Archive for December, 2005
Saturday, December 31st, 2005
The Year That Was
We had a fantastic Christmas with both sets of parents. The E-man made out very well, lots of new clothes and toys to play with. He wasn’t much help opening them, not surprisingly, but he had fun with the paper after we’d ripped it off!
Although the weather was too warm for our liking (in the 40’s with rain on Christmas day), we were still in the Christmas spirit. Here’s a few pictures of the E-man from our days up north with family (I have no idea why we put him in so many hats!!):
We had a quiet Christmas Eve at home, just the three of us, munching on goodies, watching Christmas movies (National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Scrooged, and It’s a Wonderful Life), and relaxing. So started the eating-fest. We then had two huge and awesome meals on Christmas day, a third on the day after Christmas, and on the way home on Tuesday, we stopped at the Tin Pan Galley in Sackets Harbor and had breakfast with family, including the E-man’s cousin, his aunt, and his grandmother. I had the prime rib hash (absolutely unbelievable) and we shared the stuffed french toast. It was so good! I hope everyone else had a wonderful holiday season as well.
So 2005 is drawing to a close. This has been one of the biggest years of my life, matched only perhaps by getting married. In May our son was born, ending 9 months of anticipation and beginning many many years of love and worry! I think that 2006 will be another big year for us as well. I’ll finish grad school and start law school. We’ll move to a new place and my wife will have to find a new job. The E-man with start to walk, talk, get bigger and bigger. I hope it will be as wonderful a year as this has been.
In other news, have you noticed that the vehicle inspection window has changed, starting in 2006? When you get your car inspected next year, the sticker will have not only the month when you have to get your car inspected again in 2007, but a date in the month by which that must happen. For instance, the 1st through the 10th, the 11th through the 20th, or the 21st through month’s end. There hasn’t been much press about this, I just happened to hear it briefly during a newscast. They say it’s because garages can’t handle everyone cramming in inspections at the end of the month, and that the DMV computers slow to a crawl. I know I don’t plan to get my car inspected too early in the month, and if lots of people do that, won’t most inspection stickers have the 21st to month’s end label?
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Friday, December 23rd, 2005
Merry Christmas!!!
We went to the mall today, just to get a picture of the E-man on Santa’s lap. It was a long line getting into the mall, but once we got in it didn’t seem too bad. We only had to wait for one person in the Santa line! Here’s the picture - it sort of looks like he was scared, but he didn’t mind at all. One of my favorite sayings is that we could hand him off to anyone in the mall and he wouldn’t care. I guess that’s just what we did!
Here’s a picture in front of his first Christmas tree:
And here’s the gift he made at daycare for me. It’s a papered baby food jar filled with M&M’s (boy does he know me!!). Mom got a jar filled with lavendar bath salts. It was completely unexpected, and although he probably didn’t help all that much, my wife and I were blown away by it. Sometimes this whole parenting thing really hits you in the face, and this was one of those times. This is the first gift my son (two words I still say in complete awe) ever made me. And that makes this, without a shred of doubt, the best Christmas present I will receive this year.
And since I was choosing/editing pictures, I thought I’d post another one too cute to leave out. A freshly bathed baby:
I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday. We’ll be enjoying our first Christmas as a family (see our Christmas traditions) on Christmas Eve and morning, and then we’ll begin our trek out to visit both sets of grandparents. I’ll be back next week to report on our trip! Safe travels and Merry Christmas!!
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Thursday, December 22nd, 2005
Busy Busy Busy
I’m typing this post using Performancing for Firefox, a blog text editor extension. It’s incredibly easy to install and set up, and I don’t have to log into Typepad everytime I want to add a post. This is only my first post, but I already enjoy the simplicity of it.
I’ll be typing up a post very soon. Work has been crazy this week, and last minute gift wrapping isn’t helping.
