Our power was out for eight hours yesterday. (5:22-1:18!) Thanks for the excellent service and smart grid, PG&E!
Now, where do I sign up for one of Elon Musk's new batteries?
Tuesday, June 09, 2015
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Sunday, January 04, 2015
Go Home, America. You're drunk.
spotted at my local Whole Paycheck.
This is just slightly sillier than the labeling of bottled water as "gluten free" at the Sprouts in Sunnyvale.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Why you never hear from me anymore
This is normal:
Sleep efficiency of 93% sounds so high-performing, though!
Sleep efficiency of 93% sounds so high-performing, though!
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Toot Toot!
We just had the most wonderful tour at Railtown 1897 State Park. Unfortunately, our visit to Jamestown was too early by 2 weeks, as the trains don't start running until April. However, on Tuesday, they have a shop tour which were were lucky to catch.
It probably helps that it's just before season opening, and they are all in the workshops getting the trains ready for next month, but I think any time of the year would be great to see the amazing restoration projects they have underway.
The tour guide, Leroy, is a treasure. Do try to catch one of his shop tours if you are around Jamestown on a Tuesday. If you're a mechanic, tinkerer, or train nut, you MUST take this awesome tour.
The tour started with a pretty lengthy presentation of the history of the trains and the maintenance and restoration projects. Then we went to the roundhouse to see the engines (and some other cars, but let's face it, it's all about the engines), where we got such great detail and background on the work being done, and the workshop required to do it (ever think about a train having tires? and how to change them? And the lifespan of those "tires?" Apparently it's about 200,000 miles) The tour took us through all the workshops and was filled with neat details and answers to any question-- it's clear that Leroy knows and loves everything about these trains and the work going on here.
Shop tours are on Tuesdays at 12pm (2 hour tour), except sometimes when it's super-hot, according to the gentleman working in the store. So, come on a Tuesday in the spring to get the best tour, Saturdays, starting in April, to ride steam, and Sundays, starting in April to ride diesel. (hint-- you want steam. It takes them almost 4 hours to get the steam engines running, which is why they don't run them other days)
It probably helps that it's just before season opening, and they are all in the workshops getting the trains ready for next month, but I think any time of the year would be great to see the amazing restoration projects they have underway.
The tour guide, Leroy, is a treasure. Do try to catch one of his shop tours if you are around Jamestown on a Tuesday. If you're a mechanic, tinkerer, or train nut, you MUST take this awesome tour.
The tour started with a pretty lengthy presentation of the history of the trains and the maintenance and restoration projects. Then we went to the roundhouse to see the engines (and some other cars, but let's face it, it's all about the engines), where we got such great detail and background on the work being done, and the workshop required to do it (ever think about a train having tires? and how to change them? And the lifespan of those "tires?" Apparently it's about 200,000 miles) The tour took us through all the workshops and was filled with neat details and answers to any question-- it's clear that Leroy knows and loves everything about these trains and the work going on here.
Shop tours are on Tuesdays at 12pm (2 hour tour), except sometimes when it's super-hot, according to the gentleman working in the store. So, come on a Tuesday in the spring to get the best tour, Saturdays, starting in April, to ride steam, and Sundays, starting in April to ride diesel. (hint-- you want steam. It takes them almost 4 hours to get the steam engines running, which is why they don't run them other days)
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
A Health to the Company
So here's a health to the company and one to my lass
Let us drink and be merry all out of one glass
I've never been one to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. When I moved to San Francisco, and worked in the Financial District, I remember hating the mess of drunken fratboy behaviors, and the screams of "why aren't you drinking, aren't you Irish?" (really. Nothing weirdly racist about that at all.)
But now we are fortunate enough to live walking distance from a lovely pub, where we regularly take molly for dinner and/or a beer. (for us... not for her
And Sunday night they had Irish step dancing and a band playing Irish folk music. When we got there, Molly desperately wanted to squeeze inside to hear the band. She told me "mama, I like music!' when we took a potty break. When the dancers came out, she went to watch and she LOVED it. But the best? After the dancers left, and the pub became less crowded, she found the dance floor to herself, and danced for like an hour. At one point, two women came up to dance with her, but Molly wasn't quite ready to deal with that. People sitting at the side smiled and waved at her bizarro interpretive, but heartfelt, dance.
