We were listening to the radio the other day, Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer was on. Lucas said, "I like this song, it's about superheroes."
After the song was over, I found what I thought was another superhero song on my iPhone, I Am Superman, from REM. But according to Lucas, this is NOT a superhero song, it's a "girl" song.
So then I kind of gave up and we were listening to some international fare. He said, "I don't like this Scooby-Doo music. Turn it off."
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
The man behind the chocolate
It's not every day that you meet someone who has had such a huge impact on your life, but last week I did.
Heather and I went to Charles Chocolates, in Emeryville. We met Charles (aka "Chuck"), which was a pleasant surprise, he was super nice.
But we were actually there to hear Gary Guittard speak. Gary is President and CEO of Guittard Chocolates. Guittard Chocolate Company is the oldest family-run chocolate maker in the US (Gary is the 4th generation) and and one of only ten chocolate makers in the US.
If you've been following my blog closely, you know that I'm really into hot chocolate. And Guittard happens to be the chocolate that's used at my two most favorite hot chocolate haunts (Sketch and Semifreddis), as well as my favorite cupcake place, Love at First Bite, and probably a host of other great places that I have yet to uncover.
Gary talked about the aspects of making chocolate, from touring exotic places to source the best cacao beans, to roasting and processing the beans, and keeping in touch with his customers.
Some interesting tidbits about Gary:
- He started working in the chocolate factory when he was 12 years old.
- He rebelled against the family business in the '60s and was a rock climber in Colorado.
- If he wasn't in the chocolate biz, he'd be living in the mountains.
- He considers milk chocolate a confection, and dark chocolate a food.
Gary is a true perfectionist when it comes to his work. He's not in it for the money, but he wants to put the very best product out there for other people to enjoy. He says he's always very excited to see what people, like Chuck or Michael Recchiuti are doing with chocolate these days.
After Gary's talk, Heather and I went up to get our photo taken with him. I haven't been this starstruck since I had my first celebrity run-in with Charlie Sheen as a teenager. I think I started by saying something stupid like, "I'm a huge fan of yours."
Like Chuck, Gary was very cordial and posed for a photo with his two new groupies.
Chuck and Gary were both so sweet, I guess that's what happens when you work with chocolate all day.
Heather and I went to Charles Chocolates, in Emeryville. We met Charles (aka "Chuck"), which was a pleasant surprise, he was super nice.
But we were actually there to hear Gary Guittard speak. Gary is President and CEO of Guittard Chocolates. Guittard Chocolate Company is the oldest family-run chocolate maker in the US (Gary is the 4th generation) and and one of only ten chocolate makers in the US.If you've been following my blog closely, you know that I'm really into hot chocolate. And Guittard happens to be the chocolate that's used at my two most favorite hot chocolate haunts (Sketch and Semifreddis), as well as my favorite cupcake place, Love at First Bite, and probably a host of other great places that I have yet to uncover.
Gary talked about the aspects of making chocolate, from touring exotic places to source the best cacao beans, to roasting and processing the beans, and keeping in touch with his customers.
Some interesting tidbits about Gary:
- He started working in the chocolate factory when he was 12 years old.
- He rebelled against the family business in the '60s and was a rock climber in Colorado.
- If he wasn't in the chocolate biz, he'd be living in the mountains.
- He considers milk chocolate a confection, and dark chocolate a food.
Gary is a true perfectionist when it comes to his work. He's not in it for the money, but he wants to put the very best product out there for other people to enjoy. He says he's always very excited to see what people, like Chuck or Michael Recchiuti are doing with chocolate these days.
After Gary's talk, Heather and I went up to get our photo taken with him. I haven't been this starstruck since I had my first celebrity run-in with Charlie Sheen as a teenager. I think I started by saying something stupid like, "I'm a huge fan of yours."
Like Chuck, Gary was very cordial and posed for a photo with his two new groupies.
Chuck and Gary were both so sweet, I guess that's what happens when you work with chocolate all day.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Memories that stick
Lucas and I were talking about Fairyland the other day. He said wistfully, "I went there once with uncle Rocky. We sat on the play structure outside of Fairyland. We had a lot of fun. We each ate a bag of popcorn. That was a really fun day."
That trip to Fairyland happened over the summer. I hope when Lucas is an adult and thinks back to his younger days, he'll remember things like that. And not things like:
Like I said, I hope he hangs on to the more positive memories.
That trip to Fairyland happened over the summer. I hope when Lucas is an adult and thinks back to his younger days, he'll remember things like that. And not things like:
- Last night when I heard Lucas screaming all the way from the house, as he and Kevin walked back after he (Lucas, not Kevin) refused to share or take turns while shooting baskets.
- Even later last night when he woke up in the middle of the night and was sent to sleep in the downstairs bedroom because he wouldn't stop screaming.
