that you roll up and eat on the side. Anyway, without further ado, here it is!


Taco Salad

1 lb. taco-seasoned ground beef
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned pinquitos (pink beans), rinsed and drained

1 can (11 oz.) Mexicorn (corn with bell peppers) or corn relish

1/2 cup chopped sweet bell pepper (red or orange)
1 bunch green onions, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup salsa or 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 cups Spicy Nacho Doritos, crushed
1/2 cup cup French Dressing


1) In a pan over medium heat, cook seasoned ground beef until done. Set aside until cool.
2) In a large bowl, mix cooled ground beef, beans, corn, bell pepper, green onions, cilantro, and salsa. NOTE: At this point, you can cover and refrigerate until serving time.
3) Just before serving, add crushed chips and 1/4 cup of the French Dressing, and mix until well-blended.
4) Add remaining dressing slowly, only until mixture is coated but not overly wet. Serve with additional chips on the side to use as scoops. You could also add sliced olives at this point if you wish.

TIP: If you have any of the mixture from Step 2 (before adding chips and dressing) leftover, you can save/freeze it and use it for making chili at a later date. And don't forget to add the best, crunchiest, most flavorful canned jalapenos around!

From One Mother to Another

I met a lovely woman today while shopping for some new shirts at Ross. She took one look at Ethan and started cooing, literally, in the middle of the aisle. I never know what to say in those situations; do I say "Thank you", as if I had anything to do with how cute he is? She even said "Your mama did a great job with you, little one." Does she mean that because he is smiling and relatively clean? I mean, it's true enough that we read far too many stories about terrible parents and probably know some ourselves, but still; is it right for me to take credit for how awesome Ethan is? We were surely blessed with this baby, and there are often doubts in my mind that we are worthy of such a magnificent reward in our lives. But there you have it: People absolutely adore this child. I smile all day long when I take him out with me, because people fall over themselves to come up and say "Hi" or just go ga-ga for awhile. It reminds me of how people fell in love with Leila when she was young, or even now, for that matter. There is just no way to resist the beauty and perfection of childhood and innocence and open smiles, so why try?

Anyway: My point was what this woman from Ross told me today. She said, "Enjoy your time with him, even when he's fussy or acting up, because it goes by so fast. My son is 23, and I remember him exactly this way, a small boy who can't even speak yet. It happens before you know it, and you will always see a baby next to your son, no matter how old he gets." Was she trying to make me burst into tears in the store, or what? Sheesh! I am a bit emotional this week; apparently, "things" are in motion in my life and I'm a bit sensitive lately. For instance, I cried earlier while watching The Wonder Pets with Ethan. Um, it's a kids' show. About baby pets who save other baby pets. Isn't crying a bit much of a response? But I can't help myself. When the hormones start kicking in, the very thin barrier I have erected between myself and my sometimes volatile emotions slowly dissolves, until I'm completely incapable of restraining my reactions. That was a warning of sorts: Stand back, people! I'm on the loose!

Recovery from Mental Illness

The thought is actually quite foreign to many of us-- or, dare I say, most of us in the general public. We believe that a diagnosis of mental illness is permanent, impossible to overcome, and a deeply embedded part of a person's character. What we don't seem to recognize is the similarities between mental illness and, for instance, homelessness or poverty. Not in terms of how they are often present simultaneously in a person's life, but in terms of how any of us could find ourselves there at some time in our lives, as long as a particular set of conditions are present (or absent). For example, if you don't have sufficient supports or resources in place, an emotionally upsetting incident of enough intensity could send you into a diagnosis of "mentally ill." Similarly, if you don't have enough financial resources in place (savings) or other options (family to live with, other job offers, etc.), losing your job or having a significant monetary "incident" such as a huge medical bill could send you towards homelessness or poverty. In this way, both of these situations could be temporary, depending on the type of care you get and how you are able to access resources and support while you recover from the devastating original incident.

Psychiatrist Daniel Fisher describes this in more detail in his article, posted on several websites including that of the National Empowerment Center (among others). He also gives a great interview on YouTube where he describes his theories and research a bit more fully.



The most interesting part of all of this work is that Dr. Fisher is himself a person who was diagnosed with-- and recovered from-- mental illness. He was a neurochemical researcher when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia in the 1970s, and was hospitalized several times. During his recovery, he obtained an M.D., a Ph.D., and also married and fathered two daughters. According to the National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy, he is one of the only psychiatrists in the country to openly discuss his recovery from mental illness. I can't wait to read more of his work, and look into this further. What amazing implications it has, for so many!

