Whatever

19 Cents

2011-10-10T22:54:00.000-07:00

I am amazed that I haven't updated this blog in some time, yet I have still clocked .19 cents in AdSense. I am getting PAID. Wonder what I will buy with all my money?

Do convenience stores still sell the Bazooka Joe bubble gum for a nickle? I could get a few of those; ya know, the ones with the mini comic strip in the wrapper!

Perhaps I should blog more so I can earn enough money for a sandwich.

No Bother

2011-03-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

The girls surprised me the other night. We were in the usual nighttime routine of herding them towards clean teeth, bath, jammies, etc. when they both proudly displayed to me their hand-made "No Bother" signs. This display was quickly followed by placement of the signs on each bedroom door handle and a firm closing of their doors. I stood puzzled in the hallway after this act of independence, thinking to myself, "Wasn't this supposed to happen in the teen years?"

Sigh...

That's Far Enough!

2011-01-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

Viv and Liv have started to shoo us away when we drop them at school. We can only walk with them up to the sidewalk and then one usually says, "OK, that's good. You can go now."

On a particularly stormy day, I tried walking them all the way up to the classroom door, but Liv was practically shoving me backwards.

I thought thought this sort of behavior wasn't supposed to begin until they were at least pre-teens (I think "tweens" is the modern-day term). Makes me wonder what is in store for us when they reach that milestone.

Every Movie Has a Happy Ending

2010-12-16T19:52:00.000-08:00

Olivia and Vivienne (my 5-year-old twin girls) were watching a holiday cartoon ("Night Before Christmas" or something) and there was this Scrooge-like character that was being mean to another character that only wanted to get food for his family, or something along those lines. Olivia was upset by this and she said that she "didn't like the movie." It was making her sad.

Vivienne leaned over and said, "Don't worry, Olivia, every movie has a happy ending."

About 15 minutes later, they both came down to inform us that they had enough with the "mean guy" on the cartoon and that they would rather just go to bed.

End Of The Season

2010-11-09T21:59:00.000-08:00

Although soccer season ended a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to post a shot of O and V with their medals. Their team, Rainbow Kitty Ponies, had a record of, um...well, no one really tracked statistics at this level, so who cares!?! They had fun.

Proud Soccer Stars

Martha Stewart at Adobe MAX

2010-10-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

I was stoked this week to see a pretty cool demo of my company's technology contributing to the future of magazine publishing. I can imagine myself swiping and pinching my way through my favorite magazines, while reducing the amount of paper dumped into my recycling bin each week. Having Martha Stewart run the demo was also pretty cool.

Pillow Collection

2010-10-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

Forced to play indoors today, the girls decided it would be cool to make their own pillow collection. This involved pillaging the printer paper tray (now empty), a bag of cotton, and borrowing my Swingline stapler. The end result was a fine, custom collection of kid-size pillows, and a couple for their new stuffed animals Dive (a dolphin) and Vine (a monkey).

Here Comes the Rain

2010-10-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

Woke up to a steady downpour and windows splattered with rain water. The high temps are only expected to crack 52F, so we won't be doing much outside today. I meant to mow the lawn this weekend, but that isn't going to happen either.

Dim Days And Soccer

2010-10-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

Ah the dim days of autumn are here. The problem with living in the Northwest is that you get so spoiled in the summer months with long, bright days, and then POW!; fall arrives and the light turns soft.

Today, the girls played their final official game, on another rain-free morning. Next week is the "jamboree." That means two quick, 10-minute games and then some trophy ceremony or something. Hopefully the rain will abate for the jamboree, too.

And speaking of soccer, we asked the girls if they wanted to play again next spring, and they seemed less than enthusiastic about it. They do want to start ballet classes again, so maybe we'll do that for a while.

Bending It Like...

2010-10-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

Well, not exactly Beckham, but the ladies have been playing their first official league soccer this autumn, and it has been fun! Their team is called Rainbow Kitty Pony.

The are in their fourth week now, and they have a perfect 0 and 4 record. Whoo Hoo! Today's game was actually pretty exciting, and they only lost by a single goal at the last second when their former daycare buddy--a member of the opposing team (Pink Ponies)--literally bent it like Beckham and scored a nearly impossible goal. This girl is actually pretty amazing for a 5-year-old.

We have had the fortune of playing on the awesome new turf at Battle Point Park here on the island, though the next two weeks will be on the grass fields. Given the weather lately, it might turn out to be a bit muddy, but it is soccer.

This is a shot from the first week of soccer, before the girls got their shorts and cool Adidas soccer socks--there are Adidas shin guards hiding under those warm-ups.

New Blog

2010-09-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

I've been obsessed with my car lately, so I started a blog about it.

http://britishlandslug.blogspot.com/

Done!

2010-03-29T15:45:00.000-07:00

Done with school two days early! It hasn't quite sunk in yet that I no longer have to lug around text books, write countless papers, spend hours researching and doing homework, and interact with a new group of strangers every six weeks, but it's true--I am done!

Well...at least until I decide whether to get my Masters or not. But for now, I bask in the glow of completion!

iAmHooked!

2010-03-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

For my graduation present, I treated myself to one of those new-fangled iPhone thingys, and ever since I powered it on iAmHooked! This thing is so cool that I might not need a computer anymore (OK, I probably will). I have been conservative about which apps I install, but for starters I installed a pretty cool camera app that makes the iPhone a simulator for the cheap, plastic cameras of the past, and an app that makes it no longer necessary to call a cab company--there's an app for that, and it works by booking a cab right on the phone. The cab comes to you based on your location. Awesome!

I can't wait to try the Taxi app when I am traveling to SF in a couple of weeks for work, and I don't know if I will ever use the plain iPhone camera software now that I have this cool camera app.

I cannot believe that I suffered for so long with a useless LG phone that required multiple layers of hideous UI just to get to the Internet.

New Beginnings and Leprechauns

2010-03-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

I broke out my leprechaun-colored shirt this morning in honor of St. Patty's day. It also has a shamrock and "Chicago" emblazoned on the front, though I have never actually been to the windy city. And in the theme of leprechauns, today I found the gold at the end of a rainbow in the form of an offer of a new job with my current employer--it appears that I will be embarking on a new adventure with a team of people I have never worked with. Having worked with the same core group of people for the last decade, I feel a little sad, but as George Harrison said--and I've often quoted--"All things must pass." It is time for a new beginning and a brand new set of challenges, and best of all a new job that will not be going away in June!

Three Weeks!

2010-03-11T19:54:00.000-08:00

After six years of pursuing my BSCS, I am only three weeks from completion. It has been a long road, with working full time (often more than that), being an attentive husband, and halfway through becoming a father to twin girls, but the end is near. I am pleased that I stuck it out and that Rachelle and the kids put up with me during my academic trek, and I am ready to be DONE--at least until I take a break and consider a Masters in CS or something related. My industry continues to become fiercely competitive, and a Masters can't hurt.

One thing I learned from this late-blooming experience was: don't put off going to college until full, career-having, parental adulthood! It makes everything that much more difficult. Of course, I don't regret spending my twenties pursuing a music career--I had a great time writing songs, playing live, and working in the studio. I also don't regret the choices I made to keep that "side job" at Hewlett Packard, that eventually led me to a fruitful career in software development. Nevertheless, my advice to my girls will be, "go to college, and then figure out what you want to do!"

Separate Rooms

2010-03-11T10:27:00.000-08:00

It has been about 3 weeks now, and the new arrangement for the twins is working out OK. They came to us (actually Olivia did on her own) and requested that they have their own bedrooms, after spending their entire lives so far together. So we reluctantly gave up our coveted "extra room" for guests, though in truth this room received few guests over the course of a typical year, and so it mostly sat there looking like a page from a Pottery Barn catalog. The big bed is still there, and Vivienne has an extra bunk now, so our occasional guests can still use the room--if they don't mind sleeping in a room full of children's books, toys and stuffed animals.

