Monday – 11 November 2013
Today is Veterans Day.
I’d like to take a moment to thank my friends, family, extended family and the thousands of other people who have chosen to serve our country and to protect the freedoms we hold dear.
Saturday – 02 November 2013
A few weeks ago, Sara bought the girls stickers – two types of Justice League stickers, to be precise. Why? Because kids love stickers. Duh. We haven’t been giving them as incentives or accolades. We (mostly Sara, to be honest) have been giving them to the girls because, again, kids love stickers.
Earlier this week, Sara gave the girls an Aquaman sticker (Diana) and a Green Lantern sticker (Vanessa). They have been pretty good about keeping up with their respective stickers, though the stickers look like they’ve been down about 20 miles of bad road at this point.
After dinner tonight, Vanessa was playing with her sticker and kept saying something that I wasn’t sure that I was hearing properly. So, focused on her, I asked her to say what she said again. And she did. Loudly.
Green Lantern’s light!
I must have had “The World’s Most Confused Father” look on my face, because she said it again. Equally loudly, if not louder.
Green Lantern’s light!
I was stunned, mostly because I hadn’t taught her the Green Lantern Corps oath. Yet, there she was, shouting it – or at least part of it – in the dining room for all to hear. So, I did the only thing I could do: I looked into the kitchen at Sara and asked, “Did you teach her the oath?”
After she stopped laughing, Sara said,”Yes… but I didn’t figure she’d get the whole thing, so I just went with ‘Green Lantern’s light!'”
Best. Wife. Ever.
Namaste.
01 November 2013
It’s All Saints Day.
Not to be confused with All Saints Day.
Yesterday was Hallowe’en. We dressed the girls up as Weeping Angels. (Hey, Sara! agreed to it. That’s all I’m sayin’.) They were very cute. But rather than me prattle on about it, I’ll let you read what Sara had to say on her blog:
Happy Halloween!
Rob had the great idea a couple of months ago that the ladies should be Weeping Angels for Halloween. He’s even been teaching them to play Peekaboo by saying “Rawr!” instead of “peekaboo!”, which they are tremendously fond of.
So I’ve been spending the last two weeks trying to figure out how to make a decent Weeping Angel costume for toddlers. It had to be comfortable and warm so that they could wear it without complaining. And I had a feeling they wouldn’t go for elaborate face paint and wigs, so it had to be limited to just a costume. This is what I came up with:
The costume is basically a grey shirt and leggings (so they wouldn’t get cold) and then an over-dress, and a pair of wings that I painted to look like stone.
There’s Vanessa doing her best Weeping Angel impression.
I didn’t count on how much Diana would love playing with her wings. She was pulling on those all evening, and they needed so emergency repair at one point.
Fortunately, her grandpa had a stapler handy.
And here’s Diana showing that even Weeping Angels like to get cuddles from daddy.
Here’s an Instagram shot of the progress on the wings. Basically for both the dress and the wings I started with a white costume and turned them to stone by dying them grey, then spattering them with black, white, and grey paint.
For the wings, since I couldn’t just throw them in the washing machine with some Rit, I used fabric paint that comes in a spray can.
We hope you had a Happy Halloween!
Yep. And here are EVEN MORE PICTURES of the girls in their costumes.
Namaste.
Wednesday – 30 October 2013
It’s been a while, but I do have a few things to talk about. Granted, most of them revolve around the past week and my birthday, go figure.
And, as I mentioned on Facebook: Thank you to everyone who took time out of their day to wish me a “Happy Birthday.” I truly appreciated it.
Last week wound up being very long, thanks – or “no thanks,” as the case may be – to Project: Cthulhu. I actually had a vendor rep on the phone for the better part of… six hours over two work days, trying to suss out what was wrong. And their documentation wasn’t much of a help; it was outdated and didn’t cover the correct procedure for what the vendor wanted us to do on the server. Yay. Late Friday afternoon, I had the brilliant epiphany to compare a working server to the one that was being “slightly difficult.” I found a discrepancy and started down a path to rectify it. Lo and behold, it worked. Work week: Saved.
I went home Friday evening tired and a little annoyed that finding the problem, even with the help of the vendor engineer, took so long. Those feelings melted away when I was greeted at the door by Team DiVa, bearing a box of RubySnap cookies and singing “Happy Birthday.” Sure, it was a day early, but it was very sweet. We had dinner and hung out that evening. Sara and I decided to watch A Nightmare on Elm Street after the girls were in bed; I started nodding off during the movie. I decided to go take a hot soak and call it an early night. I did and I did. In that order.
Saturday, I woke up not really feeling any older, but definitely glad to have completed another circuit of the sun without any dire encounters with the Dark Lady. Sara made her famous (at least around our house it is) coffee cake for breakfast. We hung out at home all morning until it was time for me to go play dolls HeroClix. Birthday Bonus: It was an Event Week, so I wasn’t judging, but actually playing. It was a sealed event – buy a couple of boosters and build a team from the figures in the boxes. I put together an okay team, but got completely wrecked in the tournament. Didn’t matter because I had a fun time gaming and talking trash with the other players.
