Mostly stalling while Vimeo convert my stop motion project with the kids. I wanna put it on there so that they could watch it online tomorrow.
Anyhow, we decided to go to the playground earlier today and Zoe was just having a really tough time. At first there was a cute little girl named Emma, whom I suspect is an only child who thinks other children are somehow invincible or at least enjoyed being manhandled, was being a little pushy with Zoe. Zoe was polite, but then Emma at one point walked over with a handful of sand and placed it on Zoe's head. Then she threw some sand after the parents calmly told her it wasn't nice. So off she went. Zoe was pretty okay about the whole thing, which I was glad.
But then later, a nearby place just finished up a birthday party and gave the two kids balloons, which they were pretty happy about. But Zoe's flew away and boy, when that little girl walked toward me sobbing it broke my manly heart. I felt so bad for her that her brother and her had a strawberry creme Frappacino with chicken nuggets for dinner.
So yeah, I'm either the best or worst father in the world.
Anyway, video's done. Here you go.
Sunday Stop Motion Project. from diegomcnamara on Vimeo.
Showing posts with label zoe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zoe. Show all posts
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Happy 4th Birthday, Zoe!
I had wanted to blog about things before Zoe's birthday, but I'll just mash it all together and make a super post. Anyway, today was a day of purples, pinks, and princesses when Zoe's presents and cakes just overtook everything in the house. Abby Cadabby, who was previously unknown in this household, became a minor theme, along with Disney princesses, Barbie, and a whole lot of artsy tools. We had a family type gathering, with my brother and his family and my mother in law here to wish the Z a Happy Birthday. Zoe was pretty happy, seeing all these toys but the excitement value was carried mostly by Alex, who seemed more happy about the presents than Zoe did. Nonetheless, I think she had a ball. Now we just gotta figure out where to put all the new toys.
It's a little odd to think that it's been four years since Zoe was born. For some reason Alex always seems like he should be younger and Zoe should be older. Somewhere between their births they must've been some type of time distortion rip of some sort. The little girl sure does have some sass on her, she's always telling her brother what and what not to do, but she's also got some heart on her as well. Last night after I tucked her in, she told me she "was going to give me something special" and it was a hug and kiss. Somehow presenting that in that package made it something more than ordinary.
Zoe is something special for me, as well as my family. It's odd, since my mom's never had daughters, and my brother's never had a sister, so nobody knows how to shop for a girl. Luckily, though we were heavy on the artsy gifts and some princess stuff, there wasn't really anything to steer her into gender specific crap. Girls toys can be so oppressive sometimes, forcing little girls to concentrate on nothing but improving their looks and vanity-related tomfoolery. While boys are busy making war, girls are busy doing make up.
I'll get some photos up soon. Man, feel like this weekend I've done nothing much, and I think after this weekend I'll be okay to do some OT again. We've done a bit of overspending and I need to make up for it bad.
I lured yet another person into Rock Band, although I was expecting my brother to be into the drumming portion of the game. My sister in law ended up really digging the game, starting with the drums and then really digging the guitar. My brother tried it but didn't get much out of it. That, including Jay who was inquiring about purchasing a PS3 after I got him hooked on the drums, and my wife and it looks like we might have a band. Now I just have to figure out how to make Harmonix pay me for my efforts.
Watched "Hot Fuzz" yesterday and it was hilarious. I can see how it might've flown over the American audience, especially if they didn't quite gather that it was a dry spoof of sorts. It was a homage of buddy movies, and it was just a lot of fun to watch.
In other news, I did get my glasses fixed after a rather uninteresting snap early morning while I was cleaning my glasses. At first I thought my lens had just popped out, but then the sickening discovery that the frame had actually snapped. Lousy monkeys. Thankfully, the stupid Lenscrafters guy was too dismissive to sell my wife a replacement duplicate frame, and instead gave her a card for eyeglass repair shop in Bellevue. So instead of spending a couple C's on new frames, I got a weld job for about 50 bucks. However, due to some sketchy park job in some sketchy lot, they issued me a 25 dollar parking ticket which I intend to shove it up their lot. Those tossers issuing tickets to an empty lot. That's just annoying. Spoilt my day a little.
Well, that's about all that's about the Diego. I think Zoe's Princess Stories are about to end soon. Then I gotta get my hair cut and maybe a costume change, since I saw the worst photo ever taken of me by my wife. The WORST.
What the hell is wrong with my body? I had the budding chest of a 13 year old girl, the heightened gut of a fat guy falling from space, and it looks like the features of my face are trying to centralize themselves where my nose is. Damnit.
But here's prove that I'm not that hideous all the time. Different photo, same day.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
In Space
I was putting my shoes on to go to the car to check for something and the kids asked where I was going. My wife said, "Daddy's going to space."
"Space?"
"Yes, I'm going to space where there's a vacuum and sound doesn't travel at all so that I can't hear any bickering or fighting. The absence of sound."
"Oh," said the boy. "Watch this!" he said when he tossed the book in the air. Obviously my space venture was of no interest to him.
Right now I'm wishing I was in orbit somewhere. The kids had somehow switched roles and Zoe is now the whiny, temper tantrum that Alex had been all this time. She's crying up buckets when she doesn't get her way and pouting up a hangdog expression to get my attention - which unfortunately leans on the negartive tone.
Anyway, seems like its a little calmer for now. Hopefully it'll just be that the rest of the night.
"Space?"
"Yes, I'm going to space where there's a vacuum and sound doesn't travel at all so that I can't hear any bickering or fighting. The absence of sound."