Moving in the Positive Direction

2010-03-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

I finally feel like--for now anyway--things are moving in the positive direction on the j-o-b front. Had a couple of really great phone interviews today with a couple of teams internally, and a phone interview earlier in the week with an external opportunity that went well enough that they want me to come in and meet the team next week for more--you guessed it--interviews. I'm hoping that one of the internal opportunities works out, since there are some really interesting problems I can contribute to solving, and I would finally get some professional experience with Java! The meter is pointing to positive for that particular role, but one never can tell how these things will turn out until someone calls with an offer. The other role would be an interesting challenge as well, but the team has some concerns about me being in Seattle and they being in SJ, so I feel reluctant to enter into any situation where people have any sort of reservations about hiring me. And, I still have the current gig to handle until at least June, or until another offer rolls in. So, there are still lots of options on the table and I am hopeful that it will all work out very soon.

Constant Motion

2010-02-25T20:56:00.000-08:00

With all this job searching, talking to recruiters, and finishing up my degree (5 weeks to go!) while working full-time, raising twin dynamos (why can't I have that much energy?), and being a good husband, I feel like my mind and body are in constant motion.

To be honest, I enjoy the lack of boredom, but I really could use a little down time and a frosty margarita in a warm climate.

Transitions

2010-02-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

Transition seems to be the buzz word for this year, or at least for this moment.

It feels like the weather here is transitioning from winter to spring--early for a change. It is cloudy at the moment, but relatively warm. Yesterday was sunny and warm enough that I was able to get out and mow the grass for the first time this year. I suppose we have El Niño to thank for this, but whatever it is, I am happy that this has been one of the more mellow winters I have experienced in the Northwest--much different than last year's foot of snow!

I am still on transition at the JOB, working hard to wrap up my commitments, and wondering what the future holds. It appears to me that there is a lot out there in terms of available jobs in my industry here in the Seattle area, but finding the right fit has been somewhat elusive. Even internally, where the jobs engine has been SLOWLY starting to crank out a few new opportunities, it seems that "fit" for me is being determined by location more than I have been accustomed to in my 13 years with the same employer. On more than a couple of occasions, I have been passed on simply because I work in the Seattle office, and the job is based out of one of the bay area offices. I continue to scratch my head at this logic, since my team and many in my division are spread across the globe. Perhaps it is just a sign that it is time for me to focus my energies elsewhere.

And it looks like I am not the only Seattle-based employee to get the "thank you for your time" separation invitation from a bay area company. My neighbor, an MIT grad, and industry notable was recently given similar treatment as a result of the Oracle takeover of Sun. I suppose it makes me feel OK that even the best of the best are not immune to the whims of corporate number crunchers, but it also saddens me since I know how hard he has worked and how much he cared about what he was doing, only to see it tossed aside.

Well, enough of the random babble. I need to transition from thinking about the changes of the present and the uncertainties of the future to studying and producing work for my classes.

The Physics of Hair Nation

2010-01-09T20:09:00.000-08:00

I am studying physics tonight--one of the 4 classes remaining in my degree program--and listening to Hair Nation on Sirius Internet radio, through my iPod touch, plugged into my sound card, pumping through the surround sound speakers connected to the computer.

Besides trying to form a mental model of the physics of the effects of a hair band's head banging movements on their, er, hair, I am literally surrounded by the physics of sound.

Who said hair rock (or its other notable monikers) wasn't scientific?

Rice

2009-11-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

Every time we feed the girls rice, they make a huge mess in the process of devouring it. Thanks to their Gong Gong, they learned how to make rice balls, so the mess usually stems from their attempts to craft the perfect rice spheres. I just spent 10 minutes vacuuming half a plate of rice off the dining room rug, and for several days I will likely find grains of the stuff all over the house--rice tracks easily on feet.

So for the next few days, I will undoubtedly discover this stuff as I step on it with bare feet and forcefully utter "RICE!!"

Dark Times

2009-11-19T19:51:00.000-08:00

This time of year begins the season of darkness here in the PNW. It's wet, dark, chilly, and I spend most of my time indoors--usually on the flippin' computer. However, tonight--like many evenings--I find myself grilling dinner on the Weber, in the rain. This time of year also starts my California dreaming and fantasizing about moving back to the warmer and generally drier climate of my home state. I think of the cool, foggy evenings in SF, the seemingly perpetual state of summer in San Diego, and the warm nights in the Sacramento valley.

Maybe someday me and the "fam" will venture back to the golden state, but until then we continue to enjoy a peaceful, but dark and soggy existence on a beautiful island in the Puget Sound.

Btw, Rachelle--much to the girl's amazement--caught the fly this morning and released it outside.

Fly Traps

2009-11-18T22:28:00.000-08:00

There has been a fly buzzing around the house for the last couple of days. The cat--lazy loafer--has paid only cursory attention to it, but Viv and Liv have been fascinated by it. Just before bed this evening, their interest peaked. They decided that the fly must be caught, so they constructed (on their own) not one but two fly traps; one downstairs, and one up. Now, the dilemma; how in the hell am going to get a fly into one of those traps!

Why Layoffs Should be Avoided | Blogs | ITBusinessEdge.com

2009-11-17T09:45:00.000-08:00

Good read.

Why Layoffs Should be Avoided | Blogs | ITBusinessEdge.com

Winterize

2009-11-15T13:46:00.001-08:00

It is that time of year again in the PNW, time to winterize. The temps are dropping and the frost is appearing on the lawn in the mornings. I need to empty and cover a fountain, clean up the yard, and make sure the furnace filter is clean, etc. I also need to prepare for being primarily indoors for the next 6 months!

Moon vs. Information Overload

2009-11-14T09:03:00.000-08:00

I find it interesting that in today's world of electronic communication and up-to-the-millisecond news and information, we as a people seem to be losing sight of what really matters.

The major stories of the day tend to focus energy on the dramatic, the negative, the sensationalized events that make people nervous, depressed, or angry about our global conditions.

The major TV events tend to be commercials about the next must-have gadget, shows about washed up celebrities dancing the cha-cha, or one of what seems like a bazillion crime dramas.

And in all this, NASA finds WATER ON THE FREAKIN' MOON (and a bunch of extra-solar planets in recent years), yet no one--except for NASA and nerds like myself--seem to give a hoot.

"Water on the moon? Oh...hey, have you seen the new Droid phone?"

What is happening?

Are we as a species simply overwhelmed with information that we no longer see new and truly amazing stories as important or relevant to our individual micro-worlds of jamming from place to place, task to task, in a mad rush to achieve our goals?

Am I just a science geek, and have most people never really cared about discovering what makes our universe tick?

I don't know the answers, but I feel puzzled that we are not celebrating these amazing discoveries with more vigor, while relegating the garbage stories to the back page.

What a difference a year makes

2009-11-13T19:59:00.001-08:00

A lot has happened in the past year. I have worked a LOT, studied my arse off, the kids have grown by leaps and bounds, Rachelle was separated from WAMU via the not-so-wise moves of their executive leadership (if that's what one calls leadership), and three days ago I received noticed that my job would vanish in June of 2010.

Yes, after 13 years with the red A, I may be moving on to other things--and sadly I am not alone. It all depends on what happens internally between now and June or what I find on my own on the outside, but one way or another, change is on its way. But hell, that's OK. I've been wanting a change for a while now, so this is but a kick in the tush to jump start my next move on the employment continuum.

