Evidently...

Intruder-us in the Uterus

2012-01-24T23:26:00.000-08:00

(Try to imagine the "OK Go" song, Here it Goes Again while you read this.)

So what's been going on with us?

Taken 11/29

Taken Monday

Geez, finally I get to tell people. Those 12 weeks took forever. Do you know how difficult it is to float through the holidays in your first trimester of pregnancy? With all the food around, the questioning relatives and abundance of activities/events/obligations, my advice: wait until New Years to get pregnant. There are lots of September babies because of that. Sidney is one of them. But I digress.

But yes, we are taking the plunge again.

This time around the early nausea was significant but more of the feeling like you're "on a boat all the time" variety. It subsided pretty much at week 10. But the fatigue. Oh the relentless fatigue. I know I had a bit of it the first time but I sat behind a computer for 8 hours a day and then could go home and collapse after work. Nowadays, I don't get the choice and have to be functional and attentive to an active 2-year-old. In the last few weeks, there have been desperate times when I have sprawled out on the couch watching her pull all her toys out into the living room while both of us are still dressed in PJs at 11am and the kitchen is a mess and I'm fighting to keep my eyes open. I don't want to jinx it but I am starting to feel a tad bit more energy returning. Though, I find myself not utilizing her nap times to get stuff done but more to take naps myself.

We've told Sidney that she is going to be a big sister and she understands the concept because she has seen a few friends go through this already. Most notably in our PEPS group. She loves babies and loves to help so I am hoping that sustains her when she is not getting as much attention or energy from us. I remember what it was like going from the "main event" to "having a sidekick" and it was a hard transition for me. One thing that my parents told me (which I will not be telling Sidney at this point) is that this younger sibling would be a playmate. With no concept of time, I expected my little brother to pop out and immediately be able to play dolls or Legos with me. Clearly that was not the case and I was so disappointed that I had to wait 2-3 years before that was even feasible. I know my folks meant "eventually" he will be a playmate but I was put out.

We will find out which gender the baby is this time because I need to know if I need to keep all the girl stuff or not. Also while the first one being a surprise was cool, I am a planner and we are already going to have such a problem with naming so I'd rather eliminate one more thing we have to have options for.

I'm already showing much more than I was at this stage last time. That's totally normal and I've begun to feel some movement and after what we saw on the ultrasound I believe it. The kid has moves like Jagger and was bouncing around like crazy. I hope that doesn't have anything to do with the small amounts of coffee I consumed early in pregnancy. Had to be done.

So yeah, in early August we'll be welcoming this new member. The due date is very close to my 20th HS Reunion so I'm hoping I get clearance to go. They do have hospitals last time I checked in Vancouver but Sidney was born at 37 weeks and the reunion falls exactly when I would be 37 weeks. So it'll be a nail biter.

I'll definitely be writing more about the pregnancy and making lists of things as pregnant women are prone to do. But so far so good.

Blog-bourne empathy

2012-01-18T21:09:00.000-08:00

Back in 2003/2004, my boss at the time Mark Donovan of ComScore fame, started a blog. He was one of the few people I knew who had one at the time and on it he had links to other blogs that he liked. One of them was Dooce.com run by the now-famous mommy blogger Heather Armstrong. Heather who was notorious for getting fired from a job because of what she said on her blog went on to Internet fame and notoriety for her design prowess and watchable/readable hijinks with her kids, dog and husband in Salt Lake City as a recovering Mormon in a still-Mormon extended family. And her writing always packed a punch--especially her missives to her eldest daughter. Heather was my inspiration to finally start this very blog you are reading.
After getting caught up on all her archived stuff, I began following her life in real time via her blog. I felt like I knew her and yet it also felt like a show I was watching. I bore witness to it all: her struggles with depression, her successes for turning a blog into a full-time job that supported her family, her miscarriage, her pregnancy and birth of her second daughter that coincided with Sidney's birth, the featuring on HGTV and interviews on major morning television shows, her campaign for moms in Bangladesh, her amazing marathoning experience and now... the separation from the man who has always been a part of this whirlwind life of hers, her husband. I don't know why this is such a shock or why it seems so personal to me--I don't even know these people. But I guess it has to do with the investment and the admiration for making this life she writes about so vividly work. I think especially as a married person, I don't like to see what appear to be good marriages fail. And therein lies the rub because no one outside a given marriage can know what makes it good, bad, functional, dysfunctional or otherwise. And maybe that is what is so disappointing.

Pimp My Cube Contest

2012-01-10T14:00:00.001-08:00

This post brought to you by Contest Factory. All opinions are 100% mine.

Before I was a stay-at-home-momma-ninja, I went to a hi-tech job and for a few years, sat in a cubicle--a work space construct that provides the simultaneous sensation of isolation with no privacy. Some of my fellow co-workers and I tried to personalize or improve our cubicle real estate. Toys, decorations, pictures, fountains, plants, swag--anything to liven it up. But some of my co-workers (many of them engineers) just didn't even try.

I think a lot of people can relate with office space being so tight and efficiency being a big focus. But there is something to be said for beautifying your working space. Contest Factory is looking for the worst cube out there. If you think you have a pretty dreary cubicle/workspace, check out the Pimp My Cube Contest. They are asking for people to submit videos of their cubicles/workspaces explaining why they are in need of some serious "pimping" or improving. Then vote and encourage friends to vote for your cubicle. The funnier the video the better. Contest closes 1/31/2012.

You could win one of three prize packages valued at $1200:

Technology Package: new computer system with LCD monitor, stereo speakers and web cam.
Furniture Package: new desk, ergonomic chair, painting or artwork and plants.
Entertainment Package: New sound system, Espresso Machine, Mini-fridge and Personal Water dispenser, etc.

There will also be a random user chosen to receive a $200 Amazon gift card so even if you don't have a cubicle to pimp, you can win too. Not bad, eh?

Here's a sample video:

New Years Eve: Parent Edition

2012-01-02T22:20:00.000-08:00

Thank the Universe for our friends Sarah and Mika who do not let parenthood get in the way of having parties and gatherings to celebrate festive holidays. New Years Eve is typically not a big holiday for us not only because we are parents but because it seems to be the most overrated holiday on the calendar. (But last year's wedding celebration on NYE for Marcos & Jessica was a big fat exception.)

So we joined a handful of friends (mostly parents also) for a low key but Waller-iffically unique New Years Eve. One thing I had never seen or heard about before was a Finnish tradition of casting tin. Basically you melt these special (lead?) horseshoes on a ladle then once molten, pour it into a bucket of cold water. The resulting shape is then examined by holding it up to the light and looking at the resulting shadow. Based on certain shapes, it can tell what your future holds for the year. Where this broke down is the interpretation and it struck me as so subjective that depending on how much Salmiakki Koskenkorva (Vodka with licorice) one has been drinking you could say anything. Behold.

Since there were many little ones who would not stay awake until Midnight, we celebrated at 7 pm Pacific Time with noisemakers and the traditional Auld Lang Syne song played by Mika on the ukulele, Ken on the flute and Paul on the beat box.

It was a lovely time and made us feel like we got to take part in the celebration with friends, the rest of the world and our daughter, while learning about other cultural traditions.

Happy New Year to everyone and may 2012 be a good one for all of us.

Christmas Currency: Cookies

2011-12-27T20:26:00.000-08:00

We're back from the distant lands of Portland/Vancouver and all the holiday hubbub. While it was a wonderful time away on many fronts, being back here at home is sort of a relief--especially in regards to sweets. It became apparent to me after observing my family and attending a few gatherings that Christmas cookies & sweets really are the "Currency of Christmas". (Tisk, tisk that you would ever enter another's home without bearing some currency.)

Apparently in normal households, multiple kinds of these baked goods are made and then placed in tins or on festive paper plates. These are given to people who you like enough to want to give them something but not enough to make it non-perishable and of course cookies/sweets are mandatory at ALL holiday gatherings. There are many different kinds of sweets--some awesomely good, some "who-actually-eats-these?" not--but always more than you ever could (ever should) eat so invariably these cookies/sweets get rolled onto another plate or tin that is then given to someone else or taken to another gathering. And the cycle continues.

Some cookie receivers feel obligated to eat the sweets just because they are around and then disgustedly let it be known that they gained 3 pounds after weighing themselves at the gym. (Right, Dad?) But sometimes these "gifts" expire without garnering true appreciation in some one's belly and it really is a shame when you stop to think about the effort that went into it. But at a certain point you hit a sugar wall and hide them under the pile of Christmas cards and letters you received (the other official currency of Christmas). The left over cookies become something one must "wait out" until they can in good conscience throw them away.

In a moment of clarity during my holiday glucose haze, I wondered why does this happen? There is such an abundance of treats already this time of year that it's compounded by all this compulsory baking. Why do people do this? Is it obligation or guilt or desiring to squeeze one more thing in during a very stressful time period? Or is it some insatiable nostalgia bent that says, 'If I just baked the perfect cookie, this Christmas will turn out to be everything I'd ever dreamed of and more?' Those who say they just do it for the 'love' baking, I don't believe it.

However full disclosure, yes, I'm guilty of contributing to this phenomenon but to a lesser extent. I personally make only one type of cookie called pizzelles which are a traditional Italian waffle cone-like cookie with anise (black licorice) flavoring. It's an acquired taste but truly Italian. I make a small batch and send a few tins to my husband's family on the East Coast and keep some for ourselves. And that's it. They are actually good in any season and, from what I hear, can survive over a year in an air tight container. So a cookie for all seasons.

But what I found the most amusing this year when the cookie/sweet population was at it's peak, was that my husband decided that he was going off sugar...in December. This meant that any candy/cookie-like item that entered this house was my responsibility. And it meant that our journey south would be ripe with temptation. And it meant that he would eventually break this vow and feel bad about it. See all the trouble these things cause...

Holiday night out

2011-12-18T12:51:00.000-08:00

Last night was our one holiday party so we made it count. Good times for dinner at Japonessa (preparations & flavors are amazing) and then partying at EMP. I really wanted to bust loose some of my B- moves on the dance floor but the DJ wouldn't let any song play for longer than 30 seconds before the next song mixed in. I couldn't find my groove. Muy mal.

Here is Sidney seeing us off for the evening. I love the hand in mouth pose.

This is us later at the party in a photo booth. I think I look like a muppet or something.

In other poop news: the cat

2011-12-16T22:14:00.000-08:00

Poop is the big topic around the house these days. And why should it stop with our daughter when there is another creature who is notable for his waste. Our cat, Oliver, has been having the driest poops I've ever seen. It's like they crumble into dust. There is no moisture whatsoever contained in them. Given that his preferred water source is the toilet, despite having a nice, new metal water dish, I just shake my head and leave the toilet seat up. But that should give you an idea that we're not dealing with a rational animal. Anyway his poop is weird and he needed a well-pet check up so I took him in to the vet earlier this week.

He's 11 years old and back in the day he was known to be FEISTY at the vet. Like don't go near this animal, you will lose a digit. Oliver has mellowed in his old age and I do wonder if the energy it takes to fend off an amorous toddler on a daily basis zaps what he'd normally reserve for a vet visit. He was "chill" initially and even during the vet's physical exam. She felt his gut and said he was constipated. She also said sometimes older animals have problems with their anal glands which do something (she explained but I forgot) toward the end of the digestive journey. Sometimes these glands get clogged and have to be "expressed" or "massaged" or "dealt with" to keep things flowing.

As soon as the vet said "anal glands" and "massaged", I though, 'F-no, I am not dealing with that. There is enough disgusting bodily fluid and excrement around here...' I knew about this condition due to some posts my girl Dooce wrote about her dog and they were not fun. Luckily, the vet staff said they would handle it but for an additional fee. Whatever--it's well worth it. They took him away and were going to do this very joyous procedure in another room where I assume there was a sink and they could secure his claws of fury. Sidney and I waited in the exam room. A few minutes go by and then loud, unhappy meows bellow down the hall. Oh man. But it had to be done. Then the vet came back in the room after 5-10 minutes and said they now felt he really needed an enema too.

"And you guys are going to do it, right?" I asked.
"Oh yes, right now," she said.
"Well, he's already angry at the world..." I said.

Poor cat.

We were told to come back an hour later after they had done the procedure and cleaned him up. Evidently he "produced" quite a bit and he was in the most foul mood imaginable. They warned me not to uncage him near Sidney that evening. So we gave him a lot of space once we got home but not too long after he was back to normal.

Now he seems like a happier cat these past few days. They suggested we try to give him some wet food with pumpkin, which helps digestion. Problem is, this cat is pickier than his mistress and his toddler-sister. I have 5 different brands of fancy, gluten free, organic cat food with one of the ingredients being pumpkin. I'm on the 3rd one to see if he'll even take a bite of it. He doesn't know how lucky he is...the little toilet taster.

LG DoublePlay: the new social networking, multi-tasker's phone

2011-12-15T13:00:00.001-08:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of LG DoublePlay™. All opinions are 100% mine.

Currently I use a HTC G2 on T-Mobile to handle all my mobile phone needs...

But if I didn't, I'd take a good, hard look at the LG DoublePlay™. As a former mobile phone technologist, I appreciate a functional phone design that offers a user ways to do things they want more easily rather than forcing them to conform to what the phones limitations are--simply because I do so much more on a mobile phone than just talk. I need a phone that can multi-task. I text probably over 300 messages a month, take pictures & video of my daughter, check & write email daily, use applications daily, access Google services all the time, check & contribute to Facebook/Twitter at least 30 minutes a day from my phone and play the occasional "Words With Friends" mobile game with other moms.

I won't even look at a phone without a physical QWERTY keyboard anymore because I hate trying to type on a touch screen. This phone has a nice layout with the screens and the keyboard adjacent, so you can text or update a Facebook status as you are looking at a video or an app.

The biggest problem with most phones is that you can only do one thing at a time and sometimes the transitions between things are not that elegant. This phone solves that problem. The LG DoublePlay™ has dual screens with touch capabilities that can work in tandem or separately. So you can watch a video of a comedian on YouTube and text back to your spouse about making weekend plans to see the show.

The LG DoublePlay™ also comes with a pretty good camera for capturing anything photo or video and immediately being able to post it.

It's loaded with the 2.3 version of Android which is not the newest version but the next newest. It's very stable and I'm a huge Android OS fan because of it's smart integration with Google services and it has a general robustness for handling multi-tasking with more sophisticated applications and games. The Android market allows for a great amount of choices and review feedback so you can know what your are downloading.

The phone is available exclusively from T-Mobile and would make a great gift to any mobile multi-tasker you know. I can tell you as a busy mom, my phone is one of the most important tools in my arsenal to keep things organized, keep the people in my life on track and keep me sane. The LG DoublePlay™ maximizes your time and attention and gives you the ability to input quickly with a physical keyboard.

If you are in the market for a Smartphone and are a social media and texting fanatic like me, definitely check the LG DoublePlay™ out.

Just think about it, how many hours do you spend checking or updating Facebook or Twitter or social media sites? How much texting do you do? Are you sick of using a phone that isn't optimized for those tasks? How do you think this phone might streamline and actually make those tasks pleasurable on a mobile phone form factor? Let me know in the comment section.

Potty Party aka Poop Triumph

2011-12-11T22:45:00.001-08:00

(Also seen on Sidneyspage.blogspot.com)

Ken deserves all the credit for the story I'm about to relay. I was skeptical and discouraging.

Back in March, Sidney first showed interest in using a potty. Her casual interest held for a few months and then stopped during the summer. Ken staged a few pant-less (aka "diaper-less") Saturdays here and there with a few accidents to show for it but no real interest and no real success with getting her to have enough body awareness and muscle control to put it all together.

[Time passes, apathy for potty training (on my part) grows. Poops get stinkier but I'm not willing to give up the convenience of diapers yet.]

Then just yesterday, Ken decided to try again. It was pant-less Saturday with Ken keeping a very close eye on her and not letting her on furniture, rugs & beds. In the morning, they were down in the garage getting something and she began to cry. When Ken turned around, he found she had peed. He cleaned her up and consoled her and said if she felt the urge to pee again to tell him and they would just go to the bathroom. Later she stood looking out of the window and she almost started to cry like that again but stopped. Ken told her they should go to the bathroom and sit on the potty. She did and BOOM she peed in the potty. Good times.

After a diapered nap, she was running pant-less around the house again. Ken and Sidney were playing in her room with her stuffed animals. All of a sudden, she walked out of the room and into the dark bathroom and sat on the potty and peed. No prompting and on her own inspiration. Excellent work.

