Rule of Thumb

More so than shoes, buying a glove specific to a particular sport indicates a high degree of commitment to that sport.

7.7.7 + 365

Jala2 and I celebrated our 1st anniversary last week. Well, "celebrated" may be a little inaccurate, unless kvetching about being 29 weeks pregnant and me with a gimpy foot counts as celebrating. She made me watch Stras' raw wedding footage with her. I forgot how small Roc was back then.

But I'm not complaining. Fact is, I couldn't be happier.

And When I'm in Texas, I'm Reminded of Backwards Hicks

Via HuffPo:

PRESIDENT BUSH: Madam President, it is a pleasure to welcome you back to the Oval Office. We have just had a very constructive dialogue. First, I want to tell you how proud I am to be the President of a nation that -- in which there's a lot of Philippine-Americans. They love America and they love their heritage. And I reminded the President that I am reminded of the great talent of the -- of our Philippine-Americans when I eat dinner at the White House. (Laughter.)

PRESIDENT ARROYO: Yes.

PRESIDENT BUSH: And the chef is a great person and a really good cook, by the way, Madam President.

PRESIDENT ARROYO: Thank you.

(emphasis mine). *Sigh* It's like when you meet someone and, upon learning you're Filipino, getting asked "Oh, do you know (whatshisorhername)?" No, goddammit! We don't all live together in a 1 room cottage on Beacon Hill.

Actually, I'm a decent cook, but that's beside the point.

I Hate Your Kids

Just now caught this on the Ballard blog. You mean to say that not everyone wants to deal with someone else's uncontrollable, squalling chirrens?

Several Ballard businesses have received some press about their kiddo policy. At Duque Salon + Spa, they have banned children altogether. Their sign reads, “About the little ones … Due to the delicate nature of our business, we ask that children not be brought into the salon, spa or boutique. Thank you.” Apparently moms pushing strollers have been seen flipping off the shop as they walk by and one angry mom had to be escorted out with her toddler. Habitude Salon also has a no-kid rule, leaving some moms in a tiff. The owner of the upscale salon says that it’s not safe having babies around all the chemicals and scissors. Diva Espresso on Phinney Ridge takes a more humorous approach, “Unsupervised children will be given espresso and a puppy.”

Couple things: 1) Business owners are free to serve whomever they want, and 2) parents who voice their displeasure with a petulant bird through the window justify the former's policies.

The comment thread has provided me with my 2 new fave phrases:

"Kindergarchy"
"Crotch Fruit"

Brains!

With his hands held up like that, Roc looks like a zombie, or maybe a Young Frankenstein Welcome to toddlerhood, my man. His confidence is growing quickly; he has pretty much abandoned crawling as a means of transportation. To celebrate his learning how to walk, we bought him some new shoes today at the U. Village sidewalk sale.



Up next: the Electric Slide.

Ong Bak 2: Tony Jaa Tries to get a Haircut

This one's for Mahalie:




Looks badass. Doubt there's much in the way of a story, but I'd hit it.

Rule of Thumb

Google an idea before you publish it, you know, just in case.

Back from Philly

We brought back more than memories and photos; the whole fam has been beset by some kind of wicked chest cold since we returned from the northeast. Man, was it hot, upper 90's during the day, not much cooler at night. Still, it was good seeing friends old and new, introducing Roc to the wonders of a real cheesesteak, and getting some sand between our toes.

Sad to think this is probably our last trip anywhere as a family for awhile. Maybe we can travel with 2 young kids but I can't imagine how we can do it without going batty.

Rule of Thumb

Don't trust a dreadlocked white guy.

Happy Father's Day!

Yay me. Oh, by the way, did your baby's mama get you one of these?



She rocks, more than Gwar. Roc is a lucky kid.

Kids on a Plane

(Rocco learns that it really isn't butter)

Heading out tomorrow for some fun and sun with our East Coast peeps, which forces me to face that which I dread: Flying with Kids. It's not so much the hassle of it all (though it is an incredible one), rather it's another thing I dread: People who Hate Flying with Kids. It's a touchy subject, from both the annoyed (non parental) traveler to the harried, frantic parent. Here's an example from Salon's Ask the Pilot:

[H]ow about a list of the best and worst ideas in airline marketing history? I'll leave the latter to you, and there are plenty to choose from. As for the best, I'll tell you my own pick: Northwest's decision, 20 years ago, to become the globe's first major carrier to impose a systemwide in-flight smoking ban. That'd be a hard one to beat, but here's a challenge to any airline daring enough: a rule that requires the medicating, muzzling or sequestering of all children under 4 years old -- below deck would be nice, or out on the wing.

(emphasis mine) A throwaway comment at the end of an article mainly about American's $15 checked bag fee that ends jokingly (I hope) suggesting kids ride steerage or wingside generates a storm of comments from both sides of the argument. I mean, really? I have no constructive solutions for an already shitty situation, vis-a-vis air travel, but from my perspective, to think that there is a population of people who, upon seeing me and my family arrive at the gate, silently (or maybe not so silently) curse us out for having the gall to leave our house once in awhile, well, I take it personally. Actually, I do have some solutions:

1. ipod + a good set of noise-canceling headphones (I have the Etymotic ER-6i)
2. Fuck You, You Fucking Fuck.

