Maryamie: Blog

Adding some pink to the white bland of her day...

Sun, 11 May 2008 19:02:27 GMT

A very special friend of mine was having a special birthday and I was racking my brain trying to figure out what to get her to let her know just how special she was to me. As always, I found the answer where I was not expecting it at all, in my inbox! A blessed soul had read an old blog entry of mine and sent me an email inquiring whether or not I was still interested in finding myself that very special gift, one that could make me and whoever I decided to share it with feel oh-so-very-special. I couldn't believe when I read that she had found two rolls of pink toilet paper from 1970s in a thrift store and was willing to sell it to me for a very small sum. I sent my check to her and in a matter of days and right in time for my friend's birthday, I had my two rolls of pink toilet paper! I put one away for myself for prosperity's sake and wrapped the other one along with the other gifts that I had gotten for her and presented these to her on her birthday. The pink toilet paper was quite a hit! I don't know if either one of us will ever use this almost antique and exotic toilet paper, but it will make for good decoration and of course a good blog story and a great picture!

Does Scratched Teflon Cause Cancer?

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:56:09 GMT

The hot new debate at the Scoble house has nothing to do with Barack or Hillary, or whose turn it is to change the baby's diapers. We are above politics and poop and are talking pots and pans. We are discussing non stick cookware and whether when scratched it can cause cancer or not. I have already gotten rid of a few pots and pans that had scrtches on them, because I think they can cause cancer. Robert says I need to show him scientific proof before throwing away perfectly good pots and pans. Our recycling containers are getting heavy for him to lift :)

I've done some research and while the American Cancer society does not advise against cooking with non-stick pots and pans, they say it is best to avoid using the old and scratched ones. Some environmental and alternative health sites though have lots of negative things to say about non-stick cookware and the checmicals used to make them. So what do you think and what do you use?

Happy Cinco De Mayo

Mon, 05 May 2008 23:57:51 GMT

Got this in email and had to share. Apparently what I learned about Cinco de Mayo in history books was wrong.

Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellmann's mayonnaise was manufactured in England . In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico , which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York .

This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico . But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York . The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was lost.

The people of Mexico , who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day.

The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course as...

Sinko de Mayo

Book Meme

Mon, 05 May 2008 20:27:49 GMT

I've been an avid reader all my life, and being an English major have had to read many books, but recently with the baby haven't had a chance to read much. I am missing that part of my life and have to somehow get that back into my daily life. Thanks to Alfred I found this list and had to fill it out. Looks like I've got some reading to do.

I love Toni Morrison, Josef Heller, Nabakov, Virginia Wolfe, and Neil Gaiman. Milan Kundera has to be one of my all time favorite writers. I named my son after him :) I hated having to read Jane Austen for my classes though. I honestly don't know why everyone makes such a big deal about her writing. BORING, that's all I have to say.

According to a LibraryThing survey, these 106 works are the ones most often marked as “unread,” meaning they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded.

Here are the rules:

Bold the ones you’ve read, underline the ones read solely as a curriculum requirement, italicize the ones you started, but didn’t finish.
Final touch: denote (*) the ones you liked, and would (or did) read again or recommend. Even if you did read them for school in the first place.Reading coic books and seeing the movie doesn't count. Sorry!

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22*
One Hundred Years of Solitude*
Wuthering Heights*
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi : a novel

The name of the Rose*

Don Quixote*
Moby Dick*
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre*
The Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveler’s Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway*
Great Expectations
American Gods
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales
The Historian : a novel
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Love in the Time of Cholera
Brave New World
The Fountainhead
Foucault’s Pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys*
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible : a novel
1984
Angels & Demons
The Inferno (and Purgatory and Paradise)
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist*
Gulliver’s Travels
Les Misérables
The Corrections
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela’s Ashes : a memoir
The God of Small Things
A People’s History of the United States : 1492-present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being*
Beloved*
Slaughterhouse-five
The Scarlet Letter*
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake : a novel

Collapse: How societies choose to fail or succeed

Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita*
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye*
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an inquiry into values
The Aeneid
Watership Down
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit
In Cold Blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences
White Teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The Three Musketeers

Ok, it's your turn.

How to tell if you are married...

Sun, 04 May 2008 06:17:35 GMT

Got this via email from a fellow married girlfriend and had to share:

Three women: one engaged, one married and one a mistress, are chatting about their relationships and decided to amaze their men. That night all three will wear black leather bras, stiletto heels and a mask over their eyes.

After a few days they meet up for lunch.

The engaged woman: The other night when my boyfriend came over he found me with a black leather bodice, tall stilettos and a mask. He saw me and said, "You are the woman of my life. I love you." Then we made love all night long.

The mistress: Me too! The other night I met my lover at his office and I was wearing the leather bodice, heels, mask over my eyes and a raincoat. When I opened the raincoat he didn't say a word, but we had wild sex all night.

The married woman: I sent the kids to stay at my mother's house for the night. When my husband came home I was wearing the leather bodice, black stockings, stilettos and a mask over my eyes. As soon as he came in the door and saw me he said, "What's for dinner, Batman?"

Seven tips for new moms

Sun, 04 May 2008 06:02:49 GMT

Every day it seems that I learn something new about parenting since my baby has been born, but these seven things are worth mentioning. So here are a list of seven things I have learned after seven months of being a mother:

Number one--Cradle cap is not one of those cute little pink or blue caps that newborns wear to keep their little cute heads warm and covered. Cradle cap is yellowish, oily, thick and crusty patches on the baby's scalp. It is definitely not cute. They don't know what causes it and though harmless and only lasting for the first few months of life, it's nothing pretty to look at. I hear Tea Tree Oil is helpful.

Number two--Babies can sleep through the loudest musicals, huge parties, and TV and radio blasting off. Their cue to wake up is usually when you silently sit down to take the first bite of your meal.

Number three--It doesn't matter how sound of a sleeper you are; your baby's cry will wake you up. I slept through the Iraqi bomb campaign in Tehran during Iran and Iraq war. When Milan whimpers at night, I jump up.