We got her dressed and took off to go eat and then to look at Christmas lights. Upon return, Ken started to get her ready for bed. She mentioned she wanted to poop so he took her to sit on the potty. Every time this had happened before, it's been a false alarm. It's just a ruse to get us to read lots of books to her. But Ken stayed with her for several minutes, playing with stuffed animals and talking. Then she made the "poop face" and looked a little concerned, Ken said it was okay if she needed to poop. She looked down and said, "What is that?" At this point, I enter the bathroom. And "that" was one of most gigantic poops I've seen come out of child or adult. So she pooped on the potty for the first time! Unbelievable. We started trying to call grandparents. We told my dad. He was thrilled (I think). It's too late for the East Coast and Mom & Cindy were out so we had to wait until the next day to share the news with the grandmas.

Both Ken and I stand amazed. It's utterly ridiculous to get so excited but it feels like a major triumph and concrete evidence that she will someday become self-reliant and independent. It's so cliche, right? Parents get very, very excited about this milestone. I even Facebooked it tonight after she had pooped for the second night in a row. I'm sure people without kids are rolling their eyes at me. I know pre-mom Kali would have rolled her eyes. But that was before I had changed hundreds of diapers. That was before I had touched all manner of human bodily fluids. So yes, this is a big deal.

It does NOT mean however, that she is now "potty-trained"--it simply means that we are on the road to pantyville. Giddy up.

Santa...Coming to town?

2011-12-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

There is a lot that goes into Christmas as a parent. It takes mental preparation and dedication to gear up for all of it. There's the decorating, shopping, parties/events, holiday cards, baking, cooking and explaining what it all means.

We've punted on the last two Christmases of our daughter's life. For the first one, she was only three months old and we were just coming out of the sleep deprivation haze. I didn't have any energy to decorate or get Christmas crazy. Lucky for us, we spent Christmas in the Portland area and my mother had an especially lovely tree and decorated house. For the second one, we made the genius decision to move two days after Christmas. (Take a look at our faces in this post--that about sums it up.) So there was NO way I was staging Christmas decorations in the middle of that. But my mother again had a lovely decorated tree & house. So for a few days we forgot about the chaos that awaited us in Seattle. This year, it's time to get in the swing of things...

Sidney is taking in all the "Christmafied" environs this year when we go out and about. So I broke out 1/8 of my Christmas decorations and put them around the house. I only used 1/8th because the majority are *indoor* Christmas tree ornaments. In our new house, we have a lovely noble fir just growing in the middle of our backyard. I figured, instead of cutting down a tree and paying $75 for something we will throw out in a month, we should just decorate the outside tree. So we did.

Christmas means a lot of things but it tends to come down into two major camps: religious (Jesus) or secular (Santa). Could two concepts be more different? Up until now we haven't had to worry about what to tell Sidney about Jesus and Santa. Being a nonreligious household, we don't feel really qualified to explain the Jesus part. Perhaps we will get a short kids book on it just so she understands the significance. Or maybe one of her former Catholic school-attending grandmothers can explain it. To us, the spirit of Christmas season is giving, reflection, celebration and wintertime. I still hope to install some aspect of active charity or community work but the best we can pull off right now is giving some money to the food banks. (I'm totally open to ideas if anyone has them, btw.)

But the concept of Santa is a tricky one. Ken and I have mused about our own experiences growing up with the myth of Santa. At first, it's wonderful and magical, and why wouldn't it be: there's a guy with flying reindeer and a sleigh who brings you presents and knows just what you want. But eventually, someone tells you or you figure it out and have that crushing realization that Santa doesn't exist. You then see it was a ruse by all the grown-ups you knew. Santa might only be the first of many disappointments but it can certainly be the hardest. I remember at five or six years old figuring it out but I wanted so badly to be wrong. I used logic to wear my mother down until she finally admitted it.

"How is it possible for Santa to go to very single house in the world?"
"How does he know where everyone lives?"
"How does he have time to do all of it?"
"How does he get into people's houses who don't have chimneys/fireplaces?"
"I looked at our fireplace and he can't fit through it."

I was relentless with my questions and the exhaustion from dealing with my new little brother (and of course me) put her at a distinct disadvantage. It was a valiant effort on her part to explain things and keep it going but she was ultimately no match for my singularly-focused barrage. I get it though: from an adult perspective, it's all in good fun and you just try to continue the fantasy for the next generation.

So far, I've sheepishly addressed the concept of Santa and we've been reading the Night Before Christmas. I'm sure we'll go to sit on his knee this year (I have a Groupon for the Alderwood Mall Santa pics). I asked her tonight what she'd ask Santa for and she wants a "black candy cane." Specific and eye-brow raising. I believe she saw one of these flavored candy canes at the store so it's not too "Nightmare Before Christmas". Not that she's even seen that movie. Yet.

We'll see if she's okay with Santa--sort of as a dry run--because my uncle will be making an appearance as Santa on Christmas Eve. He also did this when my cousin, brother and I were little kids. Santa will likely give her just a few small gifts. As discussed yesterday with a fellow mom, if Santa gets all the credit for the big, expensive gift, it's like this stranger she hardly knows gets all the glory. We can't have that. To Be Continued...

What's wrong with Breaking Dawn? An exercise in irony

2011-11-30T09:14:00.000-08:00

Don't tell me, you saw the latest Twilight movie on opening weekend too?!

Sure it was bad and based on an even worse book but I'm not going to apologize for going. I consider the effort a fact-finding mission. A fact-finding mission with eye-rolling and serious-moments-turned-comical. I just had to see for myself how they did the baby delivery scene. I listened to the audio book of Breaking Dawn right after my daughter was born in 2009. Imagine a new mom rocking her newborn daughter to sleep in the dark while her white iPod earbuds spew this s**t forth. And even after knowing what real birth was like, I was horrified by what happened in Breaking Dawn. It's just fiction, right? It's just human-vampire [not real] babies being born--but still. STILL. I thought this book was simply unfilmable because of the home-birth vampire cesarean scene. But here we are.

Knowing this gruesome depiction of childbirth was in the movie did not stop hoards of teen girls from being there. Because it's balanced out by, you know, dudes with no shirts on and only the most frustratingly antiseptic love scene that only the entire series has been building up to. But I think the number of giddy teenagers present saturated the air with hormones and I kid you not, at one point when the teens in our row were laughing/shrieking about something during the movie, an older (post-menopausal) woman turned around and told them to get ahold of themselves. That's why you go to a Twilight movie on opening weekend: for the drama.

I attended the spectacle with my trusty Twilight research colleague, Amy, who makes anything 10x more hilarious. Even in a pitch black theater, I can feel when she turns to me and gives an open-mouth WTF look. Which she did often.

Basically the overriding message of Twilight is that sex should be feared, getting married is a drag, the honeymoon is horrifying and pregnancy/delivery is a downright apocolyptic bloody nightmare. But this view doesn't just come out of thin air. I'm no psychologist but "someone" (Stephenie Meyer, I am looking at you) might want to get their issues addressed. Just saying.

Here are a few other morsels of ridiculousness that I've been reveling in since last Saturday:

Throughout the series and in this movie, Bella looks like she's about to vomit AND hasn't taken a s**t in several days. That's talented acting or the first trimester of a real pregnancy.

There is a vampire with braces (From Alaska no less) in the wedding scene. Seriously. Who does her ortho and how do they not get bitten?

Doesn't every small town doctor have the latest medical equipment and x-ray/ultrasound machines just laying around the homestead? Carlisle does. (And Tom Cruise) And don't forget that stash of O Negative blood he keeps in a house full of vampires.

Imprinting, the werewolf equivalent of love at first sight, will be further explored in the next movie since Jacob "imprinted" on Bella's infant daughter. According to the book, the girl will not physically age past 7. So basically you have a 19 year old guy and a 7 year old girl who are eventually going to be sexually attracted to each other. Yeah, that's normal--nothing freaky or weird about that, right? Stephenie, again I think you need to deal with some of your issues.

So will I be going to Breaking Dawn 2 (the last movie of this cringe worthy series) next year on opening weekend? Certainly. If nothing else, to be a witness to the crazy and add more fuel to the fire. Burn, baby, burn.

Seattle Half Marathon Warriors

2011-11-27T21:40:00.001-08:00

Picture from Kay's phone after the race.

Today the Seattle Half and Full Marathon were held on its typical Sunday after Thanksgiving. Who knows why someone thought it was good to hold an event like this in Seattle in November. (August or September are too temperate evidently?) It rained today with 50 degree weather. (But the first time Ken did this, it snowed so this was a vast improvement.) Ken, brother Ed and Ed's girlfriend Kay braved the elements and the hills making good finishing times. Ken beat big brother Ed (again) so hopefully this will settle the dispute of who is the fastest. Though I have already been hearing plans to start training for the next race competition. Oh boy.

First Thanksgiving Do’s and Don’ts

2011-11-26T11:01:00.001-08:00

Do brine the turkey for moist, flavorful meat.

Don’t depend on pop up timers or non-numerical thermometers which only indicates “done” or “not done”--they are worthless. Use an oven safe, numbered one. 160 degrees throughout!

Do get a fresh bird (not frozen).

Don’t buy 10 lbs of potatoes for mashed potatoes when serving dinner for 4 adults. Anyone want some? We have extra.

Do use an electric knife for carving to get as much of the meat off of the carcass and to avoid carpel tunnel syndrome. (Thanks Uncle Ed for ours!)

Don’t expect pre-made gravy to be free of chicken stock/base. In trying to keep it simple, we bought gravy from the same butcher we got the turkey from. Passable but disappointing.

Do employ initial hot temperature browning then reduced temperature cooking for primo outcome.

Don’t use 6-year-old pineapple juice you found in the back of the cabinet in your fancy cranberry sauce recipe. While you will be fine, it will taste too acidic and you’ll blame yourself for days for “ruining” an otherwise perfect meal.

Do consult Alton Brown DVD for tips and assurance that helped first-timers like us cook an awesome turkey.

Don’t leave the giblet bag inside the turkey. We ended up cooking ours inside the turkey INSIDE the plastic bag they came in. The lesson: if you don’t find it at first, look again--it’s in there.

Do get everyone in the family involved in the process. Makes great memories and inspires appreciation of what it takes to make a Thanksgiving feast possible.

Puppies vs. Babies: Which is cuter?

2011-11-21T21:00:00.001-08:00

This post brought to you by Puppies vs. Babies. All opinions are 100% mine.

Alright people. Let's see where your loyalties lie. Animal Planet is having a Puppies vs. Babies online contest to once and for all decide which is cuter: puppies or babies.

Two years ago, I would have made a strong argument for puppies because everyone falls under the spell of their defense-melting powers of sweetness and light. They don't judge you by what you wear, how much you make or how many ex-boyfriends you have. They are always doing silly things and super excited when they see you. It's why they use dogs for therapy and to cheer up isolated, sick or distraught people. Who can resist them?

But now I'm a mom and I have a 2-year-old so I can attest that babies have power. The power to bend you to their will just by looking at you with their sweet faces and hypnotizing you with their huge eyes. I wouldn't have thought it possible that I, a former hard-edged, high tech professional, would succumb to the smell of baby head or the disarming way an infant can see right into your soul. All babies are adorable in their own way but they have that extra something. So I can't deny it, I find babies cuter. And, it probably goes without saying but if I had submitted a picture of Sidney, she would have surely reigned as the cutest. I mean look at this....

But don't take my word for it. Go vote on Animal Planet's website Puppies vs. Babies. The contest ends Wednesday, November 23rd. The puppy or baby voted the cutest overall wins $5000. If you are so inclined, please comment on this post about which one you picked. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Holiday Gift Guides for Babies & Toddlers

2011-11-15T13:30:00.001-08:00

It's mid-November now and that means holiday shopping is in full swing. Have you been to the mall lately? <shudder> There's a lot of pressure giving gifts these days. It's almost like the process of picking the gift is almost as important as the gift itself. With the economy and general mood, it can be a little heady because you really want to hit that sweet spot of something a) uber useful b) completely fitting/appropriate c) doesn't require taking out a loan (even if you could get one.)

Allow me to help you out a little or at least give you some ideas. As my daughter Sidney has grown from a newborn to a bustling toddler, I have kept track of the items that have delighted and challenged her. Fellow moms with younger kids sometimes ask me about recommendations and, as we all know, I love to make lists.

So here are my holiday gift recommendations for the various ages birth-3 years. They will also be on my sidebar until further notice for quick linking.

(If I can get inspired, I may do a gift guide for Moms but I'm really just waiting for when you can buy units of sleep via Amazon Prime.)

The Great Indoors for Seattle Toddlers

2011-11-11T16:07:00.000-08:00

To live in Seattle, is to accept that it rains a lot and going outside nine months of the year requires bundling up and/or precautions to keep dry. As an adult, you can go one way or the other: become an outdoor-loving mossback or just embrace your inner-hermit and take refuge inside. (I am the latter at heart which clearly disappoints my hiking-fiend of a father.)

The weather is beginning to turn so that means caregivers of small children have to load up their arsenal of potential places to take stir-crazy kids.

Here are my favorite indoor destinations for Toddlers (in random order):

Third Place Commons (Lake Forest Park): I wrote up a profile on this place on Red Tricycle earlier this year. Food Court, play area, bookstore, super cool community space with a unique vibe. And a photo booth.

Nurturing Pathways (Phinney Ridge): We have done this dance and movement class for 3-4 sessions and love the connections between movement and brain development that the instructor discusses as we do fun, interesting activities. I suggest the class at Phinney Ridge taught by Christine, the founder.

Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (Ravenna): Great indoor tot play room that is big with lots of cars, trikes, toys and things to do plus a fantastic outdoor play area if the weather's nice. Tot room has a schedule and costs $2/kid to enter.

Twirl Cafe (Queen Anne): Pay-to-play space with food. A good option when wanting to stay central to the city.

Vios Cafe (Capitol Hill): Greek Restaurant and one of the best indoor play areas I've ever seen in an eatery.

Mosaic Coffeehouse (Wallingford): In the basement of a church with it's own separate entrance. Large, well-equipped play area. Food/drink is a pay-what-you-want set up.

Children's Museum (Queen Anne): We have never been personally but we know plenty of parents who love this place.

Woodland Park Zoo/Zoomazium (Phinney Ridge): The zoo plus an indoor play area dedicated to smaller kids with lots of programs, activities and live presentations with animals.

Kids Quest Museum (Factoria): We made the trek to the Eastside for this. A little spendy but totally worth it. So much to do and see--very unique. Get there early.

Shoreline Library Storytime (Shoreline): Definitely a drive but it is hands down the best story time we've been to. Songs, interaction, take home papers with letter of the day, music. And it's FREE.

Central Market (Shoreline): They have mini-carts that the kids can push. A fun, interesting place to roam around in with live crab & lobster tanks, a huge salad bar and hot lunch options. While you're there, pick up groceries or stuff for dinner. Two-fer!

Seattle Aquarium (Waterfront): We received a membership as a gift and we make the most of it. They have a program called Toddler Time that does activities just for kids under 5 years.

Om Kids Play Gym (Wallingford): This has been recommended to us but we have yet to go. Looks like a playspace with things and instructors to interact with. Have heard from two sources that it's pretty cool.

Issaquah Community Center (Issaquah): Toddler (1-3 years) indoor playground (8am-Noon weekdays) with lots of trikes, cars and active toys for $2/kid.

If there are any other favorites, please feel free to post in the comments section.

Pacific Science Center and Storm Preparedness

2011-11-10T14:38:00.001-08:00

Announcing my latest Red Tricycle article on visiting the Pacific Science Center and getting winter storm prepared. With the weather changing and winter on it way, it's smart to be ready. A big thanks to Karen Rich who inspired the story idea and for all the information about TakeWinterByStorm.org.

The article is HERE.

Honey Badger

2011-11-08T15:34:00.000-08:00

"Honey Badger don't care. Honey Badger don't give a sh*t." One of the funniest things I've come across in a long time.

(NSFW-language)

Japanese Family Dinner

2011-11-07T22:49:00.000-08:00

Back when I was 9 or 10, I can remember dinners out with my Japanese side of the family. We always met up in the banquet rooms of Chinese restaurants. You might be asking why would Japanese people do this and I have no idea. I did like Chinese food at that time so I did not complain. (I now find it too greasy, salty and "sauced," but I digress.) We met up with my many great-aunts and uncles, 1st and 2nd cousins and occasionally my grandpa and grandma (if the were visiting) to talk, drink tea and eat lots of Chow Mein. Speaking of Chow Mein, I've still never learned how to make it. But I hear there are culinary classes from accredited online colleges available, so definitely worth checking out.