Papa Love

I'm so proud of Joel, and how he is turning out to be such a great father.


He is so good with Ethan. He is affectionate, loving, and tender, but also has fun and plays games and runs around the house with him. He gets up in the middle of the night to change diapers even when he's to-the-bone tired, and cleaned bottles like a pro (when we were still using them). He is a good man, I believe, and an awesome dad. I can't wait for Ethan to know him better.

At the Park

He loves to play at parks, but the one closest to us doesn't seem to have much for younger kids. He still makes it work and has fun, somehow, but the main "toddler"-friendly item-- the swings-- are not his cup of tea. Instead, he runs around and grabs whatever's handy, plays hide and seek, climbs where he can, and shakes the metal chains. By that time, he'll usually spot some kids riding their skateboards or somebody playing basketball, and we're off on the chase. Last weekend, he couldn't decide who to go after first: The dogs walking nearby, or the bikes...



So he went after some plant life instead. My kid, the gardener. At least someone in this house will have a green thumb!

Interview Time (Machine)

Interviews are tough. They really bring out your deepest fears about looking less than intelligent or competent and throw them right up front for your enjoyment. They force you to return to old college days of preparation, studying, memorization, and repetition so that you aren't left gasping in silence when the panel asks a complex, three-part question analyzing your work history and theories of customer service. They subject you to intense scrutiny about your past, present, and even future, and then expect you to maintain enough lucidity and eloquence to impress the entire panel with your reasoned (and yet enlightening) responses.



Or maybe they are just trying to figure out if you're a good fit, and I'm just a little over-worked because I've been through a few really tough interviews and do not look forward to the one coming up in just one week. The woman who called me to set it up told me up front that I should expect to be in the interview for at least one and a half hours, which will be the longest amount of time I've ever been interviewed. No pressure! I'm already starting to get prepared. I'm looking up similar jobs, checking the background of the agency, researching the city for services that might be connected to this position, and so on. This week is going to be crunch time, because I really, really, really want this job. And I've got a feeling about it, too... we'll see if my hunch is correct in about two weeks!

Pele, Watch Out

I know, I know; Pele is sooo "back in the day." I should be saying Beckham, if I want to only seem a few years out of date rather than hopelessly backwards. Either way, the soccer world is now on alert: Joel is teaching Ethan how to play already!



He even has his own trick moves. And all while holding his refreshing beverage!



Now, how many dads at the park that day could say they did that? Not many, that's for sure. I'm really glad that Ethan is going to have such a great example of a healthy, fun, fit, athletic, and active father to look up to as he grows. It's nice to know that he will be able to play and exercise and be active with Joel, but also be able to have fun and be silly and act like a kid. I really do love that Joel has held onto his youthfulness and zest for life, and that he hasn't started saying "I'm getting old" like so many of our friends. Why do people just give up and start acting like they're too old for things, especially after they get married? How boring! I hope we never end up like that.

Slide, Slide, Slippety Slide

Joel took Ethan on his first tandem slide this weekend. It was a lot of fun, but because Ethan doesn't want to keep his sunglasses on, he kept getting blasted by the sun all day.



It was a lot more fun when the sun was behind him, and he could actually open his eyes!



It's strange; when he was younger, he wore the sunglasses and hats without any problem. Now, he'll leave them on for a minute or two before realizing there is something on his head/face, and then BOOM! Straight on the ground. Which is also what he does with his sippy cup whenever he's finished. It doesn't matter so much at home, but he also did it while were at the park, and it went straw-first right into the sand. De-lish.

Luck o' the Irish... Food, that is

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, earlier this week I cooked corned beef with cabbage, potatoes, onions and carrots.

YUM! Joel and I dearly love corned beef, especially with a spicy specialty mustard for dipping; pure heaven! One of our favorite dishes to eat in San Francisco is a corned beef hash at a little diner in the theater district. So delicious, especially after you just danced your hiney off at Ruby Skye for several hours.

I don't make it at home all that often, but when I do, it's always a large brisket or round so that we can have leftovers for days. Corned beef sandwiches with thousand island and sauerkraut, plus Claussen's dill pickles on the side... to die for. I also make a Reuben Soup with the leftovers that is delectable, if I do say so myself. We just had some last night and I can't wait for more!