- This morning, shedding big tears while he ate his oatmeal. (Before you feel too sorry for him, let me explain the backstory. I served up oatmeal and raisins for breakfast. Only after I asked if he wanted raisins, and he replied that he wanted them in a separate bowl. Then when he saw the raisins in a separate bowl, he vehemently denied that he wanted raisins in the first place! He threw a hissy fit and was then sent to his room for a time-out. All that being said, there's nothing sadder than watching Lucas' big tears roll off his face into his oatmeal.)
Like I said, I hope he hangs on to the more positive memories.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
ABCs of yoga
When I was stretching out on the floor the other day, Lucas assumed the role of yoga master, after a not-so-recent 6 weeks of yoga at school. He walked me through some yoga poses, which according to Lucas "are really good for you and will make you stretchy". He showed me the usual suspects: child's pose, tree pose, and sleeping pose (aka the "corpse" pose, in adult circles). I showed him the warrior and eagle poses, which he was excited to learn.
Lucas asked if I knew the letter poses. I told him I have never done the letter poses and asked him to show me.
He went through the whole alphabet. It was only around M that I thought to get my camera. Some were straightforward, like this pose:
Others were more conceptual and free-form:
If Lucas is ever inclined to do this again, I'm going to try and capture all the letters so I can make a more complete yoga poster. Namaste.
Lucas asked if I knew the letter poses. I told him I have never done the letter poses and asked him to show me.
He went through the whole alphabet. It was only around M that I thought to get my camera. Some were straightforward, like this pose:
Others were more conceptual and free-form:
If Lucas is ever inclined to do this again, I'm going to try and capture all the letters so I can make a more complete yoga poster. Namaste.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
"Mom's guilt" - when does it end?
From the very beginning of life as a mom, even as a prenatal mom, the guilt starts to creep in.
Prenatal:
Am I eating the right things? In my case no, my doctor told me to stop eating so much sugar since I was gaining so much weight. At 37 weeks I had already gained more than 50 pounds. I told the nurse to just stop telling me my weight after that. (And Lucas went to 41 weeks!)
Is it enough to do the prerequisite childbirth prep class from the local hostpital? I cajoled my husband into the childbirth yoga for partners all-day workshop. None of which I really used since I went for the epidural ASAP.
Newborn:
Is he still hungry? He was an avid eater. I nursed and pumped and nursed and pumped. I had enough breast milk in the freezer at any point to feed a small army. I was militant about not using formula for as long as I could, which was about 11 months.
Is he cold? I put a hat or hood on him every time I felt a slight breeze in the air, also because he looked so cute in hats.
The day that he could, he started yanking those hats off his head. He won't come close to one these days.
Fast forward four years, because I don't want to recount all the other times I've felt guilty about something I should have done, should have done differently, or shouldn't have done at all.
Today Lucas was one of the last two kids to be picked up from school (more guilt!). Luckily the other kid was his best friend Jack. Lucas and Jack were playing, but also plotting a night of fine dining at TRex, one of our family's favorite spots. They may have expected that we would take them out because the last time they were the two last kids Jack's mom and I decided to go out for Mexican food.
Anyway, not because of any lack of effort on the parts of Lucas and Jack, we decided that we would plan a dinner at TRex for another night, but that it wasn't going to happen on this particular night.
On the drive home the majority of the conversation was centered around why we weren't going to TRex and when we could plan for it. I told him that most of the time when you go to dinner with someone else's family, you have to plan for it.
We pulled up in front of our house and Lucas got out and closed his door, which is when I heard him scream. I ran over and his finger was stuck in the door. I opened it quickly and blood was pouring out of his finger.
After we got him inside, cleaned up, and assessed that his finger wasn't broken, my first thought was, "Why didn't I take him to TRex?" For dinner we fed him anything he wanted, which was cheese, apple, almonds, dry cereal, and yes, a popsicle. I felt bad for him, he was really in pain, plus the popsicle helped to assuage the guilt, just a little.
Prenatal:
Am I eating the right things? In my case no, my doctor told me to stop eating so much sugar since I was gaining so much weight. At 37 weeks I had already gained more than 50 pounds. I told the nurse to just stop telling me my weight after that. (And Lucas went to 41 weeks!)
Is it enough to do the prerequisite childbirth prep class from the local hostpital? I cajoled my husband into the childbirth yoga for partners all-day workshop. None of which I really used since I went for the epidural ASAP.
Newborn:
Is he still hungry? He was an avid eater. I nursed and pumped and nursed and pumped. I had enough breast milk in the freezer at any point to feed a small army. I was militant about not using formula for as long as I could, which was about 11 months.
Is he cold? I put a hat or hood on him every time I felt a slight breeze in the air, also because he looked so cute in hats.