I'm old now, and my clubbing days are well behind me. I'm so happy to have a place where kids are loved as part of the continuum. A friend at work seemed surprised "you took your kid to a PUB?!?!" but it seems like the natural thing to me. I've finally come around to St. Patrick's Day, and only because now I can see it through the eyes of a child dancing to folk music at a pub while her parents slam back pints of Murphys.
On another note, though, St. Patrick's will always be a bittersweet time for us, as we'll remember it as the time we saw Kathie off. She passed away the morning after, one year ago.
Let us drink and be merry, all grief to refrain
For we may or might never all meet here again
Let us drink and be merry all out of one glass
I've never been one to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. When I moved to San Francisco, and worked in the Financial District, I remember hating the mess of drunken fratboy behaviors, and the screams of "why aren't you drinking, aren't you Irish?" (really. Nothing weirdly racist about that at all.)
But now we are fortunate enough to live walking distance from a lovely pub, where we regularly take molly for dinner and/or a beer. (for us... not for her
And Sunday night they had Irish step dancing and a band playing Irish folk music. When we got there, Molly desperately wanted to squeeze inside to hear the band. She told me "mama, I like music!' when we took a potty break. When the dancers came out, she went to watch and she LOVED it. But the best? After the dancers left, and the pub became less crowded, she found the dance floor to herself, and danced for like an hour. At one point, two women came up to dance with her, but Molly wasn't quite ready to deal with that. People sitting at the side smiled and waved at her bizarro interpretive, but heartfelt, dance.
I'm old now, and my clubbing days are well behind me. I'm so happy to have a place where kids are loved as part of the continuum. A friend at work seemed surprised "you took your kid to a PUB?!?!" but it seems like the natural thing to me. I've finally come around to St. Patrick's Day, and only because now I can see it through the eyes of a child dancing to folk music at a pub while her parents slam back pints of Murphys.
On another note, though, St. Patrick's will always be a bittersweet time for us, as we'll remember it as the time we saw Kathie off. She passed away the morning after, one year ago.
Let us drink and be merry, all grief to refrain
For we may or might never all meet here again
Monday, March 17, 2014
Running in Circles. Lift heavy things.
Last week, for the first time, I ran a ten-minute mile. Three times.
Now, I know a ten-minute mile is nothing to brag about, but I'm someone who has never in her life been fit. I should celebrate. With cookies.
A few years back, I shared an office (we do that here at the Big G) with someone who had a very different experience of fitness. Who had apparently been a sponsored runner at some point in his life, a concept so alien to me, I had to wonder whether it was really such an impossible thing. I decided to give it a try. (I did not decide to try the many other things he had also done, like rappelling out of helicopters face-first).
Of course I wanted to control my weight, which was ballooning due to the endless food at work, but I also was worried about my heart. I had occasional spells of dizziness and near-blackouts, prompted by nothing. My blood pressure is actually low, and I found out that my heart rate was insanely high. I got a Polar heart rate monitor and included bringing my heart rate down as a measurable goal.
I'm a person who needs the details simple and spelled out. My friend mentioned a good running shoe store and I dutifully went and got sized up and bought whatever they told me. At first, I started by running with Paul, around the neighborhood. Then we found a nearby track at the fancy local high school, and did run-walk sessions there. I pretty quickly ended up going to physical therapy for a weird foot/ankle pain. But did not give up.
After we moved to Sunnyvale, and there was no track nearby, I found that I ended up happier running indoors on a treadmill, due to the opportunity to completely tune out the world around me. No dog poop, no cars, no creepy dude sneaking up behind me while I rocked out to the angry music of my youth. Just me, running. It was easy to figure out. Not a lot of fussing with circuits and reps, methods or partners. Just me, running. I started running longer, and little faster. My heart rate was still very high, but I no longer had blood pressure drops that used to nearly knock me out.
I got pregnant. I read a book that told me not only could I keep running, but it would lead to the very best outcomes. I kept at it, until sometime around the 5th/6th month when round ligament pain left my in pain for a 45-minute spell after work one day. Then I tried to switch to bicycle, but as always I HATE bicycle, and abandoned exercise during pregnancy.