My younger brother and I were usually the only children present so we had to entertain ourselves. It being the 80's and pre-Gameboy or iPhone, our options were limited to playing with the chopsticks, slowly sucking up our soda with a straw, making sugar packet forts or drawing on the paper placemat with Dad's check writing pen or just wandering around the table/room/restaurant. When an elder would catch us in their eye line, they'd try to have a conversation with us. Everyone always asked about school which is part Asian cliche, part standard protocol when talking to a school-aged kid. But it didn't take long to list off what we were doing and kids don't give a rip about what adults like so the conversation pretty much fizzled out. There would be an uncomfortable silence and then they'd turn to the nearest adult and start talking again.

The Japanese folks were a lot less raucous and emotive than my Italian relations but they could still surprise you. Once my great uncle Walter ordered a fancy drink but at age 9, I had never seen anything like it before. To me, it looked like water in a triangular, stemmed glass.
So I leaned over and said, "Is that water?"
He said, "Yes!" (a bit to enthusiastically I should have noted)
"Can I have some?" I asked.
"Sure," he said as he slid it over.
I took a big mouthful which was okay for a second and then as I swallowed, it BURNED all the way down. Oh yes, that would be a gin martini. My normally reserved uncle howled with laughter and some of my other relations flashed a knowing smile. I gulped down my own water as fast as I could to wash the taste out of my mouth and I never asked to try his drinks again. Sure, it's not nice to trick children who trust you but I have to admit that was pretty funny.

So last Saturday, I found myself at a long table with many of my Japanese relations seated across and next to me. Earlier that day, my family celebrated the life of my great uncle Bill who passed away in late September. Ken and I were not at that earlier event but we were very eager to be at this dinner. It was in a Thai restaurant which fit the prerequisite of an Asian-cuisine-laden-in-sauces-that-is-not-Japanese. Only this time I was not a kid any more and ended up asking my younger cousin how school was going. Sidney proceeded to wander around the table as my brother and I once did. It's like this has happened before and will happen again. The cast of characters has certainly changed.

Now you can pick your ending:

Sentimental:
But nothing says family like having a good meal together, reminiscing about those no longer with us and introducing the next generation to this tradition.

Realistic:
But nothing says family like Dad & cousins comparing receding hairlines, dealing with a toddler who won't eat anything and tracking the UW vs. UO game on Smartphones during dinner.

The cousins: Euge, Ken, Steve

Dad gives Sidney some coconut ice cream,
one of the few things she would actually eat that night.

Cousin Ali meets Sidney for the first time.

Ali holding Sidney. Ali and Sidney both have dads who are called 'Ken Sakai'.
But only of them is actually named that.

Great Uncle Hank & Great Aunt Juli.
Juli was later styling in her "hot" Juicy Couture hat (not pictured). True story.

Riyo & George

Max & Rosanne

Little brother with cousin Dave and Great Aunt Susie

Remembering Auntie Rosie

2011-11-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

Today, we lost a dear, lovely lady in our family. My great-aunt Rose who was my grandmother's sister passed away this morning, surrounded by her children.

She was always very chipper, easy-going and optimistic. One of my earliest memories of her is visiting her and Skipper, her dog. He loved these little "hot dog-like biscuits" call Snausauges. During one of our visits when I was 4 or 5, I was allowed to give him one. I decided to sample one also and to my surprise IT TASTED AWESOME! From then on, I equated going to Auntie Rosie's house with getting to eat, straight from the box, these amazing "crackers" that were really dog treats. My mother and aunt just let me go to town on them like they were Nilla Wafers. I don't begrudge it though--they were delicious.

All joking aside, it is truly a loss that I have not come to terms with yet. Rose was the closest thing to a grandmother that we/I had left on this side of the family. She was so excited about Sidney and always lit up when she saw her at family functions. Auntie would always want to hold and play with Sidney and had such a caring way about her. (You can just see it in the picture below.) It made the absence of my own grandmother just a little easier, knowing that her younger sister Rose was doing an outstanding job filling in. RIP Auntie. We will miss you.

Christmas 2009

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sidney's costume this year was a triumph in procurement. While my mother used to make many of our costumes and was amazing at turning fanciful ideas into reality, sewing is not my core competence. So I had to start early and be on the look out for ideas. I think by late spring early summer I bought Sidney's antennae headpiece. I loved it so much and built her entire costume around it. Next I found that little dress on the internet on clearance and it came with the lamest set of wings I've ever seen. So I found another set of wings on the internet but when they arrived I realized they were for adults and too big & heavy for her. Then a few weeks ago while trolling around in Target I happened into the costume section "just to see" and wouldn't you know it? Perfect purple wings with the curly ends and everything. Looks like the headpiece and wings are a set but they weren't. Score! The downside of those wings are those curled ends: they grab on everything so she has to have a 4 foot radius of open air.

This Halloween we went up to Queen Anne to participate in their neighborhood trick-or-treat event. I know, we don't even live there, it's scandalous! But we were with our friends the Testas. They joined us last year in Ballard for our neighborhood trick-or-treat event. Up on Queen Anne at their neighborhood event where you go from store to store, it was pretty crowded and there were some kids who were 10-12 years old who were like velociraptors and as our little toddlers would approach a person with a bowl giving out candy, these kids would rush up in front of them nearly knocking them over and crowding them out. Seriously, there's enough candy for all of you--take it easy. In all honesty, Max & Sidney will not get to eat most of their bounty this year (that's what we're for) but at least they got the experience so they can sharpen their elbows for next Halloween.

And on top of that a gal from one of the coffee shops had all the candy in a glass jar and was sitting outside the shop, holding it on her lap. I passed her then I heard a loud crash and felt something hit the heel of my boot. I looked back and saw the glass jar had shattered on the ground with candy scattered among the very sharp pieces. (I'm still not sure what caused her to drop it.) Ken and other adults helped pick up the chunks of glass as there were a lot. Once that was done, "the velociraptors" moved in and started taking the candy that was still littered among the smaller glass fragments because no one could grab a broom fast enough. But the gal working there was actually letting them take it. This would be THE scenario where I would say checking for foreign objects in trick-or-treat bounty is a good idea.

(Also posted on Sidney's Page)

Please, Thank you, You're Welcome

2011-10-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

Just in time for Halloween when complete strangers are handing candy to your children. Now what do we say?

The foibles of parents can create blind spots for kids and even as a parent when you want to provide broad, correct and useful guidance--sometimes you can't get out of your own way to see that you are biased. Case in point: niceties.

Please, Thank you, You're Welcome. Are they necessary to get you what you want in life? Yes. Are they what civilized, enlightened people say to one another? Yes. Do they expend extra energy & time to say and sometimes smack of formality and expose weakness? Yes. Back in college, when I was learning to direct television programs and television news especially--there was no "please." There were short, barked commands and then magically stuff got done. I loved that because my dad was right, I was put on this planet to boss people around. Well someone has to do it.

In raising a 2-year-old, economy of words has worked fine especially since she's just learning to talk. She'd say with escalating panic:
"Where monkey, where monkey?" "Here," I say as I automatically hand the stuffed animal to her.
"Want raisins!"and I hand her the box, as she snatches it and runs away.
"More milk!" and I simply hand her the cup.
She expressed what she wanted/needed, I understood, I fulfilled. This is my life.

But perhaps I've been programmed to give and simply accept orders because that is "what Kali would do." (WWKD?) When Sidney was able to start putting correct nouns and verbs together a few months ago, we were absolutely thrilled. If it was an acceptable action or desire, we just did it. We didn't put any emphasis on niceties because it would just complicate matters. This is not to say that I didn't use niceties ever. I did and do. If she does something I ask or gives me something, I thank her and God knows I ask her to do things with "please" and then employ a mountain of patience that I didn't know I possessed. I have never said "please" so much nor waited so long as she decides she wants to come over and put her shoes on. But I digress.

A few weeks ago, one of our toddler friends was visiting us with his parents. His most excellent manners became immediately self-evident when he said "thank you" every time he received something. Ken and I were impressed and a little alarmed. Sidney is 2 months older than him with a firm vocabulary but this polite behavior does not happen. Ken was all concerned, "We need to work on this!"

The final straw was a week ago at preschool co-op when after inhaling her first helping of grapes, dry cereal and cut strawberries, Sidney proclaimed, "More gwapes! More gwapes!" To which my response was to just reach for the spoon and start dumping more grapes on her napkin. As soon as I started doing that, a mom who was right next to me looked at Sidney and said in a saccharinely sweet sing-song, smack down voice, "What's the magic word?" I froze. Oh snap--Sidney (and I) just got "pwned" by another mom. It burns, it burns!

So here we are in "nicety bootcamp" where even I am having to remember that every exchange, every request, every action probably requires one of these things to be said. But Sidney is on to us and now will roll through the list hoping that one of them works "peese-tankoo-welcome?" That's my girl, efficiency at it's best.

(Also posted on Sidney's Page and Broowaha.com)

Trick or Treating in Seattle

2011-10-29T15:50:00.000-07:00

I recently complied a list of trick-or-treating spots around the Puget Sound area and tried to push North, East, West and South for a more inclusive set of events.

Be sure to check it out on Red Tricycle HERE.

Everyone have a fun, safe and bountiful Halloween!

Sidney from Halloween 2010 during the Ballard/Market Street Trick-or-Treat event.

Symphony Rules 2

2011-10-26T23:57:00.000-07:00

Last week, Ken and I went to the Symphony and saw the new music director/principal conductor Ludovic Morlot. As I mentioned in my prior post about the Symphony, he is 37, and his influence can already be felt, despite the fact we attended the Sonic Evolution program in which we expecting a whole different type of crowd. The program paid homage to Kurt Cobain, Quincy Jones and Jimi Hendrix then featured a KEXP darling called Hey Marseilles with the backing of the orchestra so the audience skewed way younger than I have ever seen it. And the energy was electrifying. To have people our age and younger all around us was a rare treat at the symphony.

But another rare experience was having 3 living composers provide works that were debuted in front of a live audience and then have them come up on stage and take bows. That was how the masters in the Classical music collective did it, I guess. But let me be honest: modern composers have such a plight not to be derivative of the masters, push the symphonic construct to the edge and be distinct. It's a tall order when you consider a lot of brilliant, listenable music already exists in 2011. So they create musical landscapes that are layered, discordant and unique--only as far as no one with musical education has thought to put these certain sounds together. Excuse my vulgarness, but the three pieces--especially the Jimi Hendrix and the Kurt Cobain tributes--seemed like musical masturbation. Formless, self-indulgent and not nearly as satisfying as the real thing. Still, it is a triumph to have new blood, new attendees, new interest and new music filling Benaroya Hall. Hey Marseilles, amply backed by the full orchestra, was breath-taking even if it might be a bit unorthodox. Despite my opinion though, I fully support Maestro Morlot for taking chances and making the old new again. I look forward to more that will probably test my comfort level and expectations. Though only a mere handful of people can go on to make a living as an instrumentalist and even fewer become virtuosic, you can still study music and work in the field by way of music production, sound design and music business. Guide to Online Schoolshas information on music classes and degrees for people who are passionate about music and want to work in the field.

F**king Tea!

2011-10-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

As my 500th post, why not?
I can't begin to explain how much I love this video. Yes I am a tea drinker.
(Language NSFW obviously--so put your headphones on)

Highlights of the 5th Year of Evidently...

2011-10-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

Topics are all over the map for this roundup but in retrospect, it was a great year with lots of surprises and experiences. Splitting my time between Sidney's Blog, Evidently and RedTricycle.com filled up my writer's cup. But distractions like Facebook and Twitter proved too tempting for some of my more impulsive rants and splintered my focus a bit. I hope to work on that this year.

Issues & Current Events
4/2011 Financial Literacy Month: Resource Roundup (Info you can use)
4/2011 Living in one of the Whitest Cities (Portland & Seattle, #1 and #5)
9/2011 WDS Tries to Take Over the World (Dental Insurance coup d'etat)

Thoughts on Art & Entertainment
10/2010 Battlestar Galactica Exhibit @ EMP (BSG up close and personal)
4/2011 The Symphony (It has rules, even if you don’t know them)
10/2011 Music Recommendations (There are albums & there are ALBUMS)

Fame & the Famous
10/2010 Alan Wilder (Teenage Dreams and Techno music)
10/2010 Dave Matthews (Carry your rewards card to avoid detection)
1/2011 In Memoriam: Jack LaLanne (Inspirational but not much taller)
4/2011 Internet impersonation and insta-fame (Daily Show, my photo & lies)
9/2011 Radio Ga-ga (Parenting lessons by way of internet scam baiting)
9/2011 Ken written up in the Financial Times (Ken talks to the British)

Parenting Stuff
1/2011 Febrile Seizure (Scariest s**t ever)
6/2011 Immunize (I believe in science and so should you. Yeah, I said it.)
9/2011 Favorite Toys for 2 year olds (Need gift ideas?)
9/2011 Yoga Momma (Best Mom-only activity)
9/2011 Domestic Enemies of Prius Mom (Mommyland represent!)
9/2011 HFM Disease (More catchy than Lady Gaga)

Travel
10/2010 Wenatchee (Scratchy Wenatchee--we love you)
10/2010 Flat Stanley (Have Stanley will travel)
5/2011 Ohio (Where “real” Americans live and my friend Anne)
6/2011 Victoria Part 1 & Part 2 (First time away from the child)
8/2011 Alberta Canada: Arrival, Banff, Orange Cup (Breathtaking)

Grab Bag
1/2011 New Roof part 1 & part 2 (And you thought tuck pointing was bad...)
6/2011 Embarrassing Personal Stories--Gifts (Making excuses)
7/2011 Angela & Jaime: Wedding & Honeymoon sendoff (Happily ever...)

Letter to Sidney for her 2nd Birthday

2011-10-20T15:20:00.000-07:00

I just received the 2010-2011 "baby book" that I make from Sidney's blog where I have the year's worth of entries and photos printed into a physical book so that we can thumb through and viscerally experience it in trying to be like other crafty, scrap-booking moms. I have no gift for scrap-booking so this is as good as it gets. But in looking through it, I reread this entry and wanted to share it on my own blog. Originally, I had posted this on 9/12/2011 a few days after Sidney's 2nd birthday. This letter-form was inspired by Dooce.com and her monthly/yearly letters to her daughters which capture milestones, current events and thoughts in that particular time.

-----------------------------------------------

Dear Sidney,
You just turned 2 and none of us can believe it. You are so much a little girl and so less a baby that I think we now believe all those sage parents who advised us to cherish every moment of your young life because it floats away. But I'll be honest, I love this age on you. Nothing gets by you and I'm sure you pick up a lot more of our adult conversations than you let on. Your vocabulary and ability to mimic sounds has exploded. I credit your father with his diligent (yet exhaustive) work with you on your annunciation. I am prone to correct you but let things go by because I figure you'll get it eventually and for one aspect of your upbringing, I will not be the hard-ass.

Ugh, there I go using adult language again. Speaking of which, your father is bound to throw some at me when he hears about this: while he was on his run today, I was flipping through some online photos about the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. (That will be something we'll explain to you later.) You were completely engrossed in a puzzle or something which is why I thought I could get away with looking at them. Suddenly I landed on a photo of a person falling from one of the towers. I must have made a noise because you looked over and immediately said, "That man outside building." Did I mention *nothing* gets by you? Yes, I am a bad mommy for even having those pictures in your eye-line. But I just said, "Yes and one day I'll tell you more about it." You seemed unfazed and returned to your puzzle. I realized right then that this parenting thing, as your cognition and understanding improves, is going to be such a balancing act. Because for all the brutality and horror in the world there is also beauty and light and magic. It's important to me that you gradually understand that all of it exists in the world.

You yourself are such a source of pure joy and delight. I know that you are only 2 but I can sense that you are funny, fearless and empathetic. I see how you have embraced going to family swim times with you Dad and by proxy overcome your fear of showering or being in a shower. You give your PEPS friends hugs and ask about them when they are not around. Your infatuation with orange cup, yellow marker, your plastic dinos, monkey man, Baby Paul, certain puzzle pieces and the story of Ping the Duck fascinates and frustrates us--especially when we can't find an item you NEED right that moment. But mostly the fact you're forming attachments to things and people let's us peek at the buds of your personality. The things we care about say a great deal about who we are.

