In the process of soliciting ideas for posts, I received a number of fabulous suggestions. Where to start? :-) Tabitha mentioned talking about my favorite (and least favorite) toys. Sounds like a good a place as any to start!
When it comes down to it, my basic thought is: I'd rather have the "real deal" than something fake. Toys tend to be cold (brr!) and, in the case of battery-operated devices, too hard for comfort. Yes, there really is such a thing :-P It is also why I prefer a nice "soft" rubber/gel dildo to a vibrator. Besides, if I wanted vibrations I could just put my phone on silent mode and stick it down there ;-P
However. This doesn't mean that you can't have fun with them. There's a sufficient variety of toys out there that there's always something for someone, right?
Here's a few I've used over the years:
One toy I ended up enjoying more for hygienic purposes was a hollow pink dildo full of holes, attached to some tubing that was meant to be screwed onto a shower. Turn the water on, and you have a very pretty sprinkler-like effect. Shove it where the sun don't shine, and you've got an instant enema. First time I ever used it, the side effect of always having to rush to the toilet afterward was more amusing than anything. Never got any erotic pleasure out of it, but man, did it clean you out! And when you're doing other things up there, it's prudent to keep clean, and that little thing did the trick ;-)
I also had double-headed dildo, gel-like in appearance. A friend once relayed a story about how she and her husband used one simultaneously-- each taking one end while they faced each other. They had a lot of fun with it. Me, I once tried folding my double-edged sword in half and using both heads simultaneously on myself. It was the closest I'd ever gotten to trying DP. Wasn't too successful, probably because I ended up laughing too much at how funny it looked and how lame my attempts were (hey! that thing was stiff and not very easy or wieldy to bend!), but hell-- that's the best part, isn't it? Being able to laugh and be silly and have FUN :-D
Finally, my favorite toy of all: the famous (infamous?) Vac-U-Lock strapon. At the time, it was just about the only strapon you could get. It was rather expensive, and limited in the variety of attachments you could put on it. But hey, this was 10 years ago, I'm sure things have changed in the world of strapons today. More variety, cheaper prices. Time to go shopping, methinks! And no matter what, it's very handy for, uh, turning the tables. Resulting in a surprisingly unique experience, too! Though I think I'll save that for another post, so be sure to stay tuned!
Then there's the ultimate, most expensive toy. It is warm, just the right size, and cannot be surpassed in realism. What do you suppose it is? Why none other than my very own human dildo, aka hubby! :-D (that reminds me of something I've always wanted to try-- one of those mold-your-own-penis kits. How's that for keeping it as realistic (and therefore, easier to use) as possible?)
Hmm... I'm a vaguely disappointed to read back on this and realize that I haven't really used all that many toys. Perhaps I should remedy that. What about you, dear readers? What are your favorites?
La Maison des Tortues: One third of the "heckled trio" writes...
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Strippers: Male or Female?
I've gotten some interesting feedback on my previous post, in which I announce my upcoming collection of sex-related posts. If you haven't stopped by to offer your ideas and suggestions, please do!
Some of my entries will be re-posts of stuff I've written before-- such as this one.
To start it off, I thought I'd begin with a fairly tame (comparatively speaking!) topic: strippers. Specifically, in the male form vs female form sense. This old cartoon from the "Luann" comic strip reflects the post quite nicely:
A long time ago, my friend Lisa blogged about strippers and how she'd prefer to see a female stripper rather than a male stripper. She wanted to know if that made her weird. I thought about it, and I decided that no, she isn't weird and that yes, I agree with her way of thinking.
Now, don't get me wrong-- I can appreciate some good male eye candy as much as the next red-blooded heterosexual female. But when it comes to the fluid motion of a writhing stripper, the female form has a certain elegance that no man can rival. I mean, a woman has all these curves in all the right places, which make her and her dancing easy on the eyes. Women come in all shapes and sizes, and each has unique attributes that can be showcased nicely as she disrobes around the strip pole. A male stripper? Well, he'd better have a six-pack and buns of steel or he isn't going to attract many whistling viewers. (That's not to say that *I* personally am a fan of the muscled, rock-hard body, but the fact is, most women, and hence, most paying customers, are.)
I don't know-- maybe it's the fact that the female body, in all its femininity, is softer and more pleasing to the eyes. Or maybe it's the fact that there's more variety to look at. Maybe this variety allows women to dance in a number of versatile ways and still project sexiness. A man gyrating his hips and tossing his head back in a similar fashion... I dunno, that just sounds silly. It would seem that for a male stripper to project this same smoky sexiness, his movement routine would be more limited than a woman's.
All in all, while I wouldn't be averse to a girls' night out at a male strip club, a trip to a female strip club would suit me just as well.
On a side note-- one of the earlier times that hubby and I were in Las Vegas, we hit a fairly classy strip joint, and one of the women came up to us and offered me-- me! not my husband!-- a lap dance. I politely declined, but in retrospect, maybe I should've taken her up on the offer. Just to see what it entails. Perhaps even learn a few moves of my own. And to be able to tip her nicely for being so sweet and friendly :-)
(original post from Feb 8, 2006 (along with ensuing comments), is here: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=28049135&blogId=85892940)
Some of my entries will be re-posts of stuff I've written before-- such as this one.
To start it off, I thought I'd begin with a fairly tame (comparatively speaking!) topic: strippers. Specifically, in the male form vs female form sense. This old cartoon from the "Luann" comic strip reflects the post quite nicely:
A long time ago, my friend Lisa blogged about strippers and how she'd prefer to see a female stripper rather than a male stripper. She wanted to know if that made her weird. I thought about it, and I decided that no, she isn't weird and that yes, I agree with her way of thinking.
Now, don't get me wrong-- I can appreciate some good male eye candy as much as the next red-blooded heterosexual female. But when it comes to the fluid motion of a writhing stripper, the female form has a certain elegance that no man can rival. I mean, a woman has all these curves in all the right places, which make her and her dancing easy on the eyes. Women come in all shapes and sizes, and each has unique attributes that can be showcased nicely as she disrobes around the strip pole. A male stripper? Well, he'd better have a six-pack and buns of steel or he isn't going to attract many whistling viewers. (That's not to say that *I* personally am a fan of the muscled, rock-hard body, but the fact is, most women, and hence, most paying customers, are.)
I don't know-- maybe it's the fact that the female body, in all its femininity, is softer and more pleasing to the eyes. Or maybe it's the fact that there's more variety to look at. Maybe this variety allows women to dance in a number of versatile ways and still project sexiness. A man gyrating his hips and tossing his head back in a similar fashion... I dunno, that just sounds silly. It would seem that for a male stripper to project this same smoky sexiness, his movement routine would be more limited than a woman's.
All in all, while I wouldn't be averse to a girls' night out at a male strip club, a trip to a female strip club would suit me just as well.
On a side note-- one of the earlier times that hubby and I were in Las Vegas, we hit a fairly classy strip joint, and one of the women came up to us and offered me-- me! not my husband!-- a lap dance. I politely declined, but in retrospect, maybe I should've taken her up on the offer. Just to see what it entails. Perhaps even learn a few moves of my own. And to be able to tip her nicely for being so sweet and friendly :-)
(original post from Feb 8, 2006 (along with ensuing comments), is here: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=28049135&blogId=85892940)
Friday, April 23, 2010
A Month of Sex
This month, our pastor is doing a series called "A Month of Sex". So far, the sermons have been run-of-the-mill "save it till marriage" stuff, although our pastor at least offers a more enlightened view in that once you're married, there are no holds barred on your bedroom antics! ;-) Made for a lot of winks and nudges between me and hubby in the theater :-D
Last night I was perusing some of my older blog entries on Blogger and Myspace, and had a good laugh at some of the more risque ones. Granted, at the time, which was the height of my blogging days, the comments sections often ran away with more innuendo and hilarity than the original post, but both were fun to re-read just the same.
So I thought I would likewise start a blog series here with a similar theme-- "A Week of Sex". Or two, depending on how much I wind up writing about. Only instead of making it to a Biblical focus the way it's going on in church this month, I want to write about *anything* related to sex. For example, I've already decided to re-post some of my older entries (many from 3-4 years ago) here, so I've got a few topics, such as strippers (and why I'd prefer to see a woman on stage instead of a man) and adult movies (where I question women's hangups with it), in mind already, as a start.
