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Saturday, July 29, 2006 The Dyson Sphere  Speaking of the Dyson – it’s awesome! We got the Animal Ball, which is an amazingly agile vacuum designed specifically to take care of pet hair. The only problem is that it gave us several shocks while operating it. We suspect that the balls builds up some sort of static charge when it gets near the tacking strips of the rug, but can’t figure out how it arcs through the cleaner to the handle, since it is made of plastic, not metal. We’re waiting to see if this effect is only temporary.------------------------------------------------
Is Sears Really the Good Life?  Now I’ve experienced first-hand the slow decay of this once proud department store.Kristin and I decided to go ahead and buy a Dyson vacuum cleaner. After looking around online, we tried to find a local vendor. Of them, only Sears seemed to even carry the particular model we wanted. They told us they would have to check and see if the particular model was in stock. Thirty minutes later, we called them back, and they said they had it. So I drove the forty minutes it takes to get to Sears, only to have them tell us they actually did not have it. But they could order it, and it would be in Tuesday at 11 am. So we waited. On Tuesday, Kristin went in at 1:30 pm to pick it up. While the kids are melting down, the associate explains to Kristin that it has not been taken off the truck yet, and that she should come back in about 2 hours. Needless to say, she elected to head home and have me get it at the end of the day. I tried to call ahead to speak to a manager, and came close to actually reaching a live human being before the phone tree spit me back up to the beginning. When I went in the evening, I expected to find the manager and tell them how frustrating this experience was. However, all I found was an empty general office, and only associates on the floor. To top it off, there’s no longer a merchandise pick-up counter with an associate – now there’s a check-in computer system you scan your receipt into. The only person you interact with is the warehouse worker who wheels your purchase out. Outside, while he was loading it into my car, I heard this colorful comment from his coworker who just heard everyone else was going to Taco Bell: God Damn! You f*ckers sure are some hungry mother-f*ckers!”Did I mention he yelled this across the parking lot? Just before I wrote this I went to Sears.com to lodge a complaint, as I figured the only way I’d hear any type of response was to bypass my store. Surprise, surprise – there’s no way to send a general message to Sears, not even on their Customer Service page. That’s the good life. ------------------------------------------------
Friday, July 28, 2006 Parker and Karateka  It’s getting close to belt testing time, but Parker’s teacher feels he needs to wait and go another round of the basic moves before going for the belt. He knows the information, but getting him to concentrate is another matter. That’s not a fault of his – getting any four-year-old to find their spiritual center is a little tough. After all, it took Daniel-San an entire fence and a warehouse full of cars to get the basics down.Still, whenever Parker goes from some perfect moves to a squiggling jig and falls down, I can’t help thinking Drunken Monkey style. ------------------------------------------------
Calvin and Franklin Richards  One thing I really can’t stand is the adoption of Bill Watterson’s Calvin by the totally tasteless decal crowd. I know you’ve seen it – the ubiquitous Calvin with pants below his knees urinating on whatever the owner doesn’t like. It’s obnoxious and besmirches a wonderful comic by turning into sophomoric humor of the lowest level. On top of all that, it’s completely unlicensed. I imagine it was one of the reasons Watterson retired completely from the public eye. Now finally someone’s come and done a homage to Calvin and Hobbes that has real merit. Mark Sumerak has reinvented the perennial tyke Franklin Richards of the Fantastic Four into what Calvin would have been if he had access to a hundred devices each as twisted as the transmogrifier. It’s a Marvel comic book that could really act as a springboard for young readers, and has as much potential for exploring the imagination of a young boy as Watterson’s masterpiece did. ------------------------------------------------
Webcentric 1.0  A new feature of the blog-here are links to fun things around the web that there isn't really anything to say about them - just that you need to check them out.
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My Nostalgia Isn't Archived  I got in a nostalgic mood yesterday perusing my old yearbook and tried to find classmates from then through college online. And, I have to say, I'm astonished at the real lack of online presence most of them have. Hasn't pop culture been telling me for years that today's youth are all on-line?Well, I guess I've got to realize that I'm not today's youth. I'm of the generation once removed from blogspot and flickr and facebook and myspace. I could only find two blogs - Matt Midboe's and Tony Rickey's, a handful of unupdated websites, a vaque reference to a college classmate now acting off-Broadway, and the single link from Google - to their names transcribed on the High School alumni site I created. Looks like I'll be the high school version of Kamandi. ------------------------------------------------
Who Wants to Be a Superhero?  Ok. I'll admit. I'm going to watch this monstrosity. Never has so much spandex and latex gone to bad use since SciFi aired Black Scorpion. Stan, can't you remember what happened the last time you tried to create a real-life superhero?I'm ashamed to say I own this. ------------------------------------------------
When Photoshop Goes Bad Ironic Sans reinforces the maxim that less is more, especially when it comes to bad graphics. If it can't be done well, pick the elegant route and simply don't attempt it at all. ------------------------------------------------
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Sunday, July 16, 2006 About Parker's Summer Classes O2BKids is an "edutainment" facility (I hate that term!), and Parker is taking PreKarate, Lil' Mad Scientist, Music Fun, & PreDrama there this summer (he is also signed up for Sports Movement & Games, but he doesn't like it, it isn't well-organized, and it is outside in 90-degree weather ... so we're dropping it!). So, these classes are teaching him things I can't (well, except the science one! Okay, and the Music.), getting him the class setting/listening to other adult than family aspect, and he's loving it! I'm still around the building, and can be in the room when I choose, which is a good compromise for me. We still haven't made up our minds on homeschooling, though we are still leaning heavily towards it, and are keeping ourselves in that mindset. Labels: drama, Florida heat, homeschooling, music, Parker, PE, science ------------------------------------------------