I got my recipe from allrecipes.com, and then added a few extra secret ingredients to our taste. You know, ultra-secret stuff like celery salt, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. And we also tend to use Havarti or Dill Havarti in place of the Swiss cheese, as I'm not a huge fan. Either way, it's one of my favorite recipes. I love food!

Mirror Image, Not

Like mother, like son? Somehow, I don't think so. This, for instance, is me:


And this is Ethan, on the exact same day:


Where did he get that hair? Those blue eyes? I know they're most likely from his grandfather-- my dad, who has been waiting a long time to see his own red hair and blue eyes get passed down to another generation-- but it still seems strange to have a child look so different from you. Although, I guess it's not really that different; several friends of mine have had children with someone of a completely different ethnicity, and end up looking very dissimilar to their kids... at first glance, anyway. When you start actually looking, you can see resemblances everywhere. But I wonder if it is strange for them to see their child(ren) and not see themselves in their faces or eyes or hair. Do they have any sadness about that? Or do they end up seeing their husband or wife in their child's features, and wind up thrilled that their partner's traits were passed down in their kids? And then I wonder if it is odd, on the other hand, to have a child who looks exactly like you and very little like their other parent. Maybe I'm over-thinking it. (No, me? Never!)

Crossing Things Off Lists...

Why is it so satisfying? I recently chatted with a friend about this phenomenon. At the time, I was lamenting the fact that I only got one or two things crossed off my "To Do" list, and how that made me feel like I hadn't gotten anything done. The thing is, I actually *had* done a lot that day-- only, most of it wasn't written down on a list of things I needed to do. It was more like stuff I just DO every day; clean the sink, put away dishes, do a load of laundry, tidy the living room, make the bed, play with Ethan, job search on the internet, etc. Why is it that those things don't seem to count, really, when you're adding up your accomplishments? In certain homes, these little things are actually big, huge chores that seem so overwhelming that they are never even tackled, or only under extreme duress. I used to work with someone who was a family mentor, and part of her job was to help families learn some of the basic tasks for keeping a home together. Things like how to clean a bathroom, grocery shopping, cooking, bill-paying, splitting up chores to share the workload, and so on. Sometimes it's easy to forget that many people have never learned these skills, or at least have never learned to value them.

Remembering that helps me feel better about putting simple things on my list like "Change sheets and flip mattress" or "Write birthday card." It's kind of funny, because when I started adding up all the little bits and pieces of my day, I started to wonder how I got all that done! And that's a much better feeling than when I was wondering how I could have gotten so little accomplished all day long. I'm better than I thought I was! :)

Celebrating the Loss...

... of weight, that is! Although I'm still struggling to keep my weight under 140 lbs, especially after dealing with a week of constantly craving sweets, I am actually dropping down in clothing sizes. Specifically, in the pants department. I went to Target this morning to get a new pair of pants for an interview later today, and to my surprise had a difficult time fitting into the size 8's that I brought in. Here's the thing: I thought I was being overly ambitious to try on a size 8, because my typical pants-size for the past couple of years has been 10-11-12. But guess what? I went out, grabbed a couple of size 6's, and they fit! Very well, too. I was ecstatic! My lower half is finally getting into the shape I've wanted for a long time, and now my upper half is doing a lot better too. Just need to get my mid-section and arm-wings in order, and I'll be set up for summer. Who could have guessed that I would look better at age 37 than I did in my twenties? Can't wait to celebrate my new shape when it gets a bit warmer!

Tales to Tell

One of my favorite books: The Outspoken Princess and the Gentle Knight

It has been on my mind a lot lately... Possibly because Ethan loves books so much, and I have been thinking about getting him some actual stories rather than just the one-word picture books we've had around the house. There is much to love in this book, which I would use to enhance rather than replace a collection of fairy tales.

The thing I love about it is that it turns traditional fairy tales on their heads, and brings out some of the quirkiest characters we've been privileged to know. Petronella takes on the role of the third son-- er, daughter-- and has an amazing adventure that breaks all the rules. The Wrestling Princess is just that, and yet manages to find her true love anyway! The Dark Princess is sweet and sad and makes me cry every time I read it. (Is that a good thing?) For some reason, it reminds me of Arabian Nights

It's an exceptionally well-made miniseries that showcases several of the famous stories from A Thousand and One Nights by Sir Richard Burton, stories about Aladdin and Ali Baba and many other great characters. The special effects are outstanding and the acting is generally excellent, and I love the way that Scheherezade's tales are later used by Schahriar to find solutions to real-world problems he is facing. Anyway, when you've got four hours or so to spend, watch it!