I came home and helped get the girls ready for dinner. Shortly after that, Sara’s parents came over – they were kind enough to watch the girls while Sara and I went out for birthday dinner at Rodizio Grill. Added Birthday Bonus: October is Rodizio’s “Wild Game Fest,” so you can sample a few exotic meats. We tried the frog legs and one of my favorites: rattlesnake sausage. We checked out with our Seven Deadly Sins card punched for “Gluttony.” (So. Very. Worth it.) Next: A stop at the Cheesecake Factory for some celebratory dessert. Then it was back home for a movie. Since it was my choice and I wanted something light – and hopefully funny – I picked Iron Sky, which I’ve wanted to see for some time. It was not a great movie, in fact it was pretty ridiculous, but I had a blast watching it. Seriously, how could you not appreciate – if not love – a movie about Nazis on the moon where the heroic lead is a Black guy?!
Sunday was, again, pretty low-key. We didn’t do a whole lot during the day. There were a couple of shopping excursions prior to Sara’s parents, Galadriel, Angy and Dave coming over for dinner. Sara baked a pretty wicked Devil’s Food cake for after-dinner birthday fun. After the guests were gone and the girls were abed, we settled in for cocktails and The Walking Dead. We were not disappointed.
Monday, the work week reared its ugly head once more. I headed in to work for a 9:00AM meeting… only to find that I was a week early for it.
*grblsnrkx*
Had I bothered to confirm the time/date, I would have either come in late or just worked from home. Feh. Fortunately, the day passed fairly quickly. I confirmed that Friday’s server configuration was indeed viable and handed it off to the vendor’s engineers shortly before lunch. I picked up Team DiVa from daycare and ushered them home for snacktime (RubySnap Virginia cookie!) and dinner. Then, it was off to Guys’ Night Out with the usual suspects.
Tuesday, was a quiet day. This was a good thing. Especially as, Tuesday Night, I was going to enjoy Sara’s final birthday present: Living Colour in concert. That’s right. Living Colour. (Yes, Cult of Personality Living Colour.)
Living Colour at The Depot
I met up with Jeremiah and Zac at The Depot. They’d already scoped out a prime location about 5 or 6 feet from the stage. We were right in front of Vernon Reid (guitarist) the entire show. I also got to hang out with Robert V., Monica and Alessandro. Pictures (and some video) of the evening can be seen here.
It was an amazing concert, from start to finish. And they had the bass turned WAAAY up. Floor-shaking bass. They opened with Robert Johnson’s Preachin’ Blues (I think), and then went into Vivid. After Cult of Personality, Corey Glover joked, “And now, the rest of the fucking album…” You could tell that they were having a great time, both with the way they played and sang and the way that they interacted with each other and the audience. And if anyone was worried that these guys have lost a step or two…? Rest assured: They sounded fantastic. They started Open Letter (to a Landlord) by opening with a great rendition of Amazing Grace. Or, as I live-tweeted:
Corey Glover’s taking us to church tonight! He opened #OpenLetterToALandlord with a fantastic Amazing Grace! @LivingColour
— Robert Neal (@shadorunr) October 30, 2013
They finished out the set with Glamour Boys, What’s Your Favorite Color?, and Which Way to America. I was pleasantly surprised to discover just how much of the album I remembered.
After a spectacular drum solo by Will Calhoun, they closed the show with a great crowd-backed rendition of Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side, Love Rears Its Ugly Head (which I was secretly hoping they’d do), Time’s Up, James Brown’s Sex Machine.
It was the perfect way to wrap up an extended birthday celebration.
And that’s pretty much that.
Namaste.
Tuesday – 21 October 2013
It’s that time again…
Go!
Dinosaurs love teddy bears. Who knew?!
Team DiVa attacking Daddy with their Tickle Monster gloves.
And…. video, too!
Namaste.
Tuesday – 15 October 2013
It’s Tuesday. Again. As I don’t want to receive another “What happened to this week’s TDVT post?!” email, here’s this week’s bit of Adventure Toddlers cuteness:
The girls are fond of music. Very fond. They know how to open Spotify and select songs in their playlist on the laptop we keep in the living room. They also seem to be figuring out their way around iTunes on the Mac in their room. I’ve been trying to keep track of how they refer to certain songs:
I’m sure that there are a few others, but these are the ones that come immediately to mind.
The girls are enjoying their daycare. Thankfully. According to Sara!, aside from the days when they were sick, there hasn’t been a lot of wailing or moaning or gnashing of teeth when they are dropped off. Hallelujah!
And now, pictures:
Vanessa, waiting for Diana to see the pediatrician…
Diana, waiting for the pediatrician…
Vanessa, bundled up and taking a rainy Sunday stroll…
Diana on a rainy Sunday stroll…
Playing the piano at Canadian Thanksgiving dinner
Relaxing after picking pumpkins and wandering through the corn maze…
Diana finds a pumpkin she likes…
Vanessa found a pumpkin…
Playing dolls with some of Daddy’s old HeroClix and game boards
Ride the tigers!!!
