Dec
4
December 4, 2006
This evening before Riley went to bed, JB and I sat with him and looked at a picture book together. Riley proceeded to blow my goddamned mind by correctly identifying a duck, bunny, baby, car, ball, and jacket. We’d say it, and he would point to it.
My kid is learning stuff. Holy shit.
I guess I am purely shocked by the fact that Riley is becoming a little person rather than a bundle of misfiring synapses. It’s not like I didn’t know his brain would eventually be capable of more complicated actions than telling his butt to poop for the fifth time in one day, but seeing it firsthand is something else. The disconnect between his verbal skills (“ba pa”, “ba ba”, “da!”, and just recently, O THANK YOU JEBUS, “Ma ma”) and what he’s apparently able to understand is huge, it’s hard to remember that just because he can’t say it, it doesn’t mean he does’t get it. Also, I can’t believe he knows what a flipping bunny is.
I bet daycare’s been teaching him about bunnies. Note to self: inform daycare there will be no learning from now on, because it is freaking me out. (Unless they want to take care of this whole potty training business I’ve got to look forward to. In that case, let the learning commence!)
So, Riley’s current status is as follows:
• Can point to bunny
• Still calls bunny a “ba”
• Lots of things are “ba”s
• Is able to process cooked carrot cubes through entire digestive system without altering appearance of carrot
• Mostly uses a bottle still because his parents are bad people
• Randomly removed pants the other day and tossed them from crib, horrifying his mother who has visions of that happening with a DIAPER oh my god oh my god
• Greatly enjoys psycho new game involving lots of pretend chasing and foot-stomping
• Also, is very loud
• So, so loud
• Falls down on head at least twice a day
• Likes to imitate me saying “Boom!” by saying “Mummm!”
• Loves to gag on his own finger, which, what, is he brain damaged from all that head-falling, or what?
• Dances like Axl Rose (!)
• Flops his hands around on his wrists like a total WEIRDO
• Gives hugs (aww)
As for me?
• Have new car
*shriek*
I got a new car, you guys. It’s a 2004 Touareg, and I love it so much it’s embarrassing. We’d been saving up money and looking at different models (I wanted an SUV-type rig for ferrying around the Suctopus and also because I am basically a boring-ass soccer mom now) and on Sunday we found this car and the dealership gave us a good price for trading in my Corolla and whoomp, here it is:
My mother gave me my Corolla in 1997 (surely the best and most used present anyone has ever given me, ever) (I guess there was that whole gift of life, too) (and a myriad of other things, actually. I think I owe my mom a kidney or three) and I’ve driven that ever since; this is the first car I’ve ever bought. It is outstandingly awesome, and I am so, so, so excited.
In fact, I wish we could all go for a ride in it right this minute. I’d heat your seat for you and everything.
Dec
3
December 3, 2006
I wrote a post on Workplace’s blog last week that seems to have pissed off a rather well-read professional tech blogger. Well, I’m not sure if “pissed off” is the right term, but he wrote a retaliatory response that basically lines out my entry, argues various points, and explains why I am both WRONG and also probably mentally impaired.
At first I was embarrassed by the attention the subject was getting, then I was secretly thrilled by the blog posts and comments that supported me, then I was sort of pouty over the blog posts and comments that disagreed with me, and then I felt really bad when I read someone’s blog who said my writing style was annoying and that they could barely stand to read it (because my tender little feelings are fragile like a Lladro figurine, perhaps one depicting puppies or a winged child). Then I remembered that I have a life and made myself Step Away from the Computer For the Love of Criminy.
While I was worrying about whether or not I’d made Workplace look bad, I checked our web stats and saw that in just the day or so since this blogger’s post, he’d tripled our weekly average of traffic. I mean, shitloads of people are coming to the Workplace blog because of this guy. He’s generated more interest in Workplace with one click of the Publish button than I could have engineered with a 5-digit ad budget and a zany puppet mascot.
(I should probably send him some flowers, or something.)
I think there’s a lot of truth in the saying that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. From a certain perspective, anyway. It also occurred to me, not for the first time, that blog posts intended to point out something we disagree with – or are offended by – result in more people being exposed to that very thing, and it’s almost always true that more visitors (even if they’re waving flaming torches) are usually better than no visitors, especially if the offender is being paid by advertisers.
I should have put BlogAds all over that fucking stingray post, is what I’m saying.
Anyway! I have (yet another) video to share, because that’s the way, uh huh, uh huh, I like it. Behold:
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My product review site:
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