This is where you, dear readers, come in. Despite what some of you may know about me, I can't come up with all the topics by myself. I need ideas. I need inspiration. I need good blog fodder, and I'm opening this up to your suggestions. I know a lot of you (especially my email subscribers) read this but don't comment, so I'm inviting you out of the woodwork now. What should I write about it? Any suggestions are welcome, at any level of detail.
Don't be shy-- let's make this a concerted effort! :-)
Last night I was perusing some of my older blog entries on Blogger and Myspace, and had a good laugh at some of the more risque ones. Granted, at the time, which was the height of my blogging days, the comments sections often ran away with more innuendo and hilarity than the original post, but both were fun to re-read just the same.
So I thought I would likewise start a blog series here with a similar theme-- "A Week of Sex". Or two, depending on how much I wind up writing about. Only instead of making it to a Biblical focus the way it's going on in church this month, I want to write about *anything* related to sex. For example, I've already decided to re-post some of my older entries (many from 3-4 years ago) here, so I've got a few topics, such as strippers (and why I'd prefer to see a woman on stage instead of a man) and adult movies (where I question women's hangups with it), in mind already, as a start.
This is where you, dear readers, come in. Despite what some of you may know about me, I can't come up with all the topics by myself. I need ideas. I need inspiration. I need good blog fodder, and I'm opening this up to your suggestions. I know a lot of you (especially my email subscribers) read this but don't comment, so I'm inviting you out of the woodwork now. What should I write about it? Any suggestions are welcome, at any level of detail.
Don't be shy-- let's make this a concerted effort! :-)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Eating Healthfully and Frugally
Ever since the day I played SAHM a couple weeks ago, I've decided that the kitchen is no longer the alien, enemy domain I had always regarded it as. I enjoyed being inspired by recipes I encountered not only in cookbooks and cooking magazines, but home decorating magazines, Reader's Digest, random blogs and other places on the Web. I enjoyed shopping for wholesome, fresh ingredients while planning those meals. And I enjoyed puttering around the kitchen, experimenting, trying different things, trying new things, learning from my mistakes.
As many busy households are prone to do, we found ourselves ordering takeout far more often than we liked. Instead of the occasional weekend treat, it was starting to become a staple. Not only was that less healthful all around, but it was definitely making a dent in our pocketbook! You wouldn't think it made that much of a difference, but a few dollars here, a few buck there, and it starts adding up! Trust me, I settle the bills every month, I see it all!
Now we're making a more conscientious effort to eat fresh, home-cooked meals as often as possible. And since I've discovered a newfound enjoyment in the process, I thought it might be a good idea to start cataloging some of my experiments. So I started up a food/cooking blog:
http://lycheesilk.blogspot.com
If you're wondering about the name, read the "About" section of the blog to learn more :-)
Chronicling the various culinary adventures was fun enough, if only to log the various things I'd tried, for future reference. Blogging about my newest creations keeps the motivation going. Then I discovered another motivating factor: breaking down the actual cost of each meal. It's amazing how cost-effective cooking at home can be! I mean, it's always been a given that it's cheaper than eating out, but I never truly realized just how MUCH you save. $5-7 for a home-cooked meal that serves all 3 of us (plus usually enough left over for Todd's lunch at school the next day)? You'd have to order solely off the dollar menu at McDonald's in order to get 3 meals out of that amount of money. And we all know how nutritious McDonald's is :-P
This afternoon Todd came home early, feeling ill and running a fever. I had to go home early and work from there while he rested on the couch. And since he would miss his swim lesson that evening, I suddenly had free time to make dinner. This time, instead of planning out recipes and shopping accordingly, I had to make do with what already had in the house. A quick search on the Web for some recipes, and I threw together my own improvisation of barley risotto. Although it wound up more soupy than intended, it still turned out pretty tasty :-9
Here's to more fun with future culinary adventures! And if you have any simple, nutritious, favorite recipes of your own to share, I'd love to hear them!
Bon Apetit!
As many busy households are prone to do, we found ourselves ordering takeout far more often than we liked. Instead of the occasional weekend treat, it was starting to become a staple. Not only was that less healthful all around, but it was definitely making a dent in our pocketbook! You wouldn't think it made that much of a difference, but a few dollars here, a few buck there, and it starts adding up! Trust me, I settle the bills every month, I see it all!
Now we're making a more conscientious effort to eat fresh, home-cooked meals as often as possible. And since I've discovered a newfound enjoyment in the process, I thought it might be a good idea to start cataloging some of my experiments. So I started up a food/cooking blog:
http://lycheesilk.blogspot.com
If you're wondering about the name, read the "About" section of the blog to learn more :-)
Chronicling the various culinary adventures was fun enough, if only to log the various things I'd tried, for future reference. Blogging about my newest creations keeps the motivation going. Then I discovered another motivating factor: breaking down the actual cost of each meal. It's amazing how cost-effective cooking at home can be! I mean, it's always been a given that it's cheaper than eating out, but I never truly realized just how MUCH you save. $5-7 for a home-cooked meal that serves all 3 of us (plus usually enough left over for Todd's lunch at school the next day)? You'd have to order solely off the dollar menu at McDonald's in order to get 3 meals out of that amount of money. And we all know how nutritious McDonald's is :-P
This afternoon Todd came home early, feeling ill and running a fever. I had to go home early and work from there while he rested on the couch. And since he would miss his swim lesson that evening, I suddenly had free time to make dinner. This time, instead of planning out recipes and shopping accordingly, I had to make do with what already had in the house. A quick search on the Web for some recipes, and I threw together my own improvisation of barley risotto. Although it wound up more soupy than intended, it still turned out pretty tasty :-9
Here's to more fun with future culinary adventures! And if you have any simple, nutritious, favorite recipes of your own to share, I'd love to hear them!
Bon Apetit!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Of Soundtracks and Movies
There's something about the senses that affect our memories. There's the obvious, dominant ones such as sight and sound, but the more subtle ones, such as taste and smell, still have powerful effects. So it is with movies-- we tend to remember the dialogue, the characters, the scenery... scarcely noticing the background music. The first time I ever really took note of a movie's soundtrack was with "American Graffiti"-- partly because I had to do a paper on it for my cinema studies class, but also because I particularly enjoyed all of the classic 1950s oldies in that soundtrack. When viewing the movie with the mindframe of paying special attention to the music for the purposes of my cinema paper, I started to appreciate the nuances that music provides to a scene. It really adds to it in the most subtle of ways. The right music can really enhance the movie experience.
And I noticed that with some of my favorite movies, the main "theme" song constantly played in my mind, evoking memories of the movie itself. Some examples:
1. "You've Got Mail"-- this one has a host of favorites, most notably "Dreams" by The Cranberries, but my absolute favorite is "Butterflies in the Subway" by George Fenton:
[audio http://soundtracks.pl/klipy/8.mp3]
This song sets the tone for the movie, as it is both light-hearted and classic in tune-- very fitting for the classy romance story that evolves amongst the scenery of picturesque New York City throughout the varying seasons of the year. It's one of those rare tunes I can listen to over and over again without tiring of it. I enjoy this song so much, in fact, that it is my current ring tone on my cell phone :-)
2. "Toy Story" -- as with many Disney/Pixar movies, Randy Newman's songs feature prominently, and his "You've Got A Friend in Me" is no exception:
[audio http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/6/23/1972260/You27ve20Got20A20Friend20In20Me.mp3]
Again, this light-hearted and fun tune really encompasses the heart of the story-- that no matter what, we'll always be friends. It's catchy to sing and the rendition (as posted here) of both Randy Newman and Lyle Lovett in duet really brings out the soul in the song... and the movie!
3. "Wall-E"-- I'd have to call the theme song to this "Put On Your Sunday Clothes", originally from the "Hello Dolly!" musical:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xwFohvgSqw&NR=1]
What a terrific juxtaposition of both the classic and the futuristic! Not to mention that this song is played so many times throughout the movie-- in the opening scene, and then all throughout, you can hear Wall-E cheerfully humming it as he goes about his chores. And when he's sitting on top of his truck, a silent, closed and plant-holding Eve next to him under the sun, you can hear the tune play as he spins his wheels. After watching Wall-E, I found myself humming this tune everywhere I went-- clearly, I had Wall-E on the brain :-)
4. "Ratatouille" -- what better song to associate with this movie than a lovely French one about food? Namely: "Le Festin", sung by Camille:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzzF15Qgaa0]
This song perfectly captures the essence of Paris, and of the movie-- romance and good food. It evokes all the charm that surrounds the glittering view of Paris, and its food references evoke an appetite as much as the movie itself does! Singing it, as I was prone to often do after watching this, transported me to this world where romance and good food are intertwined... the two definitely go hand in hand! Yum!
