House & Buffy: connected?

So, a couple times a week I stay up late to watch T.V. while I fold laundry. Right now, I'm primarily watching House M.D., Gray's Anatomy, and Bones. Particularly in House, I've been noticing that several actors who were regulars on the Buffy/Angel series have been cast as patients on House. Of course Bones has David Boreanaz as a main character, so I see plenty of him, and I think that Gray's Anatomy may have had a cameo or two by Buffy ex-pats.

In this week's House, the main patient was Marc Blucas, or "Finn", reprising his role as a sickly military-type. Other actors I've noticed from Buffy: "Glory", "Andrew", "Warren", "Dawn" and that's all I can think of right now.

Does this mean I'm a geek? More importantly, does this mean that one of the producers/casting directors for House liked the Buffy series?

Whaaaa? Odd photo find of the day.

I know that if Dash finds a sock, he'll put it on his hand and start dusting the T.V. (I have no earthly idea where this idea occurred to him, truly.) Now, if I gave him a sponge on a stick, like this little fellow has, would Dash try scrubbing a U-2 Dragon Lady? I do not know for sure, but he'll likely never have the chance to demonstrate.

Just to get an idea of the surface area this boy will have to swab to get this plane clean, here are the specs for the U-2:

Length: 63 feet (19.2 meters)
Height: 16 feet (4.8 meters)
Wingspan: 105 feet (32 meters)

Okay, yes, this is a photo I came across doing work-related research, but isn't it silly?

Equipping playtime

For the last several days, Rosie, Dash and I have been making a daily trip down the street to my neighbor's yard for some quality trampoline time! Rosie loves to see Emily, who at 9yrs, is the youngest of the three children who live there. We all scamper over to their yard, get Emily's attention (and I feel slightly badly that I'm dragging her away from her homework), and go out back to flop around on the trampoline.

Both kids really didn't like the bouncing at first, but now are addicted! Rosie likes to jump and fall (slapstick, with legs in the air), where Dash is just happy to giggle and run around at high speed. Something I've noticed yesterday about how the three are interacting: Rosie worships Emily and yells to her, "Watch me, Emily! Watch me!", while Emily is much more interested in Dash, calling with arms outstretched, "Give me a hug, Dash!", and Dash ignores Emily and just runs to me. Is it human nature to want to attract someone whose attention is elsewhere?

Also, I haven't told the kids yet, but our new playset is being delivered on Monday!! I'm sure that we won't even be able to think about assembling it untli the weekend, but how exciting!!!

Playdump.

When you're a parent, you learn about being flexible, because kids have their own agendas that often conflict with yours. When you try to coordinate with other parents, this gets compounded. For example, for the second time, I tried to organize a lunchtime playdate with four former coworkers (I know, "former coworker" just adds to the flaky mix) who all have children under two. They all live in NoVA like us, so it seemed to be a great idea! Nobody was available for the first date I tried to organize, so I thought I'd give it another shot. We all agreed on a date two weeks out, Saturday March 24; I had a book group meeting scheduled, but I thought that I could be flexible about their schedules if they were all available that day and so I bowed out of the book group. To make a long story short, nobody showed up. Again. AND, we didn't make it to the book group because AJS already drove out to PG County that morning to see his mother and didn't want to make another trip. Aside from that, we had all sorts of partially prepared extra food in the house (to accomodate our assumed guests: 8 adults and 4 kids) and didn't want it to go to waste.

Just to assuage your curiousity, here are the excuses: family one had to go out of town unexpectedly; family two had a sick kid, coughing and tugging her ear, so a doc appt interfered; family three, um, wife had to work (? lame.); family four, well, just forgot, haven't been checking emails, haven't been checking phone messages. And, we didn't even get a day's notice from them. AJS started shopping and cooking for the lunch the day before.

AARRGH. I think I'll let somebody else organize next time.

Dash's first sentence!

Well, if you don't count that it doesn't technically have a verb, he managed to string these three words together to get AJS to do his bidding:

"Nuk, pleesh, Daddee?"

What a cutie. But, we do need to wean him off his paci pretty soon—he's pretty much an addict. Sometimes he tries to fit two or more nuks in his mouth at the same time.

