Baby Dos: Week 19

Size Comparison: Masters of the Universe Moss Man figure

I felt Baby Dos move the other night! That was the first time I've been able to feel the baby. Amazing! The pregnancy feels more and more real each week.

Ah, Moss Man...he's like a breath of fresh, moss-scented air. Seriously, the original Masters of the Universe Moss Man toy was scented. Really. You just don't find many scented action figures. A new version came out with the 2002 cartoon series but it was some kind of MOTU exclusive thing. You can pick one up on eBay or, if you can pick up a cheap Beast Man figure, you can customize your own. Me? I'll go with the latter at some point. It'll go well with my custom Faker figure.

Canned Ham: We all scream

Re: Be the a la mode with our cheapo watch.

I suppose if I were "a la mode" I could, technically, be "fashionable" or "stylish". Me? I'd prefer to think the a la mode version of myself to be pretty much the same as usual...but with ice cream.

So Long, Star

Well, I sold the Star the Moped. Yep, someone bought and took it home last night. It's a little saddening as I did put a lot of work into the thing. And it had a lame coolness that I'll miss. Still, I made a decent amount money on it...probably a $100 more than I put into it. That's a good thing. Of course, if I look at the hours I invested, it probably translates to me earning something like $1/hour. Those were enjoyable hours, though, so looking at the hourly income is a little meaningless.

Anyway, I have some extra cash. And I have a pretty significant chunk of my garage floorspace back. I'm happy about both of those things.

I was also happy to see the moped go to a good home. I know that sounds silly and part of my means it to be silly. There's another part of me that's serious. The new owners live in Bloomington, Indiana and it sounds like they have a pretty close group of fellow moped riders. Star will get to feel the thrill of the open road far more often than it ever did with me.

So long, Star. The journey we shared was slow, sometimes hard-starting, and often frightening. More importantly, that journey was always fun. Thanks.

Baby Dos: Week 17

Size Comparison: A Choose Your Own Adventure novel

Ok, I missed a week. I'm sorry. Relax. Anyway, everything is still looking good. I think Denisa is officially feeling the baby move. From what I've been told, it's a weird fluttering sensation. It'll be a few weeks before I can feel anything but this definitely psychs me up a bit. Denisa is doing well. She's at a point where it's no longer really safe to sleep on her back due to the circulation issues. That's not just her. That's all pregnancies at this stage.

We have the big ultrasound scheduled for early January. This will be the one with extra time spent measuring bones, checking organs, etc. This would also be the ultrasound where we could potentially find out the gender of Baby Dos. We don't want to know but, you know, if we did...

So, Choose Your Own Adventure. I enjoyed these though I don't think I ever had or read all that many of them. I did own "You are a shark" and I remember that being a good time. Specifically, I remember being a wombat in the story. A little obscure but I guess I learned some biology while reading about how I was about to be eaten by a leopard or something.

Canned Ham: Too Little, Too Late

Seriously, I could've used this email about a century ago...I would've been very cutting edge.

20th Century Jobs are Now Available.

• Newsie
• Bodyguard for Warren G. Harding
• Crystal Pepsi taste tester
• Speakeasy Manger
• Gaslight lighter
• Telegraph Operator
  
• Cobbler
• IBM punch card operator
• Packard Mechanic

Hipster

As I was unpacking a few weeks ago, I found my stack of extra index cards that I had been using to supply my Hipster PDA. What's a Hipster PDA? Well, for those of you unfamiliar with it, it's an extremely low tech system of managing one's time/to-do list. I'm typically low tech. And, I'm typically on the lookout for better ways to manage my time. So, when I heard about the Hipster PDA a year ago, it appealed to me.

The general idea is that you take a stack of ultra cheap index cards, clip them together with an alligator-type paper clip, and use these to track your to-do list. I personally like the cards with the color coded margins as they help feed my need for organization (I use a different color for various task categories) but they aren't quite as obnoxious as the full color pastel cards. In theory, you're supposed to use one card for each item on your list. I don't follow these guidelines exactly but it's pretty close. I use one card for each big item on my list. These include creative projects, house projects, or anything else that will involve multiple steps and/or days. I usually top the card with the idea and use the rest of the card to write down sub-ideas, shopping lists, measurements, sketches, etc. For instance, I used a card for the rotary phone project and I quickly filled it up by listing the various supplies I'd need and what I spent on them...kind of like a project diary. I veer from the Hipster PDA's guidelines putting all my immediate/current week tasks on a single card. This is usually filled with things like mailing something, stopping at the grocery store, and, occasionally, the sub-tasks from the other cards.