"Oh," said the boy. "Watch this!" he said when he tossed the book in the air. Obviously my space venture was of no interest to him.
Right now I'm wishing I was in orbit somewhere. The kids had somehow switched roles and Zoe is now the whiny, temper tantrum that Alex had been all this time. She's crying up buckets when she doesn't get her way and pouting up a hangdog expression to get my attention - which unfortunately leans on the negartive tone.
Anyway, seems like its a little calmer for now. Hopefully it'll just be that the rest of the night.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Here, Let me brew you a cup of Self-Loathing.
Alright, I shouldn't be such a pain in the ass about the moaning and bitching. It probably isn't really that bad at all, but man, there are times when it just feels that way. Anyhow, today just happened to be one the them days. But first...
---
So Zoe turned 3 on Friday, so we decided to do something interesting instead of just sitting around watching the kids play with the presents. Well, there was that, but we also went to the Seattle Aquarium to look at some fish, and also the Seattle Library as well. The Library was actually less interesting this time around, and even if it was the coolest thing in the world, I brought the wrong lens anyway, so I didn't get a lot of great shots. Just a couple here and there.
The kids did have a rather fun day, although there was a lot of walking, and Zoe got into a bunch of time-outs because her ears were something not processing basic instructions. Seems like they're both three now, so they're both equally crazy, inattentive to our demands, and stubborn. But we still had a pretty good day. We took the bus downtown and the trip down was terrible for me due to my spectacular feat of motion sickness, but the way back was better. Alex fell asleep on the bus so I carried him all the way home pretty much, about 4 blocks or something. That boy is heavy.
One of the highlights was that Zoe got a princess cake, as is shown in some of the earlier photos. Now that cake is fancy looking at all, but it is 45 bucks and it tasted a little like they used sugary Crisco for the frosting. The cake itself was pretty normal, but the frosting was just murder. I did the dishes and I couldn't get the stuff off my hands.
So yeah, she turned three, and we didn't do anything big, but just right for us.
---
I was originally going to do a video post, and toyed with the idea so much that I did a test on podcastpeople.com which sucked, since their bandwidth had limitations. Then I did one on Twango which also sucked, since they were doing something odd with their video and it didn't stream. Finally, I tried Youtube which worked okay, except tonight the servers were busy or something so I couldn't even get in to start on my video. Finally, I thought I might do it old school, but after a short blurb, I decided I didn't really like the way I looked.
Which brings us to today. Wasn't the greatest dad today, just tired, snapping at the kids, and being impatient with them. Didn't feel like spending any real time with them today, and really just wanted them to be quiet little mice who were out of my way. I know, it's tremendously selfish and terrible, and I'm not proud of it. I've just been feeling overwhelmed by them recently, because they've turned into toddlers with attitudes. I had no idea toddlers fought with each other or me that much, but I believe this is probably common of siblings who are about the same age. They just get into it so often that I get tired of all the bickering.
But so not only did I not do the video podcast, the self-loathing even manifested into dismemberment of my facial follicles. I don't know, maybe it's been bugging me a while, or maybe I just got a tad self-destructive, or maybe I just didn't want to look like my co-workers at work, but I shaved my mustache. I was going to sleep on it, but after thinking about my last time at work, I just chose to disassociate my looks with them.
See, I thought that a lot of Asians didn't have facial hair, so I was kinda wearing it like it was something unique. Well, the two co-workers have facial hair as well, so I didn't stand out within them, forming a kind of stupid 'tache club. Furthermore, Friday one of the guys was just so damn lazy, and also I noticed the other new guy in shipping was starting to grow his out, so I just thought that it wasn't unique anymore. It became almost odd to have one along with the other guys. I don't know, it's not like I want to look special or anything, but I really don't want to blend in with those bums. The guy on Friday seriously pissed me off. His work ethic was something I thought only existed in theory. Self-imposed breaks, bathroom breaks, and he mentioned that I was working too hard. And I said to him, "I'm just working."
My face looks weird. I feel pale, and slightly naked, but I'll get over it. Somehow maybe after shaving it'll seem like I've changed somehow, and I can be a better dad tomorrow. I just wish that sometimes the kids could see how much they're frustrating me, and how much easier it could be if they just observed a few rules.
---
I experimented with some beer this weekend, trying Boddingtons Ale after seeing it on Diggnation's podcast. I'm not a drinker, but this beer is tolerable, even slightly enjoyable for it. Though I'm not sure if it's due to the taste, or rather the gimmick - or should I say, widget, that is part of the beer.
Droughtflow it's called, and it's a little plastic capsule that stores nitrogen in the can. When the can is cracked, the nitrogen rushes out the hole and reacts with the CO2 that's in the beer, and it bubbles to form a creamy head similar to what I guess is Ale from the tap at the Pub. I have no basis for comparison, so I'll just have to take it for what it is. But on the technical aspect of it, it's pretty cool. It's a British Ale, and it's only a buck and some change, so it's worth a try. If not just for the widget.
---
So Zoe turned 3 on Friday, so we decided to do something interesting instead of just sitting around watching the kids play with the presents. Well, there was that, but we also went to the Seattle Aquarium to look at some fish, and also the Seattle Library as well. The Library was actually less interesting this time around, and even if it was the coolest thing in the world, I brought the wrong lens anyway, so I didn't get a lot of great shots. Just a couple here and there.