I am not bitter, overly sad, or afraid. I mean, I do have several months to make something happen, and that beats the alternative. And, if I am unsuccessful in finding a stable slot in the machine by June, I still have several months of "thank you" funds to rely on. So, really, it ain't so bad.

In the meantime, it is time to dust off the old resume, finish my classes (4 more!) and get back into the self-promotion business. I am actually feeling good about the possibilities, even in this shitty economy--one that is allegedly getting better, though I remain skeptical. :)

Making the Most Of a Sunny Day

2008-10-26T13:48:00.003-07:00

Unbelievably, the sun is shining today and the high temp is expected to reach 63F, which seems unusual for this late in October. I just recently spent two weeks in southern and northern California (my former home base), and boy was the weather nice! The air quality was a different story, but then maybe that's one good reason for living in the Northwest. With that, I am heading outside with the little one's for some lawn mowing, trike riding, pumpkin carving, vitamin D generating fun. Hopefully this weather will last a bit longer, but reality probably dictates that the chilly, grey days are not too far off.

Trying Out Blogging From Facebook

2008-10-26T11:53:00.003-07:00

It's been ages since I've written anything to my Blogger blog--mostly due to page overload for accomplishing blogging, facebooking, myspacign, flickring, etc.--so I thought I might try a one-stop-shopping interface that allows me to do it all (or most of it) from facebook.

Anyway...maybe I'll blog more now. Or maybe not. We'll see.

A Lion Named Tiger

2008-05-04T20:50:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a beautiful sunny day in Seattle at the Woodland Park Zoo. The girls hadn't seen their uncles Corey and Bern in a while, and we were stoked to see them as well. We saw lots of cool animals, though the penguins--a favorite of Viv and Liv--were not around. We had to make up a story about them heading back to penguin island or something like that. We also spent some time in the gift shop--another favorite of the girls--and came out victorious with two new stuffed pals. Olivia chose a lion, who she promptly named Tiger. Vivienne picked a yellow chick that she named Ducky.

Dalai Lama Day

2008-04-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

Rachelle and I are happy to be taking a well-deserved break from the day jobs to go over to Seattle and spend a couple of hours listening to the Dalai Lama speak about compassion and other peaceful stuff. I find it especially interesting that we were fortunate enough to get these free tickets and get to hear him impart his wisdom during a very volatile political time in his homeland; not to mention our connection to China as parents of Chinese twins. It should be a wonderful event, and thanks to the jet stream, the weather is going to be nice, too.

One Sock == "Dangerous!"

2008-04-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

During our morning ritual of wrangling the kids into their school clothes, Olivia came up to me with a grin as wide as her face. She looked down at her feet and said, "Look daddy, I only have one sock!" I replied with a surprised, "Oh! You do, don't you?" The funny part came when she quickly responded with, "Yeah. That's dangerous!" I naturally broke into laughter, which made her laugh and also peaked the interest of Vivienne, who was lurking nearby. Vivienne then began describing how several other things in her room (e.g. her bear, bunnies, etc.) were also "dangerous!"

Having kids is great.

Adobe TV

2008-04-10T10:13:00.001-07:00

OK. Maybe I am a bit biased since I DO work for Adobe, but we just launched a cool new product that I had a difficult time ignoring; the Adobe Media Player. Another cool thing is the price. It is the future of course, so naturally it's FREE! It is also painfully easy to use, and looks cool, too.

You can view all sorts of video content, including old Star Trek episodes. You know, the ones where Kirk gets his shirt torn while fighting some alien dudes, only later to romance some alien babe who has a soft glow about her. Wait...that is like, every episode. Anyway, it's cool.

So go and get it and enjoy browsing around for your favorite content. Here is the link: http://www.adobe.com/go/getmp

Reaffirming Our Commitment and a New Baby!

2008-03-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

Today we reaffirmed our commitment to the Vivienne and Olivia by re-adopting them in Washington state. Our international adoption was final and they are officially American citizens, but we wanted to go the extra mile for them so they will have an easier time with life events that require official U.S. paperwork (e.g. getting passports, things that require U.S.-issued birth certificates, etc.). It was a fun family day for us that included a morning ferry ride (we almost missed it!) to Seattle to see an adoption Judge, and a nice lunch on the Bainbridge waterfront after the proceedings.

And at about the same time we were finalizing the re-adoption--within a few minutes actually--a new baby entered the family down in L.A. Please welcome Jaden Lee Robinson, born at 9:38 am, 7 pounds 3 ounces. Baby Jaden--the girl's label for him--was born to proud first-time parents Gregory and Debbie. Both are recovering and doing fine.

We've Got Ears, Say Cheers!

2008-03-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since the last entry, mostly due to being busy with the daily grind and also because I really didn't have much to report. So why am I writing now?

First of all, I have been thinking that I needed to write SOMETHING, since it has been so long, but mostly it's because we are having a great time at the house that the MOUSE built! Not the one that most of our fellow west coast types are used to, NO. We are at the MAGIC COMPOUND in Orlando, Florida! This place is HUGE!

The other reason relates to WHY we decided to make the long journey from Bainbridge Island to Florida. We are reuniting with the families we traveled to China with back in 2006. It has been great to see everyone, especially all the girls, who are all looking happy and healthy. Unfortunately we are missing one family, but I'm sure we will see them again on the next reunion!

The twins are having an AWESOME time here at Mickey's House, as they refer to it. However, we are a little scared of the Mouse and his friends in person, at least up close. The girls have been more than happy to meet up close with their beloved "Princess Movies", such as Jasmine and Snow White.

Well, we've hit the Magic Kingdom twice now, and Epcot once. Tomorrow it is off to the Wild Animal Park and maybe some swimming at the pool.

The weather here is wonderful, btw. Monday will find us at the Hollywood Studios and we plan to take a river boat ride from our hotel to Downtown Disney. Then, we are back on the plane and off to the Northwest.

We have used nearly all of our Mousketools, so, as Mickey would say, "We've Got Ears, Say Cheers!"

Let It Snow...

2007-12-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

First snow of the season has arrived on Bainbridge Island. It was a bit of a wet snow, but snow nonetheless. The white stuff ignited my holiday spirit, causing me to embark on a light stringing quest inside and outside the house. The girls woke up cranky from their afternoon nap, so the "lights effect" fell a little flat.

As I am composing this I realize that I haven't written in a while. There is no reason, other than the fact that I am--as usual--pretty busy. Between my family, work, school, recent work travel, my sad attempt at making a drummer--me--a guitar player, and all the other daily trials, I am surprised I have time to write even this much. I have loads of pictures, tons of unprocessed video, and all kinds of ideas on what I would like to do musically, but just no time to do any of it. Mostly, anyway.

OK, enough of my whining about not having time. It isn't such a big deal.

As for the twins, they are doing well. Their vocabulary is pretty good for nearly 2.5 years, and they have nearly perfected the art of saying NO! Their listening skills could use some work.

Jar Jar Lives Here

2007-09-30T09:42:00.001-07:00

I am a self-professed Star Wars junky, but even I thought Jar Jar was LAME--even the Ewoks were tolerable when compared to the floppy-eared buffoon that commanded way too much screen time in Episode I. Anyway, you might find it amusing to know that the twins , in their determination to do things on their own, have adopted Jar Jar's speaking style. Around here we here we often hear things like "Thisa my do it." or "Mesa by my own". It's cute, and I don't know where hey picked it up--I haven't unleashed the Star Wars saga on them yet--but why Jar Jar? Why couldn't they speak like Yoda? I would much rather hear phrases like, "To the potty I go" or "Potty Power I please watch" or "More milk I have please." Hmmm...maybe it's time to sit them down for a viewing of Empire Strikes Back and a language lesson from a 900 year old Jedi Master?