5. Over the Hedge-- in a movie where the animal antics revolve around stealing food from the humans, Ben Folds' "Heist" is exceedingly appropriate:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMaGgNpz6mk]
This is one of those upbeat tunes that goes perfectly with a compilation of scene snippets designed to compactly showcase the animals' pilfering activities throughout the week. Its lyrics capture the essence of this heist in the middle of the story: descriptions of a magical world with resplendent and endless sources of food ("what you take magically regenerates"), and a selfish kind of teamwork ("you scratch my back, I'll scratch my back too"). Again, I found myself singing this frequently after watching the movie a few times, and envisioning all the woodland creatures scurrying about. I'll never look at a suburban raccoon or squirrel the same way again after this!
So there you have it-- some of my favorite movie songs. The ones that come to mind often and really fit the corresponding movie well.
How about you? What are some of your soundtrack favorites?
And I noticed that with some of my favorite movies, the main "theme" song constantly played in my mind, evoking memories of the movie itself. Some examples:
1. "You've Got Mail"-- this one has a host of favorites, most notably "Dreams" by The Cranberries, but my absolute favorite is "Butterflies in the Subway" by George Fenton:
[audio http://soundtracks.pl/klipy/8.mp3]
This song sets the tone for the movie, as it is both light-hearted and classic in tune-- very fitting for the classy romance story that evolves amongst the scenery of picturesque New York City throughout the varying seasons of the year. It's one of those rare tunes I can listen to over and over again without tiring of it. I enjoy this song so much, in fact, that it is my current ring tone on my cell phone :-)
2. "Toy Story" -- as with many Disney/Pixar movies, Randy Newman's songs feature prominently, and his "You've Got A Friend in Me" is no exception:
[audio http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/6/23/1972260/You27ve20Got20A20Friend20In20Me.mp3]
Again, this light-hearted and fun tune really encompasses the heart of the story-- that no matter what, we'll always be friends. It's catchy to sing and the rendition (as posted here) of both Randy Newman and Lyle Lovett in duet really brings out the soul in the song... and the movie!
3. "Wall-E"-- I'd have to call the theme song to this "Put On Your Sunday Clothes", originally from the "Hello Dolly!" musical:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xwFohvgSqw&NR=1]
What a terrific juxtaposition of both the classic and the futuristic! Not to mention that this song is played so many times throughout the movie-- in the opening scene, and then all throughout, you can hear Wall-E cheerfully humming it as he goes about his chores. And when he's sitting on top of his truck, a silent, closed and plant-holding Eve next to him under the sun, you can hear the tune play as he spins his wheels. After watching Wall-E, I found myself humming this tune everywhere I went-- clearly, I had Wall-E on the brain :-)
4. "Ratatouille" -- what better song to associate with this movie than a lovely French one about food? Namely: "Le Festin", sung by Camille:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzzF15Qgaa0]
This song perfectly captures the essence of Paris, and of the movie-- romance and good food. It evokes all the charm that surrounds the glittering view of Paris, and its food references evoke an appetite as much as the movie itself does! Singing it, as I was prone to often do after watching this, transported me to this world where romance and good food are intertwined... the two definitely go hand in hand! Yum!
5. Over the Hedge-- in a movie where the animal antics revolve around stealing food from the humans, Ben Folds' "Heist" is exceedingly appropriate:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMaGgNpz6mk]
This is one of those upbeat tunes that goes perfectly with a compilation of scene snippets designed to compactly showcase the animals' pilfering activities throughout the week. Its lyrics capture the essence of this heist in the middle of the story: descriptions of a magical world with resplendent and endless sources of food ("what you take magically regenerates"), and a selfish kind of teamwork ("you scratch my back, I'll scratch my back too"). Again, I found myself singing this frequently after watching the movie a few times, and envisioning all the woodland creatures scurrying about. I'll never look at a suburban raccoon or squirrel the same way again after this!
So there you have it-- some of my favorite movie songs. The ones that come to mind often and really fit the corresponding movie well.
How about you? What are some of your soundtrack favorites?
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Thoughts on SAHM-hood
A while back I remember having a conversation with some friends, other couples, I'm sure... and the conversation somehow turned to careers after kids. I don't remember whom exactly I spoke with, but I do remember indicating that if I could stay home to be with Todd, I would, and they remarked: "Would you really?" i.e. would you really give up your job if you could afford it, in order to do so? I recall being interrupted by something/someone else before I could answer it, so I guess I could say this blog post delves into that question a bit more.
I admit don't have a whole lot of first-hand experience with being a stay-at-home Mom (aka "SAHM"). But I remember when Todd came to live with us full-time, and I remember disliking putting him into day care all day while we worked. He never really took to his new preschool in SB, and while the morning (preschool) portion was fine, the afternoon (day care) portions were not. He always came home dirty and snot-covered, had frequent accidents, rarely finished even half his lunch, and often played by himself in the corner. When he started kindergarten later that year, things weren't much better on the after-school-care front, and I addressed the stay-at-home vs. working-world question in a blog post during that time: http://heckledtrio.blogspot.com/2009/01/stay-at-home-vs-working-world.html (in fact, re-reading that post just now breaks my heart all over again)
Child care, while being the focal point in the discussion of staying at home vs. working, is not the only issue. I've lost count of how many times we've simply heated up frozen dinners or bought take-out because we were too exhausted at the end of the day to cook healthful food. Even some of the home-cooked meals contained some pre-packaged, processed food in the name of efficiency, especially when Todd's activities kept us out so late, getting dinner ready quickly was time-essential. Not only were we spending more than we liked, but we weren't eating very healthfully as a family. Another issue was just time, itself-- because Allan and I work till at least 5pm most days, any after-school activities would have to occur after that time. I must've called a dozen martial arts studios before finding one that offered kid classes that "late"... which enables Todd to attend, but also brings us home much later afterward... and with much less time to enjoy hanging out as a family before the dinner-shower-go-to-bed rush for the little man is upon us. Everything is always so rushed.
Yesterday I got a chance to experience SAHM-hood to a much larger extent than I ever had, because the day consisted of daily chores and errands, rather than a special day off, spent out somewhere with the boy. I discovered at the last minute that Todd's Spring Break lasted through Monday, and he didn't start school again until today. So I took the day off yesterday to hang out with him.
We hit the library for books to keep him entertained, and went grocery shopping for all sorts of healthful meal ingredients. I cooked lunch from scratch, Allan came home from work at noon, and we all enjoyed a hot meal together at home. I cooked dinner as well, and kept the kitchen clean-- an endless process! The meals seem to blend together into one looong timeframe when you include prep, cooking and washing up afterward. No sooner are you done cleaning up after one meal, than it's time to start prepping for the next. Todd helped me clean the house. I helped him with his homework. I folded laundry, though I didn't get a chance to wash the bedding or do the ironing that I'd planned. By 10:30 pm, after having been on full-throttle for 12 hours with only a 20-minute break in the midst of all of it, I had given up.
It was a busy, busy, busy day-- and I didn't even get to spend as much one-on-one time with Todd as I had anticipated... I was too busy with all the household stuff. I was tired by the end of it, but it was a good sort of tired-- I felt that I'd had a productive day. I found that though I worked pretty hard (a lot harder than sitting in front of a computer all day!) I felt good about it. I liked making sure the family had good things to eat. I enjoyed making the meals and cleaning up and generally making a nice, comfortable home for my two boys.
And I could see why being a SAHM is one of the hardest jobs there ever is! I mean, Allan and I work pretty hard balancing both a job and the daily household chores, but it's different somehow. With a 9-to-5 job, once you quit for the day, you leave the office, you leave your work behind you, you wind down at home and don't have to do work or even think about it. But with a SAHM, that distinction does not exist-- the day continues, the chores continue, and you just don't get that sort of break.
Still... I would have to say that yesterday's activities were rewarding enough that my answer still stays the same: if we could afford to, I would be a SAHM. I think the family as a whole would be a lot less stressed. Not to discount our blessings-- having everything: work, school, after-school, home, all in close proximity to each other, working for a flexible company at jobs that aren't terribly stressful themselves, dividing up the chores evenly so they still get done everyday, etc. We're pretty lucky to be where we are with respect to all those factors, period. But I think my penchant for organization lends itself well to the job of running a household, and merely the effect on Todd for one day was noticeable-- such a happy, relaxed kid! Definitely worth it. Maybe someday...