As parents, we are perhaps a bit hypersensitive about the way Roc behaves around others, though in reality there's nothing we can do about it except to distract and redirect. Not like you can argue/reason with a 1 year old. All I ask is for a little understanding and patience; if Roc is upset or acting up, you can be sure Jala2 and I are on it, dealing with it as best we can. We're not one of those parents who sit/sleep idly by and let their spawn wreak havoc with everyone's fun.

As frustrating as flying is, doesn't it make you want to cry sometimes?

The eye in the sky, looking at you

Happy Mother's Day! Roc and I gave jala2 a Flip Video camera this year. Initial review: great for what it does, which is basically to shoot youtube/web videos for sharing with friends and fam. The UI is simple, just a couple buttons, and fairly easy to operate right out of the box. Downloading is a snap, just "flip" out the attached USB dongle and plug into your computer. Works on both Winblows and Mac and even can download straight to your fave video sharing site (well, not all of them). Thumbs down on the non-removable memory (up to 1hr of video) and no optical zoom, but that's kinda nitpicky.

Jala2's posted a couple clips of us goofin' around.

What are We Doing Wrong?

Our wits are being tested again--Saturday, Roc woke up, had a bottle and joined Jala2 and me in bed, all happy happy. Next thing we know, milk's shooting out of his mouth and all over us (well, mostly mom). Then about half an hour later, Roc let loose a stream of liquid poo that no earthly diaper could contain. Wash, rinse and repeat about every two hours for the rest of the weekend. Haven't we been through this before not too long ago?

Could be another fun week. Hey Freddy's, better stock up on that Pedialyte.

OK NO

I have no words for the disgust this whole episode elicits, except for this: in a way, I'm proud of the city for saying "fuck you, no longer will we allow ourselves to be shaken down anymore!" We would not play that game, and get cowed into footing the lion's share of the bill for a new arena.

So the NBA has taken their ball and wants to leave. No suprise, the billionaire community won't turn on its own, at least until someone comes along with a better deal. And let's be real, Oklahoma City, you are the "rebound girl" in this scenario.

As a lifelong Supes fan, I'm incredibly saddened by the way this went down. I'm not hardcore by any means, but this team has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. So very sad.

Cause I Live and Breathe This Philadelphia Freedom

Ok the plan's set, we're heading east for a week in June. First we'll be in Philly w/Nik and JayBay, then off to Point Pleasant. Jerzee Shore y'all! Then we'll hop the train and head to NYC to visit Ame and the rest of the crew...

Thank goodness for the government and their stimulus checks.

Is this a Daddy Blog now?

Sorry.

Happy Birthday Taco!

Thanks to Aunt Nic and Uncle J for the new shirt, which has Yoda and the caption "Size Matters Not," in case you can't tell.

We gave him a haircut last night and man, does he look old or what? We tried to maintain the shaggy Noel Gallagher rockstar look but couldn’t quite pull it off. Now it’s more Noel Coward. Not that there’s anything wrong with being a British dandy…

So, Roc, how does it feel to be 1? Seems like you’re handling it fine. Me, it brings out my sentimental side, which you probably don’t care to see. Well, screw you, this is my blog, so here’s the highlights of the last 366:

You came into this world 2 weeks early, announcing your intentions by breaking mom’s water in the middle of a doctor’s exam, right there on the table. It was on a Monday. Don’t worry, they said, first babies never come on time…pfft. 15 hours later you arrived with a wide-eyed, curious expression that seemed to say “What the hell is going on here?” You still do that, and I hope you never outgrow it.

From day one you were an easygoing kid. On your baptism day/your mom and my wedding day you got passed around all afternoon and barely heard a peep from you. I had get on the PA to ask where you were.

You laughed for real for the first time on Father’s Day. Best. Present. Ever.

We took you on your first plane ride for Nic and JayBay's wedding. Not that you’d remember, since you slept the whole time. Coughbenadrylcough.

We took you for your second plane ride to Florida to visit your Lolo and Lola B. The little girl behind us was excited to go to Disney World until we actually took off. She didn’t like the noises and shaking, getting more and more upset until, finally, she screamed “I DON’T WANNA GO TO DISNEY WORLD ANYMOOOORE!” That made the whole plane laugh.

Your mom once asked me what is the one thing I’m looking forward to the most, and my answer was “To play catch with my son.” I know, it’s right out of Field of Dreams, but I always really enjoyed doing the same with my dad.

Goo makes you laugh, for some reason. She doesn’t like you very much, however.

Every day there seems to be something new going on. You’re standing up by yourself pretty good now, and will probably be walking very soon. What then? How soon before you realize that there’s a big world out there, bigger than just me and your mom? I want you to find out what it's all about, yet I don't at the same time. That means you're growing up, and I'm not quite ready for that to happen yet.

We love you, little man.

Mom and Dad

How about the Seattle Pilots?

This is what happens when you focus group something. Why don't you ask actual soccer fans? You mean to tell me Seattle's new MLS team will be named one of these?