Number four--No matter how much you think your mom loves you, she will love your baby more. There is no way you can compete. I asked my mom once if Milan resembled me when I was a baby. My mom laughed it off and said, oh no way, he is so much cuter.

Number five--On the other hand, you will appreciate your mom and understand her a lot more, once you become a mother yourself.

Number six--If you are going to go out, change and feed the baby before you put that new outfit on. It is highly possible that the baby might barf on you, pee on you or poop on you. If you are like me, most probably all will happen to you within a few minutes of putting that new outfit on.

Number seven--You can still do everything you did before you had a baby. You just have to plan it, be patient and a lot more flexible. Your life isn't over just because you had a baby. It has just begun.

A Can of Diet Pepsi in the Freezer

Fri, 02 May 2008 01:39:11 GMT

Here's a tip for you, if you want a cold can of diet Pepsi, you can either pour some of it in a glass full of ice or leave the can in the fridge a while before you plan to consume it. Better yet, just don't drink soda. It's not good for you anyway. Yeah I know that is pretty obvious, but what you need to do is realize that never under any circumstances should you leave the said can in the freezer, telling yourself that you will remember to take it out in a few minutes. You may remember to do it a few times, but it is enough just once for you to forget and leave the can there overnight like I did.
The sad thing is I don't even drink soda. I left it there for Robert and was going to give to him when I served dinner, but I forgot. The next day when I opened the freezer to get some ice, I was greeted with a frozen black liquid that was splashed all over the freezer. After cursing my own stupidity, the laws of physics, and every single can of soda that exists, diet and regular, I decided to clean the freezer.
It was hard to scratch the frozen soda pieces from the freezer. Here's where I had my next brilliant idea which should promptly land me in an episode of Jackass. I thought I would turn the freezer off and wait until it got slushy and soft before removing the splashed soda icicles. So my second tip for you is never do what I just told you that I did. What happened next was that the soda started trickling down all over the freezer, and now everything was black, sticky and requiring lots of effort to clean up. It took me a few hours to clean the freezer and all its contents.
I have decided never to bring home a can of soda. I don't care if it was my fault to begin with.

How do you get rid of the rats?

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:48:16 GMT

They say there is more than one way to skin a cat; apparently there is also more than one way to get rid of a rat. I have talked to four different pest control specialists and each has given me a different story and a different price estimate.

The first one wanted to take out all the floor boards in the attic and install new insulation pads, set rodent traps everywhere and seal up all the little openings in the roof to rodent proof the house for the total of 3600 dollars. I had a small heart attack when I heard that price.

The second one said he wanted 125 dollars just to come and inspect the place before giving us a price estimate. I figured if I had to pay 125 dollars just to get him to come down here, I probably couldn't afford him.

The third one said that he wanted 250 to get rid of the rats and 56 dollars per month for a year to come and keep checking to make sure we won't have nay more problems with the rats.

The last one said that the rats were coming from underneath the house as well as from the roof. He wants to poison them, set traps for the ones that won't die of the poison and then seal the openings underneath and on top of the house. He will then clean and deoderize the attic and the crawl space and guarantee that we won't have any more problems for the next two years. All for the price of 1200 dollars.

Should I keep asking more people? Should I choose one of the above? Should I buy a cat? How do I get rid of the rats?

The Rodent Specialist

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:13:22 GMT

It took him less than half an hour to search through our attic, take some floorboards out and rummage through the insulation pads to find the rodent nest and the baby rat that had died in it and caused the aweful smell. It cost us three hundred dollars. He tells me that it will cost another 3600 bucks to make our house rodent proof by closing all the openings where they are coming through, cleaning and disinfecting the attic and installing new insulation pads. We have a huge rat infestation problem. I am trying to get some other quotes as I choked on the price estimate he gave me, but I can't live with these rats either. Last year we had the voles, this year we have the rats, I am wondering what it will be next year. He tells me that our neighbors had called him in for their racoon problem, so I guess next year is the year of the racoons. If the snakes come, I am leaving town.

Ratz!

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:06:11 GMT

How does that saying go again? When the cat is away, the rats will play? It doesn't really matter. We have RATS people, RATZ! My brother has left traps all over the kitchen and in the living room as well and we've caught two mice and one big rat already. One of the traps had gone off though and the rat had escaped. I think it went and died somewhere in the attic. We have not been able to find the body yet, but the stench comes through the vents and is pretty nasty. Tonight we had a search party in the attic but we couldn't find anything. That stench though...it's driving me nutz! Is there a CSI unit for rats and mice? I guess I need to call pest control.
Yes I did see Ratatouille, but these rats are not cute and they certainly don't cook. They steal our food, leave their dirty droppings and are pretty nasty. Maybe I should buy a cat?

What happened at Camp? Johnson's Camp Baby Report Day 2 and 3

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:41:42 GMT

What started with a great session on the mystery of getting your baby to sleep by Dr. Jodi Mindell bright and early in day 2 ended with a generous Johnson & Johnson product expo and sampling right around noon on the third day. In between sleeping tips and sampling picks, we learned about the Johnson's commitment to the environment and the safety of their products, The InfantSee program which provides free vision care for infants and children, The dirt on germs, emerging lifestyle trends for moms, nutritional advice and tips on healthy cooking and eating, as well as a discussion on sensitive gynecological issues and a fun hair braiding session. Stop right there! No, the gynecological session and the hair braiding session were two different sessions and had nothing to do with eachother. They even had a session dedicated to get feedback from bloggers on their products and the company as a whole.

For entertainment, we got to go out to a nice and trendy restaurant in the evening of day 2 and had a wonderful breakfast at J and J plant in the morning of day 3. GM provided transportation for the bloggers to the restaurant and the J and J plant as well as rides to and from the airport in rocking brand new cars (we love our Saturn), and Nintendo brought out Wii stations to the restaurant so we could play before dinner and they also gave away Nintendo DS to every single one of us. Woohoo! (We are soooooooooo buying a Wii)!!!!