I admit don't have a whole lot of first-hand experience with being a stay-at-home Mom (aka "SAHM"). But I remember when Todd came to live with us full-time, and I remember disliking putting him into day care all day while we worked. He never really took to his new preschool in SB, and while the morning (preschool) portion was fine, the afternoon (day care) portions were not. He always came home dirty and snot-covered, had frequent accidents, rarely finished even half his lunch, and often played by himself in the corner. When he started kindergarten later that year, things weren't much better on the after-school-care front, and I addressed the stay-at-home vs. working-world question in a blog post during that time: http://heckledtrio.blogspot.com/2009/01/stay-at-home-vs-working-world.html (in fact, re-reading that post just now breaks my heart all over again)
Child care, while being the focal point in the discussion of staying at home vs. working, is not the only issue. I've lost count of how many times we've simply heated up frozen dinners or bought take-out because we were too exhausted at the end of the day to cook healthful food. Even some of the home-cooked meals contained some pre-packaged, processed food in the name of efficiency, especially when Todd's activities kept us out so late, getting dinner ready quickly was time-essential. Not only were we spending more than we liked, but we weren't eating very healthfully as a family. Another issue was just time, itself-- because Allan and I work till at least 5pm most days, any after-school activities would have to occur after that time. I must've called a dozen martial arts studios before finding one that offered kid classes that "late"... which enables Todd to attend, but also brings us home much later afterward... and with much less time to enjoy hanging out as a family before the dinner-shower-go-to-bed rush for the little man is upon us. Everything is always so rushed.
Yesterday I got a chance to experience SAHM-hood to a much larger extent than I ever had, because the day consisted of daily chores and errands, rather than a special day off, spent out somewhere with the boy. I discovered at the last minute that Todd's Spring Break lasted through Monday, and he didn't start school again until today. So I took the day off yesterday to hang out with him.
We hit the library for books to keep him entertained, and went grocery shopping for all sorts of healthful meal ingredients. I cooked lunch from scratch, Allan came home from work at noon, and we all enjoyed a hot meal together at home. I cooked dinner as well, and kept the kitchen clean-- an endless process! The meals seem to blend together into one looong timeframe when you include prep, cooking and washing up afterward. No sooner are you done cleaning up after one meal, than it's time to start prepping for the next. Todd helped me clean the house. I helped him with his homework. I folded laundry, though I didn't get a chance to wash the bedding or do the ironing that I'd planned. By 10:30 pm, after having been on full-throttle for 12 hours with only a 20-minute break in the midst of all of it, I had given up.
It was a busy, busy, busy day-- and I didn't even get to spend as much one-on-one time with Todd as I had anticipated... I was too busy with all the household stuff. I was tired by the end of it, but it was a good sort of tired-- I felt that I'd had a productive day. I found that though I worked pretty hard (a lot harder than sitting in front of a computer all day!) I felt good about it. I liked making sure the family had good things to eat. I enjoyed making the meals and cleaning up and generally making a nice, comfortable home for my two boys.
And I could see why being a SAHM is one of the hardest jobs there ever is! I mean, Allan and I work pretty hard balancing both a job and the daily household chores, but it's different somehow. With a 9-to-5 job, once you quit for the day, you leave the office, you leave your work behind you, you wind down at home and don't have to do work or even think about it. But with a SAHM, that distinction does not exist-- the day continues, the chores continue, and you just don't get that sort of break.
Still... I would have to say that yesterday's activities were rewarding enough that my answer still stays the same: if we could afford to, I would be a SAHM. I think the family as a whole would be a lot less stressed. Not to discount our blessings-- having everything: work, school, after-school, home, all in close proximity to each other, working for a flexible company at jobs that aren't terribly stressful themselves, dividing up the chores evenly so they still get done everyday, etc. We're pretty lucky to be where we are with respect to all those factors, period. But I think my penchant for organization lends itself well to the job of running a household, and merely the effect on Todd for one day was noticeable-- such a happy, relaxed kid! Definitely worth it. Maybe someday...
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The Best Robe You'll Never Buy
We have a weekend subscription to the LA Times: every Thursday through Sunday we get the paper on our doorstep. The hefty Sunday paper is always chock full of extras I'll never peruse-- mostly store ads and coupons. Lately, though, I've been taking to carefully riffling through the coupon sections, because I've come across some really good ones, clipped them, and been able to save some serious money with them.
This past Sunday was no exception. I perused the paper as I sat at the dining table, eating my breakfast. No coupons of interest. Then I came across this one. I did a double-take, wondering if I was reading it correctly. You'll have to take a look for yourself-- yes, it was such a bizarre thing to find that I clipped it and scanned it (be sure to click on the pic for a larger image, and all the minute details):
I... am really not sure what to make of it! Clearly it was a joke-- perhaps it was printed too early for April Fool's Day? Or maybe it's right on time, since you don't normally find coupon clippers in the Thursday paper (April 1 is this Thursday). At first I thought it might be a very clever ad, and the *real* ad would be hidden somewhere in there. But try as I might, I could not find anything supporting this idea.
It looks really well done-- like a real ad, and anyone not paying close attention would've just mistaken it for another one of those "As Seen on TV" ads. The disclaimers become glaring only once you take a closer look. And pre-filling in the order form? Why do I get the feeling that it's an idiot-proof measure, to keep people who fail to see all those "not real" disclaimers from trying to submit an order form anyway? Why do I somehow suspect that this sort of ad has run before, people fell for it, and now they have their own version of "Warning: do not use hair dryer in the shower" label on it?
So... I still have no idea what it's supposed to mean. One thing's for certain: someone obviously had too much time on their hands!
This past Sunday was no exception. I perused the paper as I sat at the dining table, eating my breakfast. No coupons of interest. Then I came across this one. I did a double-take, wondering if I was reading it correctly. You'll have to take a look for yourself-- yes, it was such a bizarre thing to find that I clipped it and scanned it (be sure to click on the pic for a larger image, and all the minute details):
I... am really not sure what to make of it! Clearly it was a joke-- perhaps it was printed too early for April Fool's Day? Or maybe it's right on time, since you don't normally find coupon clippers in the Thursday paper (April 1 is this Thursday). At first I thought it might be a very clever ad, and the *real* ad would be hidden somewhere in there. But try as I might, I could not find anything supporting this idea.
It looks really well done-- like a real ad, and anyone not paying close attention would've just mistaken it for another one of those "As Seen on TV" ads. The disclaimers become glaring only once you take a closer look. And pre-filling in the order form? Why do I get the feeling that it's an idiot-proof measure, to keep people who fail to see all those "not real" disclaimers from trying to submit an order form anyway? Why do I somehow suspect that this sort of ad has run before, people fell for it, and now they have their own version of "Warning: do not use hair dryer in the shower" label on it?
So... I still have no idea what it's supposed to mean. One thing's for certain: someone obviously had too much time on their hands!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Passing Notes, Modern Style
Remember when you were in school, and you used to pass notes to your classmates? This was in the day before cell phones became so prevalent across high school campuses, and well before text messages.
Well, today Allan and I were in a meeting that got a little boring. Part of it was the subject matter, and part of it was the speaker, and part of it was the fact that the speaker was remote, so instead of having a live, talking, moving human being to at least focus on, all we had to stare at was the screen with the presentation slides, and a disembodied voice emanating from the speakers in the ceiling.
We'd whisper to each other, but that isn't easy to do or keep surreptitious. So I asked him to bring up a Notepad-style app on his phone so we could converse that way. It was almost like IMing each other... except we could look over each other's shoulders as we typed. I'd type on one line, and Allan would type on the next line:
(Helly in red, Allan in blue)
Look we can pass notes
Haha
We're naughty
How naughty? ;-)
Naughty enough. does this remind you of school days
don't know too long ago
Lol. I should blog this. Save and send: )
It all reminded me a bit of our recent trip to Vegas, where I lost most of my voice on the first day, and had to resort to using Allan's phone to type casual messages to him at the breakfast table... and try to save what little voice I had left.
So there you have it. Passing notes, updated a little from the old-school style of pen-and-paper. Ain't technology grand? ;-)
Well, today Allan and I were in a meeting that got a little boring. Part of it was the subject matter, and part of it was the speaker, and part of it was the fact that the speaker was remote, so instead of having a live, talking, moving human being to at least focus on, all we had to stare at was the screen with the presentation slides, and a disembodied voice emanating from the speakers in the ceiling.
