Firstly, I have an apology to make. I totally forgot to mention the Podcast of fellow Blogger extrodenaire, Adam at Throwing Quarters. It's been awhile since I've heard a new one, but the beauty of the Podcast is that all of the previous episodes are available, so you can go back and enjoy them all.
A couple of weeks ago, the lovely & talented Jessica Bell of The Alliterative Allomorph wrote about losing followers. She wasn't sure why, and seemed to be feeling a little stung.
About three weeks ago, this happened to me too. Suddenly. I looked, and I was down by 2 followers, and I wasn't sure why. I don't think I had posted anything particularly offensive. I'm wondering if Blogger does occasional housekeeping and closes inactive accounts. I tried checking the Followers page, and I didn't see any way to see who had canceled their subscription, and I didn't recognize any absences. Oddly, I've gained about 6 new Followers since then, so it's nice that I'm still going onward and upward. But still...(Does anyone else find it a little awkward to refer to “Their Followers”? It sounds a little culty to me.)
As for myself, I haven't ever un-Followed someone. There's only one I no longer visit (on purpose), someone who mostly posts his own graphic designs (not you Matt), but never followed me back, or responded to my comments. Not that I automatically neglect those who don't comment or respond – one of my faves Followed me back, but rarely comments. That's cool, people are busy and when you re-follow everyone who signs up, it can get pretty busy in the ol' Google Reader. The issue I took with the first one is that I was one of his first Followers (on the recommendation of a Blogger friend of his), and he seems to be using his Blog as a resume. That, I believe, is a fabulous use of the Blogosphere, but since I'm not in his market, I'll spend my (precious little) computer time on the Blogs I resonate with, and especially with those who are more into the community of it. My pen-palls with less waiting!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
I Need A Fix...
There are two pretty serious addictions that I'm enjoying right now. One should run it's course pretty soon, and the other is ongoing.
While on vacation, our gracious hosts introduced us to the HBO show, True Blood.
We're almost through the first season (12 episodes), and it's like candy. The premise is set two years after vampires have revealed themselves to the public due to a synthetic blood that allows them to sustain themselves without being a threat to the population. The show is set in a small town in Louisiana, where they're encountering their first vampires. While there's plenty of fear, the protagonist (and her grandmother) are pretty liberal, as though they've learned everything they need to know about vampires from Oprah. It's a very adult show, with all the swearing and sex that entails. It seems that they're trying really hard to prove that they aren't re-packaging Twilight. I don't mind it, but some friends found it a little excessive. What I'm enjoying is the Southern Gothic flavour (Up yours, Spell Check, I'm keeping the 'u' in “Flavour”). If you'd asked me a week ago just what “Southern Gothic” was, I'd say that I'd heard of it, and that would be the end of my contribution. Now, I know what it looks like, and I must say, I'm finding Southern Gothic to be mighty tasty!
My other indulgence goes back about a year, and I can't believe there aren't more people into it. A couple months after I got my Ipod, I discovered Podcasts, and since they're all free (and we all know how that F-word will get attention:) ), I was free to experiment. For the uninitiated, it's like getting 15-90 minutes of talk radio on any subject you could imagine, and they release regular shows. (there are video Podcasts, but I'm not as familiar with those). Seriously, have you heard of “Thelema”? It's a Kaballa/Yoga-based belief system that maybe 1/10,000 people have heard of, and I've found 3-5 Podcasts about it. There are some good writing Podcasts too, my favorites being “I Should Be Writing” and “Writing Excuses.”
I lot of radio shows have podcasts, as do some magazines, such as the “New Yorker Short Fiction” Podcast. Another one I like is the “APM Dinner Party Download” for general conversation topics for – you guessed it – your next dinner party. `
Does anyone have any Podcasts that they like? Like I said, it's an addiction, and if you have a suggestion for my next fix, I'd be much obliged.
While on vacation, our gracious hosts introduced us to the HBO show, True Blood.
We're almost through the first season (12 episodes), and it's like candy. The premise is set two years after vampires have revealed themselves to the public due to a synthetic blood that allows them to sustain themselves without being a threat to the population. The show is set in a small town in Louisiana, where they're encountering their first vampires. While there's plenty of fear, the protagonist (and her grandmother) are pretty liberal, as though they've learned everything they need to know about vampires from Oprah. It's a very adult show, with all the swearing and sex that entails. It seems that they're trying really hard to prove that they aren't re-packaging Twilight. I don't mind it, but some friends found it a little excessive. What I'm enjoying is the Southern Gothic flavour (Up yours, Spell Check, I'm keeping the 'u' in “Flavour”). If you'd asked me a week ago just what “Southern Gothic” was, I'd say that I'd heard of it, and that would be the end of my contribution. Now, I know what it looks like, and I must say, I'm finding Southern Gothic to be mighty tasty!
My other indulgence goes back about a year, and I can't believe there aren't more people into it. A couple months after I got my Ipod, I discovered Podcasts, and since they're all free (and we all know how that F-word will get attention:) ), I was free to experiment. For the uninitiated, it's like getting 15-90 minutes of talk radio on any subject you could imagine, and they release regular shows. (there are video Podcasts, but I'm not as familiar with those). Seriously, have you heard of “Thelema”? It's a Kaballa/Yoga-based belief system that maybe 1/10,000 people have heard of, and I've found 3-5 Podcasts about it. There are some good writing Podcasts too, my favorites being “I Should Be Writing” and “Writing Excuses.”
