Sleepless In Oglesby

I must have rewritten this blog title five times before realizing that Jeff Arch had it perfect.  I'm not pining for my soulmate, though.  I'm pining for my kids to go to sleep!

Not all of them - Bo is a champion sleeper.  He's like me - he'll lay his head down and be asleep three minutes later.  Anna and Clara, on the other hand, must feed off the energy of the other.  They refuse to settle down and close their eyes.

I know I'll rue this post in about 12 years.  But seriously children - go to sleep!

Reboot

 

How many times in your life have you wanted a fresh start?  A re-do, so to speak.  Like that time you let slip news about your co-worker's baby or that time you ate two (or three) too many slices of pizza.  Big choices and little choices.  There have always been and always will be regrets in life, regardless of how we try to avoid them.  We'll call it, "The Road Not Taken." 

 

There's a theory in the scientific community called, "Infinite Universe Theory," or multiverse.  It posits that there are an infinite number of universes.  "You" exist in many of these universes and made every choice that could have been made, in a separate universe.  I find the theory fascinating but frustrating.  I want a looking glass.  What would have happened if I'd turned left last week and driven to Colorado?  I'd love to be able to view these alternate realities.

 

Alas, I'm confined to this reality.  Not that I'm complaining.  I like the choices I've made.  For the most part.  One choice I'm not happy about my choice to stop blogging more than a year ago.  How has it been more than a year!?  The hiatus is over with now.  You're stuck with me.  So strap in and enjoy the ride.  I don't know what's going to come out of my head but it should be entertaining.

Wordless Wednesday

First Class All the Way

As I was growing up, my parents always made a point of taking my brother and me on family vacations. This usually involved a car trip when we were younger but we started flying more often once we were older. Jamie and I traveled quite a bit when we got married but we haven't had the chance for a few years with the kiddos. As I mentioned in a previous post, we were finally able to take another trip, this time to Las Vegas.

The picture above is the view I have always seen when I have flown on airplanes. See those seats WAAAAY up there in front? This trip was my first time sitting in THOSE seats.

This picture is a good approximation of the seats in which Jamie and I found ourselves. We used American Airlines miles to purchase the tickets so we didn't have to pay for anything. First Class seating is absolutely wonderful. It started with priority boarding, meaning we were the first people to board the airplane. A stewardess was there to take our coats and hang them up so we didn't have to keep them at our seats. The stewardess then acted as our own private bartender during the flight - Bloody Mary cocktails, wine, beer, mixed drinks, etc. No charge for the drinks, either. We were offered actual meals during the flights while the people in coach class were only offered drinks. There was plenty of leg room. It was a great experience.

This is a good approximation of my view from my seat in First Class. See how packed those seats are? For once, that wasn't me!

If you have the means, please do yourself a favor the next time you go on an airplane ride. Try First Class seating. You won't regret the decision!

π

To some, π is a mathmatical constant whose value is a ratio of any circle's circumference to it's diameter in the Euclidian plane.

To others, π is an irrational number.

I suppose I lean toward the latter definition: I agree that π is irrational, just like my desire for it.

Vegas, baby!

I am excited.

Jamie and I are going to be in Las Vegas soon for our 7th anniversary. This is going to be our first extended trip since the girls were born. Bo, Anna, and Clara will spend a few days with Grandma and Grandpa getting spoiled in all sorts of ways that will take weeks to undo. And you know what? I'm ok with that.

Because...it's VEGAS, baby!

Jamie and I are not big gamblers. We will probably budget about $100 total for the few days we are there. We are more looking forward to checking out the great food and some of the shows. We have tickets to Cirque du Soleil's "O" and dinner reservations for Valentine's Day at Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak restaurant. Jamie is functioning as my tour guide by researching fun activities. She even managed to save us $400 on our stay by calling the hotel yesterday to ask for a better rate. Have I mentioned that I LOVE my wife??

Mr. Words

I received a nice compliment from my boss a few months ago. She started calling me "Mr. Words". I take a lot of pride in this informal title; I'll explain.

A large part of my job is effective communication - responding to emails, giving speeches, and talking with employees and the public. I must communicate clearly with everyone to make certain our office runs smoothly. I believe a large part of effective communication is understanding how spoken and written words will emotionally affect the reader or listener.

It is all well and good to simply state facts while communicating but if the person reading/hearing the words perceives them to be gruff or hostile they will not accept the message they contain. Writing for the reader is a skill to be developed.

I believe I have developed a professional communication style that makes people want to agree with me. My boss must agree; she often asks me to respond to office email and issue notices to the staff. Nice, huh? Mr. Words, indeed.

Wordless Wednesday

Behind the Bear

Bo has been watching "Letter Factory", made by Leapfrog, virtually every evening. He is able to identify all letters in the alphabet and state the sound made by each letter. I think that is very impressive for being just two years old.

Jamie and I decided he was ready for the next step. We purchased a new DVD called "Talking Words Factory", also made by Leapfrog, for Bo. He was thrilled.