The kids did have a rather fun day, although there was a lot of walking, and Zoe got into a bunch of time-outs because her ears were something not processing basic instructions. Seems like they're both three now, so they're both equally crazy, inattentive to our demands, and stubborn. But we still had a pretty good day. We took the bus downtown and the trip down was terrible for me due to my spectacular feat of motion sickness, but the way back was better. Alex fell asleep on the bus so I carried him all the way home pretty much, about 4 blocks or something. That boy is heavy.
One of the highlights was that Zoe got a princess cake, as is shown in some of the earlier photos. Now that cake is fancy looking at all, but it is 45 bucks and it tasted a little like they used sugary Crisco for the frosting. The cake itself was pretty normal, but the frosting was just murder. I did the dishes and I couldn't get the stuff off my hands.
So yeah, she turned three, and we didn't do anything big, but just right for us.
---
I was originally going to do a video post, and toyed with the idea so much that I did a test on podcastpeople.com which sucked, since their bandwidth had limitations. Then I did one on Twango which also sucked, since they were doing something odd with their video and it didn't stream. Finally, I tried Youtube which worked okay, except tonight the servers were busy or something so I couldn't even get in to start on my video. Finally, I thought I might do it old school, but after a short blurb, I decided I didn't really like the way I looked.
Which brings us to today. Wasn't the greatest dad today, just tired, snapping at the kids, and being impatient with them. Didn't feel like spending any real time with them today, and really just wanted them to be quiet little mice who were out of my way. I know, it's tremendously selfish and terrible, and I'm not proud of it. I've just been feeling overwhelmed by them recently, because they've turned into toddlers with attitudes. I had no idea toddlers fought with each other or me that much, but I believe this is probably common of siblings who are about the same age. They just get into it so often that I get tired of all the bickering.
But so not only did I not do the video podcast, the self-loathing even manifested into dismemberment of my facial follicles. I don't know, maybe it's been bugging me a while, or maybe I just got a tad self-destructive, or maybe I just didn't want to look like my co-workers at work, but I shaved my mustache. I was going to sleep on it, but after thinking about my last time at work, I just chose to disassociate my looks with them.
See, I thought that a lot of Asians didn't have facial hair, so I was kinda wearing it like it was something unique. Well, the two co-workers have facial hair as well, so I didn't stand out within them, forming a kind of stupid 'tache club. Furthermore, Friday one of the guys was just so damn lazy, and also I noticed the other new guy in shipping was starting to grow his out, so I just thought that it wasn't unique anymore. It became almost odd to have one along with the other guys. I don't know, it's not like I want to look special or anything, but I really don't want to blend in with those bums. The guy on Friday seriously pissed me off. His work ethic was something I thought only existed in theory. Self-imposed breaks, bathroom breaks, and he mentioned that I was working too hard. And I said to him, "I'm just working."
My face looks weird. I feel pale, and slightly naked, but I'll get over it. Somehow maybe after shaving it'll seem like I've changed somehow, and I can be a better dad tomorrow. I just wish that sometimes the kids could see how much they're frustrating me, and how much easier it could be if they just observed a few rules.
---
I experimented with some beer this weekend, trying Boddingtons Ale after seeing it on Diggnation's podcast. I'm not a drinker, but this beer is tolerable, even slightly enjoyable for it. Though I'm not sure if it's due to the taste, or rather the gimmick - or should I say, widget, that is part of the beer.
Droughtflow it's called, and it's a little plastic capsule that stores nitrogen in the can. When the can is cracked, the nitrogen rushes out the hole and reacts with the CO2 that's in the beer, and it bubbles to form a creamy head similar to what I guess is Ale from the tap at the Pub. I have no basis for comparison, so I'll just have to take it for what it is. But on the technical aspect of it, it's pretty cool. It's a British Ale, and it's only a buck and some change, so it's worth a try. If not just for the widget.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
One for the Kids
Ever since I abandoned the baby-centric confines of American Babies, I've been posting more frequently because I can get back to bitching irreponsibly about everything without seeming like I'm stealing thunder from the kids. However, it's been a while since I've talked about the kids directly, and not in a pedestrian sort of way. So here it is. To prove that they're still around.
It's hard to talk about Alex first without talking about his face. He looks like he's been in a couple of barfights that he's won, judging from the smile that always finds it place on his face. He's got scratches and scabs from his own doing, and he always looks a bit blotchy. Yesterday we went to the playground and it wasn't exactly summer weather. Lingering around 40s or so, and he had just a long sleeve shirt and a jacket on. After a few minutes, I looked at him, looked at the other kids in the playground, and my boy is the only tyke that's drenched in sweat. You could tell from the way his hair's all matted down. I don't suppose Hawaii would be a good idea for this internal combustable boy.
Communicating with Alex is still a bit of a challenge. Even though he does know a lot of words and is observant, he is either slurring his words or mispronouncing them so he's only understandable half the time, or he's just too distract and crazy to express himself. I get a little frustrated at that sometimes, because the only way to actively get his attention is to play with him. I guess that's normal for most boys his age, but it would be nice to be able to talk a little bit. When he talks though, he does have a bit of humor behind it. Most of the times it's unintentional. The other night when my wife called, he ended the call by saying, "Dokie Dokie, Bye Bye, Mommy."
He's got the big brother thing streak in him, a trait that causes him to pick on his little sister frequently, but he occasionally throws her off by being a really nice big brother as well, sharing with her and giving her what she wants, regardless of whether she deserved it in the first place. He still turns a deaf ear to authority from time to time, toeing that line between what he can get away with. I know it's normal, though it does drive me up the wall when he's cheerful about his defiance.