I like the concept of the Hipster PDA. I used it pretty faithfully last winter. Unfortunately, I strayed last spring when we got wrapped up in our move. Ironically, that was when I was busiest and really could've used better time management. Anyway, I'm trying to get back in the habit. And before you ask, I do reuse and recycle cards.

Baby Dos: Week 15

Size Comparison: Nearly full pouch of Big League Chew

We had an doctor appointment yesterday. Everything looks great. After some searching, the doctor found a good strong heartbeat. It’s a little disconcerting to NOT immediately hear a heartbeat on the little Doppler device. No matter how reassuring the doctor's words are, that period of concern is frightening. But, no, the baby was just a little lower than expected. No big deal. The doctor said the location wasn’t a problem…just a matter of logistics. Good news.

We’re working on cleaning up the new baby’s room. My wife has cleared just about all of her stuff out of there but I’ve still got a few boxes sitting around in there…mostly comic books, art supplies, and some random collectibles. I hope to have that taken care of by the end of the year so we can get started on painting the new nursery.

Big League Chew. Wow, bubble gum designed to look like chewing tobacco. Seriously, chewing tobacco. It was, of course, a big hit at the little league games. You know, kids cramming as much of it into their mouths as possible. I don’t think I ever bought that much of it but, when I did, I think I always opted for the grape flavor. I don’t remember the flavor lasting all that long and I don’t think it was great for blowing bubbles…too much of a grainy texture.

First Birthday: Retro Style

Jesse turned one this past Friday. Unfortunately, he had to celebrate with his one-year checkup at the doctor. A few minutes of poking and prodding combined with four shots kind of put a damper on his day. Saturday, however, was party day! Jesse invited his grandparents, great grandparents, aunts and uncles, and a couple friends over for cake and celebration. Based on Jesse's reaction to his first taste of cake, it looks like it successfully offset the unpleasantness of the previous day's shots.

It's incredible to think where we (and Jesse) were last year at this time. Just twelve months ago, Jesse weighed seven pounds and fifteen ounces. His diet was extremely limited. He slept a ton. And we could comfortably set him down (in a safe place!) without worrying about whether he'd stay there when we turned our back. Now? Oh no. He's twenty-five pounds and two ounces, his second tooth just broke through the other day, and he is all over the place. He's not slowing down, either.

The year has been stressful. But, even bigger than the stress, the year has been more rewarding than I'd ever imagined. Seeing Jesse develop his skills, personality, and, (most noticeably) his sense of humor has been a joy.

Oh yes, Jesse's cake...that was Mommy and Daddy's idea. It's not exactly the shape of a 1968 Dodge Charger but the effect works. And the concept of the pull-apart cake/cupcake is pretty sweet.

Unpacking: Monkeys with Jetpacks

Unpacking from our semi-recent move has been and interesting experience. To be honest, I’m really getting anxious to wrap it up. Fortunately, we’re to a point where there are really only two places that need work. The first is the new baby’s room. It’s not packed with stuff but it is housing a lot of things like comic books (a side note, I’ve cut my comic book collection down from 7 boxes to 3), my unassembled drawing table, and some sewing/quilting supplies. Having my art supplies so inaccessible hurts my heart. The second place is half of the garage. Granted, most of what’s in the garage is stuff that will stay in the garage--tools, sporting goods, lawn/garden stuff--but the trouble is that it’s piled in with absolutely no system. Not being able to find things in the garage is frustrating. And not having room to park my car in the garage isn't helping.

On the plus side, we are making progress. The other night, my wife sorted through yet another box of old books, setting aside a number of them to either give to Goodwill or post on Craigslist. I also unpacked a box of office things and old projects. The most notable thing I found was my homemade monkey sculpture shown in the attached images. The little simian did suffer a bit during the move. A foot, a hand, and a few pieces of the based had to be glued back on. He’s fixed up and he’s back in fighting shape once again.

What’s next on the unpacking to-do list?

- Get some garage storage in place. I’m getting started on a modified version of this workbench. Some shelving is also in the in the works.

- Reduce our number of work surfaces. We’ve got a computer desk, a school desk with a sewing machine, an antique desk, drawing table, and a craft table. It’s crazy. Surely we can organize these to do double duty.

- Figure out where the re-evaluated work surfaces will go. Move them.

- Sort the bookcase designated as “mine.” When I unpacked the boxes of books, I just threw things up on the shelves. I’ve got Harry Potter books on three different shelves. I’ve got Ian Fleming next to a devotional, Constructive Anatomy next to Narnia, DIY stuff next to Musashi. How is it NOT driving my librarian wife crazy? I know it bothering me.

Wish us luck.