Eighty-fourth Wordless Wednesday requires an appetite

 

14 years

Fitbit won't charge and Occam's Razor

Hen was griping because his Fitbit had been plugged in for two days and it wasn't holding its charge so I asked him if it was plugged in correctly. Which, I get it, is only going to tick him off because what kind of idiot can't plug something in and yet... Darren followed Hen into the bedroom and showed him an online explanation of Occam's Razor. Then Darr came back out while I continued making breakfast. About three minutes later I heard Hen complain about not understanding Occam's Razor because, and this is the important part, it doesn't make any sense for the Wikipedia page to have several different spellings of Occam. This has completely tripped Henry up from taking anything away from his papa's lesson.

Me, out in the kitchen (a.k.a. the cheap seats): Maybe we should show Hen the definition of irony.

Sometimes life at the condo is humorous.

Anniversary 13

Here's to 13 years!

Just another evening

Notice anything different?

Yeah, that's a mustache. Darr had it less than 24 hours. He thought it'd be fun to show up to work with it but that this feeling would fade by 11am. 

Happy Father's Day!

Appreciative of a lot of things today but mostly that Darren is an often goofy and playful participant in raising this delightful but stubborn child. Also, any opportunity to scroll through old photos is awesome, eh?

Year 8

Wedding day, eight years and one day ago. Much love to my Canadian born, bike riding,  soccer loving, bourbon drinking, Doctor Who watching, dog walking husband.

Raring to go

The old man is currently showing me the route he'll take down the mountain when he returns to skiing, and explaining that what he used to do in five minutes will now, surely, take longer.

Still sick

I came down with a flu-like bug on Wednesday. I was achy, congested, tired and had a headache with a sore throat. I was feeling a touch better today so I decided to meet Tan for a movie this afternoon. Things were fine until after the movie when the near-migraine headache returned. I felt like puking on the car ride home. Ugh. I'm taking some Nyquil and hitting the bed. It's only 5:30p.m. but it seems like the best thing to do. And Darr is taking Hen to the soccer game tonight, the house will be quiet.

(Belated) Vegetarian meal #10 - Feast fit for a father

oven-roasted trout
pesto with pasta
corn
shopska salad
strawberry shortcake

It definitely felt like a feast. And because it is a special Father's Day post, here are a couple shots of the duo...

on the way back from a very long walk to take Beauty the Wonder Dog to Wiggles and Wags for a bath, followed by lunch at The Corbett Fish House, and play time at the park

snail hunting outside the condo

I thought today was the 24th

Then and now.

But it is the 25th, which means we have officially been married for seven years.

Happy anniversary, honey.

Sh*t Darr sends me

- http://www.thedailyshow.com/videos/tag/Supreme%20Court Scroll down and watch "Tom Goldstein extended interview" parts 1 and 2. Remember Albert Florence? He was the guy who, on an erroneous warrant for which he had proof he had taken care of at the time of arrest, was held for six days and strip searched twice. The courts sided with correctional institutions. Five justices, in their wisdom, think it is entirely plausible and likely that those of us stopped for non-criminal offenses are driving/walking/skipping/jumping around with weapons and/or drugs stuffed in our private parts just in case we are arrested. 

- What is it about this song? 

Sh*t Darr sends me

- Where the Wild Things Are, read and interpreted by Chrisopher Walken

- Cabin Porn - When I got this link the mere mention of porn had me worried so I emailed Darr to ask if he had been hacked or if he actually wanted to check out the site before I clicked on the link.

-The Flying Series - One more reason to have a baby is so that you can throw the kid into the air and capture it on a memory card.

- Fuck Your Noguchi Coffee Table - Perhaps the most hilarious because we actually have the Noguchi coffee table. I guess, f--- us, eh? Also, Megan, it is Terrarium Tuesday. Check it out.

- Preserving Oregon Roads - Because we aren't laughing all the time.

Beautiful, gorgeous! Wish you were here!