J & J might have needed a refresher course in sending out invitations, but when it came to planning and executing the event, they certainly had it hands-down. They certainly spared no expense in making sure that the bloggers got there in the most convenient way possible. Once there, we were treated courteously and with the utmost care and respect. The hotel was modern and nice, the beds fluffly and soft, food and refreshments were available frequently and plentifully and the sessions were informational and enjoyable.

What I enjoyed most from the event though was the opportunity to meet and bond with so many amazing women who happen to be mommy bloggers. I hope that J & J continues to do more Camp Babies, and allow more individuals (other mommy bloggers, more women of color, even daddy bloggers too) to enjoy the incredible experience that we had last week at Camp Baby. Special thanks to Lori Dolginoff and team for treating us to such an amazing experience. Milan might not be the new face for Johnson and Johnson but he certainly has been using Johnson and Johnson products from the first day he came home to us from the hospital. Thanks!

Johnson's Camp Baby Report, First Night, Wine tasting session

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:22:48 GMT

Johnson's Camp Baby's first night was quite a hit with charming and funny Ted Allen, from Top Chef leading a wine tasting session and answering questions about his stint at Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, what's happening with Top Chef and what future projects he is working on. While teaching us tips about different wines, and what foods they should go with, he had us laughing with impromptu funny remarks, but he got the whole room roaring at the end when he said, now that I have answered all your questions, I have one for you: Sooooooo what's twitter? I guess celebrities and experts can learn a few things from bloggers too :)
I don't drink much; I am not a big fan of white wines, but I like a little red wine now and then and yet the Chardonnay from Clos Du Bois Collection that they had us taste, Calcaire was amazing. And so here is what I learned,
1) Sauvignon Blanc tastes better with Lemon chicken as the citrus taste in the wine complements the chicken's flavor, while plain chicken tastes better with Chardonnay as the buttery taste of Chardonnay adds to the chicken's flavor.
2) Merlot is better with Spagetti and tomato sauce while Cabernet is better with Steak, because it can cut throught the richness.
3) Zin tastes good with Chocolate.
4) One shouldn't pay too much for Pinot Grigio
5) If you are going to a dinner party and want to pick up a bottle in the grocery store, you can be safe with a 18-20 dollars bottle of Robert Mondavi or Gallo wine.
Meeting Mommy Bloggers, listening to Ted Allen, and being wined and dined has been fun so far. Thanks to Johnson and Johnson for paying for this trip and hosting us. I am looking forward to the full day of session and activities on Thursday. Will report more tomorrow night.

New Baby Face for Johnson & Johnson

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:34:09 GMT

We are here in New Jersey a day early for Johnson & Johnson's Camp Baby. Although the actual camp starts tomorrow, some of the executives and PR people wanted to meet with me earlier. They have asked me to keep the contents of the meeting confidential until further notice, but I just can't hold the secret in any longer. Just walked out of the meeting and Johnson & Johnson wants our baby to be the poster boy for all their baby products. Milan's smiling face will appear on all the baby products including the Shampoos and baby lotion and baby oil and powder. The have been looking for a baby with that multi ethnic look to represent the many faces of babies growing up in the US. I love Johnson's products; have used them long before I ever had a baby and will continue to use them now for Milan. In fact we are getting a life time supply of any of our choice products now that Milan is Johnson's new baby face.

Although I have been already rewarded so much for coming to Camp Baby, I can't wait to see all the Mommy Bloggers and hang out with Johnson's team during the next couple of days. At any rate, just wanted to share the good news, say hello from Jersey to you all and yell out April fool's!

Skinning Trout

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:59:59 GMT

The traditional meal for Persian New year dinner or Nowrouz is Green Rice and Pan-Fried Trout or Sabzi Polo and Mahi. The Green rice is Basmati rice cooked with herbs such as dill, cilantro, parsley and a few others. Since you can buy the herbs already cleaned, dried and chopped up and steam the rice in the rice cooker, that part wasn't so hard. The hard part is the trout which comes with skin, head, tails and fins attached, and full of invisible, little flexible bones that are waiting for a chance to choke you when you bite the pan fried fish.
A few years ago, long before Internet time, I decided to invite some friends over in the absence of my Mom for Persian new year's dinner. Making the rice like I said, wasn't too much of a problem. Cleaning and preparing the trout took me hours, had me in tears and made me wish I had invited everybody out to dinner. Even though I was a student at the time and couldn't afford it, it was worth paying for the dinner rather than trying to clean and fry that blasted fish.
This year we invited a dozen friends and family and I knew I had to make the traditional meal. My mom is older now and can't be expected to make a meal for such a big group. She asked me how I was going to clean and prepare all the fish that I had bought. She knew about the disasterous dinner of few years ago. I told her not to worry, I would find it in the Internet. And found it I did.

This You Tube Video of How to Skin a Trout is amazing. It is not as easy as he makes it look, but I was able to prepare the fish in time. After cleaning and skinning it, I patted it with some flour and pan fried it. I served it with some fresh lemon and saffron along the rice and it was a real hit. My mom was heard saying several times over the dinner, you know you can learn anything on the Internet.

Happy Norouz! Happy Spring! Happy Easter!

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:46:21 GMT

Norouz which means New day in Farsi, is the Iranian New year which coincides with Spring Solctice and is usually very close to Easter as well. My mom and I have been busy with spring cleaning and shopping for the celebrations which will start tonight at 10:50 PM. Last night we jumped over the fire for chaharshanbehsuri or the wednesday feast (which ironically takes place on the last tuesday night of the year), and we just had some fish with my family who are here to ring in the new year with us. We have set our Haftsin or the table with seven things that begin with the letter S and our wearing our new clothes. My mom will give every one money when the new year begins and on Friday night we'll have a whole bunch of family and friends who will visit for the new year.

This is Milan's first Norouz and first spring with us. We'll have Patrick over for this week as he is off for his spring break as well. I am looking forward to celebrating the spring wiht my family and hope that you all have a great spring and a great year ahead as well!

