Family rules 1 and 2
Now that we can be considered a family, in the Nuclear sense, I thought it might be a good idea to begin to establish a codex that governs our day-to-day lives. Inspired by those who have gone before us (Rule #1: Don’t do anything that will get you on the local news), here are rules 1 and 2:
- We do not bail other family members out of jail.
- We do not purchase goods from, or donate money to, groups that solicit by telephone or go door-to-door. Exceptions to this rule: the Girl Scouts (cookies only), Jump Rope for Heart, and the Olympic Sales Club (full disclaimer: member, ‘90-92).
Like sands through the hourglass
In this interview, Pamela Paul, author of “Parenting, Inc.”, slams Baby Einstein while also neatly summarizing my early childhood daycare experience, courtesy of my grandmother:
Baby Einstein is one of the most successful marketing bamboozlings of the American parenting marketplace. There is absolutely no evidence that Baby Einstein makes your baby smarter. We forget that 20 years ago, there was no programming for babies. If you wanted to really occupy your kid, if you didn’t have a playpen, or if that wasn’t enticing, you just turned on the TV and stuck them in front of “Days of Our Lives,” and they would stare at it. The fact is that they may even have gotten more from “Days of Our Lives” than they would from Baby Einstein, because it was actual human faces emoting, as opposed to these random blaring images.
Oh, how I long for the days of Totino’s Pizza, “Days” at noon, and Grandma Dorothy. (Via)
A manifesto?
Look. At 1:00, as the bars close and the stragglers pass by, this makes sense:
Care about something. Something big, something outside of yourself. We’ve pushed (exploited) things about as far as they will go. It’s time to give something back.
Self-awareness doesn’t cut it. We’ve mastered that. Don’t go looking for fufillment in that next piece of conspicuous consumption. To give can feel just as good as to take. Give something. Anything. Just care.
Bring on 2006
I, for one, am ready for the year to start. The week between Christmas and New Year’s day is the armpit of the year, and I hardly knew what to do with myself all week.
That’s not to say we haven’t been busy. The past month or so has been taken up by our search for a house in the city. We like it well enough here and we’re getting wise to the fact that our rent money could be better spent on other living arrangements.
Our first foray into the market looked promising; the house was in great condition and priced to sell. It was priced so well, in fact, that it was snatched out from under us while we were in the process of making an offer. Chalk it up to inexperience on our part.
Luckily, a house in our neighborhood went on the market soon thereafter. We moved fast on it and made an offer right away. While it is not in as good of shape as the first house, the location is perfect and that counts for a whole lot. We’re stuck in the ugly middle phase of inspections, appraisals, and negotiation; doing all of this in December, the non-work month, has been especially hard. I’m ready to move forward on the whole thing.
Because of the house hunting, our preparation for the holidays were lacking. Little attempt was made at being festive save for our Christmas Day present opening. We had fun, however, going to the conservatory, doing some skiing, and seeing a movie. And we have the pictures to prove it.
But really, I’ve had too much time on my hands. I’m glad to get back to a routine.
May updates
In no particular order:
I’m really enjoying the New Yorker’s coverage of the global warming problem by Elizabeth Kolbert. It’s nice to see a major magazine dedicate space to such an issue. I can only hope for a continued rise in gasoline prices to help bring further attention to the energy/environmental crisis we’re facing.
I’m getting involved in a big way with a local anti-litter group that is targeting the neighborhood next to ours. Spurred to action by an editorial by this man, I signed up for an area. I go out several times a week trying to make up for the shortcomings of mankind. It’s a big job, but I think we’re making a difference.
The new job has been incredibly satisfying in every way, and I can’t really see myself anywhere else for a very long time, if ever.
The Internet has delivered many great things to many people. Today it brought to me the gem of a song “Cosmonaut Love” by Tricky the Cosmonaut. A throwback to the KUMM days, I had all but given up on ever hearing it again, but thanks to some streaming audio, a dedicated DJ, and some audio capturing magic via my new best friend, the Mac, I have my very own copy. Things are definitely looking up.
Making progress
Recently spotted in my email inbox:
GRE On-Line Registration Confirmation Notice
Thank you for registering online to take the GRE Subject (Computer Science) test on December 11, 2004. You selected the following test centers:
First Choice: Pittsburgh, U. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Second Choice: Indiana, Indiana U. of PA., Pennsylvania
Your online confirmation number is […].
I’m finally getting somewhere. It’s good to have a plan for the future.
A few thoughts
A random collection of things worth mentioning:
Arielle and I, along with others, have taken quite a liking to Ken Jennings, the undisputed heavyweight Jeopardy champion of the world. His proclamation last night, “Sometimes it pays to be a nerd, Alex” was a watershed moment for the geeks of the world. The Mormon thing aside, he should be a hero to kids everywhere.
I just finished reading Land Circle by Linda Hasselstrom. I had previously read her book Going Over East in my freshman English class in college, and it was a pleasure to read some more of her stuff. She really evokes strong feelings for the Midwest in me, and her take on corporate farming, wasteful consumerism, and self-reliance is dead-on. It is of my opinion that she and James Kunstler should meet up and run for the White House together. One’s a crazy rancher, the other is a crazy urbanist, and I think together they’d be the best thing our country has seen for a long time.
Our summer travels have brought us thus far to New York (Buffalo, Albany, and NYC) and, most recently, North Carolina. I have a bunch of pictures from the New York trip just waiting to be posted. Soon.
North Carolina, where Arielle’s grandparents live, was a great trip. We camped in West Virgina on our way down there in the Monongahela National Forest. At $8 a night with all the fresh air one can breathe, it’s a hard bargain to beat. Passing through the Virginias, Tennessee, and North Carolina was a scenic experience. The Appalachian mountains are far more green and lush than I would have ever imagined.
A couple of interesting sub-notes on the southern experience: * Mountain music is quite enjoyable. * There’s a Dairy Queen in every town. * In southern dialect, ‘shopping carts’ are called ‘buggies.’ Be prepared.
