Friday, September 29, 2006
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Starting my morning with a brisk run ....
So, Day 2 of the train experiment continues. And I made it today, but barely. The auxiliary parking lot was full, so I had to park on the street, kinda down the road (hope I don't get a ticket). It wasn't far, really, but pretty far when I had to sprint it. Well ... sprint is relative. I ran as fast as I could and just barely made it. I ran so fast that I actually ended up coughing for half the train ride. It made me feel for my asthmatic boy. And it made me realize that I better make sure I leave the house by 7 and not 7:05.
Monday, September 18, 2006
"Sheep are insane"
So I'm spending a little time on the porcelain altar of concentration with the Entertainment Weekly fall movie guide and I come across this tidbit from Catherine Hardwicke, director of the upcoming "The Nativity Story," starring the excellent Keisha Castle-Hughes from "Whale Rider":
"Now the sheep come in," Hardwicke says, in the midst of her description of the challenges of staging the nativity. "Sheep are insane, mentally. They go into a spiraling vortex when they get agitated. It's the strangest phenomenon I have ever seen, and the most annoying."
Sheep. Yes, we put our kids on wooly spirally vortexes at the fair.
"Now the sheep come in," Hardwicke says, in the midst of her description of the challenges of staging the nativity. "Sheep are insane, mentally. They go into a spiraling vortex when they get agitated. It's the strangest phenomenon I have ever seen, and the most annoying."
Sheep. Yes, we put our kids on wooly spirally vortexes at the fair.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
The fair or (mutton) bust
We did a lot of fun things at the fair on Saturday. We milked a (fake) cow. We had a yard of lemonade (two, actually). We stared lovingly at someone's Thomas the Tank Engine collection in the hobby hall. We rode in "drivable" cars on the midway. We checked in with a put-upon mama pig and her piglets. We checked out all the crap for sale, and resisted the impulse to buy (though the dryer-vent-cleaning brush set will probably come home with us this week).
But all of those things have been completely overshadowed by the Mutton Busting. What is Mutton Busting? Well, it's like bull riding. For kids. But instead of bulls, the tots ride sheep. Sounds like fun, right? Well, it did. And as you can probably tell from the pictures that precede this entry, it was an adventure rich in anticipation. The boys weren't the least bit scared at the notion of riding semi-domesticated livestock, God bless 'em. They probably trusted us.
Here was my thought process. I saw and heard a crowd behind the rides. I took a peek. I saw a kid on a dirty, vaguely sheep-shaped streak in the ring. I thought, "How cool!" Our neighbor had talked it up, and hey ... what if our kids had mad rodeo-style skills, just waiting to be unleashed? I know: it's silly. But it probably won't be the last time.
The boys seemed excited at the prospect of sheep riding. Chas was even jumping up and down. They got a little less excited when we put the protective vests and full-face helmets on them. Then, they saw the first contestant go. And fall. The crowd went nuts, and so did Chas, who was supposed to go second. He started crying and screaming, so we pulled him off the sheep. And we tossed Eddie onto it. Eddie didn't cry, or seem upset. He just leaned over, grabbed a couple of handfuls of wool, and ...
Ended up on the ground, screaming, about 10 feet from the fence. It happened so fast. Cheryl captured the moment Ed went flying, and you can see that at her blog:
eddieandchasdiaries.blogspot.com
It's really something. Once I consoled my sobbing but seemingly undamaged boy, I reflected on the madness of what we had done. It seemed like such a relatively harmless if not good idea at the time. Not every kid can say they busted a mutton, after all. I'd like to say a lesson was learned, but I don't know ....
We'll just have to see what happens when trying something stupid and potentially injurious is THEIR idea.
But all of those things have been completely overshadowed by the Mutton Busting. What is Mutton Busting? Well, it's like bull riding. For kids. But instead of bulls, the tots ride sheep. Sounds like fun, right? Well, it did. And as you can probably tell from the pictures that precede this entry, it was an adventure rich in anticipation. The boys weren't the least bit scared at the notion of riding semi-domesticated livestock, God bless 'em. They probably trusted us.
Here was my thought process. I saw and heard a crowd behind the rides. I took a peek. I saw a kid on a dirty, vaguely sheep-shaped streak in the ring. I thought, "How cool!" Our neighbor had talked it up, and hey ... what if our kids had mad rodeo-style skills, just waiting to be unleashed? I know: it's silly. But it probably won't be the last time.
The boys seemed excited at the prospect of sheep riding. Chas was even jumping up and down. They got a little less excited when we put the protective vests and full-face helmets on them. Then, they saw the first contestant go. And fall. The crowd went nuts, and so did Chas, who was supposed to go second. He started crying and screaming, so we pulled him off the sheep. And we tossed Eddie onto it. Eddie didn't cry, or seem upset. He just leaned over, grabbed a couple of handfuls of wool, and ...