Goin' to Camp, Johnson's Baby Camp

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:46:01 GMT

I overhear my husband, an influential tech blogger, on the phone laughing as he tells a start-up CEO, "your product is probably not worth much, if you don't manage to piss off an influentiual blogger or two. I wouldn't have even wanted to try your product if I hadn't read that it made Mike (here he refers to another influential tech blogger) rant so vigorously. As soon as I read his post though, my interest was peeked and I had to check your software out." Robert gets hundreds of calls from PR agencies and tech companies to write about and review their products so that his readers (which are atleast a few hundred thousand) would know about the product. He is giving the business person some good advice while calming him down about the recent controversy regarding the comapny's product. He is probably referring to the well known fact, all PR is good PR, but I also think that he is reffering to another fact of life, every crisis gives the opportunity for improvement and for great leaders to emerge. I wish Lori Dolginoff, in charge of creating Johnson's Camp Baby, had heard his words after the blogstorm broke out in the mommy blogosphere about why two influential mommy bloggers had been disinvited from their event.

If I had any doubts about going to Camp Baby it all disappeared after talking to Lori yesterday. She is a take charge, transparent, accept responsibility and learn from mistakes kind of person and I applaud her for that. She was faced with a blogstorm when two influential mommy bloggers wrote about how they had been disinvited from Camp Baby for not being able to attend the full program and get this, for daring to want to bring their baby to Camp Baby. Neither one of these had happened if the PR agency had chosen a personal approach to the bloggers, if they knew who their target bloggers were, and if the wording of the invitation and the naming of the event had been more clear.

I didn't receive the first two invitations because they were sent as general emails sent to all kind of mail that ended up in my junk mail due to the spam filter. The third email though came from an actual person from the PR agency who nicely wrote to me about how the camp was filling up and they would really want me to come and please RSVP as soon as possible. I went back to my junk mail box and found the original invitation. Then like every good blogger I did a little research. Nothing on the Johnson's website or any of their ad agencies about this program that I could find. Was this a phishing scam or was somebody playing a joke on me? So I digged a little deeper and went to the Mommy blogs to find out if any one else was talking about this and of course wanted to know who else was going? There I found some good chatter about the excitement about going to Camp Baby. Ok so this was legit and all kinds of mommy bloggers were attending. I started to get excited and I responded affirmitively. I am event planner though and when attending an event I never take things for granted and I need to check everything out.

The event was called "Camp Baby" and they were reaching out to Mommy bloggers most of whom had attended execellent Blogher events and were used to having child care available at the events and it was a Johnson & Johnson's event for Gods sake so I thought I should and could bring my baby with me. Since there was nothing written about the details of child care, however, and the registration website seemed to be closed off due to the capacity being full, I thought I would research the blogs and see what other moms were doing. That's when I read about one of the mommy bloggers being disinvited because she wanted to take her baby with her. How could you invite a nursing mother to an event about babies and expect her to come sans baby? A company that makes baby products should know their audience better. Johnson was losing a great opportunity to reach out to nursing mothers and in fact was shunning them.

That wasn't the only thing though, another mommy blogger was being disinvited because she couldn't attend the full program as she was speaking at the Blogher conference which happened to be taking place at the same time as Camp Baby. Having the Johnson's event coincide with a very popular mommy blogging event was bad enough, but inviting a speaker from this event and treating her well could have given Johnson an opportunity to expose their comapny to all the audience at the Blogher event. Instead they were kicking the speaker out of their program. Another clear marketing loss.

Reading these posts made my heart ache for whoever was behind organizing this event. It was clear they had their heart in the right place. They wanted to reach out to mommy bloggers and let them have a great time while giving them an opportunity to try out some of the company's products. It was obvious they had worked very hard to organize this event, but it seemed they had made a couple of mistakes which had backfired in a blazing blogstorm. Being an event planner and having made mistakes in my own time, I wish I could tell them, hey people are much harsher online than they are in person. Just pick up the phone and reach out to them. The key to dealing wiht bloggers is all about the personal touch. You'll see that they are only human and will be much nicer to you in person. And as my husband had said, this was a great opportunity for any company to show how they can handle a PR crisis, make friends with bloggers by reaching out and learning from their mistakes and come out even stronger.

I am so glad Lori called me, so I could talk to her (it seems she already knew about the personal appraoch and learning from mistakes and was on the right track). From what I have read it seems that Johnson has started on the right track and I can't wait to see what they will be presenting at their camp. Oh and I am taking my baby with me. I am paying my Mom's way to come with me and stay at the hotel. My mom will be staying at the hotel room with my baby, so she can take care of him while I attend the sessions and I will break away every once in a while to check on them. I realize I am lucky to have my mom come along with me and I am looking forward to posting about what I learn from camp baby and to meet Lori and her team.

Four reasons I Heart Rob La Gesse

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:30:05 GMT

Rob La Gesse has tagged me to blog about the 4x4 theme that is going on right now, and I am too lazy and too fickle to do that, so I will write about four reasons I Rob La Gesse.

1) Rob La Gesse is a great story teller. I like reading his Motorcycle diaries, or stories about his kids, his previous bosses and co workers and all kinds of crazy experiences he has had. He makes me smile and he makes me think like all great story tellers do.

2) Rob La Gesse is a good and generous friend. He has been very generous to me and my family, but I also know that he helps out any one of his friends in need. When I was pregnant he gave me a G.C. for a spa treatment, that was honestly one of the best gifts I received, and he just gave Patrick an Apple Newton that Patrick has proudly added to his Apple musuem.

3) Rob La Gesse inspires me to be a better blogger. He inspires me by his stories, by his comments and by his emails, but also by just being my friend and supporting me.

4) Rob La Gesse is a geek. You all know I love geeks right? Especially those geeks who help out their community like Rob just did by inviting Robert to interview many local Tech businesses in San Antonio and getting their stories out.

Keep on bloggin' Rob!

The Ultimnate Peep Show

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:41:26 GMT

Got this in email yesterday and had to share!