Like me, he's got a healthy dose of anal retentiveness, and he'd always want something verified or done if he's got his mind set on it. The big thing now is that he wants his hug and kiss before bed. No more than once, but definitely a hug and kiss is required. Then, oddly, he'll say, "We hug and kiss already huh, Daddy?" And you'll have to say, "Yeah, we hug and kiss already." If you don't, he'll just repeat it over and over again, with increased anxiety and volume, until you acknowledge it by repetition. I haven't found out exactly what happens if you never reply, but then again, nuclear fallout, controlled or not, is illegal in this neighborhood.
He's really looking forward to the notion of school, I think he likes to socialize, play with video games, guns, and other boys. I'm sure there's nothing he'd love more than to go crazy with other boys.
---
Zoe surprises me sometimes, she's picked up this huge pool of vocabulary and there's nothing she loves more than to talk. Talk. Talk. Sometimes it's fun to talk to her, but sometimes it feels a bit like a strange run-in with an old high school classmate, the real chatty one, and you can wait for her to find someone else to talk to. But all in all, she does pick up a lot of things from us and from the TV.
Lately she's picked up a fear of bugs, whereby she'll run and start bawling like a Muppet. She didn't used to be this way, maybe she just realized that she ain't so big after all. She still likes to be known as a Ballerina, and it sorta bothers me that we can't afford classes for her.
Her dramatic flair did peak for a little while - a bump from her brother or a tumble will send her into a open-jawed wail - of course, if you witnessed the incident or know how quickly she snaps out of it if the right stimulus came along, you'd know that she's just testing how much drama she's allowed to dish out without being called on it. That little girl's learning emotion manipulation already. She serves ham daily and mugs for the camera.
---
It's weird to have them both this close and to see them develop into their own personalities. Both Alex and Zoe have somehow picked up things that neither my wife and I do very much, that aggressive boyness that Alex has and the girliness that Zoe has. But it's nice in its own way to see them find their voices and beliefs, yet frightening to know that it's way beyond our control.
It's hard to talk about Alex first without talking about his face. He looks like he's been in a couple of barfights that he's won, judging from the smile that always finds it place on his face. He's got scratches and scabs from his own doing, and he always looks a bit blotchy. Yesterday we went to the playground and it wasn't exactly summer weather. Lingering around 40s or so, and he had just a long sleeve shirt and a jacket on. After a few minutes, I looked at him, looked at the other kids in the playground, and my boy is the only tyke that's drenched in sweat. You could tell from the way his hair's all matted down. I don't suppose Hawaii would be a good idea for this internal combustable boy.
Communicating with Alex is still a bit of a challenge. Even though he does know a lot of words and is observant, he is either slurring his words or mispronouncing them so he's only understandable half the time, or he's just too distract and crazy to express himself. I get a little frustrated at that sometimes, because the only way to actively get his attention is to play with him. I guess that's normal for most boys his age, but it would be nice to be able to talk a little bit. When he talks though, he does have a bit of humor behind it. Most of the times it's unintentional. The other night when my wife called, he ended the call by saying, "Dokie Dokie, Bye Bye, Mommy."
He's got the big brother thing streak in him, a trait that causes him to pick on his little sister frequently, but he occasionally throws her off by being a really nice big brother as well, sharing with her and giving her what she wants, regardless of whether she deserved it in the first place. He still turns a deaf ear to authority from time to time, toeing that line between what he can get away with. I know it's normal, though it does drive me up the wall when he's cheerful about his defiance.
Like me, he's got a healthy dose of anal retentiveness, and he'd always want something verified or done if he's got his mind set on it. The big thing now is that he wants his hug and kiss before bed. No more than once, but definitely a hug and kiss is required. Then, oddly, he'll say, "We hug and kiss already huh, Daddy?" And you'll have to say, "Yeah, we hug and kiss already." If you don't, he'll just repeat it over and over again, with increased anxiety and volume, until you acknowledge it by repetition. I haven't found out exactly what happens if you never reply, but then again, nuclear fallout, controlled or not, is illegal in this neighborhood.
He's really looking forward to the notion of school, I think he likes to socialize, play with video games, guns, and other boys. I'm sure there's nothing he'd love more than to go crazy with other boys.
---
Zoe surprises me sometimes, she's picked up this huge pool of vocabulary and there's nothing she loves more than to talk. Talk. Talk. Sometimes it's fun to talk to her, but sometimes it feels a bit like a strange run-in with an old high school classmate, the real chatty one, and you can wait for her to find someone else to talk to. But all in all, she does pick up a lot of things from us and from the TV.
Lately she's picked up a fear of bugs, whereby she'll run and start bawling like a Muppet. She didn't used to be this way, maybe she just realized that she ain't so big after all. She still likes to be known as a Ballerina, and it sorta bothers me that we can't afford classes for her.
Her dramatic flair did peak for a little while - a bump from her brother or a tumble will send her into a open-jawed wail - of course, if you witnessed the incident or know how quickly she snaps out of it if the right stimulus came along, you'd know that she's just testing how much drama she's allowed to dish out without being called on it. That little girl's learning emotion manipulation already. She serves ham daily and mugs for the camera.
---
It's weird to have them both this close and to see them develop into their own personalities. Both Alex and Zoe have somehow picked up things that neither my wife and I do very much, that aggressive boyness that Alex has and the girliness that Zoe has. But it's nice in its own way to see them find their voices and beliefs, yet frightening to know that it's way beyond our control.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Ouch.