Wow. Besides the later-than-expected bedtime and the fact that Hen's counterpart in the Mexico! is a bit under the weather, today was perfect. We woke up, ate a satisfying breakfast, and hung around the casa until it seemed like a better idea to hang out at the beach. While the Smiths went into town, Hen and I packed a lunch, grabbed his pail and shovel, and went seashell hunting. With the sun beating down on us on one side, the cool breeze coming in from the sea, and water that is too deliciously warm to ignore, we were in heaven. Once back from their shopping extraganza, Avery and Megan joined us at the beach before we headed over to the pool for a bit. Yes, life is hard for those of us vacationing in the Mexico! At one point Hen was running around me yelling that I made him the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich ever! And that he loved me so much! And that he loved the Mexico! And that he wanted his papa to come down to play with him in the water!

I am taking lots of pictures and we are stopping to occasionally touch the point of a pump (i.e. cactus - Hen calls 'em pumps, I have no idea why). We enjoyed ice cream treats on our walk back to the casa this afternoon. And Hen has started greeting people we meet with a hearty Hola!

I felt so very lucky today. Lucky to be able to travel with Bean. Lucky to have such kind and generous friends. Lucky to have a husband who works hard so that we can afford to have these experiences. Just lucky.

The ice man cometh

"On this windy, snowy and cold winter day, shortly after the last sunlight was gone, I ran into what I think a prehistoric iceman on the mountain. After a careful and gentle approach, I was able to get this footage of the rare specimen." --Hai

Hee hee.

Happy Valentine's Day

Me to Darr, after checking Facebook and getting a You may also know note on the side that included a Darren Gilroy: Hey, is this you?

Darr: Is there any content?

Me: No.

Darr: Then yeah, it's me. I think there's a Married to thing.

Me: Yeah, can I do that?

Darr: Sure. I think I'll have to approve your marriage request, though.


Six years and still going strong, folks. Happy Valentine's Day!

The Mexico! 2012 prep is underway

It's not all that surprising that when we took our Moms Only trip down to the Mexico! last year, we thought it a splendid idea to make the trip an annual event. What is sort of surprising is that we actually managed to make it happen again. In less than two months, four of the original five* will be heading south to the lovely casa by the sea. Ahhh... I do believe Amber and I have made an agreement to do more drinking this trip. So, yay! (What say you, Amber? Do we have a gentlewomen's agreement? Do we? Do we? Also, Stacey, you want in on this or what?)

This trip is even more awesome because I'm going to stay with Megan on the day everyone else returns home, and Damian - that brave, brave man - will fly down to join us for the week with both Avery and Monsieur Henry! Yeah, you read that right. He's going to fly down with the kids by himself. The only sort of hiccup we can see is the possibility that Hen might have a teeny bit of a freak out when it comes time to leave Darr and go with Damian at the airport. But we figure we can mitigate the severity of any such incident with the use of technology - thank you in advance Skype (and other Skype-like products). It's really hard to imagine that our kid, who is so in love with sea creatures, isn't going to be super excited about 1. flying on a plane, 2. flying on a plane to the Mexico! where there are sea creatures, and C) flying on a plane to the Mexico! where there are sea creatures and his mama.

As far as prep goes, thanks to his swimming lessons, Hen now has both goggles and ear plugs. He also has his shorts and, well, other than a bucket and shovel, that's all he really needs to vacation in the Mexico! Although I am also on the lookout for a new pair of sandals for him. For me, I just need my camera and to get the travel authorization letter written, signed, and notarized. And for Darr, I should probably plan a few activities so he has something to do with Hen while I'm gone.

*Sadly, Rachele opted out of the trip this year, but who can blame her. Cute baby at home. Cute baby!

Someone is a year older!

Hint: It's not either of the cats, not the dog, not the recently turned 4-year old, not Frederic Von Hausen III, and not the person responsible for this post. It's the Canadian at the condo! Happy birthday, hoser!

To satisfy my need to buy gifts, I grabbed some liquor for the old man. It's always a safe bet. And Sesame Blues, one of his favorites. I also made Darr fried chicken (Hen's pick for papa's birthday dinner) with baked potatoes and corn. Dessert, per Darr's request, is a flourless chocolate cake. I used this recipe but since we have not yet tried it, I can't give you a rating on the recipe, although it did receive a 4-fork rating with some 283 reviews by strangers.)