Your birthday party this past weekend was combined with our Summer BBQ event this year. We tried to keep it on the smaller side because we did all the food this year, instead of a potluck. It was still a good-sized crowd and I think 12-13 of your little friends (plus their parents) were here. That's a lot of kids running around YOUR house, playing with YOUR toys and generally reeking havoc. But you seemed to feed off the energy of all the people and enjoy being social. Maybe you will grow up to love parties (uh-oh). I'm really glad we got to celebrate up in Seattle this year with the friends you see the most as well as having your Portland-area grandparents on hand. But mostly I'm glad your Daddy was here (and not hiking the Grand Canyon) to light your candle, play with you on the lawn and see how much fun you had as we celebrated you.

I could go on and on but I have to get to bed. Your Grandma Cindy took some amazing pictures of the day which I will post tomorrow and for that I am truly thankful for those memories. Happy Birthday once again. We love you and look forward to another year of wonderment with you.

Much love,
Mama

Thoughts on Occupy Wall Street

2011-10-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

In this movement of Occupy Wall Street, I have seen some succinct, articulate, informative and stunning fury come forth. Here are two such articles.

1. From Daily Kos, a compassionate, intelligent open letter by Max Udargo to a guy who considers himself part of the "53% who pay federal taxes and have told people to stop complaining."

2. From Josh Brown, a riveting essay aired on Marketplace Money (NPR). He was a former Wall Street Broker who is siding with the demonstrators and providing context from inside Wall Street of exactly how very badly all this has gone down.

UPDATE: Also another great piece that goes with these two about how Generation X is simply over it.

Evidently Blog Turns 5

2011-10-12T23:30:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe but this blog is now 5 years old. I started it back in 2006 because many of my then co-workers were blogging and I thought I should too. But I wasn't sure if I would have enough to say. More than anything it got me writing again on a regular basis--an exercise that still confounds and delights me.

Thanks to those of you who read this blog. It is an exciting responsibility to have this outlet and platform to tell my stories and truths. Highlights from the year are coming soon. And I swear it won't take a year to compile this time.

Favorite Album on the iPod, in the car, in my head: "Brothers" by Black Keys

2011-10-07T23:52:00.000-07:00

Very rarely do I ever enjoy an entire album of music. As most things in life, I am discerning, specific, picky. Just like when eating, I leave a little something on the plate as to not over-indulge and say not everything made the cut. And along those lines, you can't honestly expect a collection of 14 songs on one album to ALL be good. While much credit goes to the artist, there is an army of people who help them bring an album to life. Sound design, music production and music business are areas that online universities offer classes and degrees in. Anyone who is passionate about music and wonders how to break into the music industry, should take a look.

On her latest album, Ms. Lady Gaga whom I adore has songs on her album that upon sounding the first 3 notes get the >> button. (But NOT "Government Hooker". I love that song.) "Bad Kids", "Highway Unicorn", "Fashion of His Love," "Heavy Metal Lover"---are a pass.

Even for Depeche Mode, my most favorite band in the world, I have grown to love Violator as an album instead of the collection of good and okay songs I had initially thought it to be. But that took years. Years. Perhaps Black Celebration which is arguably recognized by most fans as their best effort is their quintessential "album". But it doesn't keep you gripped from song to song with emotional tension begging for resolve. A collection of good songs for sure but definitely lacking urgency.

And how about the Killers? I found their Day and Age album to be a great package: jaunty yet with a little menacing, completely listenable from end to end, upbeat with moments of reflection and great for road trips. And all the while just slightly out of my vocal range to Ken's chagrin. (I like to sing in the car.)

But then there was the Black Keys' album called Brothers. Upon my first listen to this CD, my god... It's so cliche to say "it spoke to me." But it really did. The emotional tenor, jaunty beats, soulful tone throughout, the flow from one song to the next and aural surprises like use of a harpsichord, kazoo and the human voice as sound effects. The singer pours his heart out about longing, searching, proclaiming, sinning, coveting, taking revenge in a way that cuts through the trite bulls**t of a lot of music on the radio these days. I know this was released back in May 2010 but I just heard it in August of this year. Nevertheless, I am listening to it constantly as it came out a week ago. If a certain David Purnell ever returns to fair Seattle, we shall have to reunite the Basement band and celebrate with a Black Keys Medley. Oh yes it will be done.

Dr. Seuss = naming genius

2011-10-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

It could just be me but having read Dr. Seuss books (multiple) times per day for several months, I can't help but notice the nonsense words he penned years ago have since become everyday tech words or names of tech companies. Why is that?

Dr. Seuss was the master of rhyme and his love of language and the unusual continue to delight generations of children. Some people lookinto a library science degree online when they also love books and wantto learn more about how to bring great books into children's lives.

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease Strikes

2011-09-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

So what's new with us? Not much except, Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (NOT to be confused with "foot and mouth" disease that animals get.) Whatever you do, don't Google the term "Hand Foot and Mouth Disease" and look at the images. You will not like it. (But if you did just look and compare them to the pictures below, you will realize that we could have done a lot worse. So we are thankful. Yes, we sure are.)

Oddly enough, this nasty little pathogen targets kids but is not actually a big deal according to pediatricians. While there is no vaccine or antibiotics, it's just an uncomfortable & unsightly illness. But make no mistake, it is highly contagious as long as there is a fever and/or bodily fluid from the blisters or anything else that makes contact with a non-infected kid. I guess this virus races through daycare centers and playgroups because it also incubates for a few days before you even know you took it home as a souvenir.

As of today there are little blisters on Sidney's hands, feet, bum and mouth. The bum and the mouth are the worst--of which there are no pictures. Poor little thing has a giant sore on the bottom of her tongue so eating has been tough. Behold the carnage:

Luckily I remembered we have a blender and that smoothies are pretty easy to make: just put some fruit, plain yogurt, banana, milk and ice in the blender---awesome. Sidney gives Hand Foot and Mouth Disease a big smack right in the face while sipping a smoothie no less.

Ken quoted in Financial Times Article

2011-09-21T08:37:00.000-07:00

Mr. Ken, who wishes he had more time in a day or could clone himself to pursue all of his musical interests, hang out with the family, do his work and run marathons, will just have to settle for our measly 24 hour days. But he does find time to tinker with technology.

Do you know the adage, "When you're a hammer everything looks like a nail"? When you are Ken Moore, everything looks like a Theremin. Case in point: the Wii Theremin & the Kinect Theremin.

Well someone at the Financial Times in London took notice and spoke to him. Here Ken is quoted in the article, "Sonic Boom." It's about how new technology is influencing musical instruments. Yay, Ken!

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Update: I forgot to mention that a music man's work is never done. When we were in Ohio/Virginia earlier this year, Ken was inspired to build his own web drum machine software. You can make beats yourself and you don't even have to be musical (like me.) It's great fun to play around with. Click the image to see it.

[Note: You have to have the latest version of the Chrome Browser to run this app. So make sure you do--link for latest update is HERE.]

Domestic Enemies of the Prius-Driving Mom

2011-09-20T00:59:00.000-07:00

The ladies over at Rants from Mommyland, who are wickedly funny and hilariously true, have a running series entitled Domestic Enemies. These posts capture the challenges that face every type of mom you can think of: Stay At Home Moms, Sports Moms, Ex-Pat Moms, Adoptive Moms, etc. All of the posts are instructive about what it's like to be a certain kind of mom. Some are more poignant than others but all are written with a sense of humor. This inspired me to think about what kind of mom I am, because the more obvious ones have been written. So I decided to delve a little deeper, to find something that defines my Mommyhood experience. What could be more defining then how your schlep your offspring and all their stuff around all day long?

Domestic Enemies of the Prius-Driving Mom

First and foremost driving a Prius has a certain kind of, dare I say, "smugness" associated with it and South Park has a whole episode dedicated to putting Prius drivers in their place. Everyone knows you spend less on gas and there is a debatable theory that you're hurting the environment less with your righteous investment in hybrid technology. But no one has quite figured out what to do with the spent Prius batteries, so we shall see if that claim pans out. Of course, a distinguishing feature of the Prius is its form factor--which is a hatchback. It served all our needs as a DINK (Dual Income No Kids) + YUPPIE (Young Urban Professional) Couple. Then we had a child who came with gear and it suddenly feels slightly inadequate. But it's our only car so we make it work despite these enemies:

Costco
As a mom, you want deals on essentials in large quantities. We didn't shop at Costco until after we had a kid because we never needed as much as Costco was willing to give us. (You CAN have too much fruit leather by the way.) But as soon as my daughter was born, we turned into wholesale consumers of diapers, wipes, paper towels & formula. Only problem is, you need a car that can handle Costco. With a car seat and any form of a stroller in the back of a Prius, you've just seriously jeopardized your capacity for large boxy items. If you get impulsy and also buy a new HEPA Vacuum, a humidifier and a case of wine, you'd better be good at Tetris and hope the kid isn't claustrophobic with all the stuff stacked to the ceiling on either side of them.

Valet Parking
Why is it that these cars have been on the market over 6 years and valets still act a little nervous when they take the keys? I know it has a push button start but even my 2-year-old has figured it out already. And please, don't take offense when I ask if you'd like me to show you how to turn it on and/or make it go. The old man at the Jiffy Lube spent a very amusing few minutes trying to get it into the service bay because he was too manly to let me show him how the car worked.

SUVs/Trucks
No, I don't want to race you and should I ever be ahead or passing you, please don't take it as a challenge. I just need to get by you or you need to speed up.

Secret Mini-Van Envy
When we fly places and have to rent cars, sometimes we get minivans. Can I tell you that it's like a vacation within a vacation? Having so much choice of where to put stuff and people makes my head spin. We just came back from Canada where we had a Dodge Grand Caravan and I was freaking out. You mean I don't have to contort and strain my back to get my child into the car seat? Or I don't have to make the Sophie's choice between the emergency roadside kit and the BOB stroller? Or the side doors and the hatch open with the touch of a button? Minivans are not sexy or hip but they sure are convenient. Parking them in the city is not so fun but who am I kidding? I only go to the grocery store, the park, co-op and Costco/Target/The Mall. All of which accommodate minivans.

Spectre of a 2nd Child
It's just a matter of time. There is no way my 6' husband can sit in one of the front seats with 2 kids in car seats behind us. There just isn't enough leg room. And don't get me started about how we'd even attempt to get a double stroller in there as well.

Four Adults Who Want to Go Somewhere
Today's car seats are a triumph of technology and padding. Even the more streamlined ones that are suggested for smaller cars still have a decent-sized foot print. In our case, the car seat sits smack in the middle of the back seat. It allows 2 adults to sit uncomfortably on either side just long enough to get to a restaurant or a relative's house. But if the child isn't accompanying us, it is fairly straightforward thanks to the LATCH system to remove it. Just don't look at the seat and all the gross food, sand and debris that is now where the car seat was.

Birthday BBQing

2011-09-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated Sidney's 2nd birthday by coupling it with our annual BBQ. Mom, Cindy, Dad and Ann all came up for the festivities and we took on an ambitious challenge of providing all the food for once (instead to doing potluck sides). I won't lie, it was a lot of prep but the meal was in-harmony with itself and all hit the table at the same time which is a risk with a potluck. Naturally we had way more food than we needed but it was fine. With roughly 14 kids here, things were high energy and no toy was left unplayed-with. (Except cup and monkey who were safely sequestered in Sidney's room--we can share but but some things are sacred.)

It became clear to me as I was watching the older (4-6 yr old) kids playing that they are a bit harder on toys and take much greater risks than the 2 year olds. Things that hadn't even occurred to me like the fact you could climb up on top of the playhouse or careen around the lower garden a high speed on the scooter or throw the dodge ball hard enough to hurt someone or whatever. These are just normal kids pushing the boundaries and seeing where the limits of behavior but it does catch me by surprise when you're used to what toddlers do as compared to what "big kids" do.

Overall though, it was a beautiful day that we were grateful to share with our family and close friends.

All these fantastic photos were shot by Cindy.

Yoga Momma

2011-09-14T23:50:00.000-07:00

Doubtless you've seen this illustration before or know exactly what is said by the flight attendant to convey the instruction. Secure your own mask first before assisting others. That can apply to a lot more than oxygen masks.

I've been a part of a class called Yoga Moms in Phinney Ridge for a little over a year and it is one of the most rewarding things I do for myself. A lot of moms feel guilty when they take time or resources for themselves because to be a mom is to be in a constant state of giving, anticipating and sacrificing. But this class is just for women who are moms and it has such a supportive energy and intension to it. The teacher, Jen, used to teach the prenatal yoga class I took before Sidney was born and I really liked her approach and personality.

That part of the airplane spiel above occurred to me tonight as I was doing my downward dogs and warrior poses. I think one important way to be the best mom you can be, is really to "secure your own mask first" before you can help anyone else. It initially sounds sort of selfish but really anyone who is a parent and caregiver HAS to replenish their well of energy and focus. I'm so grateful that such a program exists that not only offers convenient evening yoga classes but also honors moms specifically by helping recharge our batteries and reminding us that nurturing one's self is part and parcel to nurturing one's family.

[I also want to thank Ken for being supportive of my yoga nights. :)]

Radio GaGa

2011-09-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

This all started after a "girls night out" with Sarah to the storytelling event. After a stiff gin and tonic, I was regaling her of stories Ken should tell about his life. He seems so mild-mannered yet he has this crazy creative energy that sends him off in directions you couldn't even conceive of. Things which one just has to live through to be believed. This is one of those stories.

This piece aired on KUOW last Saturday at Noon: "Adventures in New Parenthood: Scambaiting"

(Kudos to Sarah for taking two very different narrators with very different points of view on this event and weaving them together so masterfully.)

Many of my friends who heard this puzzled as to why I wasn't more upset by it all. Why didn't I scoop up the baby and take off for my mother's house? Here's the answers:

1. If you know you partner and love them, nothing good will come from crushing their "spark," in this case, Ken's creativity. You have to figure out how to work with it and coexist. Otherwise, why are you with that person?

2. As new parents, the mother (very rightly) gets a lot of support and attention. However, new dads can be just as discombobulated yet they are expected to just buck up and participate. It can be thankless and feel very out of control. And that can make you do some crazy things.

As someone who is no longer sleep deprived or detoxing from hormones, it seems very logical that a new dad may seek out something he can do that is all his own and in his complete control. You hope that it manifests itself in playing his guitar or drawing a picture or playing a video game or going out for a beer. But then again when it turns out he's saving some naive online granny from a Nigerian scammer--as mad and incredulous as you may be--you can't help be just a little bit proud.

But maybe that's just me.

Ten Years Ago Today

2011-09-11T14:33:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago today, Amy called and woke me at about 7am Pacific time and told me to turn on the television. After staring numbly at the images for a moment, all I could say was, “This looks like a movie. This looks like Die Hard or something.”

I rode the bus into work early and noticed everything, as if my senses had been turned on for the first time. The brightness of the sunlight, the colors of the EMP building, the sounds of cars, the silence in the sky due to all the airplanes being grounded.

I worked then at RealNetworks in the Broadcast Network division. ABC News was a client of ours and did streaming through us. It was the very early days of streaming video over the internet and all we had were postage-stamp sized video boxes that played at 56Kbps (kilobits per second) and 256 Kbps--so definitely not broadband. But we all worked like crazy to keep the streams going and divert all our servers to keeping up with the demand on the system. The number of hits to the live ABC News feed was astronomical--a double digit multitude of hits of any average day. Many people around the country who couldn't be in front of a TV set wanted and needed to know what was happening. I realized on that day how powerful the medium of streaming video was and despite how helpless I felt about what was going on in New York, DC and Pennsylvania, I knew could do this one thing. To help people stay connected to the news was what I could do. I monitored the feed all day and wave after wave of horror washed over me. I finally had to turn the sound down on my computer. But the master stream stayed up all day and we like everyone else in the country braced for the dawning of a new era.

Having lived in Europe for a year in college prior to 9/11/01, I saw how other countries lived with the possibility of terrorism at any moment. America became a member of that sad fraternity and became vulnerable--like every place else. Things were no longer so shiny any more. Not that there couldn’t be happiness or good things in life after this but things would always be marked by this event. Total safety had always been an illusion and living with an edge of uncertainty became the new normal.

WDS Knows What's Best (...for it's bottom line)

2011-09-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

When your dad is your dentist for all of your childhood (like mine), you get used to knowing the person who is doing your dentistry will do everything in his power to make sure it turns out right. And because he made no money on it, he did what was needed--no more, no less. That should be everybody's experience but economics and insurance interests conspire to punish that sort of long-term patient care approach.