I should be in bed now, but since my teeth has decided to act up again, I'm just staying up, waiting for the Tylenol to kick it. I wouldn't be able to fall asleep anyway, with the pain. Yes, this pain was as bad as the pain that brought me into the dentist's office in the first place, before all that wisdom teeth got yanked.
Incidentally, I got an explanation of the benefits from that procedure today, and somehow when they said 90 percent coverage, in layman math, it's more like 50 percent. Which means I might have a thousand plus balance I have to pay. I'll be talking to them soon.
----
We've been watching "The Riches" on FX, and it's different. The main reason why I'm watching it is because of Eddie Izzard, whom I think is one of the best comedians out there because his comedy is not the usual stereotype baiting crap that floats around. He doesn't have to necessarily demean the other sex or another race to get a cheap laugh. He has an absurdist type of humor, which I think is something I enjoy, being a Stephen Chow fan on top of that. Anyway, I can't help but watch the show and think, hee hee, that's Izzard trying to be American. From Louisiana. Minnie Driver's pretty good, other than the fact that she's always looked a bit... acute to me. I dunno, her face is both very obtuse and acute, like a contradictary face that's easy and hard to look at.
Yeah.
So, Eddie himself has commented in his standup that he does two accents - James Mason and Sean Connery. In this he's doing Eddie with the British toned down. It's not here or there, but he's still fun to look at. And why the other "travellers" in camp look more like cast members of "My Name is Earl" and why Eddie Izzard looks like a real estate agent is beyond me. But the series itself is interesting, the concept is interesting, and I'm watching it because it's Eddie.
----
Zoe has a flair for threatrics, something that was recessive in our genes that somehow surfaced despite a lack of influence from her mother, her older sisters, or any TV show we watch. Admittedly, a lot of shows we watch are either catered more to boys or the asexual persuasion, but Zoe's just got that Princess breed in her.
Tonight at dinner, my wife was talking to me, and Zoe tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned to look at Zoe, Zoe had this flirty little smirk on her face, and she did this dainty little wave with her fingers, shrugged her shoulders and crinkled her nose. If she wasn't my child, I'd swear she was some showbiz acting kid trying to get a spot of Barney. Them showkids on Barney make me physically angry. I actually don't mind Barney, but man, those kids with their over acting...
But she did that and I just burst into laughter. It was cute, but I think I laughed because it was so brilliantly cheesy and innocent at the same time.
----
We're trying to figure out Alex today. He's been not listening, acting a little too independent, and perhaps a little sensitive as well. He can be defiant when we ask him something, but once we raise our voice, sometimes he just falls apart, even if we're not really that angry, but just want to be heard. He plays beyond acceptable boundaries sometimes, being a little rough with us or Zoe, or just play fighting with us and shoving things at our faces - it's all normal boy behavior, I suppose, but it's a little aggressive even for me. I really want to instill some compassion into him and get him to control the aggression a little...
And just trying to give him due attention because he is really a sweet boy. I actually like it during bedtime because he's really cuddly then. He'll demand a hug, a kiss, and he'll say, "Goodnight, Daddy."
We were watching a video of him tonight from two years ago, and you could pluck the sighs out of the air. They sure do grow fast.
Incidentally, I got an explanation of the benefits from that procedure today, and somehow when they said 90 percent coverage, in layman math, it's more like 50 percent. Which means I might have a thousand plus balance I have to pay. I'll be talking to them soon.
----
We've been watching "The Riches" on FX, and it's different. The main reason why I'm watching it is because of Eddie Izzard, whom I think is one of the best comedians out there because his comedy is not the usual stereotype baiting crap that floats around. He doesn't have to necessarily demean the other sex or another race to get a cheap laugh. He has an absurdist type of humor, which I think is something I enjoy, being a Stephen Chow fan on top of that. Anyway, I can't help but watch the show and think, hee hee, that's Izzard trying to be American. From Louisiana. Minnie Driver's pretty good, other than the fact that she's always looked a bit... acute to me. I dunno, her face is both very obtuse and acute, like a contradictary face that's easy and hard to look at.
Yeah.
So, Eddie himself has commented in his standup that he does two accents - James Mason and Sean Connery. In this he's doing Eddie with the British toned down. It's not here or there, but he's still fun to look at. And why the other "travellers" in camp look more like cast members of "My Name is Earl" and why Eddie Izzard looks like a real estate agent is beyond me. But the series itself is interesting, the concept is interesting, and I'm watching it because it's Eddie.
----
Zoe has a flair for threatrics, something that was recessive in our genes that somehow surfaced despite a lack of influence from her mother, her older sisters, or any TV show we watch. Admittedly, a lot of shows we watch are either catered more to boys or the asexual persuasion, but Zoe's just got that Princess breed in her.
Tonight at dinner, my wife was talking to me, and Zoe tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned to look at Zoe, Zoe had this flirty little smirk on her face, and she did this dainty little wave with her fingers, shrugged her shoulders and crinkled her nose. If she wasn't my child, I'd swear she was some showbiz acting kid trying to get a spot of Barney. Them showkids on Barney make me physically angry. I actually don't mind Barney, but man, those kids with their over acting...
But she did that and I just burst into laughter. It was cute, but I think I laughed because it was so brilliantly cheesy and innocent at the same time.