Ended up on the ground, screaming, about 10 feet from the fence. It happened so fast. Cheryl captured the moment Ed went flying, and you can see that at her blog:
eddieandchasdiaries.blogspot.com
It's really something. Once I consoled my sobbing but seemingly undamaged boy, I reflected on the madness of what we had done. It seemed like such a relatively harmless if not good idea at the time. Not every kid can say they busted a mutton, after all. I'd like to say a lesson was learned, but I don't know ....
We'll just have to see what happens when trying something stupid and potentially injurious is THEIR idea.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Friday, September 15, 2006
It's not just little boys who love trains ....
OK, so I just got on the train at the Puyallup station. It went really, really well, though I didn't have time to stop for a mega gulp. But that should not be the deal maker or breaker.
I'm sitting in a comfy chair with my computer on a nice, solid table …. Once again, I'm overcome with the notion that this is the only way to ride. And it doesn't cost me a dime, since my workplace provides the blessed FlexPass. Blessed, blessed Flexpass, ticket to trains, buses, and everything but boats.
It's true: I can work on my computer on the bus also. But that requires careful balancing, and frequently the light is so bad (or the glare, specifically) that I can barely see the screen. And the bouncing and turning can be downright discomfiting. Not so much is this the case on the train.
Just stopped at the Sumner station. Out the window, I can see a store called, seriously, Sumner Animal Grub. Now cruising toward Auburn, were I had previously caught the train. But downsides to the Auburn station were significant: Too many cars, not enough parking, too much traffic on the roads to get there …..
So, I think I'll be sticking to the Puyallup station. It took me 15 minutes to get there from home, and I had alloted myself 20, so I didn't have to sprint from the parking area or panic in any way. Fabulous. The only downside, if you can call it that, is that I can sleep later when I ride the bus, and it takes me slightly less time to get from home to the bus stop. Plus, if I miss the bus, there's another bus not far behind. The train I'm riding is the last of the a.m.
Did I mention how civilized I feel? I should be drinking tea.
Pros of the train: comfort, zero traffic, better for working, comfort,
Cons: Have to get up a half-hour earlier (but either way, the family's asleep when I go)
Pros of the bus: convenient, more time options
Cons: not always comfortable, traffic (which can stretch the trip into 1-1/2 hours), not easy to work, though it can be done
Just saw a fellow Big Internet Retailer employee, who I recognized by his badge. I never noticed badges in the city, but now I see that many people have them. Some hide them, some seem proud, some are just trying not to lose them. I'm usually the latter. I wonder if he's a regular. I think I may become one.
OK. Now I'm going to find out if the train is better for sleeping.
I'm sitting in a comfy chair with my computer on a nice, solid table …. Once again, I'm overcome with the notion that this is the only way to ride. And it doesn't cost me a dime, since my workplace provides the blessed FlexPass. Blessed, blessed Flexpass, ticket to trains, buses, and everything but boats.
It's true: I can work on my computer on the bus also. But that requires careful balancing, and frequently the light is so bad (or the glare, specifically) that I can barely see the screen. And the bouncing and turning can be downright discomfiting. Not so much is this the case on the train.
Just stopped at the Sumner station. Out the window, I can see a store called, seriously, Sumner Animal Grub. Now cruising toward Auburn, were I had previously caught the train. But downsides to the Auburn station were significant: Too many cars, not enough parking, too much traffic on the roads to get there …..
So, I think I'll be sticking to the Puyallup station. It took me 15 minutes to get there from home, and I had alloted myself 20, so I didn't have to sprint from the parking area or panic in any way. Fabulous. The only downside, if you can call it that, is that I can sleep later when I ride the bus, and it takes me slightly less time to get from home to the bus stop. Plus, if I miss the bus, there's another bus not far behind. The train I'm riding is the last of the a.m.
Did I mention how civilized I feel? I should be drinking tea.
Pros of the train: comfort, zero traffic, better for working, comfort,
Cons: Have to get up a half-hour earlier (but either way, the family's asleep when I go)
Pros of the bus: convenient, more time options
Cons: not always comfortable, traffic (which can stretch the trip into 1-1/2 hours), not easy to work, though it can be done
Just saw a fellow Big Internet Retailer employee, who I recognized by his badge. I never noticed badges in the city, but now I see that many people have them. Some hide them, some seem proud, some are just trying not to lose them. I'm usually the latter. I wonder if he's a regular. I think I may become one.
OK. Now I'm going to find out if the train is better for sleeping.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
The old dude with the MP3 player
Let me paint you a picture: Large bifocals. Hat promoting what appears to be heart medicine. Eyes like I remember my grandpa's eyes: Lens-magnified, a little too watery and folded into loose lids. Skin that's not as wrinkled as it wants to be because gravity has pulling some of the wrinkles out.
Oh yeah … and an MP3 player. You don't see that every day.
And then I thought about it. He's probably younger than he looks. Maybe he's in his 60s. Which means he came of age firmly in the rock 'n' roll era. Is that The Big Bopper on his MP3? Really, it could just as easily be the Stones. God knows I often listen to the bands that hit when I was twentysomething.
