More than meets the eye

Fucking awesome.

Rocco Tacco

Here’s another pic

So it’s been a little more than a week now, hard to believe that only a few days have passed since Roc was born. I think we’ve made the adjustment to our new reality well, though going back to work yesterday was a struggle for me, in terms of lack of sleep and also the fear that I may miss something important in Roc’s development. Fortunately, all he does right now is sleep and eat, and by the time I get home, he hits his stride and wakes up for me. Ame’s taken some time off to come out from NYC to help us out for a couple of weeks, at least they won’t be alone all day.

We’re of the mindset that baby adjusts to our lifestyle, not the other way around, so he’s already been out for sushi, shopping, groceries, Flower World, BiZi Bee, Babies R Us, the park, the neighborhood, the backyard…we have to do some accommodating also; everything takes a little bit longer to do, we have to stop once in awhile to feed and change, etc. Jala3 takes everything in stride and seems to enjoy being out (when he’s awake anyway).

What’s he like? Still hard to tell, but the one adjective that keeps coming up is “mellow.” Seems to like music, especially when we sing to him (prefers ‘70’s pop and soul), is most content when he’s being held, doesn’t matter by whom, and loves his pop (mom too)…

One downside to giving birth: 6 weeks in the desert.

World, Rocco...

...Rocco, World.

More soon.

Waiting...

This is week 37, which means Ray Ray is officially full term, which also means we're operating under "any day now" mode. But that could mean next week, or 3 weeks from now (4/25 is d-day, which is a week past our due date; if he's still not here, we'll have to go and get induced). This may be the longest few weeks we'll endure yet, I'm sure.

We've taken almost all the classes, just the newborn care on Sunday and that's it, we're qualified to be parents. Went to breastfeeding class on Tuesday, which was a bit odd, but educational nonetheless. Weird to be talking about boobs for a solid 2 hours and not get even a little turned on (is that wrong to even think that?)...

Still haven't picked a name yet, we're going to be lame and wait until he "tells" us what his name should be.

MKA has a pool going, any guesses as to the stats? I'm guessing he'll arrive April 12, 4:42 PM, weighing about 8.5 lbs...

Where I've Been

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Shower pix posted

Thanks to SunnyD, still waiting for the others.

Rant On

You suck big donkey testicles, yesterday afternoon's riders of the 312...how could you sit there with an obviously (very) pregnant woman standing within sight of you and not offer your seat? In a city so famous for its manners, next time why don't you try and display some? I realize that you worked soo hard for that seat, but hey, it's not your wife and kid, is it? Fucking bastards.

End rant.

Random Snippets of Conversation Taken Out of Context

Scene: Greenlake jogging trail

Girl 1: "It's okay, but sometimes I get tired and take my hand off, but he puts it back on."

Girl 2: "Hmm."

This has been another edition of Random Snippets of Conversation Taken Out of Context.

"Pining for the fee-ords?"

Tip o' the hat to BoingBoing:

In this youtube, two West African scam artists are duped into re-creating Monty Python's famous "Dead Parrot" sketch. The men sent a "419" email to a scam-baiter (someone who tries to humiliate and waste the time of rip-off artists) who told them he was in a position to give large cash grants to promising film-makers, and advised them that the application process required applicants to submit their own Dead Parrot Sketch.

The thing is, these guys are actually pretty funny. They're certainly better at being comedians than they are at being rip-off artists.

The big haul

The surprise baby shower went off without a hitch, Arb had no idea what we were planning. How we managed to keep it a secret for almost 2 months is a mystery to me, but it worked. Many thanks to Ame, LHS, Peter Arthur and SunnyD, who hosted the shindig at their place. It was a good time, though I think I got a bit overwhelmed with all the stuff we got during the gift opening, knowing we would eventually have to find a place to put it. The onesies from Uncle Jason and Auntie Nicky were facking awesome, what baby wouldn't love to wear J's scowling puss on his chest?

Having people customize onesies at the party was a great idea. My fave is the Slayer one by Robb. I think that's going to be part of the "going home" outfit.

Don't have pics collected yet, I have to get them from the attendees, as I forgot my own camera.

I might have to sell my body to the night

for Police tickets

h/t Blindwriting

What did you think of their Grammy performance? I thought Andy and Stewart looked a little lost or nervous, Sting his usual overconfident self...the jazzed-up version of Roxanne wasn't bad either, though it sounded more like Sting's solo stuff than the Police. Which may be ok, since I didn't like the remixed version of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" on the Greatest Hits album.