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Thursday, December 15th, 2005
Wikipedia versus Encyclopedia Britannica
A while ago I mentioned that I sometimes use Wikipedia as a source of information, and that I have submitted a few articles to the site as well. Unfortunately, in the past week Wikipedia has been under attack because of errors purposefully entered into an article as a prank. Just in time to save me, an article in this week’s issue of Nature has compared the accuracy of scientific articles in Wikipedia versus the same articles in the Encyclopedia Britannica. Here’s a link to the 50 articles, representing a wide range of scientific disciplines, that were selected for this study. The articles, which had to be of similar length, were sent to experts for peer review. The experts were asked to find three types of errors: factual errors, critical omissions, and misleading statements. The authors of the study found that articles in Wikipedia had an average of four errors, while Britannica articles had an average of three. Of the eight very serious mistakes, each source had four. I thought the results were pretty significant, but I wonder if this is true of other topic areas. Does the layperson stays away from scientific articles? Do articles about celebrities contain more errors than articles about ribosomes, for example? I would hypothesize that there are more searches in Wikipedia for Gwen Stefani than there are for DNA Replication.
Here’s a link to the story on CNN. What do you think?
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Tuesday, December 13th, 2005
Upstate New York
While blogsurfing, I found a link on NYCO’s blog to the York Staters. It’s written by two people who have lived in Upstate New York all their lives and are very proud of it. It’s a great read, especially for those of us who are proud to live here. I’ve lived, worked, and gotten an education in Upstate New York, and I’ve loved every minute of those (almost 30) years. They provided a link to an article in the Elmira Star-Gazette entitled “75 reasons why one lifelong resident wouldn’t live anywhere else“. This is a great article, and despite the fact that it’s about the Elmira area, it easily translates into any small town in UpNY. As proof, here’s my list of 25 reasons I love the Upstate New York village I grew up in:
1. The village has a population of only 270, so;
2. For good or bad, everyone knew who I was.
3. I traveled an hour to school each morning, lots of time to finish my homework.
4. I graduated with 35 people in my class, so I knew each and everyone of them.
5. No where on earth is the air as crisp or the leaves as colorful as they were in my hometown in Fall.
6. The winters were long and hard, but the sledding hill was always open.
7. Friends to sled with were always around.
8. You were often related to your friends.
9. The ballpark was always empty, so we could start a game of touch football.
10. The summers were hot, but there was always room at the swimming hole.
11. There was a better, deeper swimming hole once you got older.
11. The lake and the beach were only a few minutes away, but all your friends were at the swimming hole.
12. The postmaster never mixed up the mail, even when it was incorrectly addressed.
13. The postmaster knew whenever I had a girlfriend and always asked about her.
13. You could always find a job helping out the local farmer.
14. My brother and I earned enough money haying it our first summer to buy the Nintendo we so desperately wanted.
15. The store, only open intermittently, was great for spending the few dollars you had left at the end of the week.
16. You could get your car worked for almost nothing.
17. The local newspaper had a reporter for each small town to relate the town news, no matter how insignificant.
18. I learned to drive on the empty backroads.
19. I learned to how to really drive in the snow on the backroads.
20. The one-finger wave from the steering wheel.
21. Sleepovers were often under the stars or in a tent.
22. The nights were intensely quiet, the stars incredibly brilliant.
23. The nearest grocery store, fast-food restaurant, or gas station was 15 minutes away.
24. The cemetery held 200 years worth of ancestors and relatives.
25. The town was full of family and friends.
Wow, that was fun, and I think I could probably come up with another 25 without much effort!
By the way, check out baloghblog’s recent post for some examples of what a kilowatt hour of electricity will get you. He also mentions a great gadget called a Kill-a-Watt Meter that measures energy consumption of anything that plugs into the wall. I added it to Christmas list - sounds like a great way to find those appliances that are needlessly using too much energy.