After Molly, we bought a treadmill since I couldn't very well leave to run during her naps, but I could be in the garage. I ran... sometimes. Not very often. I am a person who needs simple, spelled out details. When I finally got back to running, it was because I bought a C25K app. I need a simple plan. C25K got e back into running. Then, of course, back to the physical therapist, this time for sacroiliac pain that appeared after Molly was born, and had gotten progressively worse to the point where I could barely move by the time I got help. That one is still with me, but I manage it a little better now. And I didn't give up. I tried to keep running once I got my PT's go-ahead.
I was sporadic for a while, then a coworker asked me to be her gym buddy for a while. It was the first time I set foot in the gym at work since before Molly was born. But it worked. I started going 3-4 times/week. Just running. But? I was till quite slow, and my heart rate has never really gotten any better. And it was not helping me lose weight at all.
I added a GBarre class weekly (something kind of like this), the first time I've really ever enjoyed any gym class. I think I like it because it's slow and controlled. I don't like jumping around a ton and a fast-paced class just makes me relive an entire childhood of feeling like I'm the only idiot two steps behind a body of people who appear to effortlessly "get it." After the first class, it was three days before I could walk normally again. I loved it.
But after all this, I still could not lose weight, I still could not control my heart rate, and running was starting to get boring with no progress. I like to track because I think that if I track, I'll see progress, which will motivate me. I did not see progress in spite of my .
Enter fitocracy. I don't remember what link led me to it, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. As I said, I like simple, clear plans and tracking my workouts is probably what I had in mind. But I started to hear the same things over and over. Something about "Starting Strength." I already knew I hated endless circuits of special maneuvers and isolation machines at a gym. I already knew I had been baffled every time a trainer had shown me 5-10 different moves to do while jumping up and down on a bosu ball while juggling dumbells and balancing on one foot. I respond best to simple, clear instructions. I decided to take a stab at it, and started telling anyone who would listen, lest I chicken out. I signed up for a trainer at work and said I wanted to learn barbell squats, deadlifts (I didn't really even know what a deadlift was), bench press, clean (I had NO IDEA what that was), and press (again, only kind of knowing what that meant). My trainer showed up and seemed to question my motivations at first. But he's coming around and I love the attention to form. I want and need to do this right. He is really concerned about any small deficiencies which might hurt my back. But actually, my back hurts less now than it did a few weeks ago. I am convinced that if I can properly do these classic, compound movements, I can actually reduce my sacroiliac problems in the long run.
Look, I'm not trying to be an olympic lifter, and I don't even think I'll ever lift very heavy, but if I can learn to do these things, and do them properly, I can quietly go about my simple business of becoming a more awesome version of myself. Without the confusion of the latest trendy methods.
A few years ago, this would have been the least likely thing I would ever have thought-- that I'd be running and trying to do weird gym-bro stuff. No way. Those of us who never found our way in the gym are not really able to go to the gym. We get there and feel uncomfortable from the start. We don't know where to go, how to stand, what to do, and in what order/repetition. We feel stared at and ridiculed (mostly imagined) and that's before we even get to the process of exercise! The gym is for people who are already fit and it's terrifying to try to get started so late. But here we are.
I'm glad for the people who have helped push me along. My coworker who runs ( a "real" runner, while I am more of a jogger I suppose based on my slowness) and just gently nudged me and kept saying I was running when I insisted my slowness meant I was just jogging. My friend who asked me to go to the gym with her until I couldn't say no, and just kept telling me it didn't matter what we did there, as long as we WENT. And the random strangers on Fitocracy who show their efforts and kindly offer support for anyone who is interested in becoming more awesome.
Maybe someday I will be able to do my very first pull-up?
Now, I know a ten-minute mile is nothing to brag about, but I'm someone who has never in her life been fit. I should celebrate. With cookies.
A few years back, I shared an office (we do that here at the Big G) with someone who had a very different experience of fitness. Who had apparently been a sponsored runner at some point in his life, a concept so alien to me, I had to wonder whether it was really such an impossible thing. I decided to give it a try. (I did not decide to try the many other things he had also done, like rappelling out of helicopters face-first).