We'd whisper to each other, but that isn't easy to do or keep surreptitious. So I asked him to bring up a Notepad-style app on his phone so we could converse that way. It was almost like IMing each other... except we could look over each other's shoulders as we typed. I'd type on one line, and Allan would type on the next line:
(Helly in red, Allan in blue)
Look we can pass notes
Haha
We're naughty
How naughty? ;-)
Naughty enough. does this remind you of school days
don't know too long ago
Lol. I should blog this. Save and send: )
It all reminded me a bit of our recent trip to Vegas, where I lost most of my voice on the first day, and had to resort to using Allan's phone to type casual messages to him at the breakfast table... and try to save what little voice I had left.
So there you have it. Passing notes, updated a little from the old-school style of pen-and-paper. Ain't technology grand? ;-)
Saturday, March 27, 2010
TMI Toilet Tales
Warning: TMI follows. Do not read if you're squeamish about things that the title implies.
Our friend Joe has a penchant for Tweeting about his toilet-based gastrointestinal adventures. More poetic than disgusting, they are good for a chuckle... or a groan. They certainly lend credence to his threats to eat cabbage when things go awry!
Well, this past couple of days have provided some fodder for my own similar statuses/Tweets. Only they weren't so funny.
Wednesday evening we had dinner at my parents' house, after a day of shopping and dentist appointments in the Valley. The food was delicious-- miso soup with tofu and wakame, fried sea bass, fingerling potatoes and green beans. We went to bed satisfied and slept well. The next day, the adventures began. Todd was still in his pajamas, watching some Saturday morning television, when my mother noticed a funny odor coming from where he was. She noticed that his pants were not only wet, but stained and orangeish brown. It appeared to be diarrhea. Cleaned him up, changed him, disinfected the areas where he had sat, and all was well. Couple hours later, Todd went to the bathroom, as he normally does... only this time he decided to check the bowl (after the previous mishap) and called out to tell us that it had happened again-- there in the toilet, were orange globs of oil. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was. It wasn't diarrhea, it was simply... orange oil drops! Some of it had leaked onto his underwear, so I changed him yet again and sent him on his merry way.
That evening (Thursday) I arrived home in Santa Barbara and went about my business, making a stop in the bathroom which entailed bringing in a magazine to read. Well, when I was finished, I took a quick peek in the bowl, as I always do to make sure there isn't anything alarming going on down there. Well, aside from a bit of softness that was probably the result of drinking more liquids than usual that day, I noticed some oil, as well. It was especially prominent on the toilet paper. And it was about the color you would expect when you mix orange and, well... brown. Obviously this was the same thing that had happened to my son.
So I got on the computer and Googled "orange oil in stool", where I came across a bevy of blog posts, articles and government advisories on a fish called escolar, the oil of which is indigestible by about 1/3 of the human population. The common effect of escolar consumption on such people? Leakage of orange drops of oil! But... we had eaten sea bass, which isn't known to cause such an effect. Or so we thought (about the bass)... turns out that escolar is commonly mislabeled as other fish, such as orange roughy (a perch), butterfish, and... *drumroll* sea bass. I remembered that my mom had mentioned that had gotten this "sea bass" on sale-- less than half the price it normally is. I suspected that we had actually fallen victim to this mislabeling, and that what we had thought was bass was actually escolar.
Friday arrives and my body is still processing the fish I had for lunch on Thursday, before I left my parents' home to return to SB, still in the dark about what fun this meal would unleash. I had to go home during my lunch break to change my underwear because the damned stuff leaked without my even being aware of it! It's still coming out when I go to the bathroom-- even if I'm only peeing. My mom called me earlier that day (I had called her Thursday night, to tell her of my immediate Google findings) to report that she, too, had some oil in the stool and was leaking. As of Friday evening, neither Allan nor my dad have reported anything unusual, fingers crossed that it stays that way.
Anyway... lesson learned? Stay away from escolar if ever you come across it on some menu somewhere. And beware of white-fleshed fish priced much cheaper than it normally is. Sea bass normally $9/lb now costing less than $4/lb (and smaller, too)? There's a chance it's not really sea bass. There's a reason this stuff is banned in Japan. I'm just grateful that, given that the side effects could be much worse (nausea, actual diarrhea, vomiting) all my family has experienced is some annoying and inconveniencing oil leakage. I hope that my body finishes processing all this stuff and allows me to be free and clear soon. In the meantime, extra padding is my friend...
Our friend Joe has a penchant for Tweeting about his toilet-based gastrointestinal adventures. More poetic than disgusting, they are good for a chuckle... or a groan. They certainly lend credence to his threats to eat cabbage when things go awry!
Well, this past couple of days have provided some fodder for my own similar statuses/Tweets. Only they weren't so funny.
Wednesday evening we had dinner at my parents' house, after a day of shopping and dentist appointments in the Valley. The food was delicious-- miso soup with tofu and wakame, fried sea bass, fingerling potatoes and green beans. We went to bed satisfied and slept well. The next day, the adventures began. Todd was still in his pajamas, watching some Saturday morning television, when my mother noticed a funny odor coming from where he was. She noticed that his pants were not only wet, but stained and orangeish brown. It appeared to be diarrhea. Cleaned him up, changed him, disinfected the areas where he had sat, and all was well. Couple hours later, Todd went to the bathroom, as he normally does... only this time he decided to check the bowl (after the previous mishap) and called out to tell us that it had happened again-- there in the toilet, were orange globs of oil. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was. It wasn't diarrhea, it was simply... orange oil drops! Some of it had leaked onto his underwear, so I changed him yet again and sent him on his merry way.
That evening (Thursday) I arrived home in Santa Barbara and went about my business, making a stop in the bathroom which entailed bringing in a magazine to read. Well, when I was finished, I took a quick peek in the bowl, as I always do to make sure there isn't anything alarming going on down there. Well, aside from a bit of softness that was probably the result of drinking more liquids than usual that day, I noticed some oil, as well. It was especially prominent on the toilet paper. And it was about the color you would expect when you mix orange and, well... brown. Obviously this was the same thing that had happened to my son.
So I got on the computer and Googled "orange oil in stool", where I came across a bevy of blog posts, articles and government advisories on a fish called escolar, the oil of which is indigestible by about 1/3 of the human population. The common effect of escolar consumption on such people? Leakage of orange drops of oil! But... we had eaten sea bass, which isn't known to cause such an effect. Or so we thought (about the bass)... turns out that escolar is commonly mislabeled as other fish, such as orange roughy (a perch), butterfish, and... *drumroll* sea bass. I remembered that my mom had mentioned that had gotten this "sea bass" on sale-- less than half the price it normally is. I suspected that we had actually fallen victim to this mislabeling, and that what we had thought was bass was actually escolar.
Friday arrives and my body is still processing the fish I had for lunch on Thursday, before I left my parents' home to return to SB, still in the dark about what fun this meal would unleash. I had to go home during my lunch break to change my underwear because the damned stuff leaked without my even being aware of it! It's still coming out when I go to the bathroom-- even if I'm only peeing. My mom called me earlier that day (I had called her Thursday night, to tell her of my immediate Google findings) to report that she, too, had some oil in the stool and was leaking. As of Friday evening, neither Allan nor my dad have reported anything unusual, fingers crossed that it stays that way.
Anyway... lesson learned? Stay away from escolar if ever you come across it on some menu somewhere. And beware of white-fleshed fish priced much cheaper than it normally is. Sea bass normally $9/lb now costing less than $4/lb (and smaller, too)? There's a chance it's not really sea bass. There's a reason this stuff is banned in Japan. I'm just grateful that, given that the side effects could be much worse (nausea, actual diarrhea, vomiting) all my family has experienced is some annoying and inconveniencing oil leakage. I hope that my body finishes processing all this stuff and allows me to be free and clear soon. In the meantime, extra padding is my friend...