The day that he could, he started yanking those hats off his head. He won't come close to one these days.Fast forward four years, because I don't want to recount all the other times I've felt guilty about something I should have done, should have done differently, or shouldn't have done at all.
Today Lucas was one of the last two kids to be picked up from school (more guilt!). Luckily the other kid was his best friend Jack. Lucas and Jack were playing, but also plotting a night of fine dining at TRex, one of our family's favorite spots. They may have expected that we would take them out because the last time they were the two last kids Jack's mom and I decided to go out for Mexican food.
Anyway, not because of any lack of effort on the parts of Lucas and Jack, we decided that we would plan a dinner at TRex for another night, but that it wasn't going to happen on this particular night.
On the drive home the majority of the conversation was centered around why we weren't going to TRex and when we could plan for it. I told him that most of the time when you go to dinner with someone else's family, you have to plan for it.
We pulled up in front of our house and Lucas got out and closed his door, which is when I heard him scream. I ran over and his finger was stuck in the door. I opened it quickly and blood was pouring out of his finger.
After we got him inside, cleaned up, and assessed that his finger wasn't broken, my first thought was, "Why didn't I take him to TRex?" For dinner we fed him anything he wanted, which was cheese, apple, almonds, dry cereal, and yes, a popsicle. I felt bad for him, he was really in pain, plus the popsicle helped to assuage the guilt, just a little.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Another big decision...decided!
After many months of research, conversations with other parents, school visits and deliberation, we finally know where Lucas will spend his next nine years of school - Prospect Sierra.
We love everything about Prospect, when Kevin and I visited, it looked like so much fun and a great place for Lucas:
The whole process was interesting for me. What I learned was:
Lucky for us, Lucas got into both schools we applied to, and we had the public school as our back-up plan.
Since Lucas didn't really know he was interviewing, we never really brought it up to him or asked him where he would want to go. A couple of times I asked him where he had more fun, between the two private schools, where he had to go into the classroom with other kids to be observed. He would say Prospect Sierra because they had better snacks and that the grown-ups were nicer to him. He's asked to go back to the "Prospect playground" and about a week ago he taught me this clapping game, which he said he learned at Prospect.
So last week during breakfast one day, after we made our decision, I told him that he will go to Prospect Sierra. In typical Lucas form he said, "You know, when I went to Prospect one of the grown-ups told me that he loved blueberry muffins too." Now he will have at least one thing in common with one of the adults there. So there you have it, we made the right choice!
We love everything about Prospect, when Kevin and I visited, it looked like so much fun and a great place for Lucas:
- Well-rounded curriculum - At least once a week he will get not just one, but all three: art, science, and music
- Lots of space to run around - When Lucas came to the school with me this past week, he said, "Mommy, did you see all that grass? Can I play soccer there?"
- Two classrooms per grade, 2 full time teachers until 3rd grade - After speaking with Lucas' teachers, they feel that he would especially benefit from a smaller environment with a smaller teacher to student ratio
- Warm and wonderful teachers - During the weekend school tour, we had a lot of opportunity to talk with the teachers and really look at the work that the kids had done in class. We also saw them in action during one of the weekday school tours and they seem fantastic.
- Fun afterschool program - He can take classes like fencing, Mandarin, baseball, ceramics, chess, carpentry, steel drums, cooking. Many of these classes separate out the kindergarten kids into their own class.
- Service learning - If I had more time, I would do more of this with Lucas on a regular basis. In Kindergarten, they focus on the environment and take care of a creek area that is just down the hill from the school. It's also a green school so they bring that into the curriculum and the way things are done at the school - composting at lunch, solar panels, etc.
The whole process was interesting for me. What I learned was:
- Just about everyone is super happy with the school their child is currently attending.
- Public vs. private is a touchy subject. It reminded me of the working vs. non-working discussions when Lucas was a newborn - people have strong opinions about this, but what works for one family, may not work for the next family.
Lucky for us, Lucas got into both schools we applied to, and we had the public school as our back-up plan.
Since Lucas didn't really know he was interviewing, we never really brought it up to him or asked him where he would want to go. A couple of times I asked him where he had more fun, between the two private schools, where he had to go into the classroom with other kids to be observed. He would say Prospect Sierra because they had better snacks and that the grown-ups were nicer to him. He's asked to go back to the "Prospect playground" and about a week ago he taught me this clapping game, which he said he learned at Prospect.
So last week during breakfast one day, after we made our decision, I told him that he will go to Prospect Sierra. In typical Lucas form he said, "You know, when I went to Prospect one of the grown-ups told me that he loved blueberry muffins too." Now he will have at least one thing in common with one of the adults there. So there you have it, we made the right choice!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Random thoughts
I guess there are a lot of random things that comes out of Lucas' mouth, like the excess spittle when he says the letter "P". But today, I remembered to jot some down:
You know XXX in the preschool class, her dad came in today and he had, like, the biggest butt [holding his hands out wide]. It was really big, but probably littler than yours.