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Tuesday, December 13th, 2005
The E-Man Report
From The E-man’s desk:
Last Friday, Mom and Dad went to a party at someplace called the Lemon Grass. They said it’s a Thai Restaurant, whatever that means. All I know is that whenever Mom eats Thai food, my dinner is always a little bit spicy too, which I like. So I told them that it was okay, especially since I got to play at daycare while they were at the party. Afterwards they did some Christmas shopping downtown.
On Saturday, we all slept in a little, until I decided it was time to start the day. We went to Chengerian’s Tree Farm to pick out a Christmas tree. I don’t remember how we got there though, I think I fell asleep in the car again. I always do that!! Mom and Dad bundled me up and we walked around looking at a bunch of dead trees in the snow. They picked one out that Mom said was a fraser fir. It didn’t really do much for me, but the parents thought it was beautiful, a perfect tree for my first Christmas. I couldn’t believe it when they tied that dead tree to the top of the car! Imagine my surprise when we got home and they brought it inside to put lights and ornaments on it! But I had fun watching them, and it does look pretty nice there in the living room I suppose.
Things are going pretty good at daycare. I’m still learning a lot from the Elders and teaching a lot to the Young’uns who have just started in the infant room. Boy have I come a long way!! I remember when I couldn’t even drink from the bottle or sit up by myself, which I can now do for hours at a time! I can’t wait until I can crawl or walk though, like the Elders do. That Damn Cat will finally be mine!!!!!!
Well, I suppose I should get back to work. I have squash or peas scheduled in about an hour, and I have to fit in some playing and a nap before then. See you soon!!
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Thursday, December 8th, 2005
The World of Blog, Part I
When I started blogging just a few months ago, I hadn’t really forayed much into the wide World of Blog. Unless you’re looking for it, the World of Blog stays hidden behind a wall of unawareness and misinformation. The Pew Internet & American Life Project completed a survey earlier this year in which they concluded that 6% of adult Americans have created a blog, and 16% read blogs. That means that 84% of adult Americans have never or rarely ever read a blog – 5 out of every 6 adults. This suggests that blogging has net yet become as popular or perhaps as misused and overrun as it will in the future. Even as I write this, my word processing program is telling me that “blog” isn’t a word!
But since my jump into this World, I have discovered that it is far grander and more inspiring than I ever guessed. The
blogger who originally inspired me to start my own blog was absolutely correct when she told me that everyone has a story to tell. And sometimes those stories are so mesmerizing, or so familiar, or so bizarre, that you’re hooked on them after reading only a post or two. So I thought I would share some of the blogs that I’ve been hooked on, specifically those authored by other fathers.
Poop and Boogies – Probably the funniest blog I read!
B.I.Y.F. (Because I’m Your Father) – BIYF is always witty and enjoyable.
MetroDad – MD is a father in New York City who has done it all. He also contributes to DadCentric, a blog co-op
for fathers.
More Diapers - Always entertaining, great design too.
Child’s Play x2 – The only twin blog I read. Although I only have one child, I’ve identified with almost every post I’ve read.
CroutonBoy – A recently new blog that I’ve just started reading. CroutonBoy also contributes to DadCentric.
Chocolate Makes It Better – Because yes, it does. Fatherhood from Australia, contributor to DadCentric.
Mr. Big Dubya – Another great contributor to DadCentric.
That’s only a few of the awesome Dad blogs that are out there for your enjoyment. Each of the blogs above links to others, and soon you’ll find that a whole afternoon is gone!
Stay tuned for Part II of The World of Blog.
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Wednesday, December 7th, 2005
Christmas Traditions
One of the many great things about being a new parent is deciding what traditions to make or to keep for the holidays.
As a kid, we would usually cut down our own Christmas tree from the woods behind our house with our Dad. It was always fun to pick out the best tree and bring it back to the house where we’d have to wait for the snow to melt off of the branches. One Christmas, after we’d cut down our tree and were on our way home, Dad decided to cut down this tiny sad little tree to fool our Mom. We’re talking 3′ tall, maybe a total of four or five branches - think the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. It was pathetic, and we still talk about that tree when we all get together.
