Saturday, 2 April 2005
no shame
WooHoo
You scored 23 American Logic Points! |
Out of 27. You actually have some American logic, but hopefully you didn't cheat... |
 |
My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender:
|
You scored higher than 95% on American Logic |
|
post by barak
at 1:59 PM EST
Sunday, 13 March 2005
a year ago
a year ago, i was tired.
baeden had just been born, and our nights of peaceful slumber were over, but our days of incredible happiness and joy were just beginning.
vacation started for me on thursday at 10am.
friday was his birthday.
we couldn't not send him to Day Care without a cake...
why Day Care on his birthday?
vacation just means a list of chores to get done, starting with getting ready for a 1st birthday party!
we went with a Harry Potter theme.
we even had a sorting hat. it almost looked like Hufflepuff and Gryffindor might rumble, but that was averted.
we had the party at the school gym, and it was great. plenty of room for eating and sitting and a huge gym for kids and adults alike to run around in.
in addition to setting up for the party, i had to do some more baking...
jenn decorated the cake.
she doesn't trust my chicken-scratch.
when everyone started singing, he broke into a huge smile.
he knew it was all for him.
he got the candle out in one breath.
note: it was never stated that it was his breath
mmmm.... grey frosting
honest, not 15 seconds earlier mom looked just like baeden. mom's house (Slytherin) is still up in arms she married a Gryffindor and that Baeden, even with his parsel-tongue and snake-like nature, was sorted into his father's house.
his new red wagon
and his prom date.
finally, some recent pictures:
likes: grunge music, starbucks coffee and indie films
also likes chewing on blocks
balloon!!!
"i remember when i wasn't one. they say a person can stay young getting up early.
"i hope mommy and daddy don't mind my 5am rising time."
post by barak
at 12:05 PM EST
Updated: Sunday, 13 March 2005 12:09 PM EST
Monday, 21 February 2005
FREEDOM!
On February 13th, Jenn and I got a babysitter for the first time. Fortunately, it was one of Baeden's day care providers, so we had no worries about him not reacting well to a stranger or someone not knowing him or any of that stuff.... We wanted to see a movie (see earlier posts for our previous dream of seeing The Life Aquatic) but there was nothing interesting playing, so we did some window shopping and had a wonderful meal at our local fancy-schmancy restaurant. It was sort of our Valentine's Day, and was quite pleasant.
This week, Jenn is off from school and is visiting Nana and Grampa as I was on dorm-duty all weekend and am also on Mon and Weds and having geeky plans on Tues, so she'll be returning on Thurs. I missed having them home last night as I was in bed, one might think I would have slept better with no chance of waking up to a crying baby, but it was almost the opposite.
Snakester had a high fever last Thurs night and Friday, so I stayed home with him, and he slept most of the day. He never made much of a fuss, so it was an easy day, and he seems to be over it (i quickly spoke with Jenn yesterday).
More pointlessness:
YOUR PORN STAR NAME: (Name of first pet + Street you live on) -
Clarence Pomfret
YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (Name of your favourite snack food + Grandfather's first name)
Clark Funyon
YOUR FASHION DESIGNER NAME: (First word you see on your left + Favourite restaurant)
Bub Strong
EXOTIC FOREIGNER ALIAS: (Favorite Spice + Last Foreign Vacation Spot)
Cumin Bermuda
SOCIALITE ALIAS: (Silliest Childhood Nickname + Town Where You First Partied)
Bumpy Southold
"FLY dude" ALIAS (a la J. Lo): (First Initial + First Two or Three Letters of your Last Name)
(i'll cheat a little) B-Black
DETECTIVE ALIAS: (Favorite Baaaaaaby Animal + Where You Went to High School)
Kitten Southold
BARFLY ALIAS: (Last Snack Food You Ate + Your Favorite Alcoholic Drink)
Gummi Coke
SOAP OPERA ALIAS: (Middle Name + Street Where You First Lived)
S---qu--- Susquehanna
ROCK STAR ALIAS: (Favorite Candy + Last Name Of Favorite Musician)
Sour Ween
post by barak
at 10:00 AM EST
Tuesday, 8 February 2005
Walker, Texas Ranger
so, there we were... Snakester been on a yelling binge lately.