For all my favorite 'peeps' :)

Happy Easter!

Funny Pick Up Lines

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 02:18:01 GMT

I was visiting my brother and his family over the weekend and when we arrived my niece and nephew started to tease me with the new funny pick up lines they had learned. I know there are entire sites on the internet about these, but these few were G-rated and cute, so I thought I would share.
As I sat down my niece reached behind my neck to check the tag of my shirt and then smiled and said, "Aaaaaaah, it reads, Made in Heaven!"
I started to laugh, but my nephew tapped me on the shoulder and said, "I have a better one for you. Do you have a map?" "And before I could answer, he added, "because I am lost in your eyes!"
My niece finished the lines off by asking me if I was tired and again before I could answer, she said, "Because you've been running in my mind all day long!"
And then they asked baby Milan if his Dad was a baker. And when I asked why, they answered, because he is a cutiepie!
Hey maybe I will try these on Robert when he comes back from his trip.

Problems with Toys R Us Babies R Us Return Policy

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:03:18 GMT

I strongly suggest you reconsider registering for your baby at Babies R Us or buy anything at Toys R us. We did that and I completely regret the money we and our friends and loved ones gave them. Oh, don't get me wrong. We love everything that we bought or received. It's their return policy that sucks. Sometimes people buy you items from the list and forget to check them off, so you may get two or three of the same item. If they don't give you a receipt for the gifts, you can forget about being able to return them. No receipt, No return. Not even exchanging anything is possible without a receipt. They won't take anything back without a receipt even if a huge Toys R Us tag is on the item you are trying to get credit for. You know I can somewhat understand that. But the problem is even if you have a receipt, you only have 90 days to return the items. This one I have a hard time with. The first three months of having a baby is so chaotic that you hardly have time to return items. Some people have baby showers a month or two before the baby arrives, and by the time you figure out you received two of the same items or you don't really need that fancy mobile and would rather get some more onsies, your 90 days is over and you are SOL.

It's going to be a long time before I walk into Toys R Us again. I am taking my baby and my money and am shopping anywhere but...take that you cheap, penny pinching Girrafe.

Robert Scoble welcomes You to Fast Company TV

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 07:29:30 GMT

I loved watching Robert's intro to Fast Company TV. It is a short clip, so if you get a chance give it a shot. This video was shot on the beach and you will see Robert gazing into the waves, and hopping around the rocks. I have to warn you, this is no episode of Baywatch. He does talk about his new gig though and some of the stuff that he and his rocking editor, Rocky and the rest of their great team are working on. And they need your feedback to make some cool new shows.

I am looking forward to seeing Robert's new advetures at his new job. He really loves what he does; he doesn't even think of it as work. It's just who he is: A goofy geeky white boy who loves hanging out with geeks and technologists and trying out new software and playing with new gagdgets.

Anyway it's late at night and Robert is away on a business trip so I miss him and am getting all mushy on the blog. Congrats to my husband on the launch of his new show.

Health tip

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:00:14 GMT

Found this on email today and I thought it was fun to share with those of you worried for your health. For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies. 1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. 2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. 3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. 4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. 5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. CONCLUSION Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Watching Cybill Shepherd in Curvy Widow

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:20:40 GMT

I love Cybill Shepherd. I fell in love with her when she was playing Maddie Hayes opposite Bruce Willis in Moonlighting. That was one of the first American shows I ever watched and I started watching it in Wales on the Summer of 1986 with my Mom and sister in law while I was waiting to get my student visa to come to the States. I used to think that Americans spoke so fast, because it was hard for me to follow the dialogue. I was just beginning to learn English then. I still got some of the jokes though and I just loved watching that show. Over the years I have watched her in some of the movies like Chances are and her own show on TV. Watching her performing on Stage as the curvy widow in San Francisco the other night though was such a treat. She is funny and beautiful and such a fantastic actress.
Curvy Widow is the story of a woman in her late fifties who goes online in search of a companion or as she so aptly puts it a playmate. What I liked about the play besides Ms. Shepherd's wonderful acting and the funny adventures and misadventures of the curvy widow was how she projected her computer display on the wall beside her so we could follow her online journey. I've been to many plays but this was the first time I was seeing virtual life displayed on the live stage. It was a surprising departure from what I had been used to and I quite enjoyed it. I also enjoyed Ms. Shepherd taking questions from the audience after the play. She showed that she can think on her feet and is quite witty and smart.
Someone asked her, what was the best sex she had ever had. Instead of shying away from the question or getting upset, she smply answered, with myself! Now that is a real woman in my book :)
If you get a chance and Curvy Widow is playing nearby, I definitely recommend seeing it. I really do love Cybill Shepherd.

Super Couple: Brian Cox and Gia Gia

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:57:53 GMT

Are there any awards for Super couples being given out? I'd like to nominate Brian Cox and his lovely wife Gia as the uber super couple. I want Robert and I to be like them, when we evolve later in our relationship :) They are visiting from UK and are here in the bay area for the Ted conference since Brian is speaking there and we met them and some of their friends for drinks at Medjool in San Fran last night. Brian Cox is a physicist working for CERN and Gia works in the TV and Film industry; her recent project was blogging for the movie, Sunshine.
They are both attractive, charming, accomplished, smart and kind, but what I really like about them is that even though they are quite successful in their professional fields, they are well-rounded enough that you can talk to them about anything. The conversation never comes to a dull point. Brian is a brilliant scientist but he was part of a band in college. A nerd who knows how to rock and roll; now that is pretty cool. And Gia? She is not to be outdone by her husband. She is a geek too; in fact we keep running into eachother in the geeky conferences, but she is also in the film and movie industry and hangs out with the stars as part of her job. She is a cool kid with geek cred.
They have smart friends too. We met Jas of the Electronpusher blog last night at Medjool who showed off her Apple Newton to us. It may be an interesting antique to many but she let me play with it and it was pretty cool. I think I want me a Newton. It turns out that Jas works at Google and designs computing infrastructures for them. I am always in awe when I meet women who have made it in the boys world of computers and are accomplished as such. There are so few of these genuises and they have to work hard to attain their professional achievements.
It was a great night hanging out with Brian and Gia and Jas and their friends. Maybe they just have the right accent to make them sound smart and look attractive. Maybe it is because they are Brian and Gia and Jas.