Dad's Saturday breakfast

Hen: Eggnog is a treat.

<pause>

Hen: Cookies are a treat.

<pause>

Hen: I have two treats!

Vehicular cycling in the rain

It has been about a month and a half since I started biking Hen to school and I am liking it. I don't appreciate the hills I have to tackle on my way up the mountain but everything else is pretty great. Darr is awesome and has been biking with me so I get off easy for the first three miles of the journey as he trailers Hen during our ride downtown. When we get to the nice hilly part, I take Hen and he jets off to work. Ah, me and the hills. What can I say? I hate them. Hate. Them. They are mean and big bullies and no good can come from them, unless you are traveling down them at high speeds. Then they are fun and they are your friends. Can I take a moment to tell you the story about how, during our half century Tour de Whidbey bike race, I got my bike up to 40 mph going downhill. 40 mph, people. On a frakken bike. I am just that awesome.

It takes us/me about an hour to get from our house to the school and I shave about 15 to 20 minutes off that on the ride home. Since it would be Crazy (with a capital "C" Cah-razy) to ride back home after dropping Hen off and then ride out there a second time in order to pick him up, I've been taking full advantage of TaborSpace. Sometimes I grab a carrot and zucchini muffin, sometimes I order a tall glass of o.j. and, heck, I've even napped there - setting my alarm clock so I wouldn't be late to pick up Hen. Did I mention there is free wi-fi and there are comfy couches? I'll say this, though, setting up your coffee shop with suggested donations instead of actual prices is genius. I paid $5 for a glass of o.j. because that is all I had on me. (They don't give change, you put your donation in the provided box.) And I don't have the balls to go in and ask for another glass of o.j. to even out the score. TaborSpace 1, Me 0.


Here's what I've learned/observed/etc. about biking so far...

1. Portland is awesome for biking what with all the sharrows and bike boulevards.
2. It is cold in the morning in November in Oregon. Often it is raining. This makes roads slippery.
3. The trees are shedding their leaves right now, which makes the road a bit treacherous for us bicyclists. If you're ever driving behind one and get pissed because he/she isn't riding closer to the curb, it is probably due to the huge pile of leaves there. Might as well be riding on ice with as much traction as I'm able to get when on those dang leaves.
4. I like using my turning signals. 
5. I have no problem taking a lane.
6. I will ride on the sidewalk if necessary. 
7. It takes a lot longer to stop when you have 50 pounds of trailer and kid attached to the back of your bike. 
8. If you do not have fenders and it is raining outside, your butt will get wet.
9. Second to hills, I hate headwind.
10. I really enjoy my bike. Her name is George.  
11. My toes are frozen by the time I get to the end of the Springwater Corridor near OMSI. It might be time to invest in new, weather-appropriate shoes.
12. Market Street and Stark Street are relatively flat and provide a much-needed reprieve from the never-ending climb up to Hen's school. There's a reason they don't call it Tabor Hill.
13. Your tires can and will get caught in the railroad tracks at some point and you can and will go down and it will hurt. I did that this morning, attempting to give an oncoming biker some space to cross I turned the wheel at exactly the wrong moment and angle and I crashed hard. Now, I am sporting a bruise on my arm (near the elbow) and on the palm of my hand. I fear a bruise on my thigh will follow shortly. The palm bruise is creeping me out. Turns out my palm hitting the unforgiving ground is defined as blunt trauma. I just brushed my arm against the blankets on my bed and it feels as if my arm is ON FIRE. Ouch. 
14. If you have a Darr of your own, he will be so excited you're biking again he'll do your bike maintenance and even buy things (like fenders and tires) and put them on your bike for you.
15. Hen eats lunch and naps in the trailer on the way home. The one time he didn't nap on the way home he had already napped on the way to school. Apparently, all we need to get this kid to sleep is to put him in a bike trailer.