----
We're trying to figure out Alex today. He's been not listening, acting a little too independent, and perhaps a little sensitive as well. He can be defiant when we ask him something, but once we raise our voice, sometimes he just falls apart, even if we're not really that angry, but just want to be heard. He plays beyond acceptable boundaries sometimes, being a little rough with us or Zoe, or just play fighting with us and shoving things at our faces - it's all normal boy behavior, I suppose, but it's a little aggressive even for me. I really want to instill some compassion into him and get him to control the aggression a little...
And just trying to give him due attention because he is really a sweet boy. I actually like it during bedtime because he's really cuddly then. He'll demand a hug, a kiss, and he'll say, "Goodnight, Daddy."
We were watching a video of him tonight from two years ago, and you could pluck the sighs out of the air. They sure do grow fast.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Babel, Wake Up Call Part 2.
So I was writing about how Zoe woke me up, and I thought it was the sweetest thing in the world...
Well, last night after having this dream whereby all my teeth were loose and barely hanging on, I woke up to intense pain and realized that my gums were really hurting up a storm. So I took some Tylenol and went back to bed. At around ten, Zoe came up and climbed up onto the bed next to me, and starting jumping around. I was awake, but just really out of it. Then I heard her open the Nintendo DS, turn on Sudoku (my wife plays it. It confuses me too much.) and frantically tapping the screen as if she was trying to bring it to life. When I turned to tell her to be more gentle, she sneezed on my face, showering me with her love.
Ah, to be a Dad.
----
I spent most of today just hanging out with the fam, going to Walmart and Ranch 99, which is an Asian supermarket that's close to Kent. During the trip, I was telling my wife about my former employer and her current one, who had in the past really come out against Walmart's unfair treatment of its employees, trying to take away their medical, forcing them to work without overtime pay, and so forth. Well, our Union is now fighting with the company because the company is trying to do just that. Take away premium pay for holidays and graveyard shifts, chip away a bunch of other benefits that they've been critical of Walmart doing. In the end, it's always the employee that loses.
----
Yesterday, feeling a disconnection between myself and Alex, I spent a few hours just having some father son time with him. We hit the Sweet Factory and he got to have 2 gummi boneheads (skulls, but my kids call them boneheads.), a gummi snake, and gummi fish. We went to Borders and looked at a book about bugs, a pop-up monster book, and then we went to a strip club for his first lapdance. Well, no, but I was trying awful hard to connect with the boy.
My penny analysis was that because I am an introverted individual as he is, we don't usually reach out to communicate with each other. Zoe reaches out to me and I respond, but Alex keeps to himself a lot of times, and when he does reach out, it comes out as playing or physical activity, which I don't do as much as I should. I love my boy, and I really like to talk to him, but he's not quite as vocal as I'd like him to be. He does a lot of yapping and smiling, which is sweet, but sometimes I do wish he'd just say something to me instead of yelping for attention. My wife actually feels the same about Zoe, a sense of disconnect. So, it's going to be something that we'll try to do more often, to pair up and spend more time with the children we don't usually pair up with.
----
Okay, so we finally watched Babel tonight, and man - the tone of it, the storytelling - if I could even induce half of the tone of Babel into my script, I'd be elated. It has the same kind of structure, the span is a little more restricted, but more or less the same non-linear/everything is connected sort of way.
At the end I took a stab at the ending, which remains vague and has incited a lot speculation about what it was about. If you have seen the movie and would like to read about my take on it, click here.
I thought it was wonderfully written, and just great acting all around. After seeing this and United 93, and my bias toward the Departed, I wished the race would've turned out differently.
----
Been thinking about making a photobook from Lulu.com. They have pretty good prices, but I can't seem to think of a theme for the photobook. I'm leaning toward, "Things that make me smile."
And then try not to overpower it with photos of the kids.
Well, last night after having this dream whereby all my teeth were loose and barely hanging on, I woke up to intense pain and realized that my gums were really hurting up a storm. So I took some Tylenol and went back to bed. At around ten, Zoe came up and climbed up onto the bed next to me, and starting jumping around. I was awake, but just really out of it. Then I heard her open the Nintendo DS, turn on Sudoku (my wife plays it. It confuses me too much.) and frantically tapping the screen as if she was trying to bring it to life. When I turned to tell her to be more gentle, she sneezed on my face, showering me with her love.
Ah, to be a Dad.
----
I spent most of today just hanging out with the fam, going to Walmart and Ranch 99, which is an Asian supermarket that's close to Kent. During the trip, I was telling my wife about my former employer and her current one, who had in the past really come out against Walmart's unfair treatment of its employees, trying to take away their medical, forcing them to work without overtime pay, and so forth. Well, our Union is now fighting with the company because the company is trying to do just that. Take away premium pay for holidays and graveyard shifts, chip away a bunch of other benefits that they've been critical of Walmart doing. In the end, it's always the employee that loses.
----
Yesterday, feeling a disconnection between myself and Alex, I spent a few hours just having some father son time with him. We hit the Sweet Factory and he got to have 2 gummi boneheads (skulls, but my kids call them boneheads.), a gummi snake, and gummi fish. We went to Borders and looked at a book about bugs, a pop-up monster book, and then we went to a strip club for his first lapdance. Well, no, but I was trying awful hard to connect with the boy.
My penny analysis was that because I am an introverted individual as he is, we don't usually reach out to communicate with each other. Zoe reaches out to me and I respond, but Alex keeps to himself a lot of times, and when he does reach out, it comes out as playing or physical activity, which I don't do as much as I should. I love my boy, and I really like to talk to him, but he's not quite as vocal as I'd like him to be. He does a lot of yapping and smiling, which is sweet, but sometimes I do wish he'd just say something to me instead of yelping for attention. My wife actually feels the same about Zoe, a sense of disconnect. So, it's going to be something that we'll try to do more often, to pair up and spend more time with the children we don't usually pair up with.