Friday, March 26, 2010
Busy Birthday Week
Whew! What a week! I worked Monday and am at work today (Friday), but took some time off in between. I'm sure I'll be ready for the weekend after today, though ;-)
We started off early Tuesday morning, getting up at Allan and Todd's usual 7am. I was up late the night before, packing, so I wasn't in much of a mood to be roused, but we had no choice. We left at 8am, dropped my car off at the Goleta train station, and drove off to Anaheim toward... Disneyland! It was the day of Allan's 40th birthday, and in celebration of this milestone, we opted to relive his rapidly-fading youth by visiting the "Happiest place on earth". We drove to our hotel, where we got our parking permit and walked half a mile down Harbor Blvd toward the main Disney entrance. After grabbing some eye-poppingly-expensive lunch, we met with Joe and Tabitha and, shortly thereafter, Amir and Priyanka. It wound up being the perfect number of people. I think if our little gaggle of 7 had gotten any larger, it would've been too difficult to maintain and stick together peacefully :-)
At some point we got in line for Todd's first real roller coaster ride-- Thunder Mountain-- only to be turned around once we were in line for a few minutes, because the ride got shut down for some reason. Bummer! We still enjoyed all sorts of other rides and activities. One of the most notable was the teacups, which Amir initially elected to sit out, not being a fan of self-induced dizziness. But when Todd expressed disappointment because he had looked forward to riding with him, Amir good-naturedly decidedly to join us at the last minute :-) Unfortunately, the teacups were too small for all 5 of us (me, Allan, Todd, Amir and Priyanka) to sit in-- mostly because of that freak named Allan :-P So Amir and Priyanka hopped out to another teacup, but since the whole point of them joining us was because Todd wanted it, he joined them, too. And of course, he wanted one of us to be with him, so I hopped out and joined them... leaving poor Allan all alone in his own teacup! :-D
Afterward we trooped back to our hotel, where we met Allan's family for dinner at a tapas-style restaurant. The food was delicious and the company was awesome-- we all had a really good time, mostly at the birthday boy's expense ;-) What an eclectic mix of people in our lives-- friends from church, friends from work, and family. After dinner we collapsed in our hotel room and bathed the boy just in time to step out to the back of the hotel and enjoy a splendid view (and sound!) of the Disney fireworks. What a great way to end the day.
Next day, we got up and made our way to Van Nuys for our semi-annual dentist appointments, and then to my parents' house for dinner and some more rest. The next morning, Allan headed out to San Bernardino while I slept in and caught the Amtrak train from Van Nuys to Goleta. I *barely* made it on the train on time-- we arrived at the station one minute before the train arrived, and I was still trying to find the kiosk that would print out the ticket I'd reserved online a week earlier! Fortunately I found it, printed out my ticket, made a mad dash across the platform, and boarded the train just in time to find a seat and have the train pull out of the station as I sat down. I saw my mom's car still waiting in the passenger drop-off zone as we passed by it, waiting to make sure I'd made it safely on. I enjoyed a nice, relaxing trip back to SB, reading and snoozing and enjoying the sights of the ocean and mountains. Not something I'd be able to do if I were to drive that same stretch!
I arrived at the Goleta station just in time to hop in my car (which was still parked safely there after 2 nights) and drive to Luigi's Pizza for a parent meeting with the headmaster of Todd's school, mostly discussing finances and fundraising strategies for the coming year. It was nice not to have to worry about what to do for dinner, at least :-)
And now I shall look forward to finishing up work and going home this evening to enjoy a couple days to myself in the apartment. No boys, since Allan will still be in LA at least through Saturday. Ahhhh.... peace, quiet, and a clean home! :-D
We started off early Tuesday morning, getting up at Allan and Todd's usual 7am. I was up late the night before, packing, so I wasn't in much of a mood to be roused, but we had no choice. We left at 8am, dropped my car off at the Goleta train station, and drove off to Anaheim toward... Disneyland! It was the day of Allan's 40th birthday, and in celebration of this milestone, we opted to relive his rapidly-fading youth by visiting the "Happiest place on earth". We drove to our hotel, where we got our parking permit and walked half a mile down Harbor Blvd toward the main Disney entrance. After grabbing some eye-poppingly-expensive lunch, we met with Joe and Tabitha and, shortly thereafter, Amir and Priyanka. It wound up being the perfect number of people. I think if our little gaggle of 7 had gotten any larger, it would've been too difficult to maintain and stick together peacefully :-)
At some point we got in line for Todd's first real roller coaster ride-- Thunder Mountain-- only to be turned around once we were in line for a few minutes, because the ride got shut down for some reason. Bummer! We still enjoyed all sorts of other rides and activities. One of the most notable was the teacups, which Amir initially elected to sit out, not being a fan of self-induced dizziness. But when Todd expressed disappointment because he had looked forward to riding with him, Amir good-naturedly decidedly to join us at the last minute :-) Unfortunately, the teacups were too small for all 5 of us (me, Allan, Todd, Amir and Priyanka) to sit in-- mostly because of that freak named Allan :-P So Amir and Priyanka hopped out to another teacup, but since the whole point of them joining us was because Todd wanted it, he joined them, too. And of course, he wanted one of us to be with him, so I hopped out and joined them... leaving poor Allan all alone in his own teacup! :-D
Afterward we trooped back to our hotel, where we met Allan's family for dinner at a tapas-style restaurant. The food was delicious and the company was awesome-- we all had a really good time, mostly at the birthday boy's expense ;-) What an eclectic mix of people in our lives-- friends from church, friends from work, and family. After dinner we collapsed in our hotel room and bathed the boy just in time to step out to the back of the hotel and enjoy a splendid view (and sound!) of the Disney fireworks. What a great way to end the day.
Next day, we got up and made our way to Van Nuys for our semi-annual dentist appointments, and then to my parents' house for dinner and some more rest. The next morning, Allan headed out to San Bernardino while I slept in and caught the Amtrak train from Van Nuys to Goleta. I *barely* made it on the train on time-- we arrived at the station one minute before the train arrived, and I was still trying to find the kiosk that would print out the ticket I'd reserved online a week earlier! Fortunately I found it, printed out my ticket, made a mad dash across the platform, and boarded the train just in time to find a seat and have the train pull out of the station as I sat down. I saw my mom's car still waiting in the passenger drop-off zone as we passed by it, waiting to make sure I'd made it safely on. I enjoyed a nice, relaxing trip back to SB, reading and snoozing and enjoying the sights of the ocean and mountains. Not something I'd be able to do if I were to drive that same stretch!
I arrived at the Goleta station just in time to hop in my car (which was still parked safely there after 2 nights) and drive to Luigi's Pizza for a parent meeting with the headmaster of Todd's school, mostly discussing finances and fundraising strategies for the coming year. It was nice not to have to worry about what to do for dinner, at least :-)
And now I shall look forward to finishing up work and going home this evening to enjoy a couple days to myself in the apartment. No boys, since Allan will still be in LA at least through Saturday. Ahhhh.... peace, quiet, and a clean home! :-D
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Mid-March Updates
Hello, blog.
I can't believe it's been nearly two weeks since I've last spoken to you. It's been an insanely busy month.
We started off at the beginning of it by taking a volunteer day at our church's preschool, running errands and doing miscellaneous chores around the place. We worked hard, but also enjoyed ourselves. And we were rewarded with free tickets to Disneyland as part of Disney's Give-A-Day-Get-A-Day program. We were lucky we got our volunteer day in when we did, because a week or two later, Disney reached the maximum number of vouchers it was planning to give out this year for the program, and shut it down. What was the max? 1 million. That's right-- in the span of less than 3 months, 1 million people signed up. What I'm more curious about is how many of those people actually return to volunteering on their own. Someday, when Todd is older, I'd love to take him to the one of the animal shelters here and volunteer.
First weekend in March, we took a trip down to Rowland Heights, where Allan grew up. Friends that he's known since age 5 and now live far away were all in town at their mother's house that weekend, and he wanted to visit with them. Two of them we had already visited nearly 3 years ago, when we were going through Seattle on our way from Vancouver back down to Santa Barbara. The other kids there were either quite a bit older than Todd (ages 9 and 11) or quite a bit younger (ages 2.5 to baby) so there was nobody really his age to play with. We walked up the street a few houses to Allan's mother's house and visited with her and her dogs for a little while. It was nice to see folks we wouldn't otherwise see on a regular basis.