Wouldn't it be funny if you saw a cat wearing a bib?
What if Princess Leia wore a banana on her head? Then when one of the bad guys got her he would knock off the banana and she would say, "Hey, give me back that banana!" [followed by peals of laughter].
[Kevin was talking to Lucas about kachina dolls] I made a kachina doll daddy. Remember, when I studied about Native Americans in my class.
You know XXX in the preschool class, her dad came in today and he had, like, the biggest butt [holding his hands out wide]. It was really big, but probably littler than yours.
Wouldn't it be funny if you saw a cat wearing a bib?
What if Princess Leia wore a banana on her head? Then when one of the bad guys got her he would knock off the banana and she would say, "Hey, give me back that banana!" [followed by peals of laughter].
[Kevin was talking to Lucas about kachina dolls] I made a kachina doll daddy. Remember, when I studied about Native Americans in my class.
If my Republican friends could see me now...
Yes, all three of them!
Check out my quote posted on McCain Blogette. It's the March 8th posting. She left out the part where I said, "I'm a die-hard Obama supporter, but..."
I'm sure they don't get much fan mail from Berkeley, California. Anyway, I'm still addicted to reading this blog.
Check out my quote posted on McCain Blogette. It's the March 8th posting. She left out the part where I said, "I'm a die-hard Obama supporter, but..."
I'm sure they don't get much fan mail from Berkeley, California. Anyway, I'm still addicted to reading this blog.
Becoming a restaurant patron
We made plans to go to our new favorite restaurant yesterday, Bui. We had just been earlier in the week and Lucas loved the garlic noodles.
So while we were getting ready yesterday he said that he wanted to order himself. I told him he should say, "Can I please have the garlic noodles?"
Lucas typed away on my computer while I was in the shower, this is what he wrote:
So while we were getting ready yesterday he said that he wanted to order himself. I told him he should say, "Can I please have the garlic noodles?"
Lucas typed away on my computer while I was in the shower, this is what he wrote:
I m having the grlicnoodlz love lucas i love miy mom vire mutr love lucas
(And yes, he ordered garlic noodles on his own at the restaurant.)Wednesday, March 05, 2008
My new favorite blog
I am a die-hard Obama supporter, though I will support Hillary if she ends up as the DNC's nominee. That being said, I just discovered John McCain's daughter's blog - McCainBlogette.com - and I'm totally addicted to reading it.
It's pretty funny, and so personal. I love her POV on what it's like to travel on the Staight Talk Express, and her comments on things about her family, like what they're wearing.
"Check out Mom's shoes before going on stage," Meghan writes.
"Making fun of Dad's totally lame "family pic" sweatshirt!" she comments about what her dad wore at a BBQ for the press.
It's pretty funny, and so personal. I love her POV on what it's like to travel on the Staight Talk Express, and her comments on things about her family, like what they're wearing.
"Check out Mom's shoes before going on stage," Meghan writes.
"Making fun of Dad's totally lame "family pic" sweatshirt!" she comments about what her dad wore at a BBQ for the press.It makes me feel differently about McCain (not that I'm going to vote for him), because it shows more of the person behind the face. I think that if Chelsea Clinton could write as humorously and candidly, it would help Hillary's image, but I don't really think she has it in her.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
March madness!
Yay! I managed to get through all of February without really breaking the tenets of The Compact (only "new" purchases were: shoelaces, socks, new bike parts, and Lucas' upgraded bike).
Now that March is here and I can purchase new things, I already have a shopping list burning a hole in my pocket:
- cute springy top (already purchased one at Banana Republic)
- pinboard for Lucas (either I will buy it or make one, either way, I'll have to purchase "new" materials)
- cute springy shoes (I'm tired of wearing my boots)
- soup ladle (we don't have one and I love making soups!)
- pizza cutter (for our weekly pizza dinners)
Now that March is here and I can purchase new things, I already have a shopping list burning a hole in my pocket:
- cute springy top (already purchased one at Banana Republic)
- pinboard for Lucas (either I will buy it or make one, either way, I'll have to purchase "new" materials)
- cute springy shoes (I'm tired of wearing my boots)
- soup ladle (we don't have one and I love making soups!)
- pizza cutter (for our weekly pizza dinners)
Product design
Lucas was busy at his art table making something. Kevin went and peeked and I heard Lucas say, "Don't tell mommy what it is yet."
Then Lucas proudly showed me his latest creation.
Me: That's really neat, what do you call it?
Lucas: A Blueberry. Because it looks like Daddy's Blackberry, except it's blue. But actually it's really like your iPhone, it just doesn't look like it.
Me: How is it like my iPhone?
Lucas: Because it shows pictures on it, see the picture on the front? That's you, me and daddy.