Autumn, Day 1: Nice

2007-09-23T18:12:00.001-07:00

Today was officially the first day of Autumn. It was fairly nice here on the island; high 60s and mostly sunny. I spent most of the day ridding one of the garden areas of a parasitic clover plant and amending soil with smelly compost. Rachelle spent a lot of time inside hanging with the little ladies and being a power mom. The girls and I had popsicles and rode trikes; they did anyway. We also got educated about potty power--again--and how it's bad to steal like the Swiper does on Dora the Explorer. Swiper, no swiping!

Valdez--my lawn club friend and neighbor--launched a rocket with his son, my next-door neighbor re-stained his front porch, and I blasted KEXP while on my anti-clover crusade. Down with clover!! It was a good day; I didn't have to use my AK--as if I had one--and the neighborhood was awash in the usual suburban activities (mowing lawns, puttering around, etc.). This might be one of the last nice weekend days we have until the gray ceiling clamps down on us like vise, so I'm happy I was able to enjoy most of it outdoors.

Exercise is Great, But...

2007-09-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

Getting back into a workout routine after slacking for a year is, uh, difficult. I pushed myself today to restart my weekday weight lifting habit, and man did I pay--and I haven't even felt the effects of the second day soreness. I couldn't believe how tired I was after only 45 minutes of lifting weights! In a week or two I should be feeling somewhat better than a lazy 38 year old computer nerd, but right now I feel like a lazy 38 year old computer nerd.

Tomorrow, I will slip on my new running shoes and make an attempt to run around the island--or at least around the block. Btw, I LOVE the Internet for this reason. For procrastinators--who are also impatient--like me, it rocks that I can order pair of shoes a day before I decide to run, and get them the next day. I'll bet Al Gore is a total procrastinator. Didn't he invent the Internet? Just kidding, Al.

Alright...back to the computer nerding activities.

The Autumn Approach, Grapes, and the Power of the...

2007-09-15T08:06:00.000-07:00

As I sit here typing and watching the sun creep through the marine layer, the twins are hard at work studying the art of potty power. Yep. They are--by request--watching a video titled "Potty Power"(thanks, Valdez!). As a result, I have been shuttling them to and from the potty room about every 15 minutes. Great fun!

The days are getting shorter here in the land of fresh, wild salmon, space needles, islands, and fleece formal wear--I jest about the fleece, though people do wear an excessive amount of it here (I have three fleece jackets myself). The trees are also beginning to show the signs of the seasonal shift. Fall is always nice around here, but it does signal the start of long gray days ahead bringing their mood crushing dreariness to weigh down on us Northwesterners. OK, it's not that bad--really.

Tonight, to celebrate the change of season, shell and I get well-deserved night out. We will be attending the annual "Grapes of Wrath" wine tasting party at our neighbors house. OK...going across the street to drink wine, while a neighbor girl babysits the twins isn't exactly the definition of a wild night out, but you take what you can get as a parent. This party is always a good time, so we are looking forward to it!

Kids are clawing at my legs for attention. Gotta run!

It Was One Year Ago Today...

2007-08-27T21:22:00.001-07:00

One year ago today (China time), Rachelle, Chris, Vivienne and Olivia became a family. It's amazing to me that those once tiny girls--who could not get enough of the babbas full of formula--are now full-blown toddlers with a huge vocabulary and an affinity for apple juice, Elmo, stickers and bubbles. We ask them now, "how much does mommy[daddy] love you?". Their response--hands waving--"too much, too much.". Never too much!

Here is a recap of some of the funny things they say now.

"Too heavy!" (response to things heavier than stuffed animals)
"I go in there." (when they want to sleep in our room)
"Vivi dood it!" (Olivia's accusatory tone)
"Livi dood it!" (Vivi's answer)
"Bad news, mommy." (When something isn't good)
"What's up, bear?" (Their morning greeting to the old--and giant--Seattle FAQ Schwartz bear that lives at day care)
"My Sophia!" (Vivi's assertion about her bunny)
"My Katherine!" (Livi's assertion about her cat/purse)
"I sleep more!" (What they say after keeping us up at night wanting to "go in there")
"I pet the kitty" (Usually uttered before grabbing Ophelia's tail)
"That's mommy's juice[daddy's beer]." (Wine is juice--technically.)
"Where [insert name of stuffed animal or parent] go?" (constantly!)

This week they also entered the early pre-school class. This year has flown by--too fast, too fast.

Writing, Swimming, and Blue Cheese

2007-08-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

I had a busy evening. I was trying to wrap up some work, and finish an essay I had due in a class I am taking. All this while making salads for dinner as Shell comforted the girls who were crankily trying to sleep in the heat. We had a heat wave today--it reached 83 or something like that! You non Northwesterners can laugh all you want. It was warm--really warm.

Anyway, as I was in the midst of wrapping up the essay formatting and assembling one of my signature salads, Shell made a quick call to uncle Cookie. Here we are multi-tasking our butts of, and what is uncle Cookie doing? Getting tipsy by the pool with some other friends, who shall remain anonymous (you know who you are!). I guess that's the life of an uncle of twin girls from China--chilling pool-side on a school night while the rest of are (gag) writing essays!

Have a drink for me, Cookie! I'm jealous. :)

Downward Dog

2007-07-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

I am not entirely sure why the girls do this, but just before we left the beach each day, they both performed downward dog (Yoga move). Perhaps it is their Buddhist roots, or they may be trying to imitate mommy or daddy, I dunno. In any case, it is pretty comical. See for yourself...

Fun in the Sandbox

2007-07-31T19:34:00.001-07:00

We had a really long day at the beach today, filled with lots of fun, sun, wind, sand, and more sand. I dug an even larger hole today, and proceeded to ring it with sand towers, a walled sand city of sorts. Digging in the sand is fun, and makes me feel like a kid again. The girls joined in as well, and we built the "bestest" sand Castleberry EVER!

Other things we did at what the girls insist on calling the "sandbox" (aka the beach)...stood in the water, ran around in circles, ate a lot of snacks (some covered in sand), and eventually got so pooped out that Vivienne passed out in the walled sand city. Unfortunately my camera was on the wrong setting, so most of today's pix were blown out and blurred. Damn shutter priority mode!!

We had fun.

Digging the Beach

2007-07-30T21:59:00.000-07:00

We hung out at the beach again today, and this time we didn't see any bees. Nevertheless, Olivia's tummy was bothering her early on (they have both been fighting a nasty daycare bug) so we started off the second day wondering if we would be able to spend any quality time with the sand and surf. A little time passed and we were all enjoying ourselves, so things went well.

Mom and Vivienne (pictured) took a trip out to the water, while dad and Olivia chilled back at camp (~50 yards away). For some reason (bee aversion perhaps?), Olivia passed on visiting the surf today. She still had fun, and was later quite enthusiastic about constructing sand cakes with mommy and digging a giant hole with daddy. That's right, my big contribution of the day was digging a 3x3x2 (or similar dimensions) hole using only children's plastic shovels (and small shovels at that).

Here you see daddy and girls crouching in the hole. I later expanded the hole a bit and even built a sand slide which descended into the hole. The girls were totally hip to the slide.

Tomorrow...likely more beach time.

Oregon Beach and a Bee Sting

2007-07-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

We are having a good time out here on the Oregon coast, where the girls have discovered a love for the beach. This is their first experience with the ocean (as far as we know) and they seem to love it. However, it didn't start out so great. Olivia's left foot had an unfortunate meeting with a bumble bee just 5 minutes after hitting the sand. We were walking through the tide and BLAMMO! OUCH!! She was OK after a few minutes, and now we know she isn't allergic to bee stings. I was stung by a bumble bee just the other day at home, so I know firsthand it hurt. I find it interesting that it was my first bumble bee sting ever (several honey bee stings as a kid), and then just a few days later Olivia met her first bumble bee sting. Oh well.