----
Okay, so we finally watched Babel tonight, and man - the tone of it, the storytelling - if I could even induce half of the tone of Babel into my script, I'd be elated. It has the same kind of structure, the span is a little more restricted, but more or less the same non-linear/everything is connected sort of way.
At the end I took a stab at the ending, which remains vague and has incited a lot speculation about what it was about. If you have seen the movie and would like to read about my take on it, click here.
I thought it was wonderfully written, and just great acting all around. After seeing this and United 93, and my bias toward the Departed, I wished the race would've turned out differently.
----
Been thinking about making a photobook from Lulu.com. They have pretty good prices, but I can't seem to think of a theme for the photobook. I'm leaning toward, "Things that make me smile."
And then try not to overpower it with photos of the kids.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
St. Patrick's Day
Actually, the post has nothing to do with St. Patrick's Day, which is today. I just can't think of a title.
----
So as Dansen noted in the comments, yeah, I've decided to close up shop for weddings because I've no good on the business end of it. Even though the weddings are getting easier and my system of editing has become very streamlined for me to edit through and still be great to watch, I think I'm ready to do the normal clock-in, clock-out deal and leave my work where it has to be. At work. I'm tired of always feeling like I'm behind, and guilty when I'm working that I'm not spending time for myself, vice versa. The money wasn't really doing it either, since upgrading and so forth is going to outweigh the money I keep. Oh well. I really like going to weddings too, but I always get a little nervous myself because I'm always panicking that I'm going to miss something important.
But my thought is to return to some crummy unappreciated job, but at least when I clock out and go home, I can either focus on my artistic junk or spend time with the family, guilt-free.
----
Watched "Fast Food Nation" yesterday, and boy, it might be a while before I return to McDonalds. I think it's interesting that a lot of us like to be blissfully unaware of where the hell the food comes from. We don't really want to know because we like our lifestyles to continue the way they are. Luckily for me, I never really order the burgers from McDonald's, mostly the nuggets which are "mechanically separated chicken meat held together by phosphate salts," according to Wikipedia. I suppose there's worse things I could be eating.
----
Yesterday morning, Zoe was sent up to my room to wake me up, and I was actually already awake, but slightly zoned out, laying in bed. She came in the room, lifted up the blanket, and tickled my foot for a second. Then she climbed onto the bed and looked at me, and whispered, "Daddy. Daddy. Wake up." She then scurried out of the room again, but when I stretched, she came in and said hi. Then we chatted for a while, about the animals and vegetables on my pillowcase (don't ask.) and she was looking at my eyes while I was admiring hers, "You got scary eyes, daddy." and she pointed at my nose and said I had a "big pei kol" and she had a "little pei kol". She shared my blanket and we both laid there, just talking about the monkeys on her shirt, the letters on my sweatshirt, and I thought to myself: This is a pretty great way to wake up.
----
So as Dansen noted in the comments, yeah, I've decided to close up shop for weddings because I've no good on the business end of it. Even though the weddings are getting easier and my system of editing has become very streamlined for me to edit through and still be great to watch, I think I'm ready to do the normal clock-in, clock-out deal and leave my work where it has to be. At work. I'm tired of always feeling like I'm behind, and guilty when I'm working that I'm not spending time for myself, vice versa. The money wasn't really doing it either, since upgrading and so forth is going to outweigh the money I keep. Oh well. I really like going to weddings too, but I always get a little nervous myself because I'm always panicking that I'm going to miss something important.
But my thought is to return to some crummy unappreciated job, but at least when I clock out and go home, I can either focus on my artistic junk or spend time with the family, guilt-free.
----
Watched "Fast Food Nation" yesterday, and boy, it might be a while before I return to McDonalds. I think it's interesting that a lot of us like to be blissfully unaware of where the hell the food comes from. We don't really want to know because we like our lifestyles to continue the way they are. Luckily for me, I never really order the burgers from McDonald's, mostly the nuggets which are "mechanically separated chicken meat held together by phosphate salts," according to Wikipedia. I suppose there's worse things I could be eating.
----
Yesterday morning, Zoe was sent up to my room to wake me up, and I was actually already awake, but slightly zoned out, laying in bed. She came in the room, lifted up the blanket, and tickled my foot for a second. Then she climbed onto the bed and looked at me, and whispered, "Daddy. Daddy. Wake up." She then scurried out of the room again, but when I stretched, she came in and said hi. Then we chatted for a while, about the animals and vegetables on my pillowcase (don't ask.) and she was looking at my eyes while I was admiring hers, "You got scary eyes, daddy." and she pointed at my nose and said I had a "big pei kol" and she had a "little pei kol". She shared my blanket and we both laid there, just talking about the monkeys on her shirt, the letters on my sweatshirt, and I thought to myself: This is a pretty great way to wake up.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Eve of Oral Destruction, Sunshine
Yeah, I probably procrastinated a little more than I should have tonight. I could've had the videos out by tomorrow, but I chose instead to watch an inane amount of entertainment tonight, starting with Hello Kitty for the kids and then Little Miss Sunshine. I thought I'd try Hello Kitty since we did catch a couple clips on youtube and Zoe seems to really like it. And she did for the most part, until Kerropi's segments came about - then she was bored. Little Miss Sunshine was something I've been meaning to watch, but since my wife opted for something a little lighter, I thought it might fit the bill. And hell, I've got to watch at least one Oscar nominated film this year.