New Baby Vocabulary

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:00:54 GMT

I am learning new words about babies from my husband these days.

First there was, Fuss Bucket: referring to baby when he was fussy at nights and wouldn't go to sleep. It's cute and it works for me :)

Then there was toothing, referring to why the baby was acting fussy and wouldn't sleep at nights. Isn't it teething? I asked. But what if it is only one tooth that is coming out? He asked. Good point, I thought.

Finally, there was burfing, referring to baby who was trying to burp but barfed instead.

My husband is a modern day Shakespeare, creating new language as we speak and you thought he was just a geek ;)

Watching Rivera's Brainpeople in San Francisco

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:27:28 GMT

After having seen the movie, The Motorcycle Diaries about Che Guevara's life by Rivera, I was excited about watching his play,The Brainpeople: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/114682.html on stage. I went to see the play with two girlfriends, and I have to say I was nicely surprised and deeply moved. It's been a week since I've seen the play and I am still struggling with the concepts brought forth by the play. The actresses were at once beautiful, engaging and had an amazing range. The play mixed surrealistic aspects with universal concepts of love, life and death in such a smooth and humorous way and the actresses couldn't have been better.
If Rivera's Brainpeople is playing anywhere nearby I definitely recommend watching it.

Benefits of Traveling with Children

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:39:09 GMT

If someone told me that there were actual benefits in flying with children in my childless days, I would've never believed them. I remember I used to pray for one thing when I stepped into the airplane before, not for us not to crash...I figured if it was my time to go, nothing could stop it, but I did pray that I wouldn't be seated near a crying baby. Yes, I am selfish. I don't want to be disturbed while I am flying, especially not by a wailing child. And I would look at the families traveling with children with pity; the poor souls. The saying was right: They weren't vacationing; they were suffering. Well, I am here to tell you I was wrong. I am not advocating that you go have babies just so that you enjoy your travels more, because let's face it carting around all that extra stuff, the stroller, diaper bag, extra clothes, and of course the baby, especially through various security checks is not all that fun. There are benefits in flying with kids though.

For one thing, most other passengers, the airline staff and especially the flight attendants are much nicer to you. You really do see the kinder, gentler face of humanity when you are traveling with child. People go out of their way to help you with your luggage, get the doors for you, complement your baby, and if there is time, even tell you about their kids, grandkids, or nieces and nephews. I think it is biologically ingrained in us to assure the continuance of the species, but taking care of the youngest of the population.

When checking in with a young child, if at all possible the airline staff make sure to give you more comfortable seats. Bassinets are provided free of charge if available, but if the flight is not full you get additional seats too. On our trip to Geneva, United even upgraded us to Economy plus seating, because the flight wasn't full. They gave us two extra seats too, so we had a full row to ourselves. The fight attendants were super nice too. I think they figure babies are like weapons of mass dissatisfaction. They don't negotiate with terrorists but they can negotiate with parents. We make sure that you are comfortable and we'll take good care of you; you make sure your baby doesn't cry all the way home and make everyone on board miserable.

The best part about traveling with children though is that they make the trip go much faster. You are so busy feeding them, changing their diapers, changing their clothes, getting a new bib, wiping that drool, that you don't even feel the hours go by and before you know it you are at your destination.

And the very best part? You make wonderful memories with your child at your destination that you can treasure forever. Ok, maybe that last bit sounded too hallmarky for you..trust me though, traveling with children can be fun. Of course you don't want everyone to know this; you want people to still go out of their way to help you out, get that door for you, give up their seat, and help you carry that extra bag :)

Bon voyage and don't forget to take that baby with you :)

Three things I love about you which also drive me crazy...

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:46:38 GMT

Dear Valentine, I married you because you can not tell a lie to save your life. I love your honesty. I know you can never cheat on me, because you won't be able to lie to me. By the same token I can't ever ask you, "do these pants make me look fat?" It's not that you'd be rude about it and say something mean. You just look down, or look away, say no and try and run out of the room as soon as possible. I also love that you are hard working; that you are dedicated to your work, and I know you provide for our family and take care of us in the best of your abilities. At the same time, I know I can't ask you to play hookey and bum around with me when I feel like it. Oh why oh why, can't I have everything? I get so mad at you when you act absentminded and forget important things, like your cell. phone before you take off on a trip. But I love the fact that you never remember any of the mistakes I make. You always forget why you got mad me in a matter of minutes and that is why my Valentine, you and I will be loving each other forever. Happy Valentine's day!

Viva La Geneva

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 03:36:59 GMT

Last year about this time, we were leaving Geneva after having had a fantastic time at the Lift conference : www.liftconference.com and Robert began suspecting that I may be pregnant. I hadn't touched the fine Swiss chocolates that Laurent, our wonderful host and amazing conference organizer had brought me; I wasn't having any wine (didn't feel like it at all), ran to the bathroom to throw up a couple of times; my back was hurting and I constantly complained about all the different smells. Oh and I wanted to eat Oranges all the time. I flat out refused to have any of that talk, blamed the whole thing on jetlag and being sick and wasn't even convinced after seeing the positive pregnancy test results we got right after we landed in the US and bought our own test at the local super market. That week after being back though, I went to the doctor and they told me, yes sure I was pregnant with child three months along. Now we are back here and five month old Milan is accompanying us and smiling at everyone he sees.
Lift has been yet another mind blowing experience. Watching Kevin Warwick, the first human cyborg on stage, is not an experience you can have every day. Last year we spend a week before coming here at Robert's aunt's house in Germany, but this year she met us in Geneva and has been taking care of the baby while Robert and I attended the sessions. Thank God for Tante Purzel! I have appreciated having this precious adult time to stimulate the mind, watching some of the industry's greatest speak.
I have had such a wonderful time, hanging out with Robert, Milan, Tante Purzel along the conference attendees, speakers, and organizers, nibbling on Swiss fine chocolates and cheese (especially fondue), basking in the unseasonably warm sunshine (after 18 days of consecutive rain in California), meeting old friends and making new ones, and even running into my childhood comic icons, Tin Tin and Milo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/scobleizer/2250454120/. I do love Geneva and hope to come back again next year. Geneva is a must see city and Lift a must attend conference. Wish you were here!