Of course I wanted to control my weight, which was ballooning due to the endless food at work, but I also was worried about my heart. I had occasional spells of dizziness and near-blackouts, prompted by nothing. My blood pressure is actually low, and I found out that my heart rate was insanely high. I got a Polar heart rate monitor and included bringing my heart rate down as a measurable goal.
I'm a person who needs the details simple and spelled out. My friend mentioned a good running shoe store and I dutifully went and got sized up and bought whatever they told me. At first, I started by running with Paul, around the neighborhood. Then we found a nearby track at the fancy local high school, and did run-walk sessions there. I pretty quickly ended up going to physical therapy for a weird foot/ankle pain. But did not give up.
After we moved to Sunnyvale, and there was no track nearby, I found that I ended up happier running indoors on a treadmill, due to the opportunity to completely tune out the world around me. No dog poop, no cars, no creepy dude sneaking up behind me while I rocked out to the angry music of my youth. Just me, running. It was easy to figure out. Not a lot of fussing with circuits and reps, methods or partners. Just me, running. I started running longer, and little faster. My heart rate was still very high, but I no longer had blood pressure drops that used to nearly knock me out.
I got pregnant. I read a book that told me not only could I keep running, but it would lead to the very best outcomes. I kept at it, until sometime around the 5th/6th month when round ligament pain left my in pain for a 45-minute spell after work one day. Then I tried to switch to bicycle, but as always I HATE bicycle, and abandoned exercise during pregnancy.
After Molly, we bought a treadmill since I couldn't very well leave to run during her naps, but I could be in the garage. I ran... sometimes. Not very often. I am a person who needs simple, spelled out details. When I finally got back to running, it was because I bought a C25K app. I need a simple plan. C25K got e back into running. Then, of course, back to the physical therapist, this time for sacroiliac pain that appeared after Molly was born, and had gotten progressively worse to the point where I could barely move by the time I got help. That one is still with me, but I manage it a little better now. And I didn't give up. I tried to keep running once I got my PT's go-ahead.
I was sporadic for a while, then a coworker asked me to be her gym buddy for a while. It was the first time I set foot in the gym at work since before Molly was born. But it worked. I started going 3-4 times/week. Just running. But? I was till quite slow, and my heart rate has never really gotten any better. And it was not helping me lose weight at all.
I added a GBarre class weekly (something kind of like this), the first time I've really ever enjoyed any gym class. I think I like it because it's slow and controlled. I don't like jumping around a ton and a fast-paced class just makes me relive an entire childhood of feeling like I'm the only idiot two steps behind a body of people who appear to effortlessly "get it." After the first class, it was three days before I could walk normally again. I loved it.
But after all this, I still could not lose weight, I still could not control my heart rate, and running was starting to get boring with no progress. I like to track because I think that if I track, I'll see progress, which will motivate me. I did not see progress in spite of my .
Enter fitocracy. I don't remember what link led me to it, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. As I said, I like simple, clear plans and tracking my workouts is probably what I had in mind. But I started to hear the same things over and over. Something about "Starting Strength." I already knew I hated endless circuits of special maneuvers and isolation machines at a gym. I already knew I had been baffled every time a trainer had shown me 5-10 different moves to do while jumping up and down on a bosu ball while juggling dumbells and balancing on one foot. I respond best to simple, clear instructions. I decided to take a stab at it, and started telling anyone who would listen, lest I chicken out. I signed up for a trainer at work and said I wanted to learn barbell squats, deadlifts (I didn't really even know what a deadlift was), bench press, clean (I had NO IDEA what that was), and press (again, only kind of knowing what that meant). My trainer showed up and seemed to question my motivations at first. But he's coming around and I love the attention to form. I want and need to do this right. He is really concerned about any small deficiencies which might hurt my back. But actually, my back hurts less now than it did a few weeks ago. I am convinced that if I can properly do these classic, compound movements, I can actually reduce my sacroiliac problems in the long run.
Look, I'm not trying to be an olympic lifter, and I don't even think I'll ever lift very heavy, but if I can learn to do these things, and do them properly, I can quietly go about my simple business of becoming a more awesome version of myself. Without the confusion of the latest trendy methods.