Me: Oh, I get it. How else is it like my iPhone?
Lucas: See the back, I can write notes with it too, just like with your iPhone.
(Transcription: I LOVE MOM LOV LUCAS)
Then Lucas proudly showed me his latest creation.
Me: That's really neat, what do you call it?Lucas: A Blueberry. Because it looks like Daddy's Blackberry, except it's blue. But actually it's really like your iPhone, it just doesn't look like it.
Me: How is it like my iPhone?
Lucas: Because it shows pictures on it, see the picture on the front? That's you, me and daddy.
Me: Oh, I get it. How else is it like my iPhone?
Lucas: See the back, I can write notes with it too, just like with your iPhone.
(Transcription: I LOVE MOM LOV LUCAS)
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Love, defined by Lucas
Lucas and I have this little game where we write notes to each other and put them into the others' respective mailboxes. Usually, it's like the old AOL ad, Lucas will say to me, "Mommy, you have mail."
Last night he was finishing up his snack in the kitchen and he told me I had some new mail.
Me: What is it? A card?
Lucas: Yeah, it's just a love card.
Me: What do you mean, "just a love card". What does love mean?
Lucas: You know, like "I love you"
Me: Yeah, but what does that mean?
Lucas (after a few seconds of mind-bending contemplation): It means I really really really like you, a lot.
Me: That sounds good to me. Can I read my card now?
Lucas: Yeah, sure. It doesn't matter to me when you read it.
Then he left the kitchen to go play. I guess he's not the sentimental type.
Last night he was finishing up his snack in the kitchen and he told me I had some new mail.
Me: What is it? A card?
Lucas: Yeah, it's just a love card.
Me: What do you mean, "just a love card". What does love mean?
Lucas: You know, like "I love you"
Me: Yeah, but what does that mean?
Lucas (after a few seconds of mind-bending contemplation): It means I really really really like you, a lot.
Me: That sounds good to me. Can I read my card now?
Lucas: Yeah, sure. It doesn't matter to me when you read it.
Then he left the kitchen to go play. I guess he's not the sentimental type.
Monday, February 25, 2008
New wheels, new tricks
Lucas got a new, bigger bike over the weekend. It's basically a bigger version of his other bike. Today we took it out to the school across the street. I never saw him go off this big old curb before. It took about five tries for me to capture the exact moment on my iPhone camera.
Even though it's new, I think I'm still okay with my Compact February. Why? It's new, not used, but by the good graces of Wheels of Justice, we returned his old bike to them, which they will donate to a local kids' non-profit, and they credited us the full price we paid toward his new bike. So we only had to pay $30, some lucky little kid gets Lucas' well-used bike, and we promote biking as a way to travel about town -- I think even the most compacted Compacters will bless this "purchase".
Even though it's new, I think I'm still okay with my Compact February. Why? It's new, not used, but by the good graces of Wheels of Justice, we returned his old bike to them, which they will donate to a local kids' non-profit, and they credited us the full price we paid toward his new bike. So we only had to pay $30, some lucky little kid gets Lucas' well-used bike, and we promote biking as a way to travel about town -- I think even the most compacted Compacters will bless this "purchase".
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Gift
Lucas has been really big on reading for a while now. In his class, they have these little leveled reading books, once they read it with a teacher and read it on their own, they are allowed to bring them home to read to us. He's always very excited when he brings a new one home, especially if it's a new color, which means a higher level.
The other day his teacher said to me how well Lucas reads. She also said that he wants to read all the time and that sometimes she suggests other things for him to do besides reading.
On Sunday he pulled out the "Giving Tree" from his bookshelf, which he has never picked up before. I read it to him once. Then he said he wanted to read it to me.
By bed time, he had read about 3/4 of the book. I was totally blown away:
1) He had the stamina to plow through it, sometimes letter by letter. The first few pages just have one or two lines each, but then there are big chunks of text. He worked his way through every word. I could tell sometimes he was about to get frustrated, and I would tell him that we could take a break, but that seemed to just strengthen his resolve to get through it.
2) If a sentence started with a question word, like "Can you help me?" He knew to make it sound like a question, with the last word higher than the rest.
3) His ability to correctly guess at some of the words, like "would", using the context of the sentence.
And then there was his "analysis" of the story. He felt sad for the tree when the boy was taking the apples and then cutting it down. I asked him how it made the tree feel, to be able to give those things to the boy. "I guess it made the tree happy, but it's still a little bit sad."
Some say "The Giving Tree" demonstrates the relationship between mother and child. How as parents, we give and give to our kids, which makes us happy. And we don't expect anything in return. I discussed this with Lucas, and he said, "But mommy, I make you notes all the time. And remember the other day I gave you one of my crackers..."
I agreed with him that he is a giving boy. I also told him that listening to him read this book was one of the best gifts ever.