hasn't been sleeping through the night, last night was up from 1:45-2:45, mainly with the yelling and the screaming.
jenn is frazzled. i was making dinner and sitting down for a drink, when he did it.
he took a couple steps all on his own.
i was unable to document the moment on film, but i did manage to capture a picture what he looked like on this day:
i am bursting with pride, and the fact that i'll always remember this moment with him wearing no pants makes it even more special.
post by barak
at 5:29 PM EST
Monday, 7 February 2005
Apes!
What does the title have to do with anything?
If you don't know, there is no sense explaining it.
Since Jan. 8th I have worked every weekend.
Okay, that is not entirely true, I did not work the weeknd of Jan 15th, Jenn went to a baby shower while with GW while Obi and I puttered around Northampton with the snakester.
On the way home, I felt like garbage. I was very tired, and when I got home at 5:30, fed the little guy, he went to bed and so did I. Turns out I caught the stomach bug.
I relate this tale of woe, not to burden you with you my song of sickness, but to explain that although I did have that weekend off, it didn't really feel like it.
I am working next weekend and the weekend after also.
Why?
Jenn and I are going to see Duran Duran with friends down at Mohegan Sun in April, so I made some switches to my duties so we could go.
Snakester news:
He claps (especially when he is happy and knows it)
He waves
He makes noises (Ga, Ba, Ca)- we are thinking his first word might be Cat as he sure loves Fred and Wendy.
He pulls himself up to standing
This coming sunday, Jenn and I will be getting a babysitter for the first time and we'll go out to a movie and dinner at the Harvest.
Kind of Valentine's-ey.
Some Pics (and below is one of them Meme's, this one about my time in High School):
and onto the meme (note some questions ommitted, due to the family nature of this blog and my boring existence):
What year was it?
I graduated in 88.
Let us say 85-88.
What were your three favorite bands or musical artists?
Yes, Peter Gabriel, U2.
(although the albums I heard the most were Metallica: Master of Puppets and MegaDeath: Peace Sells)
What was your favorite outfit?
Ripped jeans, jean jacket, black overcoat, mismatched Converse all-stars.
What was up with your hair?
In a land of feathered hair, mine was spiked.
Who were your best friends?
Michelle, Brian, Frank.
Where did you work?
Southold Pools, cleaning swimming pools.
Did you take the bus?
No. Either A) Rode my moped, B) Rode my bike, C) Borrowed my Dad's truck, C) Walked.
Did you fight with your parents?
I was a teenager.
Looking back, and as a parent now (though not with a teenager... yet), I can see that they were very cool.
It wasn't so much arguing, as much as just being a rebellious, sometimes angry teen.
Did you smoke?
Yes.
What did you do after school?
See preceding question.
Interesting to note also was the fact that three friends and I played Mille Bourne almost every day and watched Highlander almost weekly.
Did you lug all of your books around in your backpack because you were too nervous to find your locker?
No.
Did you have a 'clique'?
There was essentially one clique where I went to school.
It was a small school, most folks were in it.
I was not.
I would have probably been associated more with the burnouts.
Did you have "The Max" like Zach, Kelly and Slater?
Ummm... I understand the Zach, Kelly and Slater reference, but have no clue what "The Max" is.
Admit it, were you popular?
No.
Who did you want to be just like?
I wanted to exude the rebel cool of John Bender
(but in my own way, it was my belief that to be rebel like the other rebels was not that rebellious);
perhaps best exemplified when I was caught on the roof of the school.
When asked why I was on the roof of the school:
"Because it was there."
"Well, what if Mt. Kiliminjaro was right outside this window, would you climb it?"
(leans forward, looks out window)"I don't know, I've never seen Mt. Kiliminjaro."
(true story)
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I didn't really want to be anything, I was kind of happy to see where I ended up.
Where did you think you'd be at the age you are now?