Hammer Time

I am setting my foot down. Finally. Ethan has been sick for the past several days, and his eating habits have suffered. I know it's miserable to try to eat and chew and swallow when your nose is congested and your ears probably hurt and your throat is sore, but then shouldn't drinking from a bottle also be difficult? He has given up on food almost entirely over the past few days, preferring to take only liquid, and only from a bottle. After perusing several online forums where parents are lamenting their children's eating habits (or lack thereof), I decided to take a stand-- and a tough one. No more bottles. Period. And the only time he will get milk is at his three mealtimes, and then it will be out of his sippy cup only. The only time he'll be offered juice will be with his snacks at snack time-- no more offering the juice cup throughout the day, and no more bottle of milk to help him get sleepy and take his naps or go to bed at night. We'll still offer him water during the day, but no juice and no milk except at meal/snack times.

And guess what? It's already working! This morning, he wouldn't eat breakfast, even after offering him food and then leaving it on his tray for him to eat or not eat. After about half an hour, we took away the food and then gave him his first 4-5 oz. of milk in a sippy cup. He drank it down. Then, no more food until snack time-- at which point he finally ate something and drank his watered down juice. After that, nap time, with a catch: No bottle first. He had a tough time with that one, cried for a bit, and then boom! Out like a light. When he woke up, it was lunch time, and guess what? He actually ATE! Not a ton, but enough to make me believe in this new strategy. He also ate his p.m. snack and juice/water just fine, and then went to nap again without a bottle first-- but no crying this time. Yahoo! So nice to see success right away. It may still be a bumpy ride for a little while, but this really feels great so far. Look, if he loves eating lemon rind, can real food be far behind?

Steampunk

Next weekend, we plan on attending a steampunk event in the Bay Area with my brother-in-law.


Steampunk has really caught my eye, and apparently that of many many other people as well. It's a big hit at Burning Man and has a sizable following around the world.
For more on what steampunk actually IS, this author has a great write-up on his blog at The Clockwork Century. I'm pretty excited about attending this event in Emeryville and checking out the folks, stuff, literature, and "culture" up close and personal... I've begun working on our outfits, and think I'm falling slightly in love with this re-imagined Victorian/punk aesthetic. I'll post pics as soon as I get a chance. Here's an idea of what steampunk fashion might look like... if you were a model and had unlimited funds, of course.



The Heliograph has some cool fashion links, and I also found Ketutar's collages on polyvore.com pretty inspirational for getting ideas about men's fashion in the steampunk world.

Sickie

Ethan started feeling a bit under the weather on Friday, and then by mid-afternoon was so warm that we knew he had a fever. When I finally got home to my temporal thermometer (thanks, mom & dad!), we checked his temp and got a little scare: 102.7 degrees. That was a bit too high for my tastes, so it was time to get to business. Julie was spending the evening with us, so she helped me strip him down to his diaper, get some infant tylenol into his body, and try to keep him drinking his juice. An hour later, when we checked his temp again, it had already dropped to 101.3, which was a relief.

I called the Kaiser Permanente advice nurse and she told me that the temporal thermometer gives the same reading as a rectal thermometer-- guess that means I don't have to do the invasive booty check ever again!-- and that the read-out is typically one degree higher than a temp taken orally. She gave me some advice (no bath, keep him cool but don't let him shiver, up the fluid intake, check for rashes or changes in demeanor, use the humidifier, etc.) and really just encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing, and monitor his temp. It was pretty comforting to know that they are there 24 hours a day, ready to assist over the phone with any of these little situations that pop up.

One thing that weirded me out, though; she said that "if his temp gets up to 106, we want you to take him in to Emergency." Um, really? Because I would be in there about two degrees earlier, and there is no possible way I'd wait until he got all the way up to 106 to call anyone about his fever. Holy moley, people! Give me some credit!!