On to marketing: I'm a Board Member at the kids' daycare, and we're having a book sale with Usborne books, which really has a great selection of quality books! Dash and Rosie especially have enjoyed the touchable "That's Not My [insert possession here]" series. All sales at the Usborne Booksale link (specific to our CDC) support the Center's fundraising efforts.

Where did Rosie get her curls?

This question has come up many a time, since, for those of you who know AJS and I, we both have very straight hair and Rosie has curly-curls.

Here's a 1940s era photo of my Uncle Bob and Aunt Dot at a Connecticut swimming hole. Later in life, Dot wore her hair very short, so I didn't know it was curly; however, this old photo may reveal at least one genetic source of curls!

Well, really, I just wanted an excuse to post some old family photos that I scanned. :-)

1913 Sears House $683?!?

I just received this bit of clip art in an email today. This kit house was something unique and amazing. Sears Roebuck & Co. would send you the materials so you (and hopefully some well-trained friends) could build your own house. For $683 1913-era dollars.

I'm not a CPA, so I have no idea how that values out in today's money, but I don't think there's anything like this in 2007. It sounds like somebody's fantasy fiction.

In College Park, MD, my SIL's inlaws owned a Sears kit house that I think was just sold recently(w/i the last 5yrs)—it was in an historical register. I visited there once around 1998, but wasn't aware of its significance at the time; it looked and felt like any other two-story, single-family home.

Hangin' out

Well, part of my wish for the warmer weather came true yesterday: the landscapers came and cleared out all the leaves and dead brush; then, AJS and I drank some wine spritzers (woo!) and sat on the deck while Dash and Rosie frolicked in the yard. Dash was grinning ear-to-ear the whole time! They both played in the little house (which will need to find a new home when the playset comes) and slid on the slide. We supervised from the patio chairs. I am so glad they are becoming less dependent on us! (Yikes, will I regret saying that later?)

After reviewing the landscaper's work, I noticed that there were some grasses that were sticking out from an area near a cement walkway and wondered why the lawn crew hadn't cleared them. On closer examination, I found that said grasses were full of a large amount of dirt (about six square feet), most likely moved there by some extremely industrious ants. When I decided to get a trowel and move the dirt, I found that I had two very interested helpers! Two more trowels were found, but after a while, Dash scooped a shovelful of dirt into my shoes and we were done. On a related note, I was disappointed to discover that all our raspberry bushes had been completely removed, despite my specific direction to save them. [A phone call to the landscapers revealed that the bushes were not salvageable, i.e. completely dead, so we'll have to replace them. 3/16]

Maybe I'll actually try to plant more things this year, so we can eat what we grow. Important lessons for the kiddies!

NEW PLAYSET!!!

This is the playset that I just purchased today, online! I'm not sure of the delivery date, but the weather is getting warmer around here and I am itching for a nice playset with SWINGS! For some reason, swings are a hard thing to locate around here—local parks just don't have them. Liability issues maybe?

Anyway, I know Rosie and Dash and all of their friends will love it! Here are all the features:

Two playground-style swings, an 8-foot wave slide, ladders, monkey bars and a lookout tower
Front ladder doubles as a rock climbing wall with bolted-on handholds
Canopied, 4'-high playdeck is 54"L x 18"W
Setup dimensions: 17'L x 7'9"W x 8'4"H (Allow 6' safety perimeter around playset)
Easy Setup in 2 hours estimated time when 2 adults participate in construction
Includes pre-assembled ladders and floor panels for easy set-up
Fort Assembly has Pre-Drilled Holes
Safety handgrips at top of ladders provide added security
Customer is required to drill some holes for hand grips and to mount ladders and slides
Angled leg design increases stability
Set includes stakes to secure the play set into the ground after assembly

AJS got a write up on "Five Bites"!

Five Bites on Friday
For this week's installment of Five Bites, the mind behind monkeyerotica.com offers the top five sandwiches in DC.

1. The Big G Man at Mangialardo and Son

2. The reuben at Deli City

3. The roast beef at Hodges Sandwich Shop

4. The Ahab burger (bacon, bleu cheese and mushrooms) at Sign of the Whale

5. The New York strip sandwich at Stoney's

Have a top five you swear by? Or just five great things you've eaten recently? Five Bites is your opportunity to tell Metrocurean readers which dishes you're enjoying around town. Send your list and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean@gmail.com.
Posted by Amanda at 10:53 AM

BTW, that's monkeyrotica to you.