June 6 in Seattle!

Lake City=Sunset Town

Reflecting on MLK day: Arb and I were visitng with Peter Arthur this past weekend, going over an old map of Seattle, when he mentioned that the city north of the Ship Canal was a “Sunset Town,” as in closed off to minorities after the sun goes down. It was a bit of a shock, given Seattle’s reputation as a progressive city. Dave Neiwert goes on further:

Here in Seattle, University of Washington history professor James Gregory has begun digging through the records, and we at least are beginning to get a little better glimpse of our true historical selves:

Seattle thinks of itself as a liberal city, one that has a reasonable record of racial integration. But we are also a city with a short memory. One of the things we have been forgetting is that only a few decades ago, Seattle was a sharply segregated city. It was a city that kept non-whites out of most jobs and most neighborhoods, even out of stores, restaurants, hotels and hospitals.

... Until the late 1960s, Seattle north of the ship canal was a "sundown" zone. That meant that virtually no people of color lived there and it also meant that African Americans were expected to be out of the area when the workday ended. After dark, a black man in particular was likely to be stopped by the police, questioned about his business and informed that he had better not be seen in the neighborhood again.

North Seattle was not alone. Queen Anne, Magnolia and West Seattle also were sundown zones. The suburbs were even worse. Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Bothell, Bellevue, Burien, even White Center, vigorously and explicitly excluded people of color. But the ship canal was a special kind of boundary, an unmistakable dividing line between the part of Seattle where anyone might live and the part of Seattle that was off-limits to those whose skin was not white.

Until the early 1950s, North Seattle was also home to Coon Chicken Inn, which for almost 20 years stood as a beacon of bigotry on Lake City Way Northeast. Whites of a certain disposition made it a hugely popular restaurant and no one could drive along Lake City Way without noticing the massive grotesque "coon" head and the big-lipped mouth that served as the restaurant's front door.”

I did some quick digging, and found out that the CCI was located at the current site of Ying’s Drive In on LCW, which Arb and I pass every day going home. Here’s a postcard image, look how huge these restaurants are:

Ugh. Does this history have anything to do with why the North End is not more integrated? There is still some kind of de facto segregation operating in Seattle, though I think the forces of gentrification are changing that, perhaps for the worse. We’re becoming a Latte city.

Arb and I are struggling with this as we plan our family. We would like to move south, closer to friends and with cheaper housing costs, but lacking in quality public schools, particularly at the secondary level. Is this race or economics? Both? We're a long ways off from answering that for ourselves.

Shenanigans

(h/t AWOT)

We just received this report and photos of a massive First Goatse that was deployed yesterday at the San Francisco Apple Store during Macworld 2007. First Goatse is project where people are shown the infamous Goatse image and then their reactions are photographed. This is the first known instance of a First Goatse of this magnitude.

Check out the Flickr First Goatse pool for some more hijinks. High-larious!


Updated: If you don't know what Goatse is, click here before delving in too far. Not for the squeamish.

Fight on, Goober

Goo's going in to the vet Friday to have a couple tumors removed. Hopefully it's not a big deal.

Update: She had an epulis removed from her mouth. Doc says they got most of it, we'll get the labs back in a week to see what we need to do afterwards if anything. She seems a little out of it, but is starting to come back to the old Goob.

synchromaticity

From BlindWriting:

Here's what was posted on Sting.com:

01.03.07 30th Anniversary of the First Police Single - Official NewsAs numerous rumors have started circulating regarding plans for a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the release of the first Police single, the following is an official statement released on behalf of the band by a spokesperson at Interscope Geffen A&M Records:

"As the 30th anniversary of the first Police single approaches, discussions have been underway as to how this will be commemorated. While we can confirm that there will indeed be something special done to mark the occasion, the depth of the band's involvement still remains undetermined."

Color me cautiously excited. As long as they really want to do it, and not just go through the motions, like some "Bands Reunited" special on VH1.

"T minus 100," or "Im in Ur cribz, ste4lin Ur sL33pz"

If the magic dial-a-thingy at the doctor's office is right, Ray Ray will be here in 100 days.