The following weekend (this past one), we again took a trip down to LA, to Sara and Jason's house in Topanga. Every March since 2003, Sara has held a St. Patrick's Day dinner at her place, serving boiled cabbage, potato leek soup and corned beef. The food is delicious, the desserts are divine, and the company is mad. These days, most of us have graduated and dispersed across the country, but enough of us are still in Southern California that we were able to see each other for the 8th annual dinner. We took Todd, who had a grand time playing with Sara's cat. I even tried stroking its super-soft fur, but apparently the cat knew that I wasn't overly fond of his ilk, for he flattened his ears and took a swipe at my hand! Yikes! I rest my case :-D
This week Allan has been busy with jury duty, which just happens to coincide with the one time at work where he actually has a hard deadline to meet (for once! He's really earning his paycheck now!), so he's getting little sleep himself these days, going to court in the daytime and working at night. We're really looking forward to this coming weekend, where we can do nothing but rest and relax... and then spend the week after that enjoying Disneyland for Allan's 40th birthday with friends and family!
By the time we get back and settled into the daily routine again, it will be Spring Break (yay for kid-less week!) and the end of March. Let's see if April is any less hectic than March, because May promises to be another busy busy month!
I can't believe it's been nearly two weeks since I've last spoken to you. It's been an insanely busy month.
We started off at the beginning of it by taking a volunteer day at our church's preschool, running errands and doing miscellaneous chores around the place. We worked hard, but also enjoyed ourselves. And we were rewarded with free tickets to Disneyland as part of Disney's Give-A-Day-Get-A-Day program. We were lucky we got our volunteer day in when we did, because a week or two later, Disney reached the maximum number of vouchers it was planning to give out this year for the program, and shut it down. What was the max? 1 million. That's right-- in the span of less than 3 months, 1 million people signed up. What I'm more curious about is how many of those people actually return to volunteering on their own. Someday, when Todd is older, I'd love to take him to the one of the animal shelters here and volunteer.
First weekend in March, we took a trip down to Rowland Heights, where Allan grew up. Friends that he's known since age 5 and now live far away were all in town at their mother's house that weekend, and he wanted to visit with them. Two of them we had already visited nearly 3 years ago, when we were going through Seattle on our way from Vancouver back down to Santa Barbara. The other kids there were either quite a bit older than Todd (ages 9 and 11) or quite a bit younger (ages 2.5 to baby) so there was nobody really his age to play with. We walked up the street a few houses to Allan's mother's house and visited with her and her dogs for a little while. It was nice to see folks we wouldn't otherwise see on a regular basis.
The following weekend (this past one), we again took a trip down to LA, to Sara and Jason's house in Topanga. Every March since 2003, Sara has held a St. Patrick's Day dinner at her place, serving boiled cabbage, potato leek soup and corned beef. The food is delicious, the desserts are divine, and the company is mad. These days, most of us have graduated and dispersed across the country, but enough of us are still in Southern California that we were able to see each other for the 8th annual dinner. We took Todd, who had a grand time playing with Sara's cat. I even tried stroking its super-soft fur, but apparently the cat knew that I wasn't overly fond of his ilk, for he flattened his ears and took a swipe at my hand! Yikes! I rest my case :-D
This week Allan has been busy with jury duty, which just happens to coincide with the one time at work where he actually has a hard deadline to meet (for once! He's really earning his paycheck now!), so he's getting little sleep himself these days, going to court in the daytime and working at night. We're really looking forward to this coming weekend, where we can do nothing but rest and relax... and then spend the week after that enjoying Disneyland for Allan's 40th birthday with friends and family!
By the time we get back and settled into the daily routine again, it will be Spring Break (yay for kid-less week!) and the end of March. Let's see if April is any less hectic than March, because May promises to be another busy busy month!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Getting Better With Age
Today's post comes from another plinky.com prompt:
What gets better with age? (Explain why older = better)
With Allan a few short weeks from reaching that age milestone that crosses the threshold to middle age, I thought this was a rather appropriate topic ;-)
The first thing that came to mind was wine, since everyone always talks about aged wine, but since I'm not much of a wine drinker, I wouldn't know. Still, along the lines of food and drink, I'd have to pick Red Vines. They taste much better stale than fresh! :-9 Similarly, hard and chewy gummy bears are delightful, as well!
A well-loved stuffed animal. These tend to be the ones favored by a small child, the animal that brought him/her joy and comfort throughout the years. Some of my favorite stuffed animals that I've possessed for 20+ years, though showing signs of wear ( = signs of love!), always remind me of how much I loved them (and still do), and always brings about pleasant feelings of nostalgia. And if it's still in good condition, it can be passed on to the next generation, along with old memories already built-in!
A good, classic book. Something you can enjoy at an early age, and then read again for the first time years later. I've been revisiting a lot of books that I read as a child or in high school, and memories of my reactions to them and the impact they had on me still lingered. Opening those same stories 15, 20, 25 years later not only brought back a flood of pleasant memories, but because I was reading them through older, wiser eyes, the stories seemed to have likewise magically evolved. My enjoyment of them only deepened.
Sex. This is just common sense. With more experience, you learn what works for you and your partner, and what doesn't.
On a more serious, philosophical note, I believe one's capacity to appreciate/enjoy things in life (both big and little) improves with age. When you're no longer rushing through life at the speed of light, high on youthful abandon, you start taking the time to stop and smell the roses. Pardon the terrible cliche, but it does sum it up. I've never been much for the arts or music (though I took art and piano lessons), and never saw anything beyond the practical value of foreign languages, but these days I'm coming to really realize and appreciate the beauty of such things. Age helps with that. And I think that's a large part of the driving force behind my creation of "Helly's List of Things to Learn" I posted about recently. Life is short. Make the best use of it while you can.
What gets better with age? (Explain why older = better)
With Allan a few short weeks from reaching that age milestone that crosses the threshold to middle age, I thought this was a rather appropriate topic ;-)
The first thing that came to mind was wine, since everyone always talks about aged wine, but since I'm not much of a wine drinker, I wouldn't know. Still, along the lines of food and drink, I'd have to pick Red Vines. They taste much better stale than fresh! :-9 Similarly, hard and chewy gummy bears are delightful, as well!
A well-loved stuffed animal. These tend to be the ones favored by a small child, the animal that brought him/her joy and comfort throughout the years. Some of my favorite stuffed animals that I've possessed for 20+ years, though showing signs of wear ( = signs of love!), always remind me of how much I loved them (and still do), and always brings about pleasant feelings of nostalgia. And if it's still in good condition, it can be passed on to the next generation, along with old memories already built-in!
A good, classic book. Something you can enjoy at an early age, and then read again for the first time years later. I've been revisiting a lot of books that I read as a child or in high school, and memories of my reactions to them and the impact they had on me still lingered. Opening those same stories 15, 20, 25 years later not only brought back a flood of pleasant memories, but because I was reading them through older, wiser eyes, the stories seemed to have likewise magically evolved. My enjoyment of them only deepened.
Sex. This is just common sense. With more experience, you learn what works for you and your partner, and what doesn't.
On a more serious, philosophical note, I believe one's capacity to appreciate/enjoy things in life (both big and little) improves with age. When you're no longer rushing through life at the speed of light, high on youthful abandon, you start taking the time to stop and smell the roses. Pardon the terrible cliche, but it does sum it up. I've never been much for the arts or music (though I took art and piano lessons), and never saw anything beyond the practical value of foreign languages, but these days I'm coming to really realize and appreciate the beauty of such things. Age helps with that. And I think that's a large part of the driving force behind my creation of "Helly's List of Things to Learn" I posted about recently. Life is short. Make the best use of it while you can.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Readin', Writin' and... Trainin'?
Last Tuesday, I attended a presentation sponsored by the Santa Barbara chapter of the STC (Society for Technical Communication) It was a discussion on Trends, Tools and Technologies of Software User Assistance (UA). This immediately piqued my interested. I've always had an interest in the field of training, having had experience with it in the military and in grad school. Since my background is in computer science, it seems natural that I could try to combine the two. But where? How? It's a known fact that I don't like kids, so grade school is out. Dealing with adolescents and teenagers? Don't even want to think about it. I'll have one of my own soon enough, thank you. College? Maybe, but there's no real job stability in that. University? No thank you. First of all, I'm not qualified, and second of all, professorships are oriented more towards research than teaching.
Two years ago I took a day-long career development course held onsite. It was primarily to help us identify our strengths and weaknesses, and apply them towards our current jobs. No surprise, I turned out to have an affinity for organization and attention to detail. At the end of the course, I approached the instructor and told her that, quite frankly, the job SHE had was my idea of an ideal job. Well, save for all the traveling. Maybe in my younger years, but not now, with a family. That's when she pointed out that a lot of organizations that sell products like we do have in-house staff to run training for its salespeople. I had never heard of that, and was glad she had mentioned it to me.