Quote of the day

I belong to a designers' listserve where there was a discussion today starting with a designer who wanted advice about what sort of digital camera she should buy for an important client shoot of a home's interior. She thought she wanted a fish-eye lens and maybe a wide angle lens, but she really didn't know much about cameras.

A witty designer posted this quote:

“Amateurs worry about gear.
Professionals worry about money.
Masters worry about light.”

Heh. But seriously, if it's that important, HIRE A PROFESSIONAL.

AJS got fan mail for this quip on DCist.com...

"Increasingly, high home prices, declining public services, and serious congestion issues are pushing individuals and families out of suburbs and back into cities."

Because in DC, home prices are going down, public services are improving dramatically, and congestion is no longer an issue, he said, while waiting in gridlock on M Street on his way back to his $800 mil Foggy Bottom efficiency condo having waited in line at DMV for 4 hours.

You dcists always get the primo reefer. Who's your supplier?

Show of hands: If the District were going to blow up the Reeves Center [pictured] to make way for a multileveled Costco with a parking garage, how many would show up to protest and how many would offer to donate dynamite?

[17] Posted by: monkeyrotica

March 5, 2007 1:44 PM

A follow-up to the choking incident

So, if you recall, dear readers, back in January, a "friend" from Rosie's class tried to choke her over a trivial incident. I was informed by the daycare director yesterday that the boy's behavior had not improved adequately over the past month-plus, and he had been disenrolled. Whew.

AJS can take his boxing gloves off now! His first response when he heard about the choking was, "can I punch the kid out?"

Dash tells knock-knock jokes! And the snowlady.

Well, almost. We were trying to get him to tell us his name for Rosie this weekend, but he just kept saying "na--na". Before committing to this as his name for Rosie, I remembered that Rosie and James Michael, a neighbor, were telling each other knock-knock jokes and Dash may have overheard. AJS investigated this theory, asking, "Who's there?" to get the satisfying answer of "Dad-da!"

Rosie and I made a snow-lady yesterday! Dash almost helped, but really mostly stood there crying to be picked up. Rosie and I had a great time, though. The lady had the traditionally tri-segmented snowball body, with oatmeal-raisin cookies for eyes (thanks to AJS for repurposing those tasty cookies, Kelly!) and a carrot for a nose. I gave her stick arms, a red berry scarf, and a black wool hat; AJS gave her a curved-stick smile. And Rosie didn't want to go back inside, despite the wetness, a thoroughly chilled mother, and dwindling light. Fun times.

Thinking about nicer weather...

Even though we're just in a mini-thaw and there's plenty of winter-weather to come, I'm starting to think about springtime, playing in the backyard with the kids, and making our yard a nicer place to hang. It has a lot going for it, so far: excellent multi-level deck with built-in slide, a large grassy area, a patio set with a canopied gazebo, a kamado grill, a kiddie swing, and a small kiddie playhouse (a super-basic version of this).

What it desperately needs is more regular yard care (so weeds aren't growing through the kiddie playhouse), maybe a mosquito magnet, a less-dilapidated sandbox (or at least new sand), and a playset with more activities for our growing kids. Something like the Little Tikes playset my neighbors have, I think.

I just recall many, many times during last summer that I didn't go outside because there were too many weeds, too many mosquitos, and lack of fun things to play on. I'd really like to while away the summer evenings while sittin and sipping wine with AJS on the deck while the kids wear themselves out on the playset, KWIM?!?

Hey, Bulldog!

Yesterday's mini-vignette: Rosie says, "Hey daddy, listen: it's the Submarine song! [singing] You can talk to me, you can talk to me-ee, if you're lonely you can talk to me! [trails off, comes back strong] You can talk to me, you can talk to me-ee, if you're lonely you can talk to me!" [repeat until insane]

And so, now what's in my head and won't go away? The worst thing is, I'm horrible with remembering lyrics, so I can't remember any other words to this song, either...

Happy Birthday Rowan! And Dash is a sweet, demanding boy.

[portrait of Rowan, courtesy AJS]

Today we went to Rowan's birthday party, where we all had a great time! A rockabilly-style musician played kid-friendly music and all the kids (and some parents) were rocking out to it. He calls himself "Uncle Rock" and used to play for the Fleshtones, from what I understand. Dash was just mesmerised by "Uncle Rock" and would just walk up within 5 to 10 feet of him and stare (as with yesterday's event, my kids didn't really participate by dancing or following along with others). Again, excellent cake!!! At the party, Dash found a juice box with Elmo (a latest favorite) pictured on it and I found him shortly afterwards expressing his love by giving the icon fervent kisses. What a sweetie!