I’m better at reflecting on the past than I am at getting a handle on the present and future, but here goes: This year, I resolve to remember how the world looks to a child, where everything is new and wonderful, even a little scary sometimes.

As fatherhood approaches (week 26 already), I’m a bit suprised by the lack of fear and trepidation I have about it. We can’t wait to meet Ray Ray, not because arb’s tired of being pregnant (yet), but we excited to get to know what this little squirming, kicking mass inside her belly is all about. It’s a role I wasn’t sure I wanted in the past, maybe out of selfishness, thinking that the kid would take over my entire identity, that I would just be someone’s dad. Yet I’ve always felt I had things to pass on, besides ½ of my genes, like how to throw a football, skip stones, multiplication tables, make the armpit fart sounds, you know, the important stuff. Now that I think about it, being someone’s dad sounds pretty good.

Name update: Lionel, Andre, Rocco and Theo (not short for Theodore, just Theo)…just letting those marinate, seeing what sounds right when we’re yelling it out the back door…

Way to go, Ohio

Had fun in Columbus a couple months ago for arb’s brother’s wedding. We were tempted for maybe 2 seconds to move there-housing prices are quite reasonable (huge houses for maybe ½ what we pay here), but a trip to the mall for a gift quashed that in a hurry. I’m not a Buckeyes* fan and it’s a little too Red-state for my blood.

Still, I got to meet the remaining members of arb’s immediate family. They were very welcoming, made me feel like a part of the family (even if I hadn’t already fornicated my way in). It’ll be good to have them all here in the summer, but how am I going to entertain 6 nieces?

*Maybe it’s me, but I hate it when someone says, “THE Ohio State University.” Puh-leeze.

Bon Voyaging

Mom and Dad leave in a couple days for a 3.5 month cruise on the QE2 around the world. I hope they have a lot of fun…they better, AJ and I are paying for this trip (with our inheritance anyway)…arb made me promise I would take her around the world when we retire.

I doubt we’d take the exact same trip, we’re the type that would have more fun exploring one place for a week or two instead of hitting a bunch of destinations. That said, I’m glad they’re going, they’ve worked hard for it.

Bloggerizing the blog

Converting to the new blogger version, hopefully this works...if you don't see this, then something's gone wrong...

UPDATE: The switch went off without a hitch, for the most part, lost a few links and my flickr photostream badge, will get those back on...

It's a...

...BOY! And he's hung like a 5 year old...

Swept Away

At first, the way of your love
seemed easy,

I thought I'd reach
your union
with speed.

After taking a few steps,
I found
the way
is an ocean.

When I stepped in,
a wave swept me away.

Awhad al-Din Kirmani

OMG! I caused 9/11!

My bad.

OK, suppose we take for granted D'Souza's logic: We liberals are the source of the cultural animus to which the jihadis are violently opposed.

Doesn't that, by the same logic, place right-wingers like D'Souza and the whole range of conservative ideologues on the side of Al Qaeda?

Isn't he essentially saying that the terrorists are right to have this animus?

Isn't his solution -- suppressing liberalism -- essentially a capitulation to the anti-democratic "Islamofascism" everyone else on the right has been steadily denouncing?

Good question.

Ciudad del Lago

Ericka over at The Outer Limits has been blogging about my adopted neighborhood for awhile now. I'm just now starting to appreciate what Lake City offers, at least in the way of food. My faves so far:

Minoo Bakery
Toyoda Sushi (I feel bad about spreading the word about this one, but what the hey).
Mad Pizza (Better than Romio's IMO)
Thai One On

BiziBee Floral (not food, but Justin and Heather are awesome)

Fortunately, Lake City has most everything covered, except maybe home improvement, so I don't have to drive or walk very far to get what I need. And while Fred Meyer is owned by an evil out of state corporation (ask Brice about their employee perks), it's hella convenient and affordable.

Possible Wedding Announcement

Original photo from James Tran

Stay on task, Blanquera

As word gets out about Ray Ray, it's like the advice floodgates have opened; pop those folates like candy, doulas vs. midwives vs. regular doctors, daycare centers, etc. The one nugget that I'm holding on to goes like this (via SK): I want to be a better parent than mine were for me, by just a little bit; having gotten me this far, they must have done something right, but improve on maybe one aspect. What that means in practice I don't know yet, but it's a start.

Had a little scare today, I think everything's ok though. More later.