With bad hair.
post by barak
at 8:09 AM EST
Updated: Monday, 7 February 2005 8:13 AM EST
Thursday, 13 January 2005
blackburn LIVES!!!!
like some bad horror movie, we're back.
where have we been: i could say that during our winter vacation we partied so much our eyes started to bleed, but that would be a lie. snakester was home with us the whole time as Day Care was closed, and by the end of vacation he was getting cabin fever (missing his friends and all that). we did go down to Strong Island to see family, and although much fun was had, next year we may stay home for the actual holiday, that way we won't have to get a forwarding request into Santa. jenn and i missed our chance for a date, as the roads were bad with snow. no Life Aquatic. :(
so, you ask, why not a post after vacation, you lazy son of a gun?
snakester was sick his second day back, which meant i was home that day, and jenn the next. that first weekend i had dorm duty, so jenn was with him alone all weekend. well, not alone all weekend, she went over to the Walden's and caught a stomach bug (apparently Pomfret School had 50 kids out sick with it too). well, snakey caught the bug first, got better, then jenn was not fine, home from school on Tuesday, and yesterday snakester got bit again, and so was home from Day Care yesterday and today. he is napping now. so that is what has been going on with us.
whee!
pictures:
"seriously, i only have to wear this outfit once a year, right?"
"what is the big deal? socks."
sledding with GW in a sled from Nana and Grampa. there was a bitter wind, so see below for the excited face of a first time sledder:
Obi, Snakester and I will be hopefully doing some sledding this Saturday when mommy and Gramma Weezy are at a baby shower.
i cannot wait until i can share the joys of Dippity-Do with my son, it really is a right of passage.
a little blue monster is somebody's friend. at times we'll hear him awake in his crib, just jabbering on, and go in and he'll be chatting with Grover.
happy 2005 from all of us to all of you!
post by barak
at 10:48 AM EST
Updated: Thursday, 13 January 2005 10:52 AM EST
Thursday, 16 December 2004
Happy Holidays!
Inspired by friends who are far more honest and revealing and in the spirit of full-disclosure, I write this (after all, this is THE place to get all your blackburn News). I have always had trouble seeing others inspiring missives and not knowing to what degree I wanted to participate, knowing full well, my updates have been far too infrequent. It is one thing to post a list of books, knowing that in a day or two, I'll have news that is more interesting to those who are concerned with the true king of the house. I've withheld sharing my love of gaming, and participating in interesting memes (if you don't know, a meme is list or idea generated somewhere in the ether and shared and expanded on by others... that is my definition, and it is probably incorrect). So, what has been happening lately:
Snakester has decided he is done with nursing. Jenn is getting a bit emotional about it, of course the doctor says it happens, but it doesn't change the fact they no longer have that to share. At first we thought it was teething-related, but it seems to be legit.
On a Snakester-note, he just had his 9 month visit, and checked out okay across the board. He pulls himself up to standing, has eight teeth, loves crawling, makes "ga-ga" and "ba-ba" sounds (Gramma Weezy is convinced the "ga-ga" is for here, and if that is true, I'll take credit for "ba-ba," thinking that maybe he wants a more informal less-defined relationship and will call me by name as opposed to pops, dad, pappy, etc...). In addition, since before Thanksgiving, he just hadn't been sleeping well. The good dr. explained how to handle this, if he gets up and when he is held stops crying, he is doing it for attention. El Snake-o must have heard and knew the gig was up. He has essentially slept through the night since the visit to the dr., and once again does whatever his dr. tells him he should. We're waiting for when Dr. Cerrone asks him to do a little soft-shoe and scatting.