The problem was that he wanted to watch the new video as soon as we got home. We try hard not to let him watch television until after dinnertime as that is all he wants to do from that point forward. Yesterday he was being really horrible. Tantrum-city. He REALLY wanted to watch the new video.

I wasn't having any of that. I told him he could watch it after dinner and tried to take the video away from him. He freaked out on me, pulled the DVD from my hand, and ran into his room. He came out again about 30 seconds later without the DVD. I decided to let the matter wait; I could always go and retrieve it after he calmed down.

We made dinner and ate. Bo was being his usual good self once more. I had promised, however, to let him watch the DVD after dinner. As dinner was winding down I decided to go get the DVD. I walked into his room, expecting to see the video laying somewhere about. Not so. I started looking in some non-obvious spots; on his bookshelf, in his crib, in his toddler bed. Nothing. Nada.

I walked back into the kitchen and asked Bo if her knew where his new movie was.

Bo: "Uh-huh."

Dad: "Where is it?"

Bo: "By Bear."

Dad: "The DVD is by your bear?" Bo has a bear-shaped chair.

Bo: "Uh-huh."

So I walked back into his room and looked behind the chair. Viola! Movie.

My son has learned to hide things. Lovely.

Wordless Wednesday

Satire

Sarah Palin is BRILLIANT.

That is the only possible explaination for her recent bull-run through the news. A few days ago we were treated to the public outing of Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanual calling progressives who were opposed to conservative Democrats "retards." Sarah Palin jumped on that daisy as quick as she could skin a grizzly bear, calling his words "indecent," "sick" and "offensive." Her task was slightly complicated by Rush Limbaugh using the same word unapologetically a couple days later. Limbaugh, stated Palin, was merely "using satire."

That is why the above picture, courtesy of Daniel Kurtzman, is so brilliant. The 2008 vice- presidential hopeful, seen here speaking to a Tea Party convention, had the foresight to indirectly mock President Obama's use of teleprompters. What better way to bring attention to the important teleprompter issue plaguing the United States than by going low-tech during the speech to highlight that way good Republicans would handle things if they were in charge.

Just imagine the Hocky-Mom-From-Wasilla turned President-of-the-United-States speaking with world leaders at a summit. Better yet, imagine how motivated Iranian President Ahmadinejad would be to denuclearize.

"Mr. Ahmadinejad, in Alaska we have a saying..."

/dramatic pause, trying to peek at the notes written on her hand

"...anyone who seeks nuclear weapons is a retard. Meant satirically, of course!"

Random Quote

Statement: "The only thing the government authorizes right now is CPR certification."

Response: "Eww! I don't want to touch somebody else's mouth with mine!"

Wordless Wednesday

Dora Wants Monkey Love

Bo is currently WAY into the television show Dora the Explorer. For those of you not blessed enough to get to watch this show on a daily basis, Dora is a small child who, with the help of her monkey friend, Boots, pursues trivial daily inanities such as hunting for blueberries or returning a star to the sky. Her nemesis, Swiper, attempts to thwart her efforts. I have watched only a small percentage of the episodes thanks to our DVR. I have watched this same small percentage of episodes many, many times.

It is truly a form of Chinese Water Torture. I can almost repeat every line from each of these shows. My brain must be incapable of simply absorbing the show as presented; it becomes preoccupied with identifying the many oddities in the show. Dora and Boots must get past various obstacles (please pronounce this as ob-stacles, it really is a more enjoyable way to say it) to complete the mission during each show. For instance, they must get past a mountain. Dora will say, "Can't go around it!", to which I reply, "WHY NOT??"

Dora sure loves her friend, Boots the Monkey. They hang out all day, sing and tumble down hills, defeat Swiper the Fox, and speak Spanish.

Which for some reason always makes me think, "Dora wants monkey love."

...And To Complete the Triad...

...meet Anna! She is the second of our twin girls. She is very much a hold-me baby. She will be happy as a clam if she is laying down but pick her up for awhile and then try to put her back down; watch out! She loves making eye contact with anyone/everyone and will follow your movement throughout the entire room.

Next Batter...Clara!

Please meet Clara. She is the first of twin girls born September 28, 2009. It is a funny thing having twins; I said I would not compare them but I find it to be unavoidable as they are most often side by side. I affectionately refer to Clara as "Hoss", as she is noticeably bigger than her sister. She has her mom's frown, which she wears much of the time. She also has a smile that can light up the room.

A, B, See All the Chocolate

Oh, the humanity!

A, B, C...

Bo's language skills have taken a "quantum leap" compared to a few months ago. His most impressive feat thus far, in my opinion, is singing the alphabet. He is able to say all of the letters with ease and sings the song fairly well. With the exception of the L-M-N-O-P section. This comes out all mushed together. He is even able to identify individual letters when they are shown to him. How awesome is that?? Little dude is just over 2 years old and is already getting close to reading.

Wordless Wednesday

Random Quote

"I'll have to come over and snow blow YOU!"
Random co-worker talking to the guard