Anyway-- He's still feeling pretty yucky, and hasn't been sleeping well, but at least his fever is down. Here's the awesome thermometer that we love so much:

Diapers: Pampers v. Huggies

When Ethan was first born, we used Pampers. I'm not even sure why, except that we received a lot as gifts, and I think we were sent home with Pampers from the hospital. The neat thing about those newborn diapers was the indicator strip on the outside that changed color when he wet his diaper. We could just do a quick spot-check on the outside to see whether or not he needed to be changed, which was pretty cool. The thing is, once we got past the newborn stage, when we were changing diapers all day long and he hardly had them on for any significant length of time-- or for any significant amount of use, ahem-- they stopped being so cool and started to bug us. As he got older, we noticed the same problems whenever he would wear Pampers; he would get diaper rashes, he would soak through his diapers and wet his clothing or sheets, and he would get red marks on his abdomen where the tabs pulled away from the diaper and stuck to his tender skin.

So, we moved away from Pampers and tried a few other brands, including the Babies R' Us brand, "Especially for Baby." Horrible! They were so stiff and thick and unyielding that it was like a cardboard diaper, and with similar effect-- they had zero absorbency and the first time he wore them he ended up with mess up his back. We ended up tossing them all, they were that bad.

Then we tried Huggies, and fell in love. They're awesome! We prefer to put Ethan in the "Little Movers," which are more flexible than the "Snug 'N Dry" and shape better to his active little body, and seem more comfortable. We also love the Huggies Overnites, which we have *never* had a problem with. He can sleep for 10 hours with no leakage, and also not wake up in the middle of the night feeling wet and uncomfortable. Which means, of course, more sleep for us! And we have no diaper rash issues with Huggies, either.

Here's the problem: I read many many reviews of the two main brands-- Pampers and Huggies-- and still don't understand how people can have such widely differing experiences with these diapers. Some parents had the same reactions we had to the Pampers; others swear by them and instead blame Huggies for leaks and rashes. How are people supposed to find out how they truly work with such disparate reviews? Which ones do you believe? Nobody is lying, I'm sure, but then how do you explain that person A and person B had the complete opposite feelings about the same exact product?? It's just too confusing... but we'll stick with the winner!

TV Online

Since we don't have cable and can't get any stations on our TV, we tend to watch any television or movies on our computer. Joel hooked up the laptop to our TV, though, so we can also watch them on the actual TV screen when we want to. Limited, of course, to whatever is available via the internet. Hulu is pretty much our go-to site, but we are also enjoying our Netflix membership. We tried it out to compare with Blockbuster Online, and ended up liking it better. Not only is it cheaper, but it also has a streaming option that seems to work much better than Blockbuster. We can add movies to a queue to be delivered to our home, as well as to an online/instant play queue, which we can watch at any time. So far, they seem to have a pretty big variety available to watch instantly; not necessarily just-released-last-week, but still pretty recent.

Netflix also features tons of documentaries, which we love. In fact, we just watched Beer Wars, an awesome film exploring the battle between corporate beer producers and independent breweries, and Not Quite Hollywood, a fun flick about how Australia's exploitation flicks helped launch them into the international movie scene-- and develop a national cinematic identity. Both great movies, but the second one (obviously) a bit less appropriate for viewing with the kiddies or highly religious folks.

Speaking of inappropriate, here's one of our favorite skits from Saturday Night Live, showcasing the comedic talents of the outstanding Kenan Thompson.

Jammie Time

Why should Ethan be the only one to have fun with his jammies? Can't we, as adults, stand up and demand our right to wear full-length footed pajamas? Why should we be stuck with only sexy lingerie or broke-down comfy sweats? It's time that we expanded our notion of what "sleepwear" is, and explore new horizons in pajamas. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?



How quickly things can go from adorable to horrific... But I digress. I still think adult footie pajamas are kind of funny. And they just might be the perfect nighttime outfit for Burning Man. We'll see.

Ethan loves books.

Or, I should say, he loves books to death. Literally. He wants to read all the time, but then it takes a toll on his books, whether they're board books or paper pages or cloth or waterproof-- they all get thrashed.



He's just over a year old, and we are already witnessing this type of destruction. And it isn't just his books that get treated with such heavy-handed love, either; yesterday I was flipping through one of Joel's interviewing prep books and Ethan just reached down, took a page and pulled. In one second he tore the page 95% of the way out of the binding. Guess we won't be returning *that* one to Barnes & Noble any time soon!