The bus is slow. Traffic is thick. I want to ask this guy what he's listening to. But he's sleeping. Good cover for my cowardice.
Oh yeah … and an MP3 player. You don't see that every day.
And then I thought about it. He's probably younger than he looks. Maybe he's in his 60s. Which means he came of age firmly in the rock 'n' roll era. Is that The Big Bopper on his MP3? Really, it could just as easily be the Stones. God knows I often listen to the bands that hit when I was twentysomething.
The bus is slow. Traffic is thick. I want to ask this guy what he's listening to. But he's sleeping. Good cover for my cowardice.
Leadfoot on the 196
Very, very busy at the park 'n' ride today. So busy, in fact, that I had to squeeze into a questionable spot right up against the crosswalk. (But I think I'm OK.)
My rookie year of bus commutership is moving toward fall, which so far appears to be marked with rain and very crowded buses. I am, as I write this, sitting in the undesirable middle seats on the hinge of the double bus. I have only some vinyl between me and the outside, and the seats are neither as sturdy nor as padded as the others. I don't mind it here, though. Legroom is usually decent, and only once has someone sat next to me, so I can sit next to my Ultimate Gulp and relax. It's noisy, but I've got the noise-canceling headphones to address that.
The one thing that's kind of a bitch no matter where you are in the bus is a driver who slams on the brakes. I don't mind when they go fast, though it can get a little bumpy. Who am I kidding? It gets a lot bumpy. I half-expect my kidneys to get slammed up to north of my lungs. But the real sucky part is when the driver has to slam on the brakes. I've not experienced rubber-burning skids, but I have experienced the kinds of stops and slowdowns that send bags flying into aisles. And riders, if they're not careful. I wonder if the driver is ever tempted to hit the brakes a little too hard just to fuck with us. We're his little puppets, stringless and prone to flying about.
My rookie year of bus commutership is moving toward fall, which so far appears to be marked with rain and very crowded buses. I am, as I write this, sitting in the undesirable middle seats on the hinge of the double bus. I have only some vinyl between me and the outside, and the seats are neither as sturdy nor as padded as the others. I don't mind it here, though. Legroom is usually decent, and only once has someone sat next to me, so I can sit next to my Ultimate Gulp and relax. It's noisy, but I've got the noise-canceling headphones to address that.
The one thing that's kind of a bitch no matter where you are in the bus is a driver who slams on the brakes. I don't mind when they go fast, though it can get a little bumpy. Who am I kidding? It gets a lot bumpy. I half-expect my kidneys to get slammed up to north of my lungs. But the real sucky part is when the driver has to slam on the brakes. I've not experienced rubber-burning skids, but I have experienced the kinds of stops and slowdowns that send bags flying into aisles. And riders, if they're not careful. I wonder if the driver is ever tempted to hit the brakes a little too hard just to fuck with us. We're his little puppets, stringless and prone to flying about.
Waiter, there's a tendon in my soup
Oh wait. I ordered it. Yes, at the pho place near my work, I got nutty and ordered my pho (noodle soup) with beef and tendon. What that meant was that my soup came with something that looked like chunks and slices of fat. But, when eaten, they were surprisingly (to my white, suburban, mac 'n' cheese-raised palate) good. An interesting texture, somewhat resistant to my bite but not tough. The flavor of, well, the soup. I ate a number of pieces and now two things are clear:
1. I'm happiest when I don't think too much about the fact that I had tendon soup for lunch. And …
2. I have no idea what tendons are made of. I need to find out.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Launched, and a clean house to boot!
OK, how good is this? We've got our product in the air. It's not perfect. But it's flying.
And over the weekend, in addition to doing a small and very reasonable amount of work, my family and I managed to get the house (the front part of it, anyway) to some semblance of order. So I am happy, happy, happy. It's amazing how many things seem surmountable when the house is clean.
Even the 57 loads of laundry that need doing. :)
And over the weekend, in addition to doing a small and very reasonable amount of work, my family and I managed to get the house (the front part of it, anyway) to some semblance of order. So I am happy, happy, happy. It's amazing how many things seem surmountable when the house is clean.
Even the 57 loads of laundry that need doing. :)
Launch is a journey, not a destination
At least that's how it felt last week when I wrote this. It was our third take on launch day.
We are, I believe, fairly public. All that's missing is the shouting, unless a senior VP's appearance on the Today show counts as shouting.
So now, I'm taking a moment to catch my breath. Most of my fires are out, though I'm sure new ones will flare up soon, soon, soon. I got all of four hours of sleep last night, which was semi-refreshing. More refreshing than you might expect, actually. And I got some hugs from my boys, which was awesome.
And now I'm sitting in a room full of 40-odd big boys. Perhaps not surprisingly, a certain musk hangs in the air. I consider it a prelude of sorts to what awaits my senses as my guys grow up. Musk, testosterone, urgency, moments of laughter.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