The other day his teacher said to me how well Lucas reads. She also said that he wants to read all the time and that sometimes she suggests other things for him to do besides reading.
On Sunday he pulled out the "Giving Tree" from his bookshelf, which he has never picked up before. I read it to him once. Then he said he wanted to read it to me.
By bed time, he had read about 3/4 of the book. I was totally blown away:
1) He had the stamina to plow through it, sometimes letter by letter. The first few pages just have one or two lines each, but then there are big chunks of text. He worked his way through every word. I could tell sometimes he was about to get frustrated, and I would tell him that we could take a break, but that seemed to just strengthen his resolve to get through it.
2) If a sentence started with a question word, like "Can you help me?" He knew to make it sound like a question, with the last word higher than the rest.
3) His ability to correctly guess at some of the words, like "would", using the context of the sentence.
And then there was his "analysis" of the story. He felt sad for the tree when the boy was taking the apples and then cutting it down. I asked him how it made the tree feel, to be able to give those things to the boy. "I guess it made the tree happy, but it's still a little bit sad."
Some say "The Giving Tree" demonstrates the relationship between mother and child. How as parents, we give and give to our kids, which makes us happy. And we don't expect anything in return. I discussed this with Lucas, and he said, "But mommy, I make you notes all the time. And remember the other day I gave you one of my crackers..."
I agreed with him that he is a giving boy. I also told him that listening to him read this book was one of the best gifts ever.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Lucas skis!
Last weekend we went up to Bear Valley. The conditions were excellent...clear, sunny, no wind, lots of powdery soft snow. It was spring skiing at its best and perfect for a beginning skier.Lucas' two-day skiing experience started out slowly. He worked out some initial frustration at having skis strapped to his feet and was pretty determined to do it on his own.
He took a ski class the first day, but it was a lot of waiting around, and not much instruction. I think he only went down the little slope 4 or 5 times during the 1.5 hour class.
Under Kevin's tutelage on day two, he worked his way up quickly, with some bumps and crashes along the way.
Afterwards we went to a gas station to load up on snacks for the ride home. Lucas started talking with the 20-something kid working the cash register. I overheard part of their conversation.
Lucas: I knew how to ski without even learning.
Cashier: Dude, that's awesome! Did you do some helicopters and flips?
Lucas: I jumped over some hills. I'll do flips next time.
Cashier: You should have entered the freestyle competition, you would have been the only one in your division. You could have won 500 bucks!
Lucas: Yeah.
Lucas later asked what a "freestyle competition" is. I told him and he said he wanted to do that next time.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Living more compactly - two years later
Just shy of two years ago I wrote about the Compact, the ambitious group folks who vow to not buy anything new for a year, save a few personal items, food and toiletries. And as of February 1st, I'm trying it for a month.
Luckily, I have the support and camaraderie of two of my co-workers, and of course, Kevin, who is always a big proponent of not buying things (He's not officially signing up for the Compact pact, since he is normally pretty frugal. Except for this month, which happens to be his birthday month. He has purchased just the essentials, like two Kendo swords and a Go board).
So, why now? With the possibility of private school in our future, Kevin and I are on a new lower spending program, with a decreased personal monthly spending budget and more accountability. And just like any kind of diet, I'm always eager to see results.
Well, our monthly spending in January was roughly 1/2 of our monthly average from 2007! And that even included some fancy Joe's Jeans for $60 from my favorite new site, Regents Secret (let me know if you want 'in', as you have to be invited to take part) and a couple accessories for my iPhone.
Also, we're constantly going through our stuff and getting rid of it. Clothes, books, you name it. It it always seems like once I clear out stuff, like books, I break down and purchase more, which kind of defeats the purpose of clearing stuff out in the first place.
I've been doing pretty well so far. I borrowed a ton of snow gear for our ski trip. And I purchased some audio books for my iPhone to listen to on the long drive, but, these are okay since they're not physical goods.
I broke down over the weekend and purchased new laces for my 17-year old snow boots (I only had one shoelace for some odd reason). However, I think my $8.58 purchase doesn't count against me, as shoes and socks are two of the things you can purchase new.
I want to make a pin board for Lucas, so I will either scrounge for some used cork board and material, or wait until March for my big shopping spree ;) Or maybe I'll have so much fun not buying anything new that I'll keep it up for a while longer.
Luckily, I have the support and camaraderie of two of my co-workers, and of course, Kevin, who is always a big proponent of not buying things (He's not officially signing up for the Compact pact, since he is normally pretty frugal. Except for this month, which happens to be his birthday month. He has purchased just the essentials, like two Kendo swords and a Go board).
So, why now? With the possibility of private school in our future, Kevin and I are on a new lower spending program, with a decreased personal monthly spending budget and more accountability. And just like any kind of diet, I'm always eager to see results.