Wedding Date Night

We have friends who are getting married soon-- one couple, this May, and the other couple are still trying to pin down a date-- and we are hoping to hook up some overnight babysitting so that we can attend as a couple instead of as parents. Is that selfish? Is it wrong? Is it heartless to think of leaving our one and a half year old son at home so that we can go enjoy ourselves out of town? Some people might think so, but we think that it's actually being considerate of the couples in question, as well as thinking about what is most comfortable for ourselves and Ethan. He isn't going to enjoy himself if he is required to be still, be quiet, and behave for several hours. We aren't going to enjoy having to ride herd on an active, curious, playful toddler who just wants to get up and run around and climb on everything he can see. The guests and the bride and groom certainly wouldn't enjoy witnessing what happens when a hungry, tired, grumpy child decides to inform the world about his emotional state. So why not spare us all the grief and set up a sitter? It would be so, so nice to be able to use that time as a "date night," too, and enjoy hanging out with our friends for the first time in a long time sans kiddo. Maybe they'll go with a fortune cookie theme...

The first wedding is in May. Can't wait to see our pals again, and catch up on their lives. By then, one of our friends will have had her first baby-- a boy. It's funny, in a way; of all the couples (originating with Joel's friends from San Jose State), we were the ones who met last, and were the first to get married and then start a family. After us, the next to get married was P&C and then D&V in summer 2008, and now in summer 2010 it'll be G&K, followed by J&A sometime this year (or next). P&C are the ones about to welcome their new baby boy into the world, and then who knows who's next? We started a trend!

Art-V

We're starting to think about how to decorate the RV for our Burning Man trip in August...



Something fun, but not something so out there and cool that we might be embarrassed to drive it up to a campsite near Yosemite...



Maybe someday, when we get the motivation and money, we'd be able to make a mutant vehicle out of it instead.



... or maybe not. I think we'll just stick with what we have, and hitch a ride on the art cars while we're there. Laziness for the win!

My Son, the Gourmand

Ethan loves cheese. Not just any cheese, though; he has to have the very best. And preferably, it comes from some faraway (and thus expensive) place. For instance, he absolutely adores the Cotswold cheese, also known as Double Gloucester with Chive and Onion. It happens to be imported from England. It also happens to be my absolute favorite, which means we end up fighting over the last remaining bites every time we take out a loan to buy some.



It's so good! Creamy, strongly flavored, very cheddary, and oh so delicious in just about anything, from plain crackers to omelettes to a cheese sauce for veggies. If only it weren't something like $19.99/lb...

He also loves the sage-flavored Derby cheese, also from England.



I'm not sure I like this one by itself as much as I like it when layered with other cheeses, or mixed into recipes. But Ethan loves it! Did I mention that he won't eat American cheese? Could be the texture issue, but I'm leaning towards the gourmet-food-loving genes he got from his mammy.

One thing that we all agree on is this layered "Five Counties" cheese, that has a sampling of several regional cheeses in the U.K.



Talk about YUM! Now that I think about it, I can understand why he loves these cheeses. Who could go back to bland and ho-hum cheese after they've tasted these beauties? Maybe we should look into the Cheese of the Month club for this kid! (You know, not for us, ahem....)

Date Night, part 2

On our last date, after dinner we wandered down to our usual spot, the Speakeasy Lounge. We met there in 1995, and enjoy the ambience; it's more neighborhood bar than dance club, and more alternative-friendly than fratboy-friendly. And they make the strongest drinks I've ever had. Ever. For a vodka tonic, they fill about 80% with vodka, then add a couple of spritzes of tonic. Toss in a lime wedge, and voila! You now have to take a drink without visibly wincing. (I don't do well at that.) And they probably have the least expensive drinks of all the downtown establishments, too, which makes it even crazier that they give such strong drinks. Can you see why we go back there when we can?

Still, we always end up leaving there with a sense of being let down. It's the music; they have played exactly the same stuff every single time we've been there. It's gotten to the point that we could print them out a playlist of the songs they'll play and probably get 9 out of 10 right every time. Here's a sample:
-- Sweet Home Alabama, by Lynyrd Skynyrd
-- Bust a Move, by Young MC
-- Blister in the Sun, by the Violent Femmes
-- Baby Got Back, by Sir Mix-a-lot
-- The Joker, by the Steve Miller Band
-- What I Got, by Sublime

And so on. Come on! Let's mix it up! Do an alt/folk/rock cover of a rap song, like Ben Folds did with their cover of a classic gangsta rap song by Dr. Dre... or something a la Jonathan Coulton doing his folk-guitar version of Baby Got Back...


That's my challenge to you, downtown Modesto; mix it up!