So, the girls are suited up and ready to conquer the beach again today! We will be bringing our heavy equipment (sand tractors) and doing some serious digging and perhaps attempting to make a castle. We'll see. Hopefully we don't meet up with any bees today.

Rainy Weekend for Two, in July?

2007-07-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

The twins had their official 2nd birthday over the weekend, and boy did they have fun! They got to visit with Grammy, go to the aquarium (which involved the always popular ferry ride), eat cupcakes, play with their new doll strollers, and ride their cool retro trikes (with some assistance). What more could a toddler ask for? Oh yeah...two additional days off from school (aka daycare).

In addition to the fun and presents, the girls also got their wish that the sun would go away and be replaced by rain. Even in the Northwest rain in July is odd, especially the tropical variety we have been dealing with over the last several days. I guess Mother Nature was just trying to do her part to give the girls the best birthday a two year old could wish for. Or maybe it's global cooling that's to blame...

Piggies and the Evil Sun

2007-07-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

The twins got their first pigtails on July 1st! They were quite thrilled with the process, and they affectionately referred to them as PIGGIES! They also call them PONIES! They now request them on a regular basis.

This picture shows the girls grumpily displaying their piggies. The grumpy facial expressions are the result of a run-in with their sworn enemy the SUN! I don't really understand why the girls dislike the sun so much. Anything, even a bright incandescent bulb, is annoyingly referred to as "SUN!". We asked the girls today, a bright, sunny and rare 95+ day, if they liked the rain or the sun. They quickly replied, "RAIN!". One of their favorite books is "Just a rainy day" which, by the way, is in need of replacing after MANY evening readings. I guess it was their destiny to end up in the Pacific Northwest.

In other news, rumor has it that Grammy (who lives in the phone, as far as the girls know) is coming for a visit from her new seaside home in San Diego next week. The girls are very excited!

The Beauty of Junk

2007-06-29T15:01:00.001-07:00

I randomly came across some amazing photos today of my former home town, Rio Linda, CA. There is not much that is beautiful about the town, in my opinion anyway, but these photos capture a side of Rio Linda that could only appear beautiful on film, or in this case in pixels. Click here to see how Steve Shames made Rio Linda's reputation for yard-cars really shine in a different light, high-speed infrared film to be precise. I never though junk could look so good.

#1 Dad

2007-06-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

Being the father of twin toddlers, I have little free time, so I am somewhat behind in my posts, picture and video editing, etc. I even forgot to post on my first Father's Day! So, let's pretend it is Father's Day again. If it were, I would have posted these cool photos the girls made for me at school (aka daycare). Apparently I am the #1 Dad, in their eyes anyway. Don't mind the grumpy looks on their faces. The sun was in their eyes, and they don't seem to like the sun much, which is great for them since we don't see it that often up here.

Sleeved

2007-06-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

Stickers are THE RAGE in our house these days. The girls wear them with pride, as you can see here in this picture of Olivia displaying her "sleeved" look. She even has a little 'tude in her facial expression to accompany the look of a hard-core sticker girl. This look says, "Don't mess with me! I've got Hello Kitty watchin' my back, fool!" As you can see, we have a lot of fun around here with the little things.

Hey From the Bay

2007-06-19T22:46:00.001-07:00

I am about to settle in for the night in my hotel room near the corporate hive in San Jose, and I realized I had not posted in a while. I am watching the local news cast on channel 2 (a former haunt on weekday nights), and here it what I have learned about what's happening in my former home region.

* The beaches in Santa Cruz are polluted
* An elderly woman was killed by a train in Oakland
* The 49'ers are trying to move to Santa Clara and still keep their team name
* An SF supervisor is being ousted because he lied about which neighborhood he lived in
* The SJ Mercury News is laying off more staff
* A 5 acre, uninhabited (and probably uninhabitable) island near the Richmond Bridge bought in the 1960s for $50k is up for sale for $10 million.

I didn't hear a single positive news story in the one hour broadcast. Not much has changed in the Bay Area. It makes me miss my beautiful Bainbridge Island, and my wonderful girls at home (mom, and twins).

Accountants

2007-06-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

After writing the entry about the girls counting their green beans at dinner, I began to wonder if that was indicative of a tendency toward an Accounting career. After all, they were counting BEANS, so maybe they will be corporate bean counters some day?

I hope not...

Counting

2007-06-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

We were pleasantly surprised yesterday when the girls began picking up the green beans we served with their dinner, and started to count them. They had a few of the numbers in the correct sequence, but just the fact that they understand the whole concept of counting, at less than two years old, amazed us.

Time Slice

2007-05-30T22:42:00.000-07:00

I found a rare slice of time this evening, and I filled it with some photo editing. Take a peek at my Flickr page for some new and not so new pictures of the twins.

Fading fast, and feeling like I am about to come down with a "daycare cold". Hopefully I will find to write something interesting soon.

Happy Birthday Darth!

2007-05-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

Wow! It has really been 30 years since the debut of my favorite movie of all time, Star Wars! Happy birthday to Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Lea, Chewbacca, C-3P0, R2-D2, the stormtroopers, etc.

To think of the hours I spent as a child playing with my SW action figures (which I STILL HAVE), the countless times I have seen the movies, and the dream to one day own a full stormtrooper costume...

38 Special

2007-05-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

The title of this post has nothing to do with the revolver, nor does it refer in in any way to the Southern Rock band of the same name. The number 38 is my new age, and today is my special day.

Thirty eight years ago today, I entered the world having no idea what lay ahead. Nothing has changed, as I still have no idea what my future will hold. Well, I do know a few things about it, and who will be a part of it, but generally the future is a special mystery to me, to all of us really.

The future is special, today is special (for me anyway), and today I am 38.

Taylor

2007-05-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

I received my birthday present early today (thanks, Shell!).

Ever since we brought the girls home, I have found it difficult to find time to get behind my drum set, so I needed a solution to keep my musical cravings satisfied. Drums are loud, pianos take up a lot of space (though I *really* want one soon), and I just don't have any current desire to learn any of the woodwinds or brass instruments. So...I asked for a guitar. I have a ukulele, and it's cool but sort of limited.

I bought a guitar a few years ago, but it was very *inexpensive*, and me being a drummer and naive about guitar quality, I hadn't realized it was going to be a piece of crap. Now I have a better idea of what a decent guitar should cost, thanks to my friend John who commutes to Fremont on the same van with me. Thanks, John.

Anyway, I had a nice day off playing my new Taylor acoustic guitar (after 4 hours of yard work). OK, the term "playing" is open to debate, but I did manage to learn a few chords.

Gold Rush Town

2007-05-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

We are up here in gold rush country for a wedding. The town is Nevada City, the wedding is of our friends Heather and Steven.

We rented a whimsical house which happens to have Internet access; hence my ability to make this post. We are here with auntie Kimmy, uncle Corey and uncle Bern who the girls have affectionately nicknamed "Cookie and Bum".

The girls are hanging out with Grammy and Gong Gong down in the valley. This their first time apart from mom and dad since we brought them home. I miss them, as does shell. They are having a great time though. Grammy has a lot of toys for them, and Elmo videos!

The other ladies are busy readying themselves for the ceremony this evening. I might grab a short nap or go read a book.

Later...

Evening in SJ

2007-04-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

After the onslaught of the latest Twinami, I finally found time to do a blog entry. I am typing this entry all bleary-eyed (up since 3:45 PST on Bainbridge today) in downtown San Jose waiting for my room service (Sashimi, and a glass of Pinot).