And that’s a wrap.
Namaste.
Thursday – 03 October 2013
Another No Bad News Thursday is upon us.
More importantly, today is the day I get to say: “Happy Fourth Anniversary,” to Sara!.
It’s been a fantastic year. And I’ve had a wonderful wife, friend and partner-in-crime to share it with. I look forward to what the next year will bring.
Namaste.
Wednesday – 02 October 2013
As I mentioned in Tuesday night’s post, Random Access has gone Pink for October.
Tonight, Sara! and I watched The Awakening.
Long story, short version: We liked it. I’ll do more of a write-up later.
Sara! just shared the following links:
And that’s it for tonight.
Namaste.
Tuesday – 01 October 2013
It’s the first of October, which means it’s time for the site to go Pink for October.
It’s also Tuesday, which means that it’s time to see some pictures of a couple of cute kids:
Taking five… seconds, not minutes.
Must… sit… on… tiger!
Vanessa
Diana
Water sphere!
Namaste.
Tuesday – 24 September 2013
I’m elbow-up in work right now, but here are a couple of pictures of Team DiVa from this past week…
Reading time with Mom…
Playing guitar with Dad…
And that’s all for now.
Namaste.
Tuesday – 17 September 2013
This past week has seen a new development in Team DiVa’s daily schedule: They’re in daycare. Or preschool. Or whatever you’d care to call it. It’s also been “a bit” of an experience for Sara! and me, in seeing how the ladies are adjusting to the change.
They like the theory of going to daycare. But, it seems that their appreciation for the practical application of going is a little less enthusiastic. There’s a fair bit of moaning and crying and gnashing of teeth in the mornings when we’re getting them ready to go. This, as you might imagine, tends to slow things down for the “getting out the door” portion of the day. But, it seems that once they have been at daycare for a bit, they enjoy it. Go figure. Hopefully, the “I don’t want to get up/I don’t want to go” morning drama will diminish over the next few weeks.
And, as an added bonus: Diana brought home a lovely cold last week. She was kind enough to share it with all of us. Let it not be said that she’s a selfish child.
And now, a couple of pics of the ladies at the zoo this past weekend:
At the Seal and Sea Lion Tank
Waving to the elephants
Namaste.
Wednesday – 11 September 2013
Today marks the twelfth anniversary of the attacks in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Shanksburg, PA.
Take a moment to remember those who died, both in the attack and those who gave their lives trying to rescue/save those in the affected areas.
For my thoughts on the attacks and the aftermath, I again refer to this post and the others referenced in it.
Namaste.
Tuesday – 03 September 2013
It’s time for another look at the past week in Team DiVa-dom…
Successful trip to IKEA
Vanessa, doing a little light reading…
Helping Daddy sweep the floor. No, really… we ARE helping! Really! (For the most part.)
Building a tower…
Climbing on Mom at the end of the day…
Namaste.
Tuesday – 27 August 2013
It’s a rainy Team DiVa Tuesday, but it’s a Tuesday nonetheless.
Diana and the Train
Just a couple of dinosaurs and their bears…
Diana-saur
Vanessa-raptor at rest
Dinosaurs with bears… “playing on monkey bars.” (Their words, not mine.)
Namaste.
Thursday – 22 August 2013
Another No Bad News Thursday is upon us. Amen.
Life’s been good. The family is doing well. Team DiVa continue to surprise us with things that they have picked up. And they are coming up – quickly – on their second birthday. Time does fly.
The family at Silver Lake
Vanessa (l) and Diana playing with Rokenbok Monorail
More monorail time!
And, speaking of Rokenbok, the girls were featured on the Rokenbok Facebook page, in a picture that Sara! took over the weekend:
Intense concentration…
Reeling by on Celluloid
Since Sara’s back has gotten better over the past few weeks, we’ve gotten back in the habit of Movie Date Night. Last week, Sara picked Gallowwalkers:
Wow. This was NOT a good movie. (Although, I still think I “win” the “Choose the Most Awful Movie” award with The Spirit.) Let me just say that there is no need for you to check out this movie — we took that hit for you. You’re welcome.
That’s right… I resurrected the lawn darts to show just how bad this movie was. (And for those who are keeping score at home, I just effectively gave this movie a -8 rating. Yep, “negative eight.”)
Tonight was my pick. I rolled the dice and came up with Trance, a film by Danny Boyle, starring James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, and Vincent Cassel:
This… this was a good movie. It had suspense. It had some (not a lot, but “some”) action. There was an interesting twist – one that I thought I’d figured out about 1/3 of the way through the movie, but didn’t.
Seriously, though, if you are looking for an interesting movie that will keep you guessing, I give this a definite thumbs-up with an okay.
Stray Toasters
Now that I’ve done this entry, I should do the same for Pinstripes and Polos and Four-Color Coverage…
Namaste.