A few years ago, this would have been the least likely thing I would ever have thought-- that I'd be running and trying to do weird gym-bro stuff. No way. Those of us who never found our way in the gym are not really able to go to the gym. We get there and feel uncomfortable from the start. We don't know where to go, how to stand, what to do, and in what order/repetition. We feel stared at and ridiculed (mostly imagined) and that's before we even get to the process of exercise! The gym is for people who are already fit and it's terrifying to try to get started so late. But here we are.
I'm glad for the people who have helped push me along. My coworker who runs ( a "real" runner, while I am more of a jogger I suppose based on my slowness) and just gently nudged me and kept saying I was running when I insisted my slowness meant I was just jogging. My friend who asked me to go to the gym with her until I couldn't say no, and just kept telling me it didn't matter what we did there, as long as we WENT. And the random strangers on Fitocracy who show their efforts and kindly offer support for anyone who is interested in becoming more awesome.
Maybe someday I will be able to do my very first pull-up?
Friday, February 14, 2014
Friday, December 06, 2013
Sunday, December 01, 2013
It only took 3 years to make these!
Yes, they look like they were embroidered by a drunk person. I have *no idea* why that is.
Tuesday, October 01, 2013
A Curse on Both Your Houses!
OMG watching the House "work" is so upsetting.
Listening to the GOP whine that Democrats are causing a shutdown by "refusing to negotiate" is so insulting. Here we have a house who keeps trying to pretend it is offering a budget, when it is instead passing up an ideological bill that attempts to take advantage of the hostage situation to cut women's rights, and kill of health care for Americans, which was *already passed.*
so, let me get this straight, we're supposed to re-negotiate things they are sad about losing on, every time a budget needs to get passed?
Time for a new budget? Oh, heeeeeeyyyyy, remember how we didn't get what we wanted on that defunding women's pap smears thing a few months back? Yeeaahhh, I'm gonna need to shut down the government to get what I wanted.
Shutting down WIC is literally leaving children to STARVE. They are taking food from babies. This is the party that claims to care about life, showing their true colors.
The ACA ("ObamaCare") was already approved by both houses and has been declared constitutional. Holding the well-being of our nation hostage so a few zealots can showboat is a disgusting state of affairs.
Remember, dear tea-partiers, last time the government was shut down by the GOP, we re-elected Clinton afterwards. You are all on your way out, so I can only assume you are putting in your final theatrics to secure a book deal or a spot on Fox News after you are ousted.
I mean, while kids are starving, and the EPA stops monitoring the superfund site I work at, take your time to secure that book deal. Just don't say you did in for Americans. We don't stand with you.
OH FUCKING HELL. WHY ARE THEY OPENING WITH A PRAYER?!??!
Listening to the GOP whine that Democrats are causing a shutdown by "refusing to negotiate" is so insulting. Here we have a house who keeps trying to pretend it is offering a budget, when it is instead passing up an ideological bill that attempts to take advantage of the hostage situation to cut women's rights, and kill of health care for Americans, which was *already passed.*
so, let me get this straight, we're supposed to re-negotiate things they are sad about losing on, every time a budget needs to get passed?
Time for a new budget? Oh, heeeeeeyyyyy, remember how we didn't get what we wanted on that defunding women's pap smears thing a few months back? Yeeaahhh, I'm gonna need to shut down the government to get what I wanted.
Shutting down WIC is literally leaving children to STARVE. They are taking food from babies. This is the party that claims to care about life, showing their true colors.
The ACA ("ObamaCare") was already approved by both houses and has been declared constitutional. Holding the well-being of our nation hostage so a few zealots can showboat is a disgusting state of affairs.
Remember, dear tea-partiers, last time the government was shut down by the GOP, we re-elected Clinton afterwards. You are all on your way out, so I can only assume you are putting in your final theatrics to secure a book deal or a spot on Fox News after you are ousted.
I mean, while kids are starving, and the EPA stops monitoring the superfund site I work at, take your time to secure that book deal. Just don't say you did in for Americans. We don't stand with you.
OH FUCKING HELL. WHY ARE THEY OPENING WITH A PRAYER?!??!
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest seems like a really great idea, until I remember that it's German, and I've yet to find a German beer that I like.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Ketchup
Where have we been!?!?
Like everyone, we have been busy. Nothing to see here.