I am here for a work related conference (officially branded as an "un-conference"), which should prove interesting for a computer nerd such as myself. I just found out today that the creator of JavaScript will be giving us a little chat, so that makes the trip even better. Whoo hoo!

My girls are safely in the care of my right-hand lady, their mother. This is the first time I have been away from them since we brought them home so not only am I missing my buddy, but I miss my little buddies, too! Vivienne said hello to me on the phone this evening. Olivia was too busy watching Elmo's World. LOL!

It is nice to have a few moments to myself, and let me tell you I spent it wisely. After a long day traveling and meeting with colleagues, I relaxed with a nice dry martini and a couple chapters of the Java programming series from Sun Microsystems.

So, back to the PNW tomorrow night after a day of scripting pow wows, a couple of days to rest, then it's back to Cali for a friend's wedding over the weekend.

Brain tired, food arrived...gotta go. Better post next time.

Twinami

2007-03-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

We've been getting hit by natural disasters nearly every day here on the Island, or at least in *our* home. Don't worry, no one has been injured, and the house has held up well.

Similar in effect to the dreaded (and far more dangerous) Tsunami, we have been subjected to countless Twinamis over the last 7 months. Today, I managed to snap a photo just after one hit. Just *look* at the damage!

Clean up is usually quick.

Twins Version 1.20

2007-03-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

We installed an update today to Twins version 1.20. It is amazing to think that the girls have been with us for a mere 7 months, yet it feels like we have been together since version 0 and above.

Version 1.20 is full of new features. Their mess making features are top-notch as are their language skills! I actually read a magazine article today that endorsed learning to live with toddler messes, and that making messes is a good thing for kids. Where was that article when I was growing up? It could have explained a lot to my parents. :)

Anyway, the kids are becoming little clowns (especially Olivia). We are having loads of fun!

Dr. Jones

2007-03-09T16:43:00.000-08:00

I've been hearing rumors about this for years, and now they have been validated. In 2008, Dr. Indiana Jones is back!

Check it out by clicking here.

Now if they would only announce there will be another Star Wars trilogy...

A Moment of Irony

2007-03-09T11:05:00.000-08:00

While working from home today, and listening to my music collection via iTunes, I got distracted from my work for a moment by a song that began skipping. Some of the CDs I transferred to the PC didn't come across entirely intact, thus they skip a bit. I keep telling myself I need to make a list of these songs, and then one day I will fix them.

Anyway, I found it a little ironic that the song that diverted my attention was in fact a Garbage song called "Fix me now".

Back to work...

Wonder Twin Powers...

2007-03-03T22:51:00.000-08:00

Activate!

Form of...recent pics of the twins on my Flickr site.

You would most likely have to be a GenXer to recall that reference. Interestingly enough, our wonder twins can shape shift from happy toddlers to fit-throwing monsters with their magic twin power rings, although I've never *actually* seen the rings.

Most of the time they are really sweet, happy girls. I spent some good "dad" time with the kids today while momma was out with one of her pals who was also getting in some adult time away from her chilluns'.

We messed the house up, and ate a ton of cookies. It was great!

OK...we each had our two cookie limit, but we did mess the house up.

Well...it be late, I'm sleepy, and I need to get as much rest as possible before the girls sound the wake up call at 6 am. Ugh...

iPotty

2007-02-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

Warning, this entry is all about potty training, so you can skip it if that subject makes you cringe.

For those of you that are down with PT, read on...

The girls are 19 months now, and for the past couple of months they have been notifying us that they need diaper changes, sometimes prior to actually needing one. So, we decided it was time they started getting acquainted with the potty.

This weekend was monumental in a way. Shell jammed out to Silverdale and picked up a hip potty for the kids, and on the same day Olivia happily broke it in on the first try. Her reward was a sticker. Vivienne was a tad gun-shy, but she eventually did her duty on the following day. She was also quite pleased with herself, and her sticker. We still have a long process to endure before we can cut them loose from the Huggies, but we had good progress early on, so there is hope that it will happen quickly.

That hip potty kinda reminded me of an iMac, so I think it should be aptly named the iPotty.

PDX

2007-02-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Portland (PDX) last weekend was fun, disappointing, refreshing, challenging, and so on. We went there to scout the PDX scene for what we were hoping would be a restored or solid Craftsman home (PDX is full of bungalows) at a price that would allow us to sell our new bungalow on the island, and live comfortably on my income alone. This would have allowed shell to stay home with the kids full-time, and spend some time exploring other goals she has.

Well...we did see some nice homes, and some of the neighborhoods are wonderful. We even found a great house with enough space for all of us, a home office, an extra room, and a huge basement where I could set up a music room. The trouble was, the homes in the neighborhoods we wanted to live in (safe, close to cool stuff, good for the kids) were overpriced, and the home we fell in love with was in the ghetto.

That's the trouble with PDX right now. There is really no great job market to support the prices, but Seattle is close, so the prices up here tend to have an effect on the prices in PDX. That's my theory anyway. I have noticed that many of the asking prices have been consistently falling there, so I am keeping my eyes peeled in case something interesting comes up.

In the meantime, and probably the foreseeable future, we will stay put here on the island.

As for the island, and our house, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. In fact, that was a heavy influence on our decision *not* to aggressively pursue PDX, because in order to replace what we have here, it would take a very special house and neighborhood.

The challenging part of the trip was trying to keep our twins from kicking our a$$#@ for dragging them around in the car for three days. They had *some* fun, and we actually got to eat a nice dinner alone one night since the hotel hooked us up with a great baby sitter. The girls also got to enjoy some fine room service as you can see in this picture.

So...Bainbridge is still home.

What Happened?

2007-02-16T16:13:00.000-08:00

I got busy and forgot I had a blog, that's what happened!

Anyway, where was I...

Oh yeah, the girls are growing like weeds, and beginning to enter the phase known as "NO!". They are almost 19 months old now!

We went on our first plane trip since returning from China, and it went pretty smoothly. OK, there was a snag in the form of Alaska Airlines delaying the flight to the point where we arrived at Grammy and Gong Gong's house at 1:30 am, cranky kids in tow. That sucked but the rest of the trip was fine. The girls are pictured here with Grammy and Gong Gong.

The girls got to see both sets of grandparents and they even got to meet one of their great grandmothers. They also met some great aunts, uncles, and great great uncle Raymundo (aka uncle Ray).

We have been busy working, and following our daily routine since then, and are just now coming up for air. I had the distinct pleasure of being solo dad for a week while Rachelle was out of town. The girls and I had lots of fun, and I now have a new appreciation for the benefits of daycare. I worked from home the entire week so I could be close to daycare in case I needed to fetch a sick kid or something. I actually accomplished more in that week than I have in a while, probably due to an extra 3 hours per day I didn't spend commuting.

This weekend, we are heading down to P-Town, PDX, Stump town, or as most people know it, Portland, Oregon. We are going to explore the neighborhoods a bit, take the girls to the Chinese Gardens, and contemplate what Portland might mean for us in the near future.

And with that, Happy Chinese New Year to all. Eat your pork because it's the year of the pig!

Overseas Adoptions Increasing

2007-01-04T08:15:00.000-08:00

According to the available data, more and more people in the states have been adopting children from other countries, including China. As a result, China has recently tightened their requirements for screening prospective parents. Personally, I think this is a great thing because these children deserve the best possible parents they can have after the rough start they got in life. The new requirements may seem callous to some, but in my opinion China has the right to make any rules they wish. The rules are only meant to protect the kids.

Anyway, it is really no surprise to us that international adoption is becoming an increasingly popular option since we obviously just completed an international adoption ourselves. We had the fortune of telling our adoption story to the Associated Press back in December. Here is the link to the article.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-04T08:09:00.000-08:00

We rang in2007 at lake Quinault Lodge in, where else, lake Quinault, WA.