Small Electrical Fire Our air conditioner caught on fire last night, apparently. We caught it in time, but the circuit board is fried, and we will be without air until Tuesday at the earliest. So, we're off to a hotel, I think. It got up to 80 degrees almost immediately afterwards last night, and this morning at 9:15 am, it is up to 82. The high outside is supposed to get to 92 today .... I'm guessing we'll feel that in here by about 10:30 or 11 am. The AC Service came out this morning, spent 15 minutes evaluating, and it cost $110. Still don't know how much the circuit board itself will cost, plus the service charge on Tuesday ..... JOY!! Labels: Florida heat ------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, July 11, 2006 About School (Preschool, PreK, Kindy) Am I just unrealistic? I was looking at the Florida "Sunshine standards" for education, and it lists, as some of the standards for Kindegarten learning, things like counting 1 to 5. Can't all preschoolers count to 5? And learning colors. Like, PRIMARY colors. Again, don't they know that in preschool or before? I really want to know if I am right to be shocked at the low-seeming expectations or not (i.e., am I misunderstanding, or is that really reasonable). What are kids supposed to be getting out of Preschool/PreK/Kindergarten?? Labels: homeschooling ------------------------------------------------
The Lost Art of Reading Gosh, I used to love to read! I have a hard time finding the time (and quiet) to read nowadays (though I just finished The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory -- pretty good, not outstanding), so I don't consider myself an avid reader by any measure. Parker obviously loves reading, moreso now that he can actually read some on his own!! Kira is really into books as well, and has one book she can "read" (she has it memorized!!). They really love it when we sit down and read books together.  I don't really have books I'm longing for my kids to read, though I have fond memories of some (like Jungle Book, Rootabaga Stories, and much older -- Alas, Babylon). Okay -- one book I'm longing for them to read (and "get") is The Prophet, but that is MY book, you know? Labels: homeschooling, Kira, Kristin, Parker, reading ------------------------------------------------
Monday, July 10, 2006 Crazy Busy July I can't believe how busy my life seems to have become -- my calendar just seems crazy! I am actually looking forward to mid-August, when Parker's classes end and everyone else is starting to get crazy with the start of school! We still haven't signed Parker up for preschool, and the closer we get to that time, it seems the less likely we are to do so, especially with the classes he's taking at O2BKids. So, for me -- 1) I'm still doing lots of work on our business, including a conference brochure, the birthday party company still, an architecture-related international service, and a couple of others. We have one client who is refusing to pay us right now, and they owe us about $600!! I'm very "put out!". 2) I am still effectively running the playgroup for Kira, which involves keeping about 10 moms, working and not working, organized enough to keep regular meetings. We've just completed our first complete 2-month rotation, and people are even more excited about it than before (before the whole group was going to just peter out, so this is awesome!). 3) I am now on the board of MOMS Club here, doing the newsletter, and helping as we sister a new group. It has actually been really fun, and I've already learned a lot more about my community. For Jeff -- 1) He's as swamped with freelance as I have been, as well as trying to revamp our entire website including a complete portfolio -- it is quite the undertaking!! 2) His work may be in for some upheaval, though I can't talk about it yet, since it doesn't go public until the end of the week. For Parker -- I love this boy!! He can be a pain in the neck, but he's so sweet, so smart, and so full of energy!  He's really great with all of the family he's been meeting (though at times he's TOO friendly with strangers. I really need to work with him on a healthy distrust ...)  His big thing is that he absolutely WILL NOT let me cut his hair. I had to cut his bangs recently, but that was all he'd allow. I should have known this was coming with all the fussing he often does about it.  He totally loved having my mom (his Oma) come for a visit, and to go with them to his Great-Granny's house.  Of course, that means that I'm having to deal with him stealing my cell phone and calling them every chance he gets and him constantly talking about going to visit them or them coming here.  Parker mostly loved spending time with his 12-year old second cousin, Ross. They really had lots of fun and Parker talks about going back to see him.  That's them at the fireworks on the 4th. Kira -- She's become such a firecracker! She's very smart -- I think moreso than Parker! She says lots and lots of words, uses a fork/spoon, already remembers/reads books, and is a pretty darn happy girl (until it is sleep time).  More than that, she ADORES her Grampa (my dad). Oh my goodness, I've never seen a child take to a non-parent like that! She often ran to him instead of to me! I loved it.  She also favored my mama, but not nearly the same. Still, it was a nice reprieve for me.   She was much more shy meeting the extended family, like her Great-Grandma Morris (Jeff's grandmother) above, and her Great-Aunt Kathy below.   She always seems to have a serious look on her face, like Parker did. It is almost like she is trying to completely digest and comprehend the world before she's 2!!  Okay, I'm including the following out of obligaton:  I have some videos I have to download from my camera to share. As much as I adore my kids, more and more I feel like we're done. Maybe I'll change my mind -- I'm only 33, and they are only 4-1/2 and 17 months. We'll see. Labels: community, family, homeschooling, Jeff, Kira, Kristin, milestones, Parker, Union Design Photo ------------------------------------------------
Friday, July 07, 2006 "I Like Pink" I just asked Parker what his favorite color was, and he said "Pink". He doesn't have anything really pink though -- not for any particular reason, though. Jeff's secure enough in his masculinity (and Parker's) to not be worried about "girly colors" or playing with dolls, etc. Honestly, I think any one who does have a problem with it has their own issues, and that it has nothing to do with the child. Parker's best friend (well, one of them) has always loved pink, wears girl tap shoes (he loves the sound), and has no barriers created for him in what he can play with or wear based on stereotyped gender roles. ------------------------------------------------
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