Date Night, part 1

We got to have a date night recently that started off well, but ended as most nights "out on the town" in Modesto end-- with the same music, the same people, and the same general feeling of disappointment and frustration that there is very little that changes here. The beginning of the night, though was great; we love, love, love our babysitter! She is great with Ethan, and he adores her. We took him over to her house that night, and were pleasantly surprised to see three other young kids there. Ethan was so excited to see them that he pretty much forgot we were around, making our exit that much easier. She's just a perfect sitter, in many ways; calm, caring, affectionate, not bothered in the least by crying or fussing, and very pleasant to be around. Lucky us!

After we left him with our fave sitter, we went out to grab a light dinner at Firkin & Fox Pub in downtown Modesto. We chose the fish 'n chips, and the fish was delicious. Maybe a little too battered for our tastes, but the fish itself was perfection: White, firm but flaky, buttery smooth and nicely flavored. And the "chips" were actually tasty rather than being greasy or soggy. YUM! I attempted to make progress in my self-imposed challenge to learn how to drink beer, and I actually put away some Blue Moon. Not without work, though; that stuff is hard to get used to... for me, anyway. Maybe I'll just skip it, as I don't really feel like you should have to struggle to enjoy a drink.

Food: It Tastes Good!

Ethan is finally starting to eat more, meaning that he's gone from just having snacks every so often to having an actual meal at least once a day. Granted, the amount of food he ends up putting down his gullet isn't exactly the full amount recommended, but at least he's eating. I think it was partially the fact that lately he's been teething like he's in some sort of competition; he seriously has about four or five teeth coming in at once right now. Ouch!

Another factor was, of course, the bottle situation. Yes, that's right, he still is on the bottle. Not that there's anything wrong with that, right? It's strange how everyone is so gung-ho to get kids away from the bottle the minute they hit the one year mark. Why the rush? We're not stressing about it too much, really, but I'm trying to slowly move him into the straw-type sippy cups as a sort of half-way point between bottle and cup. He already drinks his juice and water out of the taller 12 oz. cups; now we just have to get him to take his milk from one.


And guess what? This week, he finally drank milk from his straw cup! Three things were different: First, I used the smaller Nuby straw cup (8 oz.) that my mom found at Wal-Mart-- but which you can buy pretty much anywhere.


It has grips on each side and may be easier for him to handle. Second, I held him on my lap just like I would if I were bottle-feeding him. Third, I heated it briefly before giving it to him, the same way we do with his bottles. For the first time ever, he drank down the whole thing; looks like we're on our way, folks! Oh, and the only bad thing about these cups is that they do leak when they fall over onto their sides. It's a little irritating to walk over and stand the cup upright and find a pool of juice has leaked out, making your floor (or carpet) a wet, sticky mess.

Platform

I want a new bed. I know, I know, "want" doesn't mean "need"-- especially when we're both still looking for jobs, and other mundane details like that. But still, there is this little part of me that wants things even when it's impractical or selfish or (sometimes) impossible. Like that cruise to the islands, for instance; gonna happen? Probably not. Do I still want to book it? Of course!

So, on to the subject: I want a platform bed. Ever since we visited my cousins in the Bay Area and slept on their wonderful, amazing, perfect guest bed, I've had this type of bed on the top of my "want" list.


It was so awesome! I loved the idea of it as much as I loved the actual experience. It looked so clean, and simple, and straightforward; no headboard or box springs or dust ruffles, just the pure lines of the bed frame and linens. And the sleep we got was perfect-- I think the movement associated with two layers (mattress and box springs) is partially what wakes me up all the time. Any time Joel shifts in his sleep, I feel the whole bed shiver and bounce, and boom! I'm awake. I'm sure it's actually pretty minimal, but for some reason I'm a very light sleeper and it doesn't take much to jostle me out of dreamland. These platform beds, which we've slept on a couple of times now, don't seem to have that problem. It's like sleeping on the couch, kind of, which I've always been able to do without any problems. That's where I spent most of the last trimester of my pregnancy, actually!

Anyway, I do love the lines on the bed above, but I wonder if I'd end up destroying my shins on the sharp corners. There are a few other designs out there (a few? try thousands!), but it's harder to find ones that have rounded corners. I guess it doesn't fit the whole "platform bed" aesthetic, or something. Typically the rounded ones are covered with a leather-cushion material, but I found this one as well:


Not sure I like it as much, but it definitely seems more skin-and-bone friendly than the sharp-edged beds. Which also makes me feel better about kids being in the same room; they tend to head straight for the sharpest edges around to test out their healing capabilities.