Watching Super Bowl with Mom

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 02:55:30 GMT

My mom who is in her mid seventies and doesn't speak much English has moved in with us recently. She is sitting in the living room next to me looking at my brother, my husband, his friend and my step son who are watching the Super Bowl. "What are they watching?" She asks me. "It's the Super Bowl; biggest football game of the year." I respond.
She nods then asks, "So who is the US playing against?"
I love my Mom :)

Heading out to LIFT in Geneva

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:29:40 GMT

On Monday, Robert, Milan and I will be heading out to the beautiful city of Geneva for one of our favorite conferences, LIFT. Last year, we were blown away by the caliber of speakers, breadth of the materials covered, the overall artistic appeal of the conference, the amazing people we met, the beauty of Geneva and the amazing Swiss experience. Laurent and team pulled off a complete success. Can't wait to see him and everyone else there. Hope you will join us at the conference.

Can't wait for LOST

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:15:09 GMT

Robert, Patrick and I are totally hooked on Lost. We watched the entire season three over the holidays and now wait to see the season premiere tonight. We loved season one; tolerated season two and liked season three. I wasn't entirely impressed with the flash forward scenes, but have to wait and see what happens tonight. My favorite character is Hurley. If you watch Lost, who is your favorite character and why? If you don't; you should watch it. It is the best thing on TV.

The Miracle of Mylicon---Infant gas relief that turns crying, fussy babies into smiling ones

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:04:15 GMT

I can't begin to tell you how much we appreciate Mylicon infant drops. Milan always started crying after each feeding and we tried changing bottles and formulas, and I was watching what I ate so that contents of my breast milk would not upset him. We thought he was just a fussy baby, but my friend who has a one year old suggested giving him Mylicon and it made a world of difference. We checked with our doctor and she said it was totally safe too. God bless who ever invented this drop. It is a miracle worker.

He would cry and be upset right after each feeding. His digestive system is just not fully developed at that age and he had a lot of gas with the milk. Most babies are like that. It makes parents lives hell because you have just fed the baby, burped him, changed him, and he is not sleepy and yet he is crying. You are at the end of your wits. Let me tell you: One drop of Mylicon and a few minutes and Milan is as happy as can be.

No one is paying me to write this post. The best payment is having my child be happy and healthy. Check with your doctor first of course, but Mylicon really worked for us and continues to do wonders.

Traveling with Baby? Here are fifteen things I've learned.

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:36:41 GMT

I honestly thought that my days of traveling adventure would be over once our baby was born. Not so! Barely four months old, Milan has accompanied us without much fuss to Paris, London and Vegas, traveling via Trains, Planes, and even on a bus. We are headed to Geneva next.

If you are traveling with child I highly recommend checking out My Traveling Buddy website.

Baby Center has a great checklist on things to take with you while traveling with child.

My advice based on my own experience?

1) Don't pack too many little bags and suitcases. You will leave things behind or else won't be able to carry all of them together. While it was easier before to have smaller, lighter suitcases, you now need to try and consolidate as much as possible. Remember in addition to the suitcases, you also have to push the stroller and you only have two hands :) I used to pack a suitcase, a carry on and a bag for each of us and it worked perfectly before, but now one of us has to push the stroller while the other carries everything on the cart. My heart goes out to single parents!

2) Don't forget the baby Bjorn or other form of baby carrier with you. You need to check in your stroller and sometimes have to walk long distances before claiming it back after you get off the plane. You can check in the stroller right where you check in to get on the flight, but you won't get it back when you land until you walk all the way to baggage claim. In London, we had to walk far and long, and wait quite a while before getting our stroller back. Thank God, I packed a baby carrier with me.

3) Don't forget the bottle washer and soap. It's hard to wash bottles without the bottle washer and the soap at the hotels or airports might be too fragrant for the baby. I had to send Robert out to search for a bottle washer in Vegas and I had a hard time finding a perfume free soap in beautiful Paris, home to many famous perfumes.

4) If you are using formula, make a bottle ready before going through security screening. They won't let you carry a bottle of water but they would let you carry the milk through. The bottle would be safe for an hour and two and you are not forced to run around and look for bottled water in the airport. The security officer in the Vegas airport told me that I could get out of line, mix my formula with water and go through again if I wanted to. I didn't want to wait in line again, but next time, I will just make the formula ahead of time.

5) Check in early for your flight so you can make sure your baby has a bassinet on board. You can't reserve one on the phone and if too many babies are traveling on board, you may lose out to those who checked in before you. We were late to check in for our flight to London and couldn't get a bassinet as there were twenty other babies traveling on board. We got smart on the way back and checked in early :)

6) Make sure your baby is sucking on a pacifier or a bottle during take off and landing. The air pressure won't hurt their ears as much. We were feeding Milan while the plane was taking off and landing and he fell asleep each time without crying.

7) If traveling by train find out where the bathroom with diaper changing table is located and book your cabin close to that. I had to walk through over ten cabins while the train was moving with a baby that badly needed a change, all the while worrying if we were going to reach the station soon.

8) Pack enough formula and diapers. Babies sometimes show allergic reaction to different brands of diapers. It's also very hard to find the same brand of formula while traveling abroad and babies stomach often react to new brands.We ran out of formula in Paris and I couldn't even read the instructions on the formula I bought and had to trust the reluctant pharmacist advice. Luckily Milan liked the new formula and it worked fine for us. Next time, I will pack extra formula though.