It looks like my last post in this here blogspot was in April and even those were tiny posts, so let's dig through the photographic evidence:
In January, Jennifer got married! Good job, Keith! I gave a toast at the reception, and I'm pretty sure it must have rocked because I don't really remember it all that well.
In February, we stayed close to home. Aunt Heather visited, and Molly loved it:
March was busy! We visited Monterey:
we spent a lot of time with Kathie to see her off in her home, and then we dressed Molly up crazy for Easter:
April was a BIG month!
I went to Las Vegas for work, and this must have been the highlight, because it's what I have a picture of:
We learned about farting rubber duckies:
We welcomed baby Tessa!
And played with snails at a birthday party:
May came around and brought grandma's homegrown zucchini:
Molly explored her various personas...
... as a bee, "getting pollen":
... and as "The Skull":
Aunt Mary visited, and Molly charmed her:
June started with Jennifer's birthday, which Molly celebrated with a dance through a giant redwood tree:
For ME (remember, this is not Molly's blog), June was huge-- I got to see the fruits of several months of planning for GoogleServe Week of Service. I am the lead for the Bay Area planning efforts-- this thing is huge and SO rewarding! After months of work with colleagues to get all these folks out into the community, it was nice to lean back and see it happen, get to serve myself. I did a project at Emma Prusch Park in San Jose:
GoogleServe is the hardest thing I do all year, and it's the thing I'm most passionate about at work. I am so grateful to get this opportunity from my awesome employer, and I'm even more humbled by the amazing passion and commitment of the team that makes it happen.
OK
What else happened in June?
I finally got my Aerostich, so I can finally live the bikenerd dream. Grey hairs and oversized BMWs, here I come!
Molly insisted she wanted to play tetherball, with predictable, and adorable results (no children were permanently harmed in the making of this video):
The house 3 doors down burned one morning:
Unfortunately, with the occupant inside, apparently murdered. Molly is now creepily obsessed with death, so don't be surprised if she asks you about death, or tells you someone is dead.
She also loves "pingerfainting"
Which finally brings us to July. We launched with July 4th at the Compound, with lots of friends, kids, beer, and a stunning view of illegal fireworks all around East San Jose.
Then Paul and I took Molly camping. She LOVED it.
Like everyone, we have been busy. Nothing to see here.
It looks like my last post in this here blogspot was in April and even those were tiny posts, so let's dig through the photographic evidence:
In January, Jennifer got married! Good job, Keith! I gave a toast at the reception, and I'm pretty sure it must have rocked because I don't really remember it all that well.
In February, we stayed close to home. Aunt Heather visited, and Molly loved it:
March was busy! We visited Monterey:
we spent a lot of time with Kathie to see her off in her home, and then we dressed Molly up crazy for Easter:
April was a BIG month!
I went to Las Vegas for work, and this must have been the highlight, because it's what I have a picture of:
We learned about farting rubber duckies:
And played with snails at a birthday party:
May came around and brought grandma's homegrown zucchini:
Molly explored her various personas...
... as a bee, "getting pollen":
... and as "The Skull":
Aunt Mary visited, and Molly charmed her:
June started with Jennifer's birthday, which Molly celebrated with a dance through a giant redwood tree:
For ME (remember, this is not Molly's blog), June was huge-- I got to see the fruits of several months of planning for GoogleServe Week of Service. I am the lead for the Bay Area planning efforts-- this thing is huge and SO rewarding! After months of work with colleagues to get all these folks out into the community, it was nice to lean back and see it happen, get to serve myself. I did a project at Emma Prusch Park in San Jose:
GoogleServe is the hardest thing I do all year, and it's the thing I'm most passionate about at work. I am so grateful to get this opportunity from my awesome employer, and I'm even more humbled by the amazing passion and commitment of the team that makes it happen.
OK
What else happened in June?
I finally got my Aerostich, so I can finally live the bikenerd dream. Grey hairs and oversized BMWs, here I come!
Molly insisted she wanted to play tetherball, with predictable, and adorable results (no children were permanently harmed in the making of this video):
The house 3 doors down burned one morning:
Unfortunately, with the occupant inside, apparently murdered. Molly is now creepily obsessed with death, so don't be surprised if she asks you about death, or tells you someone is dead.