I think a lot of people make the assumption that doctors and dentists must live high on the hog, raking in extraordinary fees just because they can. We're led to believe that insurers have our best interest at heart and when they take a stand by only paying portions of the standard fees or making drastic cuts as WDS is now doing to Washington State dentists, that they are doing us a favor.

The perception of doctors and dentists hanging around the country club, driving BMWs and doing their job just for the money has never been my experience with my own dentist father, many of his colleagues or my own current medical/dental providers in Seattle. These folks have all struck me as earnest people who have gone into the field of dentistry/medicine to help others. The trade off of more schooling and carrying large debt loads to go through school to then to set up a practice are worth the desire to help improve people's lives through better health.

Many of the great doctors and dentists are "great" because they relate well to people, take the time to help solve problems and go above an beyond to take care of their patients. But that does not necessarily make them great business people or insurance experts. With the proliferation of medical and dental insurance, they have to see more patients in a day because they are paid less for visits and procedures. It puts pressure on them to be quick and sometimes hasty. It can possibly incentivize those with weaker character and struggling balance sheets to to do more unnecessary tests and procedures to make up the difference. More of their time has to be spent dealing with insurers and the cost of hiring someone to deal full time with insurers is part of the overhead that doctors must now support. And it certainly doesn't help when insurers require practitioners to adhere to a dictated schedule of fees to be in the PPO or preferred provider programs. These programs can become so vital to some practices (especially where WDS dental insurance is concerned) that it could represent up to 40-60%+ of a dentist's patients.

WDS knows in this economy, it has dentists over a barrel. With so many of the insured being with WDS, they control the payouts for a majority of the patients in Washington State. It's banking on most dentists, especially new ones, or commercial dental groups to carry on and absorb the cuts. This does not bode well for good dentistry. It puts practitioners at a crossroads to either accept the new decreased payouts and find corner-cutting in every possible area including care OR drop out of WDS as a preferred provider causing the patients to pay more for care they have previously received at less cost. But I guess if one doesn't care about getting decent dentistry it isn't an issue. Providers are also getting squeezed by rising costs of medical/dental supplies, office overhead, worker salaries/benefits, loads of malpractice insurance and general inflation--yet the insurers want to cover only a % of their fees or reduce the existing payouts further.

By being "cheap" or expecting medical/dental care to be virtually free, we as a society are supporting insurers dictating the care we receive and deserve that scanty care. There is a choice to make and employers & individuals who sign on with these insurers like WDS have the power to accept these programs or not. People need to realize quality care does cost money because it's worth it. It's only your life and well-being after all. Otherwise, by relying on an insurance company to dictate where we are seen, how we are treated and what procedures are acceptable--we as patients are saying that we think the insurance company--a business--knows better than our own doctors do.

Top 20 Favorite Toys for a Toddler (2 years)

2011-09-04T23:09:00.000-07:00

What captures the imagination of 2-year-olds? Toys that are just their size or make them feel that they have accomplished something by building, buckling, creating or mimicking. Also, toys that stimulate imaginative play of various kinds. Here are Sidney's most favorite toys of this stage. (Direct links to Amazon.com are clickable from the images.)

1. Baby Doll Paul

It's anatomically correct and will "pee" water after you feed him his bottle (but you don't have to use that function). You can also get a baby girl doll but this one came with a doll stroller I was buying at a consignment store so I couldn't pass on the deal. I actually like her having a boy doll. It provides a nice element of difference. The best thing about this doll is it's realism and the craftsmanship. The eyes open and close when it's laid down, the face has significant detail, the weight and size of the doll is a good balance.

2. Doll Stroller

After encountering a doll stroller over at a friend's house, Sidney couldn't get enough of it. It remains a hit with her and friends who come over to visit.

3. Fisher-Price Doodle Pro

Excellent travel and quiet time magnetic toy that has no caps or paper to manage.

4. Kidkraft Play Kitchen

As I like to joke, Sidney has a play kitchen and so does Mommy--no real food gets made in either. This unit is made of wood, is compact, classic and not obnoxious like other plastic-y kitchen sets. While providing creative imaginative play, it doesn't have stickers/decals or obnoxious visuals so it can be displayed without fracturing your decor too much.

5. Playskool Busy Ball Popper

I never thought Sidney would like this as much as she does. At 18 months old, she wanted nothing to do with it. One day, something changed and it became the "IT" toy for play dates and solo time. Once she was able to activate the unit herself, there was no end to the fascination. One word of caution, as is, it does play an annoying circus-themed song over and over again. Not fans of this, Ken opened it up and snipped the wire that powers the speaker.

6. Buckle Toy

We call this "Mr. Buckles" in our house. This is one of the best toys I've ever seen. Period. Our kid and her friends are obsessed with buckling buckles in the high chair, car seat, back packs, etc. This toy is amazingly simple but utterly captivating. Perfect for traveling and quiet playtime. It's the kind of thing you wish you had invented yourself.

7. Color Wonder Pens/Paper
When the novelty of the magnetic easel fades, the next step is to allow them markers that won't get on everything. These pens can't make marks on anything except the special paper of the same brand. It's like magic for parents.

8. Kiddi-o Trike
Childhood's major milestone of your first trike is nostalgically captured in German-made tricycle brand Kettler and Kiddio-o. These trikes are known for their quality and durability. They maintain high resale value and are always in demand.

9. Step 2 Playhouse
When we would go to the community centers for playtimes, I was always struck by how delighted Sidney was to be in the tiny playhouses they had available. She loved being inside it and playing with the other children. We now love that having one at our house means she has a special place outside to take her toys or play with friends. But I especially like this one because I can keep an eye on what's going on inside of it because of the open design but can still give her a little space.

10. Water table
I would consider this a mandatory summer toy. Considering we have a child who has major aversions to being sprayed, sprinkled, misted or showered with water, the only other way to keep cool is to have a receptacle of water. With pools of any size being more maintenance and something you have to keep eyes on at all moments with children, a water table is a great compromise. Given that Sidney loves to pour water over and over again with her ever present "cup," we couldn't ask for a better summer toy.

11. Kid-sized Picnic Table
This is as much for our daughter as it is for her little friends. Kids need someplace to sit outside when the weather is nice or you want to BBQ. It's such a drag to try and get a tot to sit in a regular sized chair or at an adult picnic table.

12. Megabloks
Kids love to build. These sets give them lots of ways to do that. The pieces don't snap so tight together that it takes forever to separate but they also provide a lot of variety for imaginative play.

13. Sand toys
Beloved "cup" came from a sand toy collection and resembles that light blue cup pictured. Why does it capture Sidney's imagination and have to go everywhere with us? Is it the square shape? The orange color? The cubed detailing? Whatever it is, digging in the sand and sand toys are the bomb. Buckets, shovels and sand molds are the best.

14. Wood Peg Farm Puzzle
I believe some one gave this to us at our shower and I was wondering when it would interest her. We've had it out for over a year but just now she will pull out the piece and match it up with where it belongs and do it over and over. Before she just liked the duck piece and wanted to chew on it.

15. Large Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
One of our PEPS friends reported that their daughter really loved big-piece wood puzzle jigsaws. We got this one and sure enough the fascination of pulling something apart and putting it back together to reveal a picture is delightful every time.

16. Rocking Chair
Chairs of any sort that are their size seem to dazzle kids at this age. A rocking chair presents it's own challenge by not being completely stable and inspires especially non-traditional ways of getting into it.

17. Kid-sized Adirondack Chair
We've seen a few of these at summer parties this year. They do make great gifts since they are not top of mind for most parents but a welcome and stylish addition to any patio or yard. Fun to sit in, of course.

18. Toy Dinosaurs
Sidney used to b-line for the plastic dinos at the library and there would be tears when we had to leave them. My mother gave Sidney her own set just recently and dinos at home are a huge hit. They play with her in the living room and in the water table. My husband looked up the proper names of each dino and we practice saying them with her. This set has a great variety.

19. Magnetic Fishing Puzzle
Friends of ours were about to take their toddler to Hawaii and bought this puzzle for him. They let Sidney test it out before they left and she was hooked. The magnetic aspect helps with coordination but that feeling when you "hook" a fish is so satisfying.

20. Books, Books, Books! What list of favorite toys would be complete without books? Maybe they are not technically toys but Sidney spends a huge part of her days looking at the pictures in her books. These are the favorites. (Direct links to Amazon.com are clickable from the images.)

O Canada! Part 4, More Banff, Canmore & Lake Louise

2011-09-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

Oops! I forgot to hit "publish" on this about a week ago. Some truly epic pics to round out our trip. One of our only rainy days during the trip was our return to Banff when we looked at the Falls and the Fairmont Hotel. My unending search for fine Canadian clam chowder lead us to a fancy lounge inside the Banff Fairmont where we enjoyed a fancy lunch of soup and antipasti. I wish Ken and I had been feeling better during this trip because we didn't get to do one real hike but hopefully we'll return when Sidney is older to do it properly.

Banff Falls

Fairmont Hotel: Banff Springs

From the highway

Lake Louise

From the highway

Canmore Playfield

From Canmore looking North

From Canmore looking West

Banff Gopher

Banff Gopher coming this way

Looking north from Banff Gondola

Looking west from Banff Gondola

O Canada! Video

2011-08-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

Amazing View of Banff from Gondola
This is no Alvin

O Canada! Part 3: Lake Louise

2011-08-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Everyone was feeling well enough to hop in the van and cruise an hour NW to the crown jewel of the Canadian Rockies also known as Lake Louise. I had heard it was spectacular and it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The towering grey peaks reverently surround the basin of turquoise blue water full of glacial mineral sediment. It reminds me of how old the earth is and how what we think of “long time” is really nothing at all when you think about when and how all these peaks and valleys for formed.

Sidney loved scooping water out of Lake Louise with her ever-present orange cup. Luckily there were slate platforms every now an then along the trail around the lake that allowed you to get right up to the water’s edge without disturbing the plant life or precariously balancing on large rocks around the perimeter. And that cup went everywhere with us. I think it ultimately saw more of the Canadian Rockies than Ken did.

These look like paintings but their not. They are real, yo.

O Canada! Sidney and Orange Cup

2011-08-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Orange Cup:
I'm not sure how you captured the imagination of my daughter so completely but I hope that you enjoyed our recent trip to the Canadian Rockies. We certainly saw a lot together, didn't we? From the heights of the Banff Gondola to the swanky decor of the Fairmont Hotel to the icy cold waters of Lake Louise to the sand & gravel at the Canmore playground--we did it all. You were even front and center on the airplane to and from Seattle as well as close at hand first thing in the morning to the last thing at night. It's not every toy that makes it into this echelon of attachment.
It's going to be interesting when Sidney starts co-op next month because, like monkey, you will have to stay in the car for we would never want to lose you but, more importantly, we wouldn't want any one fighting over you since you are truly a "one-girl" cup. We can tell what's between you and Sidney is special and we will try to support your relationship as best we can. But as you know, Sidney is young and has many more toys to know and experience so as we remain open to that possibility--we hope you will as well.

Sincerely,
Sidney's Momma

O Canada! part 2: Banff

2011-08-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

Banff was named in 1884 by George Stephen, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, recalling his birthplace in Banffshire, Scotland. (Wikipedia) We figured it's 13 kilometers (or 8 miles) up the road from Canmore where we are staying. We like to be challenged on our vacations and with everything here in the metric system, it's an unending mental conversion exercise when figuring out distance, temperature and liquid measurement. All of this points out how inefficient our systems are but I still can't judge how fast we're going in kilometers or discern if $1.11 CAD is reasonable for a liter of gas.

The use of the 24 hour clock also creates pause when encountered and the currency conversion is almost (but not quite) 1:1 so when buying something, it really is that expensive. Sometime during our trip my brother Austin proclaimed, "How inconsiderate of Canada to make us to use foreign currency." I laughed because soon enough with this economy we're going to be trading in gold or Chinese moon cakes, so Canadian Dollars aren't that bad. Their money is rather pretty, I must say.

So Banff--yes. Dad and Anne hiked to the top of Sulphur Mountain while Austin, Sidney and I took the Gondola. This is one of Sidney's favorite words now: GONE-dol-LA--said with excitement. We could not have asked for a better day to ride to the top to look at the gorgeous mountains and surrounds.

I went despite feeling a little under the weather but not as bad as Ken, who we left behind in bed at the hotel. It never fails, when Ken and I go on family vacations, one or both of us take ill. This triply sucks because 1) we finally go on a vacation and can't fully enjoy it 2) the other family members who accompany us are like "see you later, keep the germs" and 3) we finally (finally!) have constant babysitters in our midst but we have no inclination to go out. Aggh. Stay tuned for our visit to Lake Louise and more landscape photos in the next installment.

Keeping busy on vacation: Cinemagraphs

2011-08-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

Ken made the following cinemagraphs in the free time here on vacation. What are cinemagraphs? They are a blend of photography and videography. Being a fan of both mediums I am pleased to see this development but I can see how the purists might freak out.(Click on image to set in motion)

O Canada! part 1: The Arrival

2011-08-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

We are on a family vacation in Alberta Canada in the Canmore/Banff region. Here are my impressions on the day of our arrival.

The Calgary Airport sustained a power outage as we exit Customs. Freakiest thing ever to have that many people standing around and it to be pitch black for a good minute. Naturally many people reached for their cell phones to start illuminating the area around them. The outage was due to some powerful thunderstorms.
Earl's Kitchen and Bar was where we had dinner on the way from Calgary to Canmore. It was recommended as a "family" restaurant. But the waitstaff was dressed more for Hooters/Chippendale clientele. It was as if, as soon as the high chairs were put away, table dancing and other lewd acts would begin. The bathroom looked like a French bourdior which I suppose sets the tone. I felt strange having my toddler daughter in this place with all the tight short skirted, cookie cutter blonde waitresses running about. They have one of these in Bellevue @ Lincoln Center and I wonder if it's the same atmosphere.
But Earl's did serve some good soup. It's not a fluke, Canada does make the best clam chowder ever. Something about the brothier, smokier, bacon-enriched, seasoned chowder I've now eaten in this country twice in one year just tickles my fancy.
The drive from Calgary to Canmore was nothing short of magnificent. In Seattle, we can see two awesome mountain ranges as we go about our day but these mountains and landscape are phenomenal. There is nothing stopping the eye from seeing miles in every direction. The rolling landscape is only interrupted by the enormous grey peaks of the Canadian Rockies. When I can see that far unencumbered, it's like the mind opens and pays homage to the natural world. Like a religious experience.
En route to the hotel, we ascended a hill and all these cars were flashing their lights at us. It wasn't even dark yet so it didn't matter that our lights weren't on. I commented about this and Ken told me that it means that cops with radar guns are ahead. Sure enough as we crested the hill, there were two cops hiding behind a fence with their radar guns pointed at oncoming traffic. "How did you know that?" I asked. "Everyone knows that," he said. I've driven for over 2 decades and never seen it. But this may be why I've never heard of this practice: In Washington, high beam flashing is illegal. Washington law prohibits flashing one's high beams within 400 feet of another vehicle, including using them to signal for any reason. Under section 46.37.230 of the Revised Code of Washington, flashing one's headlights illegally may result in a $124 traffic infraction. (Wikipedia) But isn't that nice that other Canadian motorists were looking out for us?

New Red Tricycle Article: Theater for Kids

2011-08-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

Be sure to check out my latest article on Red Tricycle about Theater and Shows for Kids in the Seattle area. I've been compiling information on this one for awhile, waiting for the 2011-2012 seasons to be decided. Lots of interesting shows coming up!

From Wyoming to Alaska by boat

2011-07-30T14:02:00.000-07:00

Now that they are back home safely with no fear of retribution or further mayhem, it's safe to tell the tale of the send off for Angela and Jamie's honeymoon. The take away lesson: get a passport.

Angela and Jamie scheduled an Alaskan cruise which disembarked out of Seattle one week after the wedding. Most (if not all) Alaskan cruises make one stop in a Canadian port so folks can buy cheap duty-free booze, perfume and cigs. Because of this and 9/11, they are ever so much more strict about your ID. No longer does a US driver's license suffice. You have to have a birth certificate or a passport to board the big boat. It does stipulate a "certified" birth certificate which means different things to different people evidently.

Being that they could bring birth certificates, Angela and Jamie opted not to get passports because they aren't cheap or quick to get (~$200 and 6 weeks). Besides our lovely couple was kinda busy planning a wedding, interviewing and getting new jobs. But Jamie called Norwegian Cruise Lines weeks before they left to double check and described the birth certificate that he had--to which they said "absolutely would work and no problem." (I am paraphrasing.)