9) Having a travel system based car seat and stroller (we use Graco) works best because you can use the car seat in the cabs, buses, trains and cars, and then place the seat easily in the stroller when walking around. The stroller folds easily and is light to carry around. You can also use it as a cart to carry stuff around.

10) If you have older children I suggest running them through the airport to let them exert some of that extra energy so that they are good and tired and ready to sleep in flight. Planning travel during their sleep time is also a good idea.

11) With older children taking some cheap new toys and coloring materials helps keep them occupied during flight. When Patrick was younger, I always bought him a bunch of magazines so he could read them during the flight and of course he had his trusty hand held game players.

12) Remember that there are different rules for traveling with babies domestically vs. internationally. For example, babies traveling on your lap can fly for free on United inside the US but you have to purchase a ticket for them while traveling abroad. It usually comes to about 10% of your adult fare plus taxes, etc.

13) You need a valid passport for children traveling abroad with you, even if your child is only four months old like ours.

14) Before traveling make sure to check with your pediatrician about any medical issues you need to be aware of. Traveling with babies under three months is not recommended and some airlines won't even allow a new born to fly. Depending on the country you are traveling to, your baby may need to get special vaccinations. I packed over the counter gas-relief medicine and baby Tylenol with us just in case.

15) Last but not least, check the weather and pack accordingly for your child. It was raining hard in London and Paris and we looked around for a long time before we were able to find a waterproof plastic cover for Milan's stroller.

Bon Voyage and Happy travels!

Travel Tips

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:36:14 GMT

Track your flight with Flytecomm: If you are picking up friends and loved ones at the airport or dropping them off and/or if you travel plans involve flying, Flytecomm service is awesome. You can even check this via mobile devices.

Book your flights with Kayak: Kayak checks multiple sites simultaneously and is gauranteed to find you the best deal.

Search for hotels with Tripadvisor: You can read hundreds of reviews on various hotels and then check multiple sites simultaneously to get the best hotel for the best deal.

Find the best restaurants in the US with Yelp: Read customer reviews on some of the trendiest as well as offbeat restaurants to find the best place to chow down.

HUMOR FOR LEXOPHILES (LOVERS OF WORDS)

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:19:57 GMT

Here's another fun email that was forwarded to me. Enjoy!

I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

Police were called to a day care where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.

Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now.

The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.

The butcher backed up into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.

To write with a broken pencil is pointless.

When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate.

The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.

A thief fell and broke his leg in wet cement. He became a hardened criminal.

Thieves who steal corn from a garden could be charged with stalking.

We'll never run out of math teachers because they always multiply.

When the smog lifts in Los Angeles , U.C.L.A.

The math professor went crazy with the blackboard. He did a number on it.

The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes was on shaky ground.

The dead batteries were given out free of charge.

If you take a laptop computer for a run you could jog your memory.

A dentist and a manicurist fought tooth and nail.

A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.

A will is a dead giveaway.

Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

A backward poet writes inverse.

In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.

A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.

If you don't pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.

With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.

Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I'll show you A-flat miner.

When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.

The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.

A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France , resulted in Linoleum Blownapart.

You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.

Local Area Network in Australia : The LAN down under.

He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.

A calendar's days are numbered.

A lot of money is tainted: 'Taint yours, and 'taint mine.

A boiled egg is hard to beat.

He had a photographic memory which was never developed.

A plateau is a high form of flattery.

Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.

When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.

If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine ..

When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.

Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.

Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.

Acupuncture: a jab well done.

Rave: The cost of raising a child

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:15:26 GMT

A friend sent this to me via email and I simply had to pass it on. I guess you all have to pay the price by reading stuff like this on my website, now that I am raising a little baby of my own :)

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from
birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about
sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.
But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have
children if you want to be 'rich.'
Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your
$160,140?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said
or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watching Saturday morning cartoons,
* going to Disney movies, and
* wishing on stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator
magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints
set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's
Day.
For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be
a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team
that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream or pizza regardless.

You get a front row seat to history, to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first bra,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family
tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called
grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology,
nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no
college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have
all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed,
patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love
them without limits. So, one day they will, like you, love without counting
the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!
Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren!!!!!!!

Farewell PodTech

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:40:40 GMT

It's with regret that my tenure at PodTech has come to an end due to the elimination of my department. While at PodTech, I learned quite a lot about podcasting and video; traveled extensively and met amazing people; and was part of some awesome events such as Vloggies and CES Bloghaus. Most of all though I worked with wonderful, smart, and top of the class professionals. I wish everyone well at PodTech and value the memories.
What's next for me?
For now, I am committed full time to raising my little baby boy who has just turned four months and taking care of my Mom who just moved in with us this month. I guess I am part of the middle generation, taking care of the older and future generations :)
I am also looking for a part time position, something that I can mostly do from home. While I am not in a hurry to land a new job right away, I am serious about wanting to remain part of the work force if only for a few hours a week. I need the intellectual stimulation; the adult interaction and hey the finanacial compensation can't hurt either! If you can think of something let me know. In the mean time, I will be raising the baby, taking care of Mom, keeping Robert in line and blogging away of course!

Women of the BlogHuas

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:02:18 GMT

I think one of the reasons I enjoyed the BlogHaus so much is all the amazing women I met at the BlogHaus this year. Don't get me wrong; guys are all fine and all, but I get excited when I see fellow female bloggers and inspiring and fun women at the conferences and events.
Some of my favorites?
The Frag Dolls were kicking some serious ass playing Halo at the BlogHaus.
Ask A Chola got escorted out by the security at the ShowStoppers event but she was feeling right at home here at the BlogHaus.
iJustine walked in and was immediately surrounded by many adoring fans.
I missed hearing the sweet and talented Teresa sing at the Atomic Museum, but she was at the BlogHaus in her full glory and as always fun to hang out with.
Lora Heiny stopped by with her brother Loren and it was so good to hang out with the tablet PC goddess.
And of course the ever fashionable and sassy PR Diva, Rene Blodgett was at the BlogHaus too as I have already mentioned.
So many other smart and inspiring women stopped by of course and above are only just a few of my favorite ladies :)