Well, our monthly spending in January was roughly 1/2 of our monthly average from 2007! And that even included some fancy Joe's Jeans for $60 from my favorite new site, Regents Secret (let me know if you want 'in', as you have to be invited to take part) and a couple accessories for my iPhone.
Also, we're constantly going through our stuff and getting rid of it. Clothes, books, you name it. It it always seems like once I clear out stuff, like books, I break down and purchase more, which kind of defeats the purpose of clearing stuff out in the first place.
I've been doing pretty well so far. I borrowed a ton of snow gear for our ski trip. And I purchased some audio books for my iPhone to listen to on the long drive, but, these are okay since they're not physical goods.
I broke down over the weekend and purchased new laces for my 17-year old snow boots (I only had one shoelace for some odd reason). However, I think my $8.58 purchase doesn't count against me, as shoes and socks are two of the things you can purchase new.
I want to make a pin board for Lucas, so I will either scrounge for some used cork board and material, or wait until March for my big shopping spree ;) Or maybe I'll have so much fun not buying anything new that I'll keep it up for a while longer.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Superbowl Sunday!
Lucas and Kevin eagerly awaited Superbowl Sunday, but not for the obvious reasons, since none of us are football fans.
We went to a Superbowl party at Bill's house. Bill is not a football fan either. In fact, I don't think anyone at the party was a football fan, or even knew the littlest bit about football, based on snippets of conversations I overheard:
"It's kind of fun to root for a team I chose arbitrarily five minutes ago."
"I didn't realize until today who was playing."
"I know nothing about football. I didn't even know until just a few days ago that the Washington Redskins are from THAT Washington." (I actually forgot what she said, whether they're from DC or the state, and I still don't know.)
The true purpose of the party was to watch the Wall-E commercial, which Bill and some other guests (who all work at Pixar) created specifically for the Superbowl.
But back to Kevin and Lucas. They had another motive altogether for going to this party.
We walked into the party and I reminded Bill of our true purpose. He knelt down and asked Lucas, "Do you like Star Wars?" Lucas nodded emphatically. Bill led us all upstairs.
We walked into this room and Lucas' jaw dropped. He wasn't sure what he was looking at, but he knew it was something "super kewel", as he would say.
You see, Bill has an impressive collection of Star Wars, Star Trek and comic book action figures, models and, well, toys. He picked up a few Star Wars figures and would ask Lucas who they were. Lucas identified Darth Vader. Then Bill asked Lucas, "Do you know who Luke Skywalker is?" Lucas replied, "I know about him, but I've never seen him before." So Bill brought down Luke, Darth Maul, various stormtroopers and a host of other Star Wars characters who I didn't know.
Then Kevin began asking Bill questions like, "Is this an X Wing Fighter...?" and "Is that sword _______ from Lord of the Rings?" Yes, yes and yes.
Bill was nice enough to let Lucas play with a bunch of the toys. After a while, Bill led us down to his workshop where he showed us some super-impressive models he's working on from Star Wars and Star Trek. The detail on these models was amazing - using stencils to paint intricate patterns on these. Then Kevin started asking technical questions, "Do you use such-and-such type of plastic/epoxy/whatever?", which led to further discussions, which were beyond my comprehension.
We stayed for a couple hours. Lucas found another young Jedi who wanted to fight with Bill's light sabers. Kevin lingered around the food table, and I had some nice conversations with other non-football fans.
Suffice it to say, we had a blast at Lucas' first Superbowl Party.
We went to a Superbowl party at Bill's house. Bill is not a football fan either. In fact, I don't think anyone at the party was a football fan, or even knew the littlest bit about football, based on snippets of conversations I overheard:
"It's kind of fun to root for a team I chose arbitrarily five minutes ago."
"I didn't realize until today who was playing."
"I know nothing about football. I didn't even know until just a few days ago that the Washington Redskins are from THAT Washington." (I actually forgot what she said, whether they're from DC or the state, and I still don't know.)
The true purpose of the party was to watch the Wall-E commercial, which Bill and some other guests (who all work at Pixar) created specifically for the Superbowl.
But back to Kevin and Lucas. They had another motive altogether for going to this party.
We walked into the party and I reminded Bill of our true purpose. He knelt down and asked Lucas, "Do you like Star Wars?" Lucas nodded emphatically. Bill led us all upstairs.
We walked into this room and Lucas' jaw dropped. He wasn't sure what he was looking at, but he knew it was something "super kewel", as he would say.
You see, Bill has an impressive collection of Star Wars, Star Trek and comic book action figures, models and, well, toys. He picked up a few Star Wars figures and would ask Lucas who they were. Lucas identified Darth Vader. Then Bill asked Lucas, "Do you know who Luke Skywalker is?" Lucas replied, "I know about him, but I've never seen him before." So Bill brought down Luke, Darth Maul, various stormtroopers and a host of other Star Wars characters who I didn't know.