And onto my news: Sunday night, after several days of chest and other pains, I went to the Emergency Room. None of the pain was enough to even make me have to sit-down, but it was pain. I'd also been out-of-breath at times, and had been sweating off-and-on. Some background, I dread a visit to the Dr. for myself, as I am so concerned he'll tell me everything that is wrong with me, and it would just depress me. So, after 4 hours in the ER and a meeting with a very pleasant Dr, he explained the situation to me: based on an EKG and chest x-ray, he was 95% certain everything was okay, but wanted to admit me anyway, to take a stress test. It being a Sunday, there was a good chance I would have been admitted until at least Tuesday. I had work commitments and dreaded the idea of leaving Jenn alone with Baeden (because I worried that she'd be worrying, certainly not because she can't handle that little cowboy). The Dr. explained I could go home, and it all had to do with gambling style. The idea of being home was far less stressful for me. The hospital would call me for a stress test appointment, and that would be that for the time being. Every night as I lay awake, I worried about what life would be like for Jenn and Snakester w/o me (not in a selfish way, as I'm not that self-important). It made me incredibly distressed. Thursday was my appointment for my stress test, I still had occasional pains, now more burning that what they were before. Perhaps the arm pain was due to a poor night's sleep, perhaps the chest pain was reflux or something akin? I soldiered on. If I was still single, I would not have gone. As I was giving my son a bath on Sunday night, looking into his smiling face, I almost broke-down, thinking about not being around for him. I got him dressed for bed, asked Jenn if she could take him and went to the ER. I know I worried her, but I also wanted the two of them to be safe at home.
I took my stress test today, and although I was winded, passed. No heart problems detected. No need to be admitted to the hospital.
I share this with you, as it is news. But I'm not looking or asking for anything in return. We only let family knew this was happening, as I didn't want to worry anybody, and still do not.
Enjoy the holidays, enjoy time with your loved ones, and if you cannot be with them for whatever reason, try and find a way to share your love with someone else.
And finally, pictures:
the loves of my life.
with auntie grace at Thanksgiving.
snakester loves stripping down and "flying" to the bathroom for his evening bath.
dr. paul, shannon and ian came over for brunch on Sunday.
All my Love to Anyone reading this.
post by barak
at 12:17 PM EST
Updated: Thursday, 16 December 2004 6:01 PM EST
Thursday, 9 December 2004
more teeth
why can't 8 teeth be enough?
apparently when going through rough teething times, little people stop nursing. this is upsetting jenn, couple this with his recent inability to sleep well (last night was the worst: getting up screaming from 2-3:15, and even after he fell asleep, i lay there awake, anxious he would start up all over again) and we're a house of fun.
jenn did an awesome job decorating for the holidays, and has come to grips with our tree being in the stairwell, not inside where a little stander might pull it down.
we're hoping that all this sleep stuff resolves by x-mas vacation, as he slept horribly (worse than at home) when away and more of that while gone for 5 days would be very stressful.
his smiles and laughs make it all okay.
post by barak
at 9:50 AM EST
Updated: Thursday, 9 December 2004 9:51 AM EST
Thursday, 2 December 2004
The Holidays (Pt. 1)
Apparently, our favorite little snakester has decided he no longer likes sleeping away from home.
It might have more to do with his new ability to crawl and pull himself up to standing, which makes him mobile and that home is where the most mobility is.
But, ultimately, what it meant is that he didn't sleep much or well. Which means we didn't sleep much or well.
Food was good. Seeing family was good. Obi made us some radiator covers. Jenn saw the new Bridget Jones movie.
I saw the Pixies in concert on Tuesday.
Life rolls on.
We have our holiday cards done, we'll be sending those out soon. Check your mailboxes.
Snakester will be in DayCare this Saturday as they are holding a fund-raiser. We'll probably do some holiday shopping, decorating and all that fun. CANCELLED! We were the only ones to sign-up. We're still going to try and get stuff done, it will just require more coordination.
Over X-Mas break, we're still hoping to see Life Aquatic and maybe Obi and I will go see The Woodsman, The Flight of the Phoenix, or Ocean's 12. No James Bond this holiday.
Hope you are all well.
post by barak
at 11:29 AM EST
Updated: Friday, 3 December 2004 7:48 AM EST
Friday, 12 November 2004
Halloween Pic
Good Grief!
post by barak
at 11:49 AM EST
Updated: Friday, 12 November 2004 11:50 AM EST
Newer | Latest | Older