I don’t think we’ll be cutting down our own tree, but we’ll still have a real tree. My wife loves picking out the best Christmas tree, so I’ll leave this to her. We usually just relax on Christmas Eve, wrapping a few last-minute gifts and drinking eggnog and eating cookies we’ve made as gifts for our families. We usually end the night by watching “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I know this might seem cliche, but it makes us appreciate our lives and our families, and we find it to be the perfect movie to get us ready for Christmas morning. Two years ago we had the pleasure of meeting Karolyn Grimes, the actress who played Zuzu (the “every time the bell rings” girl). It seems she tours the country and She was incredibly friendly, and we got a signed picture that we hang up every Christmas.
As a kid we always would leave cookies, milk, and carrots for Santa, and every Christmas morning they would be gone. I can’t wait to do this with the E-man. We would also open one gift on Christmas Eve. I think we’ll keep this tradition as well.
Unlike my family, my wife’s family was always big into stockings. She would get oranges and nuts in her stocking, along with some stuffers that tended to be more functional stuff. I think this is something she’ll want to keep as well.
On Christmas morning, both my wife and I would wake up insanely early. Luckily we both had parents who were eager for the morning to start, and often by 6am we would all be out in the living room tearing open packages. I’m can’t wait to hear the E-man’s little feet plodding into our room to wake us up on Christmas morning!
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Tuesday, December 6th, 2005
random bits
I just saw someone in the lunch room spooning salsa into Scoops chips. For those of you who don’t know (and shame on you), Scoops chips have the largest crater of any dipping chip. You could use it to empty out the salsa container in a few swipes of the wrist. And here s/he was, using a spoon to fill the chip. I don’t understand.
I read this online article from Esquire magazine, and I found it so amusing that I thought I’d share it. I don’t often chuckle outloud when I read articles online (I’d have to explain it to the other two students I share my office with), but I couldn’t help myself. The author, A.J. Jacobs, addresses the topic of outsourcing and discovers that even individuals can outsource work and menial tasks to people in other countries. I don’t want to give it away, but the outsourcing becomes a new source of stress in his life and thus might not be as wonderful as it sounds.
Maybe I could outsource the Christmas cards this year. We haven’t even ordered them yet, nothing like the last minute!!
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Saturday, December 3rd, 2005
winter is here!
This morning we woke up to almost a foot of fresh white snow. The cars were buried and the snow was packed against the doorway. I have to admit that I was almost excited to be out shoveling at 7AM. For the first few snowfalls of the year I miss the days when I lived in the snowbelt and had to shovel the driveway (which was huge) before Dad got home in the morning. Here’s a picture I took this morning - it’s from the window in the guest bedroom, where we keep the computer desk (and right now I can see the sun setting over this row of apartments):
By mid-morning my wife had gone Christmas shopping with some of her family, so it was just the E-man and I, him playing on the floor (sitting up, which he does like a pro) and me trying to read a magazine (but he loves magazines, so it’s always a challenge!!). The snow was falling outside and I’d turned up the heat to celebrate the weekend. Talk about a cozy Saturday morning! The E-man had a great time playing and napping and eating.
I just wanted to mention that I got my first acceptance on Thursday, to Baylor University School of Law. They offered me a scholarship for 1/2 tuition too. I wasn’t expecting any offers for at least another few weeks, so I was quite surprised. Here’s the list of schools I’ve applied to. I was only planning to apply to 10 or so, but I couldn’t refuse the good fee waivers I received.
Baylor University
Cardozo-Yeshiva University
Case Western Reserve University
College of William and Mary
Cornell University
Duke University
Franklin Pierce Law Center
George Mason University
Indiana University Bloomington
Syracuse University
University of Arizona
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
University of Notre Dame
University of Pittsburgh
University of Washington
Wake Forest University
Washington and Lee University