Spending time there as we did a couple of years ago was really relaxing despite being sick (all four of us!). This year we had the extra added pleasure of having our two lovely kids, their grammy, gong gong, uncle Greg, and aunt Debbie.

The only bad part was the lack of sleep since the kids were not feeling well. Other than that, we had a great time. It just went too fast!

I hope this year brings good fortune to all.

Merry Christmas Eve!

2006-12-24T11:25:00.000-08:00

We are gearing up for a mellow Christmas Eve celebration tonight. The girls are napping, shell is whipping up some tasty grub, and I am, er....blogging.

Momma is making the girls a special dinner tonight...fried rice!!! We, on the other hand, are having fillets which I will be grilling in the rain because that is just what you have to do up here in the soggy PNW.

Mannheim is on repeat, "A Christmas Story" marathon should be starting soon, and we are anticipating the arrival of our "exclusive" guests, Uncle Corey and Bern.

I need to purge my flash card to get ready for picture snappin' this afternoon/evening, so I placed a few new pics of the kids on my flickr page. Enjoy!

I hope all of our friends, family, co-workers, and everyone else out there has a great Xmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Fesitivus, or whatever it is you plan on doing throughout the remainder of this year. Just have fun, and enjoy everyone around you and everything you have to be thankful for.

Zoinks! It's S-s-s-s-anta!!

2006-12-20T21:17:00.000-08:00

We scored at the Kitsap Mall in the beautiful parking lot known as Silverdale, WA! We got the classic screaming with Santa picture! The twins obviously *love* Santa. Maybe next year they won't think Santa is such a creepy loser.

As for me...only a couple of days of geeking out on code left until the annual holiday shutdown. My brain needs the rest.

Hopefully I will have the time to compile all the video footage I took in China into something, like, artistic or something. That and I want to spend some quality time with my wife and kids, and the TV. I have a ton of Battlestar episodes queued up for my viewing pleasure.

The rain, gray, gloom was in full effect today, and tonight is supposed to bring us another round of evil wind, so I figured I would blog just in case we don't have power for a few days again. Stupid wind!

Power Is Cool

2006-12-16T20:15:00.000-08:00

We had fun over the last two nights of "house camping", but it is certainly a relief that we finally have POWER!!! The juice started flowing about 20 minutes ago.

It wasn't so bad since we have a propane fireplace, range, and enough candles to start our own wax museum. The only bad part was the cold nights since the temps dropped about 15 degrees from the night of the wind/rain storm to now. Tonight is supposed to be down in the high 20s.

Anyway, three cheers for electricity!

Wind Storm

2006-12-14T20:41:00.000-08:00

We are in the early stages of a wind storm that is supposed to be fairly nasty up here in western WA. Lights have been flickering for hours now.

Earlier I missed the ferry due to the weather (heavy rain/wind) and just like a couple of weeks prior, a Seahawks game. Thanks, NFL.

I'm hoping we have power in the morning as the strongest of the winds are due to hit after midnight. It's already windy enough so my confidence in staying electrified throughout the night is low.

Twins...in...Space!!!

2006-12-07T20:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the Bray crew, our little nuggets have begun to explore the universe in their new ROCKET SHIP!! Forget Big Big World (that sloth is lazy anyway), O & V are blasting off in style now, ready for their next mission. Just a little patting power, and they're off!

That's right, they are also Little Einsteins fanatics.

Ground control to O & V. Commencing count down, engines on.

Let It Snow

2006-11-26T15:32:00.000-08:00

It's a little slushy, but we have been having snow flurries all afternoon and into the early part of the evening. More expected on Monday, but probably minimal amounts overall.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

It's mighty wet up here in the PNW. In fact, it is now the wettest November on record. Awesome. Apparently it is expected to hit the mid 80s down in the land of Positive Skittles (aka uncle Greg), and aunt Debbie. We are beaming our good vibes and Thanksgiving joy to you all (including Gong Gong and Grammy R)!

We are heading over to Mip and Pip's for Thanksgiving day festivities. This marks a change in the recent past which would find us whooping it up with our close friends; a more than 10 year tradition. Well, I hope the gang is having a great day, and I'm sure we will reconnect for another "Gutchgiving" in the future.

This will be the first Thanksgiving for O & V!

And now, off to stuff ourselves with food.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family down in California, in Seattle, in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Idaho, and elsewhere!

November Rain

2006-11-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

We've had a fair amount of rain this month. In fact, it's raining now, and a bit windy. This keeps us inside most of the time, which makes me wonder why I haven't posted since Halloween. Oh well, busy I guess.

Grammy Robinson came back to visit the kids (us too!). They were happy to see her, and so were we. Here is a cute shot of the girls and GR.

The first week of daycare went well. O & V like their new friends, and enjoy playing all day long, as well as grabbing food from the other kids.

That's all for now!

Halloween in NTW

2006-10-31T21:05:00.000-08:00

Halloween in NTW is an event, not only for the hood, but for the entire freakin' island. You see, NTW is one of a handful of hoods where homes are close together like they are in the city. There are about 70 homes, so islanders who live on larger, more secluded lots will truck their kids in and unleash them on our hood.

This year there were roughly 250-300 kids roaming the streets in costume.

Last year, my lawn was destroyed by all the hooligans and their inability to follow the path to the the door. This year, I created a perimeter of tiki torches to help "illuminate" the path. It mostly worked, but there were still those kids who just didn't "get it" and decided to walk directly through the perimeter. Next year (per a neighbor's excellent suggestion) it's an electric fence.

Oh, we had some real winners from outside the hood this year. Some woman had the audacity to comment to her friend (while I was standing right there) that she didn't get our address numbers. They looked dyslexic to her. I turned to her and stated, "it's called 'Arts & Crafts'". She looked confused. One would think that common sense would tell you, A. A neighborhood full of only Craftsman homes is bound to have Arts & Crafts address numbers (which she obviously had no clue about), and B. Don't be an idiot and make such ignorant comments in front of the homeowner who is giving your kid free candy.

On a nice note, check out these cute kids in their kitty costumes! Vivienne and Olivia had fun making the rounds demanding candy from our neighbors. Mommy and daddy were lucky, too. At one house, we got a cocktail as our treat. Score!!

Autumn in NTW

2006-10-31T20:57:00.000-08:00

Autumn in North Town Woods has arrived. The trees are rapidly dropping leaves, and the temps have dropped accordingly. It was cold enough yesterday that I had to empty the fountain, and cover it with trash bags, as well as cover the patio furniture. There was ice on the picnic bench! Brrr...

It's also dark here at around 5-5:30 pm. The peak will have us in the dark even earlier come winter.

I went around the hood the other day on a walk with the girls, and I thought this neighbor's tree was striking!

Baby Chucks

2006-10-21T22:47:00.000-07:00

Along with the bitchin' Stones shirts, the girls insisted on sporting shoes just like their daddy. Since daddy is a sneaker freak, they naturally had to begin their shoe obsession with some killer All-Stars; in pink of course.

Vivienne is kickin' it here in her Chucks as she contemplates what to do with this sippy cup top.

Start Me Up

2006-10-21T22:40:00.000-07:00

The girls were bummed that they didn't get to see the Rolling Stones when they hit Seattle the other day, so we got them these really cool Stones T-Shirts. You'll notice here that Olivia is attempting to stretch her mouth to the size of Mick Jagger's. They *totally* dig the Stones.

Fun With Boxes

2006-10-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

The girls really like getting into boxes, and then demanding that daddy drag them around the floor as if they were driving or something. We did that with baskets while we were in China, and they obviously still enjoy it. Here is a nice shot of the girls riding in boxes sent by their generous Great Great (yes, two Greats) Uncle Carl and Aunt Sue.