She also loves "pingerfainting"
Which finally brings us to July. We launched with July 4th at the Compound, with lots of friends, kids, beer, and a stunning view of illegal fireworks all around East San Jose.
Then Paul and I took Molly camping. She LOVED it.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
What's this? It looks a little... cousin-ish
We've rolled up another cousin!
Welcome to Tessa, born in the wee hours this morning!
Molly can't wait to meet you!
Welcome to Tessa, born in the wee hours this morning!
Molly can't wait to meet you!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Oh, Albuquerque, you SO CRAZY
Oh my.
I sent my beloved Sidis out a few weeks ago (this is taking much too long for me, a daily motorcycle commuter) to be re-soled.
I've been wearing my M4s every day instead, which are hugely uncomfortable, take ten minutes of pushing and pulling and grunting to get on and off, and are slightly dangerous since I can not feel the controls or get them under the shift lever, but that's OK because I know UPS is scurrying those Sidis back to me!
Except I think my Sidis are in a ditch in New Mexico right now:
How often do trains derail, really?
I sent my beloved Sidis out a few weeks ago (this is taking much too long for me, a daily motorcycle commuter) to be re-soled.
I've been wearing my M4s every day instead, which are hugely uncomfortable, take ten minutes of pushing and pulling and grunting to get on and off, and are slightly dangerous since I can not feel the controls or get them under the shift lever, but that's OK because I know UPS is scurrying those Sidis back to me!
Except I think my Sidis are in a ditch in New Mexico right now:
How often do trains derail, really?
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Daycare - It's not a goddam Ginsu Knife
Have HAD IT with child care centers trying to be cute and coy about tuition rates. Look, please post this information on your website. If you can't do that, please answer the damn question the first time I ask! Do not try to "schedule a tour" in response to the question. This is not a fun little game for a person who just has all the time in the world to waste with you.
I am a busy parent, which is the whole reason I am trying to find care in the first place. I do not have time for your used car sales tactics. I can only imagine what every other goddam interatction with your center would be like, should my child end up there.
"Is my kid ready to be picked up?"
"Oh! I'm so PLEASED that you asked! Did you know we offer extended care for a small fee?"
"Yes but I just want my kid. Is she ready? Anyway, you didn't even say what the small fee was."
"Oh, why don't you see how you like the extended care facility first. I know you'll love it"
me--->> calling the police to spring my rugrat from this hostage-taker.
It's a simple matter of economics-- I have $X left to pay for my little snowflake's daytime warehouse. You tell me what you will charge, and I will compare it the that number to determine if I should waste our time taking the tour. I know you think by being coy you can get me hooked first, but I am not going to pay more than $X because that is all I have. There is no more!
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Achievement Unlocked
Took giant yuppie stroller to Target so that toddler could push home our beer in it.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
3 cheers for socialism!
Darn near perfect day!
We stopped at the library to pick up Joseph Stiglitz's The Price of Inequality
Then we headed out to California's first State Park for a little hike.
I have a day-use pass for the Parks since joining California State Parks Foundation, so we can just visit when we like.
It was a little cold, but Molly loved it!
We stopped at the library to pick up Joseph Stiglitz's The Price of Inequality
Then we headed out to California's first State Park for a little hike.
I have a day-use pass for the Parks since joining California State Parks Foundation, so we can just visit when we like.
It was a little cold, but Molly loved it!
Monday, October 15, 2012
Weekend! Craft Day!
This Saturday, we had Craft Day. I got out our hot glue gun and burned my fingers long enough to make all these barrettes for Molly:
The two with strawberry printed ribbons are made from ribbons I got from my mom. Those ribbons were used in some clothes/barrettes made for me when I was a kiddo!
I also poked at our Christmas stockings again (I'm going on three years of working on them, and not done yet!) No pictures because they aren't done. But they are *almost* done. And anyone who crafts like me knows that *almost* done is the danger zone of incomplete projects. I swear I will finish them this year!
Molly loved her new barrettes and wanted to carry them around the house, put them in and out of small bowls, etc. She also apparently wanted to lose one of the cuter ones on the way back from Murphy Street last night. Sigh,
Speaking of making things, here's Molly last week in a dress that her Aunt Mary made:
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