Then Kevin began asking Bill questions like, "Is this an X Wing Fighter...?" and "Is that sword _______ from Lord of the Rings?" Yes, yes and yes.
Bill was nice enough to let Lucas play with a bunch of the toys. After a while, Bill led us down to his workshop where he showed us some super-impressive models he's working on from Star Wars and Star Trek. The detail on these models was amazing - using stencils to paint intricate patterns on these. Then Kevin started asking technical questions, "Do you use such-and-such type of plastic/epoxy/whatever?", which led to further discussions, which were beyond my comprehension.We stayed for a couple hours. Lucas found another young Jedi who wanted to fight with Bill's light sabers. Kevin lingered around the food table, and I had some nice conversations with other non-football fans.
Suffice it to say, we had a blast at Lucas' first Superbowl Party.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Lucas casts his vote
I told Lucas that I would pick him up early so he could go with me to the polls today.
Lucas said he wanted to vote for Han Solo. I reminded him that Han Solo is not a real person. Then he nominated Luke Skywalker. Again, not a real person.
Then he said, "I'm just joking. I'm going to vote for Obama!"
So when we got home from the polls, he said he wanted to vote too. I made him a ballot and he cast his vote.
Monday, February 04, 2008
The Force is strong with him, Episode 1
Little known facts about the Stars Wars mythology, as told by Lucas:
Almost every time I pick up Lucas from school, there's a picture of something like this.
(Hint: DRC = Dark and FAGR = Fagor)
We play with the light sabers quite frequently in our house. Lucas is always Yoda, Luke Skywalker, or Obi-Wan. Kevin and I have played various characters from the Dark Side. My sister gave him a blue bath robe for Christmas, which he wears a lot, since he knows that Jedis wear robes.
At first I was asked to play Count Duku. Then I was asked to be Princess Leia, whose sole purpose seemed to be to cheer for the guys fighting with the light sabers. This was a very complex role for me to play. At first I was asked to cheer just for Lucas' character. Then seeing that this was probably not fair, Lucas would say to me, "Cheer for daddy too, but mostly for me." So I would say, "Go go go! But really go Yoda." Lucas said I wasn't doing it right and did some heavy coaching. I never seemed to strike the perfect balance in my cheering.
Then I was cast as General Grievous from the Dark Side, who I had to look up when Lucas first told me about him (he's in the newer episodes). But Lucas has since allowed me to cross over into the Light Side so I can learn to be a Jedi knight under his tutelage. He has given me a new name to go with my new identity, "Lightning Shooter of the Moon". He's coached me on proper usage of my light saber.
Last I checked, I'm "still human, but just one step away from being a Jedi". According to Lucas (aka "Y-O") once I reach Jedi status, I'll get a piece of paper that says "Jedi". I can't wait!
- Proper pronunciation is "Dark Fagor", not "Darth Vader"
- Luke Skywalker dies
- Obi-Wan has a wife who also has a white beard
- The Jedi forces have an office, it's in a hole in a tree
- While still the toughest and most powerful Jedi in the whole world, Yoda actually resembles a baby who wears diapers
- Yoda's good friends can call him "Y-O-D-A", "Y-O", or in its simplest form, "Yo"
- General Grievous' alter ego is Lightning Shooter of the Moon
Almost every time I pick up Lucas from school, there's a picture of something like this.
(Hint: DRC = Dark and FAGR = Fagor)We play with the light sabers quite frequently in our house. Lucas is always Yoda, Luke Skywalker, or Obi-Wan. Kevin and I have played various characters from the Dark Side. My sister gave him a blue bath robe for Christmas, which he wears a lot, since he knows that Jedis wear robes.
At first I was asked to play Count Duku. Then I was asked to be Princess Leia, whose sole purpose seemed to be to cheer for the guys fighting with the light sabers. This was a very complex role for me to play. At first I was asked to cheer just for Lucas' character. Then seeing that this was probably not fair, Lucas would say to me, "Cheer for daddy too, but mostly for me." So I would say, "Go go go! But really go Yoda." Lucas said I wasn't doing it right and did some heavy coaching. I never seemed to strike the perfect balance in my cheering.
Then I was cast as General Grievous from the Dark Side, who I had to look up when Lucas first told me about him (he's in the newer episodes). But Lucas has since allowed me to cross over into the Light Side so I can learn to be a Jedi knight under his tutelage. He has given me a new name to go with my new identity, "Lightning Shooter of the Moon". He's coached me on proper usage of my light saber.
Last I checked, I'm "still human, but just one step away from being a Jedi". According to Lucas (aka "Y-O") once I reach Jedi status, I'll get a piece of paper that says "Jedi". I can't wait!
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