And the film was somewhat what I thought it would be, but a little different. It had less jokes and was darker in tone than I expected, but it pulled it all off really well without making you feel cheated or icky at the end. It was funny but not comical, dark but not depressing - it just kinda pushes you close to the edge but reels you back in without force. I think it's a great balance they achieved - I'd recommend it.
----
So tomorrow morning I'm going to get some wisdom teeth yanked from my mouth, and I'm not entirely even sure if it's the right ones I'm thinking about. Based on my phone descriptions and x-rays, they arranged for them to be yanked without a real consultation, so I'm a little worried I might come to with wooden dentures, or steel grills, like Jaws. I think Brushed Metal would look nice. I'd certainly smile more if I looked like a refrigerator. I hate going to the dentist anyway, so the thought of an oral surgeon is just giving me a huge hard on, as you could imagine.
----
I feel bad about Zoe today. She's had a couple wake-ups tonight and I think it's because I gave her a hard time today. She was making a bloody racket during naptime and I went in with a warning that Grandma was sleeping, and she needed to be quiet. I had to go in a couple times again with verbal warnings and then when I heard Alex, I went in and he told me that Zoe was eating a book. Well, not exactly eating it, but she was ripping up her Richard Scary book and throwing the pieces on the floor. This kinda got me pissed because it was a book I'd really wanted to get for them and had put off because it was on the pricey side. So I confiscated the book and gave her a swat, and told her that it wasn't nice to treat books like that.
Later on, she was reprimanded again because she started coloring on a video box - just really doing odd things that she knows she's not supposed to be doing. I don't know - she was fine the rest of the night, but I think she probably didn't have the best day ever, and I feel a little bad for being so heavy on the whole book thing. Sigh. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day for us. I know she won't be getting any flak from a half-conscious, toothless and drugged up Daddy.
And the film was somewhat what I thought it would be, but a little different. It had less jokes and was darker in tone than I expected, but it pulled it all off really well without making you feel cheated or icky at the end. It was funny but not comical, dark but not depressing - it just kinda pushes you close to the edge but reels you back in without force. I think it's a great balance they achieved - I'd recommend it.
----
So tomorrow morning I'm going to get some wisdom teeth yanked from my mouth, and I'm not entirely even sure if it's the right ones I'm thinking about. Based on my phone descriptions and x-rays, they arranged for them to be yanked without a real consultation, so I'm a little worried I might come to with wooden dentures, or steel grills, like Jaws. I think Brushed Metal would look nice. I'd certainly smile more if I looked like a refrigerator. I hate going to the dentist anyway, so the thought of an oral surgeon is just giving me a huge hard on, as you could imagine.
----
I feel bad about Zoe today. She's had a couple wake-ups tonight and I think it's because I gave her a hard time today. She was making a bloody racket during naptime and I went in with a warning that Grandma was sleeping, and she needed to be quiet. I had to go in a couple times again with verbal warnings and then when I heard Alex, I went in and he told me that Zoe was eating a book. Well, not exactly eating it, but she was ripping up her Richard Scary book and throwing the pieces on the floor. This kinda got me pissed because it was a book I'd really wanted to get for them and had put off because it was on the pricey side. So I confiscated the book and gave her a swat, and told her that it wasn't nice to treat books like that.
Later on, she was reprimanded again because she started coloring on a video box - just really doing odd things that she knows she's not supposed to be doing. I don't know - she was fine the rest of the night, but I think she probably didn't have the best day ever, and I feel a little bad for being so heavy on the whole book thing. Sigh. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day for us. I know she won't be getting any flak from a half-conscious, toothless and drugged up Daddy.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Zoe's mouth
This morning when I woke up, I went to the bathroom but Zoe kinda jammed herself in the doorway, saying, "Wait for me, wait for me." Since she didn't have any regard of my privacy, I let her in anyway. These are some of the things she said while I was doing my morning pee.
Hi Daddy.
It's a bathtub!
What's that?
You can do it!
Where's Alex?
That's mine.
Uh oh!
Kitty fell off!
Put it back!
It's a soccer ball.
Ooop!
Are you pooping?
Are you peeing?
Bye Pee!
Dubba dubba dubba.
All those words just came at you a minute after you get up from bed.
---
One of my wife's favorite Zoe's sayings is, "READY. SAID. GO!"
---
Just now I went downstairs while I was rendering and Zoe looked at me and said, "It's dark."
I looked at Zoe.
"Your mouth is dark."
Thanks, Zoe.
---
And last night, good grief, I had to keep reminding that that we were indeed watching a movie, but she talked mostly through it. Where does she get that chatter gene from? Silly girl.
Hi Daddy.
It's a bathtub!
What's that?
You can do it!
Where's Alex?
That's mine.
Uh oh!
Kitty fell off!
Put it back!
It's a soccer ball.
Ooop!
Are you pooping?
Are you peeing?
Bye Pee!
Dubba dubba dubba.
All those words just came at you a minute after you get up from bed.
---
One of my wife's favorite Zoe's sayings is, "READY. SAID. GO!"
---
Just now I went downstairs while I was rendering and Zoe looked at me and said, "It's dark."
I looked at Zoe.
"Your mouth is dark."
Thanks, Zoe.
---
And last night, good grief, I had to keep reminding that that we were indeed watching a movie, but she talked mostly through it. Where does she get that chatter gene from? Silly girl.
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