The Great Pumpkin

2006-10-21T22:22:00.000-07:00

The girls, Rachelle and I went to a pumpkin patch the other day in search of the great pumpkin. Unfortunately we didn't find it, although there was one time in my life that a couple of friends and I *did* find the great pumpkin. And...well, it wasn't with us for long, but that is a completely different story.

Anyway, we did find some good specimens to compliment the twin pumpkins that Mip and Pip brought over for the girls. Yeah, and where were our pumpkins, Mip and Pip? Heh, heh...

And yes, we did find a nice little mini pumpkin for Ophelia. We might carve it, and fill it full of catnip.

The girls seemed fascinated by the experience, and it was nice to be able to shoot over to a patch right on the island. It's nice that there is still so much rural land here. I fear it won't last for long.

Trash Sale

2006-10-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

Man, poor Oscar the grouch. Today, we watched an episode of da street where Oscar had to make a decision whether to sell his trash or keep it. His pet elephant really needed the space to do his swing dancing, and Oscar wanted him to be happy, but sell all his trash!??! It was a tough decision...

I don't know ho it turned out, but I thought it was funny that as the story unfolded, I found myself watching alone while the kids busied themselves with throwing toys all over the house. Exciting Sunday afternoon!!

Speaking of exciting, I posted some Bay to Breakers pix from way back in 2003, just before we moved from SF to Seattle. We did this race a couple times, and it was a blast. The word "race" is merely ceremonial, btw.

Later...

More Pix on Flickr

2006-10-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

I have been on a tear to get my older pix (2002-2004) up on my Flickr site! I have many photos to sort through, so stay tuned.

Carry on...

Joshua Tree Photos

2006-10-09T22:05:00.000-07:00

I briefly posted back in January of this year about my solo trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Rachelle was in business meetings in Palm Springs (Indian Wells to be more precise), and I had a free day to do some adventuring.

Well, after nearly a year, I have finally processed the pix. Check them out on my Flickr site if you are interested. I think they turned out nicely.

Joshua Tree is a magical place, and I highly recommend visiting the park at the same time of year since the weather was perfect.

The China Group

2006-10-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

Along with the red couch photo, I thought I would share a picture of our travel group. This was a really great group of folks, and we miss them already!

The Red Couch

2006-10-07T13:42:00.000-07:00

Part of the China adoptive family tradition is to take a group photo of all the babies in your travel group. Since all American families go through Guangzhou to process the U.S. paperwork, they usually stay at the White Swan Hotel where the red couch lives.

This is our group photo.

Crazy Baby!

2006-10-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

So I'm searching all over the net and I cannot find any reference to a show we loved while in Nanchang. It was called the "Crazy Baby!" show, and featured a wacked looking puppet (the Crazy Baby) and a dude that switched from Mandarin to English during the show, apparently as a means to teach young Chinese kids more English words.

Anyway, I really want to find some archives of the show, but I cannot find anything! It's making me a "Crazy Daddy!".

Yard is Done

2006-10-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

I finally got the fence stained thanks to some help from gong gong. The yard is nice and finished, just in time for fall and winter to set and make it unusable. LOL!

The plants should be nice and established by the spring. I like our little perch above the green space.

Btw, sorry for the rapid fire short blog posts. I have limited cycles due to heavy duty kid time this weekend so, saying something is better than nothing.

Later...

One Leg Up

2006-10-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

After a long morning of hanging with uncle Corey, and his folks, the dynamic duo (aka wonder twins) got to meet mip and pip for the first time. They really like mip and pip!

During the visit, Olivia decided to show off her LL Cool J "one leg up on the competition" pose. She must have gotten into my hip hop CD collection while I wasn't looking. Even the hard, gangsta stare is authentic.

Belated First Birthday

2006-10-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

Just before grammy and gong gong (aka poppy) left for home, we celebrated a belated first birthday for the kids. They are 14 months now, but they didn't complain about having another birthday celebration.

Happy frist birthday Olivia and Vivienne!

Girls Doing Well, Parents Tired

2006-09-27T21:39:00.001-07:00

The girls are doing great. They are full of life, crazy for food, having tons of fun, and are generally adjusting to their new life well.

We are doing fine, too, but we are TIRED! These kids are on-the-go non stop! They are so curious about everything.

They are beginning to form a few English words, including mamma, dadda, cat (much to Ophelia's dismay), and do/go. At least that's what we think they are saying!

They *really* like to rock on their rocking horse.

Anyway, time is limited. Gotta run for now.

Nice Trash

2006-09-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

Breaking from the twins topic for a moment, I thought I would post this picture of the Valdez family trash pickup locale. This has to be one the nicest trash pickup areas I have ever seen.

Nice work Valdez. ;^)

Cheerioholics Anonymous

2006-09-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

I think we're going to need the 12 step plan for our daughters' Cheerios addiction.

They LOVE the O's. We are now conditioned to always have a steady supply on-hand to avoid any "incidents".

It's a good thing they are cool with the plain, non-sugary variety.

Hmmm...I could even picture the twins on the cover of a Cheerios box, mouth stuffed full of O's of course.

China Pictures

2006-09-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

Check out my Flickr site. I've added a bunch of photos from the trip.

The girls are doing awesome except for the irregular sleep schedule. This makes for tired parents. I have gotten about 12 hours of sleep in 3 days.

Jet Lag

2006-09-11T23:34:00.000-07:00

The kids are jet-lagged, and we are too. They've had a difficult time getting some rest this last two nights. Olivia is up now, and it took about 3 hours to get Vivienne to bed.

I tried to stroller them around the hood this afternoon while Shell trekked to Target, but Viv cried until I picked her up. At least Liv sacked out within the first five minutes or carrying two kids and pushing a stroller would have been challenging.

I did managed to get my front lawn mowed this evening, and I installed another baby gate since the girls decided climbing the stairs was really fun.

Through all this craziness, the cat is being surprisingly calm.

I wish I had one of these Chinese PBRs right about now. Oh and the beer/soda cans in China all have the old skool pull tab style tops from the 1970s. Odd.

Home With the Girls

2006-09-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

Well, after 15 days we made it home. I didn't get to blog from Hong Kong, but it was great. OK, HK is just simply amazing.

I will try to add pictures of HK plus many photos of the girls and other sites in China on my Flickr site so stay tuned.

The girls were very grumpy on the flight from HK to Tokyo, but they slept most of the way thru the flight from Tokyo to Seattle. We are all a bit jet-lagged, but feeling fine.

Our neighbors and friends had our house nicely decorated for us when we got home today (or is it tomorrow, I dunno). Thanks again to EVERYONE who helped keep our kitty, and our house functioning (i.e. my grass is still green) while we were away.

I was going to make a longer post tonight, but I am seeing double, and require additional sleep. Plus, the girls are cranky and need some attention so I must go and help mommy and Grammy Robinson put them to bed.

We had a wonderful trip overall. China is a really interesting country, and I look forward to going back when the girls are a little older.

The picture attached to this message is from the second to the last day at the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou.

Guanzhou

2006-09-04T21:00:00.001-07:00

We are in Guangzhou now. The city is very cool, and much more modern than Nanchang. We are staying at the White Swan Hotel. The surrounding city is full of shops, and old trees, and lots of water.

The girls got their medical checkups today. They are normal, weigh 17-18 pounds and are perfectly healthy. They didn't like the exams. :)

Every day they smile more and more, and we think they are calling us mamma and dadda, but it could just be baby talk or Mandarin. LOL!

Kids need a nap and so do I. I feel a cold coming on, so I need some rest for the city tour this afternoon.

Anyway, more later. We leave here in 3 or 4 days for Hong Kong.

Cheers,

- Chris