Creating Armor

No, that isn't a metaphor for developing a better buffer between yourself and other people... I'm actually considering making a sort of shoulder-armor called a "spaulder." I saw it in the Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. We've watched a few episodes, and let me tell ya-- it ain't for the weak of heart. It's sort of in the style of 300, with similar special effects during fight scenes, lots of slow motion, and exaggerated and almost comic-book type movements at certain times. It is also directed squarely at adults, and makes no apologies for being strictly grown-up entertainment. I've only watched two or three episodes so far, and have blushed more times than I can count at the very mature content. Speaking of which: Holy moley, Lucy Lawless--I don't remember you acting this way when you were Xena: Warrior Princess! Sheesh Louise!!

Anyway... we're still watching it, but be prepared for lots of lasciviousness to go along with your basic gladiator mayhem. (And by lasciviousness, I mean this could sometimes get a soft-core rating; yipes!)

The main actor, Andy Whitfield, is pictured below wearing his typical gladiator gear. This photo really shows off his segmented leather (?) spaulder, which I want to try to replicate for Joel to wear during Burning Man.


I also found a less theatrical one for sale at ElvenForge, a company that makes armor and weaponry for everything from re-enactments to Hollywood. The picture below, from their website, will give me more of an idea of where to put the grommets that will attach each "scale" of leather together. And an even better idea of how much these things normally cost! ($195 + shipping, in case you were wondering...)


I'm planning to use old purses from garage sales, plus a belt, and keep it low-cost and more in line with the Burning Man DIY ethic. Can't wait to get started on it!

Yo Gabba Gabba

Holy moley, people; this is the most bizarro kids' show that I've ever seen. Seriously. The guys who designed this must have been on one long trip, starting around 1982, punctuated periodically by overdoses on pixie sticks and possibly some bad 'shrooms.

We just bought the DVD below because Joel thinks Ethan likes it (hah), but also because he thinks it will greatly enhance our Burning Man experience. As in, it will make everyone who visits our RV and watches it trip out hardcore. It is super weird, with all of these 1980s Atari-style graphics popping up out of nowhere, and just way-out-there voices and sounds and songs. S-t-r-a-n-g-e.



We're thinking about bringing Yo Gabba Gabba costumes with us to Burning Man, actually. Joel, of course, would go as DJ Lance Rock:

... while I'm thinking of going as Foofa:


Well, you know, my version of Foofa. It will involve pink, and flowers, but will probably be different in several other ways. Once I get my costume together I'll be sure to post up some pics.

Frozacks

Or, as some others might call them, "frozen snacks"... quick and easy, just like your-- uh, never mind. Anyway! I found these little delights at my local Grocery Outlet, currently my favorite store, and decided that they might be perfect for camping/Burning Man.



They heat up in a minute, can be eaten at room temp if necessary (not as good as melty-hot, though), and are actually tasty. They're small and light and make for a fast little snack or in-between meal. I actually got them for Ethan to try out, as he can just fit them perfectly in his little mitts, and he really likes them. For the first couple of bites, anyway. He's not a big fan of bread right now, so the dough parts bug him.

I also thought that he might be into these veggie burgers, but we haven't tried them on him so far. Luckily, we love them, so it doesn't matter if he can't stand them-- they'll get eaten!



Lastly, we tried out these stuffed baked potatoes.



I think next time I'll just split one in half for both of us to share, because they're pretty hearty and filling. I'd also probably add some toppings (broccoli & cheese, bacon, maybe some sour cream or chives or something like that) so that it has got some extra flavor and also makes a complete meal. Overall, though, they're all pretty good. Now I just have to find freezer space in the RV!

Honda-licious

Doesn't my front yard have a great view? ;)

Seriously, though, I love Joel's Honda. Someday soon, he's going to go up to the next larger size, and maybe this one will be mine. I can handle one like this, I think; smaller, easier to maneuver, less difficult to move around in case it tips or something mechanical goes wrong, and besides-- so cool-looking! Joel's always getting compliments on it. It's an older Honda, and I guess (according to him) the kind of bike they turn into a "cafe racer"- -in terms of styling, rather than doing it for speed/racing. Vintage bikes are always cooler, for some reason, and this one is no different. It's just not big enough to take out on the freeways, which limits Joel to in-town driving. One of these days, though... watch out!