Later I discovered that our company actually has its own small, separate training department which currently trains and documents help files for our customers. I started researching it more, especially at the encouragement of my manager, who's really supportive of professional development endeavors. Fast forward to nearly 2 years later, where a discussion with my manager about upcoming goals (new year, new start!) brought about some concrete plans to pursue this further.
The presentation was rather informative. It revealed a whole word of possibilities in the area of technical communication. While a large part of the focus was on the technical writing aspect of it, there was clearly more to "software user assistance" than just writing help manuals. There were all kinds of parts to it, from the typical tech writing to online documentation to actual training. I got a brief introduction to some of the tools and standards out there, and I picked up a flier for the upcoming WritersUA conference in Seattle, WA. I also perused the STC's website and noticed that in May, they've got their annual conference in Dallas, TX. For both conferences, the seminars and workshops look really interesting. The STC conference especially has a lot of sessions devoted to the area of education and training. I'd really love to go. The conference alone would cost nearly $1800 (including the pre-conference overview certification, which would be ideal for a newbie like me), plus travel expenses on top of it. Since I'm not exactly working in the tech comm area, there isn't much justification for the company to foot the bill for it, but it was nice to take a peek at what's out there, learning-wise. Maybe next year. I'd certainly learn a lot!
In the meantime, my book on technical training finally arrived after a week on hold at the library, and I shall delve into it :-)
Two years ago I took a day-long career development course held onsite. It was primarily to help us identify our strengths and weaknesses, and apply them towards our current jobs. No surprise, I turned out to have an affinity for organization and attention to detail. At the end of the course, I approached the instructor and told her that, quite frankly, the job SHE had was my idea of an ideal job. Well, save for all the traveling. Maybe in my younger years, but not now, with a family. That's when she pointed out that a lot of organizations that sell products like we do have in-house staff to run training for its salespeople. I had never heard of that, and was glad she had mentioned it to me.
Later I discovered that our company actually has its own small, separate training department which currently trains and documents help files for our customers. I started researching it more, especially at the encouragement of my manager, who's really supportive of professional development endeavors. Fast forward to nearly 2 years later, where a discussion with my manager about upcoming goals (new year, new start!) brought about some concrete plans to pursue this further.
The presentation was rather informative. It revealed a whole word of possibilities in the area of technical communication. While a large part of the focus was on the technical writing aspect of it, there was clearly more to "software user assistance" than just writing help manuals. There were all kinds of parts to it, from the typical tech writing to online documentation to actual training. I got a brief introduction to some of the tools and standards out there, and I picked up a flier for the upcoming WritersUA conference in Seattle, WA. I also perused the STC's website and noticed that in May, they've got their annual conference in Dallas, TX. For both conferences, the seminars and workshops look really interesting. The STC conference especially has a lot of sessions devoted to the area of education and training. I'd really love to go. The conference alone would cost nearly $1800 (including the pre-conference overview certification, which would be ideal for a newbie like me), plus travel expenses on top of it. Since I'm not exactly working in the tech comm area, there isn't much justification for the company to foot the bill for it, but it was nice to take a peek at what's out there, learning-wise. Maybe next year. I'd certainly learn a lot!
In the meantime, my book on technical training finally arrived after a week on hold at the library, and I shall delve into it :-)
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday Night Randomness
We're still plagued by those pesky little 6-legged vultures. I would say "ants" but then Allan would make his "no uncles?" joke. Although the last time he did it, he was rebuffed by Todd correcting him, rather indignantly: "No, not A-U-N-T. Ants! A-N-T!" as if his Daddy was the biggest doofball in the world. Which can be rather accurate, but that's for another day of musing :-) The strange thing about these ants is that I can never detect a trail. Most of the time, with ant infestations, you can usually trace them back to where they came from. Just follow the trail. If you leave out an especially choice tidbit of food, the trail is thick and nicely visible. Find the nest, apply ant spray, and voila! Not these ants. They seem to appear out of nowhere, and leave no apparent trail. Even when we've left food out and dozens of ants are swarmed around, eating contentedly, that's all there is-- bunch of ants surrounding the food, and nowhere else. No incoming or outgoing trail to be detected. Stranger still is their behavior ON the food-- they just SIT there, motionless! Most swarming ants I've seen are, well, swarming. Moving. Wiggling. Picking up food and carrying it back. Showing signs of LIFE. They've also taken to appearing in the bathroom sink, no matter how much I've scrubbed it. It's bizarre.
In other animal news, today I caught my first glimpse of live snails here in the apartment complex. Usually all I run into around here are empty, crushed shells. Apparently last night rain brought them out in droves, and I spotted two of them crawling slowly across the pavement. One had almost reached its destination, but the other still had a long way to go. So I picked him up and gently moved him to the other side of the walkway, in the direction he was headed. Poor, hapless creature must've freaked out, as he retracted when I picked him up. Chalk up one less snail that got crunched underfoot today. I'm sure that when I have my own garden someday, I probably won't find snails as cute, but I still can't help feel sorry for them :-)
Tonight Allan tried out the voice recognition feature on his phone. Or, more accurately, I did. He set up an email to me, switched on the mic, and handed the phone to me. This is what I said:
I like turtles. Turtles say "ribbit"
I like dogs, too. Dogs say "arf, arf"
And seals say <insert barking seal noise here. I can't think of the appropriate letters to express the sound>
This is what was transcribed out of it:
I like turtles turtles favorite i like dogs too dont hate and he thinks
Yeah... needs a little tweaking, methinks ;-)
In other animal news, today I caught my first glimpse of live snails here in the apartment complex. Usually all I run into around here are empty, crushed shells. Apparently last night rain brought them out in droves, and I spotted two of them crawling slowly across the pavement. One had almost reached its destination, but the other still had a long way to go. So I picked him up and gently moved him to the other side of the walkway, in the direction he was headed. Poor, hapless creature must've freaked out, as he retracted when I picked him up. Chalk up one less snail that got crunched underfoot today. I'm sure that when I have my own garden someday, I probably won't find snails as cute, but I still can't help feel sorry for them :-)
Tonight Allan tried out the voice recognition feature on his phone. Or, more accurately, I did. He set up an email to me, switched on the mic, and handed the phone to me. This is what I said:
I like turtles. Turtles say "ribbit"
I like dogs, too. Dogs say "arf, arf"
And seals say <insert barking seal noise here. I can't think of the appropriate letters to express the sound>
This is what was transcribed out of it:
I like turtles turtles favorite i like dogs too dont hate and he thinks
Yeah... needs a little tweaking, methinks ;-)
Friday, February 19, 2010
A Story Without the Letter "L"
A recent Plinky prompt: A short story without the letter "L"
It's definitely harder than it looks, and I couldn't think of a decent storyline (watching out for those pesky Ls is distracting!), so I just rewrote a classic fairy tale, with a twist I got from a picture somewhere (if only I could find it!)
Here goes:
Whew! Let's just say I'm grateful the prompt didn't call for a story lacking the letter "E"! Eep! ;-)
It's definitely harder than it looks, and I couldn't think of a decent storyline (watching out for those pesky Ls is distracting!), so I just rewrote a classic fairy tale, with a twist I got from a picture somewhere (if only I could find it!)
Here goes:
Once upon a time there was a frog, who made a nearby pond his habitat. The pond was in the midst of the forest, and the frog enjoyed basking in the sun atop his green pad, and zapping bugs for food. One day, a pretty person of the XX-chromosome persuasion sat at the edge of the pond, tossing an amber sphere into the air. She wore a saddened expression on her face and threw the toy up and down in an absentminded fashion. In a sudden moment, the sphere escaped her grasp and dropped into the pond. She gasped in dismay and watched her favorite toy sink to the bottom of the pond. The frog heard her cries and hopped over to see what was wrong. Once she imparted what had happened, the frog dove to the bottom of the pond and retrieved the amber orb. She was so overjoyed she picked up the frog and kissed him. That's when she noticed the bright hues on the frog-- red, azure and saffron. She started to experience some strange sensations-- dizziness, then nausea, then her vision started to go dark. As she dropped to the ground her ending thoughts were of her kin and of the gorgeous but dangerous frog who had rescued her toy... at the expense of her very being. The poisonous frog gazed at her in a serene manner, took up the honey-hued orb and dove down into the water, adding it to his amassment of toys gathered from imprudent princesses who acted before thinking. The End.
Whew! Let's just say I'm grateful the prompt didn't call for a story lacking the letter "E"! Eep! ;-)
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