• Seattle Alliance
• Seattle Republic
• FC Seattle
  

The teams in my co-rec indoor league are sporting better names than these dogs. Alliance sounds like a taxi cab or insurance company. Republic? Come on, this is a Democratic town. FC Seattle is better, but not very creative. I guess you can call them the Sounders, but maybe it's time to move on.

Hopefully they'll keep Squatch in town when the Sonics move, and make him a soccer mascot.

UPDATE: It's Seattle Sounders FC.

More LOLRocco

I'm probably behind on this but I see that fd's flickr toys has a LOL(blank) generator. Better than my quick photoshop jobby down below.



Ok, it's not that funny...

Crayon Physics

Here's a video game I'd let Roc play any day...



...if he can get me away from the computer long enough

Undercover Parenting

Caught this in the NYT, which asks the question "Is keylogging your kid's computer an invasion of his/her privacy?"

"Some will say that you should simply trust your child, that if he is old enough to go on the Internet he is old enough to know the dangers. Trust is one thing, but surrendering parental responsibility to a machine that allows the entire world access to your home borders on negligence."

My solution? Sure, the kids can use teh intArwebz, but we're going back to dialup. Remember how long it took for porn to load back in the day? If you wanted to see Erika Eleniak's boobs, you had to wait 5 minutes for a single pic to load. Kinda made the whole thing pointless. And forget about trying to DL a movie...

Back on topic: the thing is that I'm my kids' Dad, not their best friend. The trick is to protect them from all dangers while developing a sense of self confidence and responsibility. If I have to play the bad guy once in awhile, so be it. They have to earn their privileges before they're granted, rather than give something to them and hope/assume they can handle it. I think that applies to pretty much everything, not just the internet. Everyone talks about "kids nowadays" and their sense of entitlement, and I don't want mine to be like that.

A work in progress...

Some things ARE cheaper at Whole Foods...

...like pregnancy tests. You eliminate the fancy packaging and complicated digital readings, you can get 3 tests for like 5 bucks, according to Jalanquera.



(note the brilliant use of Comic Sans)

Roc's gonna be a big brother. Yay! Our plan was that we would start working on kidB when he turns 1 (which is only a couple weeks away), but we just accelerated that timeline by around 3 months or so. What can I say? We're fortunate to be so fertile, I guess. You know how it is, you stop breastfeeding, go on vacation, yadda yadda yadda, we're pregnant.

The Shmoo is doing fine, rolling along now at 12 weeks. His/her parents are a little stressed out, though. Happy, excited, but a little anxious. Can we afford another mouth to feed? Can you raise 2 kids in 800 square feet? (Yes, you can, no matter what the McMansion crowd tells you) Can we afford another kid? How is Rocco gonna handle all this? Can we afford another kid in childcare?

We think we're going to have this baby at home, with a midwife and/or a doula. It's not for sure, but we're real close to making that plunge. Not that the hospital was a terrible experience, but we were just 2 nuts in a giant baby machine, and we want to take back some of the control we surrendered (willingly, at the time) to the myriad doctors, nurses, machines that beep insistently, paperwork, hospital food (which actually wasn't that bad) and cramped rooms, all of which took away from what should and can be a quiet, private, family event. Think about it, hospitals are set up to treat everything as a procedure, one that can be predicted and controlled. And it's profitable for the hospital. It's no coincidence that caesarean rates are almost 1 in 3. That's messed up, y'all.

We drank the punch, but we've not gone totally hippie mental. But....it's much cheaper than hospitals or doctors, by maybe 2/3, we're following all the normal prenatal care and tests, we're more than willing to call it off and head to the hospital at the first sign of trouble, and we have a hot tub at home. Bonus! Conventional wisdom says labor for the 2nd child is much easier and faster than the first. Rocco came without much trouble, so we're thinking that this is the way we should go.

There are a few hurdles before we commit fully to it, so stay tuned.

It ain't always dimples and chicken...

To add some yang to the yin around here, here's some unflattering photos of Rocco:







I kid because I love.

Where We've Been Lately

Taco has had the runs since last Tuesday, so we've been at Threat Level Mustard Yellow for the last 5 days. Doc says keep him hydrated and it'll all be over in 7-10 days. WTF?! He seems to be handling it ok, though he's not his usual cheery self, especially when the tummy cramps kick in. So, Roc's in size 6 diapers for the time being.

Couple weeks ago, Taco and I grabbed a Chipotle burrito and went to the Democratic caucus. I signed in as an Obama supporter, though I'd be satisfied if either he or Hillary were to win the nomination. My precinct elected 2 delegates each for Hillary and Barack, while 1 went to Uncommitted. I don't think any other candidate has ever stirred me into action like Obama has (I even tried to get into the big rally at the Key), and judging by the big showing by my fellow GenX'ers, I wasn't alone. Look out, Boomers.

We had "Retztagg" over for dinner on Wednesday. Made Mussels in Puttanesca sauce over linguine. Mmm. Happy 1st anniversary.

As Jala2 says, some things are cheaper at Whole Foods. More on that later.

MSFT, keep your grubby hands off Flickr!

Or Roc will slobber all over you.