So we celebrated the wedding and 5 days later on a Friday, they drove up in Seattle and stayed at our house with the next day as their departure. On a whim, Jamie and Angela whipped out their documents. Angela, the over-achiever, had two certified State of Oregon birth certificates. But I took one look at Jamie's birth certificate and I said, "That's not a certified birth certificate. That's from the hospital. It's not a legal document." I grabbed the laptop and began to see if we can get a certified birth certificate from Wyoming (where he was born) at 4pm PT on a Friday. (The answer, by the way, is no.)

Jamie instantly got stressed and called the cruise line AGAIN. I heard him describe the birth certificate and called it was a "hospital" one and they again said, "no problem." We poured him a stiff drink and he took a little time by himself to regroup. I felt bad making him needlessly worry like that but our evening went on as planned.

What's the difference between a certified birth certificate and a hospital birth certificate? A certified one is issued by the state in which you are born and usually looks very boring with mostly words and a raised embossed seal that may or may not be visible. A hospital birth certificate usually has a picture of the hospital or the baby's footprints stamped on them. Basically it's a souvenir and is not legal. The one thing that can confuse people is that many times the hospital has a "seal" that can look official so you think it's certified. But to get a certified birth certificate you contact the vital statistics office from the state where you were born and pay $10-20.

Saturday morning, Angela, Jamie and I left to go down to the terminal which is right across the street from where I used to work. It was a nice day and we were one of the first cars to drop off passengers. There was plenty of time for them to get on-board, get settled and have a celebratory drink/food before they even left the pier. I told them I would stay at the curb until I got a call from them that they are on the boat just to be sure.

But in the back of my mind there was still a grain of unease which blossomed into dread when I received a call from Angela five minutes after they disappeared into the terminal. "They won't let him on the boat," she said flatly. She then asked me what they should do.
Have you escalated to a supervisor. Yes.
Have you told them that you called twice and asked about it being okay? Yes but they say the certified birth certificate is required and it says so on the website even though Jamie didn't see that when he was organizing the cruise.
Have you told them this is your honeymoon???? I don't think they care. They are turning away other people with this same issue. But the supervisor said we have 4 hours to find a certified birth certificate and fax it to them.

They grab their bags and return to the car which is in the #1 position in the taxi stand. Other people and taxis started to arrive around us and the pressure turns up. As an aside: If people get confused about which birth certificate to bring more than once per cruise (which clearly was happening) and the phone reps contradict the website, well it's time to just change the policy to "passports only." Make it elegant and simple. You want to pass through Canadian waters and stop in a Canadian town, you need a passport.

But at this point both my two cousins are trying to keep it together and we were all thinking of ways we could get a certified birth certificate for Jamie. But he was not even confident that one existed in physical form. I felt really terrible for these guys because your honeymoon is supposed to be the reward after all the stress, organization and nerves of the wedding. It's supposed to be when you get to relax. And they two are all about details and being buttoned up so I know it was killing them that this one slipped through the cracks.

The next two hours were filled with trying every idea we could think of. I consulted one of my former Canadian national co-workers to see if he had any ideas. We tried to contact the Oregon DOL in hopes that an Oregon driver's license would have required a certified birth certificate. Jamie called his attorney mother who thought she may have had an "in" someone in the Wyoming state offices. Jamie called his dad to see if a certified birth certificate might be at his house in Idaho.

And then Jamie remembered the folder that his dad had given him. It was where the hospital birth certificate had come from. In the rush of the wedding prep, he had not looked through it but after all avenues were exhausted, it was the last and only hope of for them to get on the boat Saturday. Only problem was, this folder was inside their locked home in Oregon to which only they had keys. Luckily their neighbor was home and he called a locksmith. We all waited for this locksmith to get over to their house and open the door. With time ticking, every minute was excruciating.

For worst case scenario, I was also trying to rally a Plan B. There was going to be another boat leaving on Thursday or maybe Angela could go ahead and Jamie would meet up in another port. But none of this was a sure thing whether Norwegian Cruise Lines would honor that, would have the space and credit them for another cruise.

Once the neighbor got in, he ran up to the den and began to look for the folder. He didn't know exactly what a Wyoming birth certificate looked like and seemed a little doubtful when he found the folder. He took what might be it and faxed it from his house to the cruise line and emailed it to my phone so that we could see if it was what we were looking for. As soon as he said he was faxing it, Jamie went inside the terminal to talk to the supervisor. We all held our collective breaths. The notification came in on my phone and I opened the attachment while Angela was anxiously looking over my shoulder. The moment I saw the heading State of Wyoming Certificate of Live Birth I said, "This is it. We got it." Angela and I squealed and hugged on the curb and just at that moment, Jamie came out of the building looking like he might laugh or cry with relief. They had 1 hour to spare before the boat disembarked and they grabbed their bags with renewed enthusiasm. By this time, the majority of the other passengers had showed up and were in a long line to check bags and IDs. Jamie and Angela were escorted to the front of the line and just got right on the boat. VIP treatment at last!

Once they got on the boat, I think they had 2 very stiff drinks each.

This is now all but a colorful memory and exciting beginning to a lovely week-long honeymoon cruise but I still think Norwegian Cruise Line has some culpability to creating such a stressful 3 hours for all of us. I have tweeted to them about the phone rep conflicting information issue with no response.

So next time someone talks about taking an Alaskan cruise, tell them passports all around.

Do-good wannabe, part deux

2011-07-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

I wish my do-good instincts coupled with raper wit would have begot this genius of a website: Shutupandgetoverit.com...

Instead, I give mad props to Robert W, whoever he is, for saying what needs to be said. I'll be following this blog going forward.

Wedding Bellz

2011-07-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my much beloved cousin, Angela, married her long-time love, Jamie, in a weekend getaway extravaganza. The main event took place last Sunday at the base of Mt. Hood in Welches, Oregon at The Resort.

The Thursday night before, several of us in the wedding party took Angela out for dinner and a movie. We of course saw "Bridesmaids." I was secretly hoping we'd get a picture like this:

But we ended up more like this...

Photo by Cindy Hovind

But I get ahead of myself.

Friday, the ladies of the bridal party partook in some pedicures/manicures and spray tans. I was the only hold-out originally. Not being wild about putting chemicals on my skin which is sensitive anyway, I thought my heritage would give me a little color. Unfortunately the minute I saw the other girls, I realized I was the "tragically pale" bridesmaid. So as my cousin cleverly predicted, I relented and bronzed up.

Bronzy!

Afterwards, we had a celebratory lunch in honor of Angela's nuptials and we all tried to not to smudge our new skin color on anything.

Saturday before the rehearsal dinner, Jamie and his guys golfed while Angela took the bridesmaids and some others (including Mr. Ken) up to Mirror Lake on a short, picturesque hike. I'm not so much about the hiking and the outdoors but this was very nice.

This is my favorite picture of the hike.

Ken took this picture of all the ladies.

Mirror Lake with Mt. Hood peeking through

The bride to be takes a minute to reflect on a log in the lake.

Sunday we gathered early for make up and hair prep plus getting our beautiful bride ready. A hair and makeup team assembled to get us all ready.

It also took a team of folks to wrangle, entertain, supervise and keep Sidney from getting dirty since I was singularly focused on being available to Angela. Big thanks to Mom, Dad, Ann, Austin, Cindy and team captain Ken.

Photo by Cindy Hovind

(As seen on Sidney's Page...)

On Sidney's part: the wedding was an amazing event filled with love, laughter, food (& drink) and the triumph of apple juice. Miss Sidney was the flower girl and the plan was to have her hold hands with the ring bearer and walk down the aisle. In rehearsal and before the real thing, Sidney wasn't having it. So we found a compromise where she held my & the best man's hands, walked between us up the aisle and then went to sit with her Daddy in the front row.
Also on the actual day right before the ceremony, her energy began to wane and a meltdown was on the horizon but we gave her some straight apple juice (which she never gets to drink undiluted). It worked like a charm.

Photo by Cindy Hovind

I had managed to keep it together all morning and through the beginning of the ceremony. When you are so focused on hitting the schedule correctly, being where you need to be, keeping yourself upright on heels and hoping everything falls into place, it is easy to forget that there might come a huge emotional swell when you have a moment of calm. After Sidney and I got down the aisle and I turned to see Angela coming, this picture was taken then a minute later, I couldn't stop crying. Waterproof mascara? I was hoping that's what the makeup lady put on... Such a triumph of spirit and love on such a gorgeous day. A monarch butterfly flitted over the crowd a few times and that being one of Angela's favorite symbols, those of us who noticed were even more reminded how special this all was.

Photo by Cindy Hovind

Picture perfect and such a great match!

Photo by Cindy Hovind

The ceremony was followed by a delicious brunch reception in the Ballroom. I didn't eat much of it because I was so nervous about my speech. Thankfully former-Toastmaster Mr. Ken worked with me on it for the week preceding so I felt some level of confidence. The Best Man's toast was rumored to be a roast (paybacks are a bitch) but ended up being rewritten at the last minute into one of the most heart-felt, tear-inducing speeches I've ever heard at a wedding. Since I was following him, I had to really compose myself before I walked up to give mine but it went well and, what's most important, Angela & Jamie liked it.

Team Sidney took turns watching over her in the room since the reception fell right in the middle of her nap. Later, we got Sidney to dance a little and I brought my "B moves" (couldn't conjure the A moves that day) to the dance floor, cutting it up to Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas. The DJ looked like a cousin on my dad's side so he and dad kept calling each other "couz." By 4pm, it was over and everyone involved was happy and exhausted (and in need of showers). Mother and Cindy did us a solid and took Miss Sidney back to Portland for the night so we could have a nice evening up at the Resort with the folks staying behind including the bride and groom. It was a marvelous event and weekend. It's hard to believe it was only a week ago.

Do-gooder Wannabe

2011-07-02T23:10:00.000-07:00

In my profile description, I say that I am a "do-gooder wannabe." A few years ago, before Sidney was born, I took a hard look at my life & career and considered what many people do who are educated, well-paid and sympathetic to the disparity in the world: wanting to cross over to a non-profit job.

I was ignorant though, let's establish that right off the bat. The non-profit world is not waiting with baited breath for me, a former hi-tech program manager who is good with logistics but has no established background with issues nor has an advanced degree in anything. Some of the folks I spoke to at these organizations are some of the most "degreed up" people I have ever met doing the same job I did at a hi-tech company for half my salary. But it's not about the money when you go to work for a non-profit, it's about helping others.

Non-profits in Seattle can be very picky because it seems like so many bright, driven and appropriately experienced people who want the jobs too. It showed me how ideal yet unfocused I was about this pursuit which really took me aback. I had never been so unprepared as I was in trying to find work for a cause. Maybe because I never crusaded for a cause or issue before. So I began to consider what causes or issues was I really concerned about. I knew answering "all of them" was incorrect. Ghandi said something like "be the change you want to see" but I just felt overwhelmed by the choices and unwelcome professionally. I'm not proud of it, but at that point, I just gave up and tried to rediscover some joy in the job I had at the time. Then I got pregnant with Sidney. And then I left that job to be a stay-at-home-mom, work that pays nothing but is infinitely more rewarding. (Maybe that's a little like working for a cause.)

But I still have a desire to effect change and improve the world. But to be said in the manner of Derek Zoolander, lips pursed, "I'm frustrated because I can't figure out how to help people less fortunate than me. " I know, it's such a ridiculous, first world problem--I just need to stop whining and get doing.

Three recent events have especially rekindled the do-gooder fire:

1. A blog post about a recent trip to Bangladesh by Heather Armstrong, the blogger behind Dooce.com. She went there earlier this month to raise awareness about maternal health and generally the conditions of one of the poorest nations on the planet. Her visit was not without controversy but ultimately any attention and mobilization of assistance is key.

2. Attending a showcase last week presented by reporter Jenny Asarnow and photographer Jake Warga with stories and images from a recent trip to Haiti which is still in chaos and highlighting the conditions of birth and labor for Haitian women. They followed an American midwife who trains others in Haiti to improve the chances of maternal survival and reduce complications.

3. The departure last Tuesday of our friend Bev for a month to Bangladesh to help the Distressed Children and Infants International Organization by teaching English to orphans so that they might have another skill to pull them out of a cycle of indentured servitude and prostitution.

With all of that in my consciousness as of late, I can't help but want to re-engage. Even though the most paralyzing aspects for me are "where is the most need" & "what can I do for them." I realize every cause is important and deserving in their own way so I guess it's just like dating: do your research, make a commitment and do as much as you can before you move on. Because you don't have to marry the cause (or make a living doing it either) to make a difference. With that I think I'm going to look a local food bank and see about sorting things, putting stuff in bags or organizing food stuffs. Put that OCD to work!

Extra pics of the Butchart Gardens? Why, no...

2011-06-19T22:05:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that both Ken and I couldn't be less interested in gardening and yard work, we tend to keep buying houses that require a ton of maintenance and/or expertise in the "yard arts." The funny part about buying and moving into this house with an elaborately established landscape was that every plant that blooms is a surprise. Since they were dormant and all "sleeping" back in December, we had no idea what color things were or even what they were. Luckily we have great help from Box of Rain Landscape on keeping the garden healthy, well laid-out, mulched and properly pruned. And then the rest of the time we just wander around the garden gaping at it all. There is also a bit of fruit planted as well: blueberries, raspberries, Italian plums, grapes & figs. We still need to figure out when to harvest that stuff. It's ridiculous.

Things said in this household since the Spring:
"The front rhododendrons are pink! And the ones in the backyard are lavender!
"We have Bearded Iris."
"We have Tiger Lilies."
"We have Calla Lilies."
"We have a ____ load of figs."
"Roses, hello!"
"What are all these little purple flowers?"

This is a peony. My Facebook friends told me so.

1 of 2 massive fig trees. I've never eaten a fresh fig--that will soon change.

Ken endeavors to plant some pea plants he's sprouted for Sidney which could be the gateway to a vegetable garden. This ought to be interesting.

Victoria BC aka “Extreme This Vacation,” Day 2

2011-06-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

The previous day set a pretty high bar of fun but took a lot out of us. Because I was recovering from a cold prior to our arrival in Victoria, being on the scooter all afternoon set me back a little. All morning, I sequestered myself in our room to rest up for what we had planned Saturday. And I was going to need it. In keeping with doing things that are unexpected and possibly unwise, Ken and I arranged to do something called Wild Play. Both of us had done Ropes Course team building exercises in the past so when Ken saw this as the #4 recommended thing on Trip Advisor for Victoria, we signed up.

According to the pamphlet, we were in store for “thrill-filled circuits of rope swings, wobbly bridges, tightropes, ladders, swinging logs and zip lines [that] create [an] exhilarating, suspended obstacle courses for all ages.” All this while strapped into a harness and strung up 60 feet in the air. It was liberating. Like ski slopes, they had blue, green, red and black levels to denote the level of difficulty and distance from the ground. I do have a fear of heights which makes this activity that much more exhilarating. Most of the time I focused on the tree ahead of me and where the safety line was lashed/bolted to the tree. Looking down made it worse so I just tried not to do it.

This is my bad ass look.

The most difficult "game" was the crossing (pictured below) with the alternated hanging nets. That required a lot of upper body strength and was in the black (last and most difficult) section of the course. I was getting tired by then and it put me over the top. Unfortunately there is no exit from that point so I just had to keep going forward. Much of it was mental too. Shortly after that, there is a rung of 6 monkey bars to cross to get to a nearby tree. When I was in 3rd grade, I'd swing all day on something like that but at 37 with a lot more weight and much less upper body strength, I was getting really psyched out by the idea of crossing them. Our guide shouted up to me to grab the 3rd rung in and swing my legs to the next platform. That was so simple but I couldn't see it through my anxiety. Interesting how the mind does that.

This challenge was the hardest for me to navigate. Zapped a lot of strength.

The zip lines are basically where you take a break from the hard stuff and trust your equipment. They got longer and higher as the course progressed. Those initial few were quite a challenge for me because it's not like you are sitting in a sling. There is a "pulley" that is thethered to your harness and you clip that on to the line as well as your safety clips. But that's it--your butt is just hanging out there and you have to sit back, extending your legs and arms as you rocket into a cushion attached to the tree.

I know this sounds ridiculous but when I got scared or doubtful, I just remembered that I'd given birth to another human being so this obstacle course was a cake walk comparatively. I definitely felt braver once I internalized that. (Not that everyone has to have a baby to know what they're capable of but it really helped me.)

We successfully navigated the entire course.