After we were home, Dash crashed out for a few hours and when he woke up he called for Dad-da! Dad-da! He and I met up with AJS in the kitchen, but Dash wasn't interested in a hug. He looked at AJS, and pointed at the oven, saying without words, the OVEN. NOW. COOK FOR ME. And then wanted to monitor the entire cooking process to be sure that his food was on its way. What a darling boy!

My kids aren't joiners...(neither is AJS)

We just came back from a "Gymboree" birthday party for a classmate of Dash's. Rosie warmed up to the place right away, surprisingly, and we were more shocked that Dash (Mr. fun & happiness) was clingy and took his time before trying out the play equipment. AJS was horrified when an employee came out, put on some loud music and organized everyone to sing along and follow choreographed hand movements. When they brought out the clown, it took all of my persuasiveness (and calculated evasion) to keep him from bolting.

The highlight of the afternoon, IMO, was the cake! The birthday boy's parents are N'Awlins transplants and they had an authentic Mardi Gras King Cake for dessert... Oooooh, heaven!

Both kids really enjoyed the running around and climbing on soft play shapes; despite not participating in the sing-a-longs, they did have a lot of fun. We were not the first to leave, but may send regrets on the next invite to a Gymboree event.

Valentine's Day. Gotta love it!

Yesterday, daycare was closed, the roads were nasty and icy (no plows in our neighborhood), so AJS and I had quality time with the kids and could watch them under a microscope. Dash is now a week shy of 20 months and Rosie is 4 years, 3 months.

Rosie likes to have animated playtime, where she makes up dialogues between her toys; I've been wondering about some of her catch-phrases, like, "his eyes were bigger than flashlights!" or "then, we'll have to slice off your head"? (Me: shaking head.) She loves to play with Dash and we hear a lot of "c'mon Dash!" and "follow me!", but we also hear a fair amount of "get Dash away!" One of her favorite shows on Noggin is "Little Bear," which we watched yesterday. There was a very sweet episode in which Little Bear was making drawings of all the things he loved about his mother, and during the show, I got plenty of hugs and kisses! One of the special favorites of Little Bear is Mother Bear's chocolate cake, so we spent some of the afternoon making guess what? Chocolate cupcakes. Yummy.

Dash is picking up lots of new words. Using "please" is something we've been drilling into Rosie for months, and while it's not sinking in much with her, Dash has started to say "peesh" which is the cutest. Other words are mom-ma, dad-da, duck, car, up, on, off, book, boot (all shoes), boown (balloon), booboo, BYE!!! (at top volume), ree (read), baish (water), moo (milk), laliesh (olives), heesh (cheese), caak (clock), cack (crackers), cowk (chocolate), haaiiee (in a whisper, means quiet), Momo (Elmo), Bawa (Dora), and a few more that I'm not remembering right now. Somehow, a name for Rosie hasn't materialized. Maybe since she is available for him most of the time, he hasn't needed to identify her with his words?

Yesterday, Rosie and Dash had several campouts (lights out, flashlights on), colored and painted together, and watched a little television together. Later on, Rosie and I went to her grandparents' house for some one-on-one playtime with Grandma. Quite a busy Valentine's Day. Romantic, though? Not by most definitions.

Counterpoint, in a fashion

During college, I began to be frustrated with the dating scene. And, it may come as a surprise to my parents, but I was becoming aware that my dad worked with several young men, good-looking, well-paid engineer types who were single, and also had contact with the upstanding well-educated male children of his colleagues.

After some frustratingly bad dates, I started thinking, wouldn't all this be easier if there were arranged marriages? My parents could identify a good match for me, I'd be set financially (potentially), and I'd have much less worry and effort to put into the whole soul-mate-searching thing.

Then, I put that out of my head. I had the right to marry whom I wanted, and I ought to exercise that priviledge! I found my life partner, and later this year, we will be celebrating 10 years of marriage, 15 years together.

I'm saddened that the government isn't allowing a random selection of Americans (10%?) the same choices and options that I have.