After returning to the hotel and getting cleaned up, we wandered out to the harbour where on a barge was a stunt bike exhibition. While rave-like music blared from the stage, riders jumped and flipped through the air. We were dressed up for dinner and didn't quite fit in with the crowd filled with grungy, overtly tattooed 20-somethings with a thirst for Molson Beer.

We concluded our night with a quiet celebratory dinner at a quaint Italian restaurant called Cafe Brio. It was cool because they did half orders of the entrees so you could try more than one thing. Stay away from the duck, too dry and salty, but the Beef Pasta dish was sublime.

Our trip to Victoria was wonderful in every way. Ken will tell you it was too cold but I would say the 60 degree temperature was just right and no precipitation--so perfect. Canadians are super nice and I love the way they say "sorry" with the long 'o'. On the Victoria Clipper ride back, we sat next to some retired vacationing Australians who hit it off with Ken and chatted about Australia and computers. Other than being completely exhausted, I was mentally refreshed and can't wait for our next adults-only trip.

MyPublisher.com Woes

2011-06-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

While self-publishing & photo book creation has come a long way with the advent of the Internet, sometimes things go astray. Technology can be vexing and even more so when the humans behind it act as cold and heartless as their software. Here is a heartbreaking tale of such a scenario about MyPublisher.com from my friend Sarah.

********

Hi Kali,

Do you have the ability to post a review far and wide somehow? I just had the most horrendous experience with one of the companies that was highly reviewed in the online posting you sent. (Which was a great article!) I have no idea how to "get the word" out about this online, but if there is a good way that doesn't take too much time, please let me know.

After sinking HOURS and HOURS of time into Mika's Father's Day project, the software hit a glitch and erased everything I had been saving along the way. I just spent the last ten minutes crying my eyes out like a little girl since time is something I haven't had a lot of recently, and so to lose something that will take me months to build again is just devastating.

Here's what I just wrote about it to the guy who posted the review you sent me.

Hi there,

I really appreciated the detailed and thoughtfully written review of photo books. Thanks! Based on your article, I selected MyPublisher for a large project I am working on. Near the end of the project after I had invested MANY long hours, the program froze momentarily. Then, 99% of all my work disappeared. It didn't quit. I didn't get error messages. I contacted MyPublisher immediately (spoke with supervisor Scott) and was told that "it sometimes does that" on computers with less than 2GB of RAM.

I use many page layout and audio sound editing programs on this computer without problems. No where on the website was it made clear of the system requirements for MyPublisher before I got started. There was no way to recover all I had lost. In addition, MyPublisher was unwilling to work with me in any way to make things right. They did offer to "extend a coupon" for a discount I would have already been receiving had their program not crashed, but they wouldn't do anything beyond that. It's the same discount anyone can get - and I would have, too, if their program hadn't lost everything on my computer today - so I didn't feel it was appropriate level of "we're sorry" for the massive amounts of time, heartache, and missed deadlines their software has caused me.

I was hoping they would print my project - a single book - free of charge. No deal. After that, I asked that they disclose the 2 GB issue more prominently on their web page to save other people this outcome. They did not offer a comment or agree to do so to. I am extremely disappointed by this company. I would love it if you could post my experience as a follow up on your blog so that other people might use my experience as an additional tool for evaluating if MyPublisher is really the right choice for them. Thanks so much for considering.

Sincerely,

Sarah

Victoria BC Trip aka “48 hour abdication of all parental responsibilities,” Day 1

2011-06-12T23:04:00.000-07:00

I’ll be honest, I was little nervous about my first overnight trip away from Sidney but it all soon evaporated when we left the house in the wee hours Friday morning to catch our boat. Mother and Cindy were kind enough to come up from Portland and stay with Sidney for the weekend. It was in honor of our 6th wedding anniversary that we officially celebrate later this month. I “Grouponed” out and found deals on the Victoria Clipper and the amazing Marriott Victoria Inner Harbour which is right behind the famed Empress Hotel.

During the three hour mostly-smooth Clipper boat ride, we saw a Humpback Whale breach--that’s when I knew this would be no ordinary vacation. With the freedom of movement and the ability to do anything we wanted, this trip suddenly became the gateway to a magical world called Canada. The weather in Victoria is basically just like Seattle and luckily it was partly sunny and in the 50/60’s which as far as I’m concerned is perfect. Ken definitely wishes it was hotter and definitely wishes he brought a better coat.

If I may make a sweeping generalization, Canadians have to be the nicest people in the Northern Hemisphere if not the world. There are so many positive interactions we have had, they even drive “nice.” But we are on Vancouver Island in Victoria so maybe it’s particular to this specific area but I get the feeling Canadians are pretty chill and why wouldn’t they be? They all have healthcare. Anyway, our room which was a “Groupon coup d'état” scored us a killer deal on a high floor room which overlooks the harbor and access to the coveted concierge lounge (free food). Since Sidney, extravagance has been kept to a minimum so this is a big deal.

We found out there was going to be the first ever Freeride Mountain Bikers Jumping Event this weekend and watched ramps constructed as we ate some delicious fish and chips for lunch at the Flying Otter on the Wharf. “Flying otter” is what they call seaplanes.

We decided that we needed to go see the Butchart Gardens right then and wanted to have the most flexibility with the least cost. Public transit would take almost 2 hours each way--nope, chartered motor coach had such limited hours of service--nope, renting a car was too easy--eye roll. I know! Let’s rent a motorcycle, no even better, a motor SCOOTER because (as in holding with one of the core tenants of our trip) it’s more economical. (Fun fact: Motor scooters with 2 people on them hit a top speed of about 40 mph so don’t get on a highway/freeway with them.)

We “Roman Holiday-ed” up to the Garden and took a picturesque but in hindsight ridiculous tootle along windy roads and much faster traffic. The gate staff at the Gardens kindly held their giggles to a minimum when we pulled up to the park entrance to pay. And then the scooter wouldn't start for a bit so we were almost freaking out that we’d have to call the scooter rental place to come pick us up--but alas it started up again.

A bit windblown and saddle sore, we strolled through the magnificent gardens. And this comes from a person who doesn’t much care about gardening or yards or flowers. This place is absolutely breathtaking. According to one of the onsite staff, 50-75 full time gardeners are constantly working year-round. It’s varying terrain and garden types are surprising and magical.

They even have a replica of Porcellino the bronze Florentine boar whose nose you rub for good luck. Ken and I did this in Florence in 2004 when we visited and evidently the Butchart family had a replica made and installed in their garden. Many of the flowers were in bloom so it was very colorful. Unfortunately none of the roses were out---I guess that’s not until July. But they have a rose garden that would teach Portland (the Rose City) a few tricks. You can just tell that in full bloom that place must be stunning and so fragrant.

Reluctantly we got back on our scooter and braced ourselves for the many hills awaiting us. For good measure we leaned forward when cresting. The Marriott staff kept their giggles to a minimum as well as we arrived back and parked the scooter overnight in the garage. About that time, Game 5 for the Stanley Cup had started between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins. It’s a best of 7 series and they were tied 2-2. This game was being played in Vancouver. All day we had seen people (including statues) wearing green, blue and white colored hockey jerseys (the same color palette as the Seahawks btw). And you could tell people were psyched up. But we caught the last half of the game and then went out to see how the Canadians celebrate winning a hockey game. Crazy times!

The next and possibly last game of the series if the Canucks win will be in Boston Monday. We later asked a waitperson about what it was like when the Canadians played the Americans for Olympic gold. It was crazy he said, people filled the downtown streets in Victoria. But then he said, “But the Stanley Cup win is more important.” #Canadian Culture Lesson

With a hopping nightlife and celebratory crowd mingling around the harbour and streets around the Empress Hotel, we took it all in until it became a bit crisp and I wanted to get a little bit more to eat. Even though I had to wait 45 minutes for it due to a kitchen error, I had the best gourmet clam chowder I’ve ever eaten in the lounge at the Marriott Victoria. Smoked paprika, yukon potatoes, cream, ham and clams. Unbelievable.

Bliss: getting the evening report on Sidney & not having to pick up toys for once.

Evening in Victoria Harbour

So if you think this day was full of fun, wait until you hear about Day 2.

To be continued....

Immunize

2011-06-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

The other day, as I perused the Seattle Times Online, I came across a starling story about how Washington State has the HIGHEST number of vaccine exceptions for children in the nation. So 6% of the kindergardeners in this state do not have some or all of their immunizations. Lovely.

I will admit when we were first pregnant with Sidney, I heard about the so-called link between autism and immunization. I had friends who swore that immunization was highly dangerous and I listened to them because as a soon to be parent, you obviously want to make all the right decisions. I started to think we should consider an alternative immunization schedule. Not to completely give up on vaccines but to space them out. Then I read "Baby 411" written by a doctor, started looking at the CDC website and remembered that I believe in science.

Third world countries are falling all over themselves to get vaccinations for deadly & disfiguring diseases that still exist in the world. Because the US has nearly eradicated some of these from our daily lives, within a generation or two, we've become forgetful, stupid or both. The immunity to small pox, chicken pox, measles, mumps, polio, etcetera doesn't continue unless you get the shots. So when parents who have issues with the vaccines withhold them from their own kids and then put my child, myself and my community in danger of contracting one of these diseases--well that is just selfish and stupid. The concept of herd immunity only works if everyone does it. From my understanding, the vaccines themselves create a barrier to the disease but it's really the combined barrier of the complete group that keeps a disease from getting a foothold and spreading. This is especially true for the very young who can't get immunizations until certain ages. For instance the MMR shot is not given until 1 year of age. Until then, they are dependent on all around them to be healthy.

I just can't understand how we got here: turning down such a life-saving breakthrough of science like we're turning down an appetizer at a dinner party. These should not be optional. And if it's really that much of a problem for someone, perhaps they should go live in the woods, home-school their child and never expect to come into contact with any other human being.

Gifts of uh...Love?

2011-06-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

I just picked up Tina Fey's book Bossypants with the unsettling cover of her head Photoshopped on a large man's upper torso. Once you get past that the contents are quite funny and heartwarming, as you would expect from her. I'm really looking forward to her comments and observations about motherhood. But I'm not that far in, maybe on the 3rd or 4th chapter. At this point, she talks about her eleventh grade boyfriend who gave her a box of microwave popcorn and a used battery tester for her 17th birthday. She added, "Like you give someone when you're in love." It also sounded like he broke up with her soon after.

That story totally hearkened me back to my late 20's when I received a similarly vexing but ominous gift from a boyfriend. To set the stage, Joe (not his real name) and I had just gone for a long weekend to Boston to visit his family after dating for a few months. He sort of sprung the trip on me since a gloomy cloud of "this will likely not work out" settled over our relationship. But I was encouraged by this gesture and found his initiative romantic so I set that feeling aside. We traveled in early December and it was a nice trip so when we got back I bought him a number of Christmas gifts like a sweater and other cliche' relationship-y bobbles. The week before Christmas he came over and I presented him with the wrapped and bowed boxes and he stared at them dumbly.

"I didn't get you anything," he said.
"Oh, that's okay," I said. "I know you're busy."

I was really confused because hadn't I just been visiting his parents and sister on the other side of the country two weeks ago? (Oh and I had paid for my own plane ticket so that couldn't have been considered a gift.) But I tried to shake it off and have fun that night anyway. I left the next day to go down to Vancouver alone for an extended vacation with my family.

When I returned, there was a medium sized Amazon.com box waiting for me. I tore it open with desperation and hope that it might be from him. Maybe he needed some time or space to come around and get into the spirit of the holiday. Not that I needed expensive or fancy stuff but some THING (a card even) to show he cared. Inside, I found an invoice stating his address in the billing box (which was the only indication of where this had come from) and a fully stocked toolbox & socket set. Wow, definitely practical. Too bad I already had a fully stocked toolbox and he knew it too because he fixed the sink a few months ago. The date of purchase was 12/26 and it had been one of these "gold box deals" that Amazon used to do where they'd deeply discount one item for a whole day. I must say, he got it at a good deal on it--so kudos to him.

As I tried to feign some semblance of appreciation, my ridiculous female mind desperately clutched onto the quickly disappearing tendrils of hope that this relationship would last much longer. What kind of a jackass gives you a toolbox for Christmas? Especially one you don't need.

At least someone benefited from Joe's cringe-worthy attempt at lame reciprocation: for a New Years present I gave my brother a brand new toolbox and socket set.

News not normally this busy...

2011-05-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

Thursday: Tornados in the South
Friday: Royal Wedding
Saturday: White House Correspondents' Dinner
Sunday: Osama Bin Laden Exterminated

All since we've been in Ohio.

"Ohio" gozaimasu

2011-05-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

[Note: This was supposed to go up yesterday but I got distracted by world events and decided to watch news coverage. But it enables me to include today's activities for one complete post.]

Greetings from Ohio.

The state motto: "With God All Things Are Possible."
The state bird: the cardinal (of which we have seen many).
The state beverage: tomato juice.
The state rock song (the only state that has one): "Hang on Sloopy" by The McCoys (1965).
And oh yes and something about Buckeyes...

We've been visiting my friend Anne who was one of my roommates during my college year in London in the mid-90's. She was the first person I met the day I arrived there and we've been good friends ever since. Ken and I were thrilled to meet her young sons, Daniel & Evan, and for all of them to meet Miss Sidney. We have not seen Anne since she was pregnant with Evan during the "Kali ruined fish for Anne forever by frying it in the house" visit to Seattle in September 2007. But I digress.

Friday we visited the very impressive Franklin Park Conservatory. It is full of beautiful plants mingled with glass Chihuly artwork (yes, we came all the way to Columbus to see a local Seattle-area artist's work). They also have a tropical butterfly house, resident macaw parrots and an amazing, light-filled structure that houses all of it. A fun outing for adults and kids.

Daniel, Sidney and Evan

Chihuly Stuff

Making a wish and dropping coins in the pond.

Miraculously, all 5 of them are in this picture.

Macaw Parrots (the voice you're hearing is their handler)

Funny times in the Butterfly exhibit

Butterflies do whatever they want to here.

Looking at the Koi pond.

People who live in glass houses and who are made of glass should be REALLY careful.

More Chihuly stuff

Friday night we were "treated" to hotel neighbors who were drunk and unruly. And surprise, they were parent chaperones for a boys' soccer team who were in the area for a weekend tournament. Ken had to say something in person at 10 pm then we had to call the front desk around Midnight as things spun up again. These people are parents, so what about "we have a baby who is sleeping" do you not understand? And then Saturday night they were slamming the door repeatedly around 10:30 pm and when I opened our door and stared incredulously across the breezeway, they claimed that there was a mechanical malfunction on the door latch. So, you need to keep slamming the door to affirm that? I told them to keep it down and we called the front desk again but they were telling truth. I have dubbed them "hoteligans" an equal menace to football hooligans.

The next day (Saturday) we visited some of the parks that Anne has had a hand in maintaining and improving. It was lovely. At the first one there was a windmill and a solar cell installation along with a cool playground. But Sidney was mostly impressed with picking flowers and doing summersaults on the lawn with Daddy.

This is me with my cartoon hands helping Sidney go over. Anne took this with her phone and it's one of my favorite pics of our trip so far.

This park was hidden right off a main highway with houses and a school abutting it. What a wonderful surprise to see a wooded area with a waterfall.

We enjoyed sushi (!) later in the evening. Note: there was no slabs of fresh raw fish so it was really just rolls of cooked seafood. (That's "sushi"to me.) Blasphemy--I know--I'll have to relinquish my Japanese heritage card when I return to Seattle. Also we've been sampling more ice cream on this trip than we eat in a year. They have some good stuff including Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. Check the flavors, yo. Crazy.

Sunday, the weather reminded us of the dreary NW with all the rain. So we decided to go shopping. Anne needed a few things for her apartment and I never tire of looking for toddler clothes on sale.

This is just a little fun Ken had at the local mall.

Granite Sphere

Monday we took a break from the Columbus area and visited Pamela, a friend of Ken's who lives in Willoughby Hills near Cleveland. Pamela is deaf so Ken and I got a little refresher on our ASL(American Sign Language). Ken is much more skilled, I just threw around the baby signs we learned recently and hoped for the best. We enjoyed hanging out at her home, having lunch and talking with her dad. Sidney really enjoyed playing with the two small dogs (not pictured) and finding all the remote controls scattered about the house. Lovely time.

And upon our return to Columbus, on our final evening in Ohio, we ate at Graffiti Burger with Anne and the boys. Great burgers, fries and shakes. It was fun to see Sidney try and feed the boys french fries then pull them back at the last minute. Uh-oh.

A very full visit here in Ohio with lots of adventures and great friends. Bring on Virginia.

Financial Literacy Month: All's Well That Ends Well? Nope.

2011-04-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

A N O P E N L E T T E R T O P E O P L E O R

E N T I T I E S W H O A R E U N L I K E L Y

T O R E S P O N D. (Inspired by McSweeneys)

Dear Bank of America Bill Payer Team and Chase Mortgage Team:

Your two institutions supposedly provide services such as safeguarding our money, making sure our bill payer transactions go through or making sure our mortgages are serviced. But you fell down on those functions recently and no hollow-apologied form letter you can concoct will just make our doubts, annoyance and lack of faith go away.

This all started because the simplest, most straight-forward thing: a monthly recurring bill pay event for a mortgage payment that had processed correctly 4 times prior--for some reason--did not go as planned this past February.

On 2/17/11, I received an email notification from Chase Mortgage that our monthly payment for the mortgage was officially late (not received as of 2/15/11). But upon checking with our bank who has all our money (Bank of America), I discovered that a recurring bill pay event had indeed posted 10 days earlier on 2/7/11.

By 2/28/11, I had spoken to so many of your clowns and was a hair’s breadth away from losing my patience. To add insult to injury, someone at Chase let me know the funds had still not been located in their system and they were going to report us at the end of the month to the credit bureaus for not paying our mortgage. Talk about a hostage situation. I had little choice but to pay our mortgage again in the month of February.

Bank of America who holds our money also told us Chase refused to speak to them directly about this issue or any client accounts because Bank of America was a 3rd party. To break the log jam and optimize my time chewing out both institutions simultaneously, I volunteered to do a conference call with Bank of America AND Chase.

Here are other more infuriating things I learned on that call:

Bank of America cuts physical checks to Chase (does not wire) and there are a limited (read: arbitrary) number of payments that can be sent to any particular Chase lock box destination (payment address on our mortgage statement) in any one day. When they exceed that set number, Bank of America will send payments for Chase to another lockbox address that they know of.
Bank of America on their own initiative changed the payment destination of our 2/7/11 recurring bill payer event from an Arizona address (indicated on the statement) to a Kentucky address--without so much as notifying us.
The payment arrived to the Chase Kentucky lock box and our mortgage number was noted on the check. Chase Mortgage cashed the check but did not credit our account--without so much as notifying us. It was put into a holding account for some unknown reason.
Because we initiated this payment within the grace period (on the 7th of each month) and not 5 days before the due date (on the 1st of each month), Bank of America was not going to take care of the late fee. Luckily, Chase graciously reversed it themselves.

The call in a nutshell: It started off that each bank insinuated the other messed up, next they each revealed some of the inner-workings of their respective banks, when it became obvious that they had both been inept and careless, the reps reverted back to their own douchey, condescending scripts and finally the blame came to rest on me for not initiating the payment 25 days prior to it’s due date. (25 days--that is absolutely ridiculous)

But miraculously the next day on 3/2/11, Chase found the “lost” funds and posted it to our account. Oh oops...

This little exercise in futility has earned both Bank of America and Chase to lose our trust and confidence. If you cannot handle something simple like this, as routine as this, why would we ever place anything else important in your hands? Yes, mistakes happen but you took up hours of my time to sort out and coordinate your own jacked up systems then pulled some b.s. technicality to try and blame me for it.

I really wish I could choose who holds our mortgages because there would be a reckoning. But I can decide who holds our funds and pays our bills. Bank of America, consider yourself on notice.

A plague on both your houses,
Kali Sakai

Living In One of the Whitest Cities in the US

2011-04-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

THIS article in the Seattle Times about the recent 2010 census revealed how "white" Seattle and Portland are. While Seattle is the 5th most white large city in America with 66% of its residents saying they are non-hispanic/white, Portland is the most white large city in America with 72% saying that. It's kicked off several discussions about race, racism and it's affects on our area.

KUOW's Conversation Show on 4/25 covered this and discussed some interesting stories callers had/have while living and working in the Seattle area. Based on that pool of experiences, it's a toss-up as to whether it's better or worse here than other big cities with more color mix. I also called in at the end to make some comments regarding being mixed race. That's a whole other topic of conversation but as more and more people are multi-ethnic, how do you count "whiteness"? Is it only if you are 100% or can you combine two hapas to get one white person? That's a little glib maybe, but something I'm still curious about.
Audio: Part 1 LINK & Part 2 LINK
(On Part 2 @15:22 is where my comment starts)

Bruno and the Professor, one of my favorite news/views podcasts about American and international politics, culture & ideas discussed this article too. They brought up an interesting concept called "consensus-based culture" which is that Seattle is so full of domestic and international immigrants (~66%) that the cultural mores are inevitably "explained" to everyone coming in and basically an understanding occurs such that "you can be of any religion or culture you want as long as you assimilate into this society." I found that fascinating because while I am not Seattle-born, I am still a western Washington State native so the "rules" aren't very different than what I grew up with so I don't really notice it. (Except for the "Seattle Freeze" phenomenon which is specific to this city and why Seattle folks are so aloof--but I digress.) I'm sure Seattle's culture is a starker contrast for Ken who grew up in Maryland--a place where race is much more top of mind because you can see diversity everywhere you go. Also interesting comments from the guys about voter districting as it pertains to race and the history of it. Click this LINK to listen. (Race discussion starts at 20:00)

And after putting this article out on Facebook today, many friends who have lived in different parts of the country indicated that more diversity in population is not necessarily correlated to less racism. But I think that's a common assumption--the more exposure you have to something, the more you understand and integrate with it. So to explain what friends are seeing maybe it could be if you don't get any distance or perspective on a cultural/racial basis perhaps you keep fomenting the deep-seeded prejudices and create your own tight-knit group within that society so that you never fully integrate. Or in defense of those who think Seattle is color-blind maybe if you have less occasions to test your racism you are by proxy "less racist"?
I don't know, that last one is a stretch.

The Symphony Rules

2011-04-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

I think I was 15 when I heard a live symphony orchestra for the first time. It was in a church and my high school boyfriend's mother played violin in this group. I never forgot that sensation, that tickle in my ear upon hearing live stringed instruments. There is no other way for me to describe it but live music especially violins, violas, cellos, basses...taps into something deep and is unlike any other experience. But as naive as I am about classical music, I have learned that there are rules, etiquette really, for when you attend the symphony. But I am a multi-tasker at heart and much to my musician husband's chagrin, I still like to thumb through my program and shift around in my seat. If a piece bores me, I busy myself thinking of what I will say about it when it's over and look around at other patrons. I know, it's borderline behavior but sometimes it's hard to stay focused.

Also as a non-musician, I acknowledge the extent to what I absorb of the classic masterworks is small. The complexity and emotion is apparent but there is so much more. This realization was reinforced when I tried to play a violin recently. Our friend Mika is among other things a talented violinist and let me try it. Just holding the bow was an eye-opener. It looks so simple but there is this "peculiar" way to position one's fingers. I felt like I would drop it at any moment. Then figuring out how hard to press the bow on the strings--those musicians make it look so effortless. But it is the exact opposite. The life-long dedication, talent and achievement distinguish them from the rest of us. I suppose they are like athletes that way.

So as I've grown older, I have made efforts to have some small ongoing exposure to the symphony. Last Friday was one of those nights. It was a program with Prokofiev, one of Ken's favorite composers. I too like the Russian composers, they have more dramatic and angsty music which definitely appeals. But it was in the recital hall with a chamber group instead of with the entire symphony in the main auditorium. Immediately I noticed the patrons were dressed down more than usual. (Was it "casual Friday" at the symphony?) Clearly modern times and the "Seattle laid back attitude" mix to deem Birkenstocks as acceptable footwear and a clean fleece pullover as a fitting dress shirt. But I digress. A paying guest, regardless of their fashion, is a welcome sight these days. But I still can't help but feel bad for the performers. Looking a little nicer than what you'd wear for a trip to the store is a fair reverence to them and their dedication.

However, cringe-worthy things started happening between the 3rd and 4th movement of the first piece. That was when people broke into applause because they thought the first piece was over. In fairness, the musicians did finish with their bows up in the air and after a little bit of flourish but there were four movements listed. So a lot of people got faked out and we all starting clapping. That seemed to set the tone for the rest of the night where people just burst into applause between movements, like someone had opened Pandora's box and anything goes. No doubt, we are not the first Seattle audience to clap prematurely (this week) but it shows me how pretentious I can get about it. Then to top it all off, they gave a standing ovation. There were good aspects, particularly the 2nd and 3rd pieces but Seattle, from my observation, loves to give standing ovations. All the time. Even if it's mediocre. So how can you discern good from great here? That is my question. Ken thinks I sound so snobby when I say that but it's like giving everyone an "A" or a trophy. Every performance doesn't merit the highest honor. Okay, I'm done now.

And yet, this clearly illustrates how alienating it might be for someone to go to the symphony for the first time so therefore they don't. With the news of Philadelphia's Orchestra filing for bankruptcy, it's scary. I looked around at the audience (as I am wont to do) and noticed Ken and I were some of the youngest people there and there were not many in our age group. That does not bode well for this musical tradition being kept alive. Sure there are a number of kids who learn musical instruments and play in youth symphonies/orchestras which work closely with the professional symphony but why am I not seeing or hearing about more of my peers attending or enjoying the symphony?

When the Seattle Symphony rep called us a month ago to remind us to renew our season tickets, I had a frank talk with her. Why aren't you guys doing more with movie composers? I asked. When Lord of the Rings was going, they hosted Howard Shore, the man responsible for scoring that epic trilogy. They had multimedia screens with projections above the full symphony with hand drawn sketches and photos of the locations where the movie was shot. People I had never seen showed up for this (young people) and in costume. It was an amazing event with lots of energy. Granted this is not traditional symphony but I liken it to a gateway drug. Get people in the building (which is amazing on it's own) and have them see that going to the "symphony" isn't as stuffy and inaccessible as you may believe. I suggested they try to get Danny Elfman up here. That would be amazing. I think there has to be a way to instill interest and that might be in the form of using popular culture.

It is a good thing that they have made their packages very flexible and of varying sizes. Clearly we don't have a lot of time or money to see tons of performances. So we go with their smallest package of 3-4 performances for the entire 9 month season. That's doable and keeps us connected. This next season, I chose a non-traditional series that features world music so we can have a little break from the masters and hear some new/different stuff. In the past, we've tried small packages featuring music of Mozart, Beethoven, Chamber Music, the Russians (Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich) and famous classical guitarists. So there is variety and new stuff to hear/see from the symphony. Perhaps they are not doing enough outreach to "unlikely" patrons or perhaps they're resistant to taking too many liberties with classic work. I know there is a new musical director as of this year. He's 36. The outgoing guy is 64. Perhaps we will see some changes after all...

Yeah, I said it...

2011-04-22T23:08:00.000-07:00

Grey's Anatomy, which once held a place in my heart like no other show, has been on a downhill slide for several seasons. It's no wonder with the constant reshuffling of cast members, the try-every-combination coupling and the lazy writing, resulting in ridiculous plot lines. So when they announced a few weeks ago that they were going to do a musical episode (a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Scrubs) well color me jaded, but I was all "impress me." They do have cast members who CAN sing but that doesn't mean the SHOULD. Fans were tripping over themselves to gush how much they loved it but there was another camp who just as adamantly proclaimed it sucked. I went up on ABC's Grey's Anatomy Writers blog and told them which group I sided with...

"This musical episode was silly, indulgent and unrealistic (even for Grey's). As a fan from the very beginning, I have hung on as this show has slowly lost it's way and became a joke. What once was smart, compelling and fun is now the shell of it's former self. Using gimmicks like this musical abomination is insulting and tired.

I had thought the arc that included the hospital shoot-up at the end of last season was a resurgence of the brilliance I saw in the second season but this current season has been one heaping disappointment piled upon another. How can you guys be proud of this?"

What does this mean for my future viewing? I'm willing to go on record and say I'll stick until the end of the season. They'll probably give Meredith a pregnancy/baby in the finale just to soothe die-hards like myself but I'm really not sure what else this show has to offer me anymore. But if anybody has any new perspective on the show that might reboot my attitude, I'd love to hear it.

Financial Literacy Month continues...

2011-04-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

While this is a little political in tone, the explanation is stark and eye-opening.

Stuff Sidney is up to...

2011-04-17T22:02:00.000-07:00

Since we have a whole blog devoted to Sidney, I don't tend to write about her directly here very often. But she just recently turned 19 months and she's really a pistol, as they say. Funny, clever and definitely knows what she wants.

Tonight in the bath Sidney was able to count to ten (with a little coaching from Daddy). It was delightful to watch and funny when she said five comes after two.
In the last week or so, I've noticed that she interacts in an "engrossed" way with her stuffed animals and voicing what they are saying. She can play with them for extended periods of time and is quite content. And then for no apparent reason, she will vigorously rub monkey's face on her face. It's quite surprising.
She gleefully strides about the house, shrieking and squealing like giving a proclamation that something awesome is about to happen.
She LOVES Caspar Babypants (kids musician) especially his song "Run Baby Run" which has lots of fun physical directives (running, singing, clapping, spinning, jumping). Of course she requests the song everyday but expects her father and me to act it out with no participation by her whatsoever. Yes, we will be your entertainment for this and every evening.
She is also getting more and more willful where sometimes if I have to take something away from her (because it's dirty, dangerous or just came out of the cat) there are instant tears and she will plop down on her butt where ever she is and wail like I just told her giant talking tacos who poop ice cream don't exist. Oh wait... Occasionally a rational explanation will work to calm her but usually I have to brush up on my car salesman skills for a bait-and-switch routine. "You can't have the creme brulee torch but you can have this cheap piece of plastic that lights up and makes noise. It's just as cool--really."

Stephen Colbert: Walgreens for Medical Needs

2011-04-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

This is just awesome.

Internet Hazards: Impersonation

2011-04-08T23:32:00.000-07:00

With a personal blog about family trips, all things baby, stuff the cat does, lists of NPR financial shows and general musings from a geeky domestic project manager (SAHM), I don't expect the world to be knocking down my door. But imagine my surprise when I checked my Google Analytics the other night and saw a surge of traffic on March 31st & April 1st that was 100x my normal daily traffic volume. At first I thought it was a mistake, then I looked for the content people were hitting. It all seemed to concentrate on this picture. (It is one of my favorite and few with a celebrity.)

As I traced the hits back to their source, a site called "Reddit"--a social news website owned by Conde Nast Digital on which users can post links to content on the Internet. Other users may then vote the posted links up or down, causing them to become more or less prominent on the reddit home page. (Wikipedia), I started to worry.

Reading through various cascades of comments and links, I was able to piece together that someone had gone onto Reddit into a section called "Ask Me Anything" where famous people or people who have particular jobs/interests dialogue with others. Someone claimed they had been an intern at the Daily Show and used my picture with Jon Stewart as proof of who they were. But I guess the impersonator had cracks in his story and had earlier revealed himself to be a man as well as provided other weird information so the community began to suspect foul play. People pretend to be people they aren't on the Internet all the time (so that's no surprise) but this guy was actually giving hopeful, interested folks completely misleading advice on how to get in at the Daily Show. That is where the community drew the line and launched into deconstructing this person.

What was most odd to me personally was seeing strangers try and prove that this person was a fake by delving into my background through LinkedIn and my blog to see if anything tied me to the Daily Show professionally and if they could substantiate what they knew of him with what they found about me. Some of the folks came up with interesting possibilities like the Daily Show perhaps allowing a stay-at-home-mom intern or me as an intern speaking through the account of a husband/boyfriend/male coworker because I would not be taken seriously as a woman on the internet. I found it fascinating, creepy and exhilarating all at once.

When I stumbled upon the discussion, it was already 5 days old so there were many users calling the "intern" a sham. But I could see that there were still some lingering questions especially those who thought I might be speaking through a male counterpart. So I posted my own statement which can be seen in the link below, along with the rest of the main string of conversation. It devolves a little bit (so be warned) but as a study of Internet culture and behavior it is both inspiring to see a community seek the truth for itself and worrisome to see that it's so easy to lie with no recourse on the Internet.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/ggjji/the_ama_claiming_to_be_former_intern_for_daily/

Financial Literacy: Teaching Kids About $

2011-04-04T15:17:00.001-07:00

Here is the just published Red Tricycle article I wrote on Teaching Kids about Money: http://www.redtri.com/time-to-tackle-teaching-kids-about-money