I lot of radio shows have podcasts, as do some magazines, such as the “New Yorker Short Fiction” Podcast. Another one I like is the “APM Dinner Party Download” for general conversation topics for – you guessed it – your next dinner party. `
Does anyone have any Podcasts that they like? Like I said, it's an addiction, and if you have a suggestion for my next fix, I'd be much obliged.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Happy Aniversary Vacation!
Thank you all for the well-wishes! Our time away was great. We got to stay in their only cabin (which I helped put the floor into last May) at Little Banff, which was handy since setting-up Camp Calli takes a lot of room. She even got her own room, which was helpful since we didn't want to go to bed at 7:30 when she did. We were also close to the lake, which was convenient on this super-hot week. It's been in the high-20's, which in Fahrenheit translates as DAMN HOT! I broke into a sweat changing her diaper. We got to enjoy several family soaks in the lake, with Calli enjoying her inner-tube with the mesh seat & hood for the sun. Being at the water front had another advantage; we caught a lot of wind through the cabin (see: Damn Hot!). I'll have pictures soon, but the camera was borrowed, so I'm just waiting on the email.
One of the owners has finally taken my advice (non-subtle prodding) and began writing a biography. She's led an interesting life, and has a talent for it. Just reading her emails, it's plain that she has a talent for it. When we were there, she was inspired to write about us. I leaned over and said “...handsome...clever...” I'm sure that is how I was portrayed. When it's due for release, I'll be sure to keep ya'll posted.
Even though we had all of our regular Calli-sustenance duties, it was a relaxing time. We went up after work on Sunday, got there about 6:30, and stayed until Wednesday afternoon. We would have stayed longer, but we had dinner reservations at Oscar's, an upscale restaurant in town, to celebrate our 3rd aniversary. I'm tempted to get all 'Foodie' on you, so I'll restrain myself to telling you about desert: Rhubarb & Rosemary Creme Brule. The Rosemary part intrigued us, and to be honest, it was great! Who's have thought, eh? They gambled, and they surely landed on their feet with that one!
I've still got a few days off, so it'll be a lot of relaxing, and a couple engagements. Hopefully, more relaxing than anything. And writing. Now that I've mentioned a work-in-progress, I feel more accountable to pick up that torch!
One of the owners has finally taken my advice (non-subtle prodding) and began writing a biography. She's led an interesting life, and has a talent for it. Just reading her emails, it's plain that she has a talent for it. When we were there, she was inspired to write about us. I leaned over and said “...handsome...clever...” I'm sure that is how I was portrayed. When it's due for release, I'll be sure to keep ya'll posted.
Even though we had all of our regular Calli-sustenance duties, it was a relaxing time. We went up after work on Sunday, got there about 6:30, and stayed until Wednesday afternoon. We would have stayed longer, but we had dinner reservations at Oscar's, an upscale restaurant in town, to celebrate our 3rd aniversary. I'm tempted to get all 'Foodie' on you, so I'll restrain myself to telling you about desert: Rhubarb & Rosemary Creme Brule. The Rosemary part intrigued us, and to be honest, it was great! Who's have thought, eh? They gambled, and they surely landed on their feet with that one!
I've still got a few days off, so it'll be a lot of relaxing, and a couple engagements. Hopefully, more relaxing than anything. And writing. Now that I've mentioned a work-in-progress, I feel more accountable to pick up that torch!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Vacation! Huzzah! (that's Hebrew for 'Hurrah!')
I'm going to be gone for a few days; at 4:30 today, I'm starting vacation, and we're going to our friend's RV park. They always spoil us with a great trailer for our anniversary get-away, and fortunately, they were spared last week's tornado, though they were only about 20 kms (15 miles?) away.
Now, if I was one of those super-duper daily Bloggers, capable of bending the laws of time and space to get daily posts up, my absence would be more obvious. But I only got one post up last week, so I thought I'd drop ya'll a quick note to let you know my most recent excuse for being away. It will be more obvious in your Comment spaces, where I make an effort to let you know that I've been by with whatever poignancy I can offer with the one hand I'm not feeding the baby with.
Wish us luck with keeping some semblance of routine with Callie in a strange environment. See you real soon, and to our Southern neighbors, Happy July 4th. (You may have noticed that I didn't have a Grand Canada Day Extravaganza. It's not that I don't love my country, but I just got absorbed with my little suburban corner of the world.)
Now, if I was one of those super-duper daily Bloggers, capable of bending the laws of time and space to get daily posts up, my absence would be more obvious. But I only got one post up last week, so I thought I'd drop ya'll a quick note to let you know my most recent excuse for being away. It will be more obvious in your Comment spaces, where I make an effort to let you know that I've been by with whatever poignancy I can offer with the one hand I'm not feeding the baby with.
Wish us luck with keeping some semblance of routine with Callie in a strange environment. See you real soon, and to our Southern neighbors, Happy July 4th. (You may have noticed that I didn't have a Grand Canada Day Extravaganza. It's not that I don't love my country, but I just got absorbed with my little suburban corner of the world.)
Friday, July 2, 2010
Recovering.
Damn, it's been crazy. I've barely had any time to myself to write, or anything. Two of my last four days off have been visiting family – always a good time, but being an introvert, it's not re-charging time. Yesterday was a total housework day, and we both worked like we expected the Queen to visit. Fortunately, Calli was in good spirits, so we could do what needed to be done. Then we had the oh-so-clever idea to reward ourselves with a bottle of wine on the patio. With a mix of fatigue and pollution, we weren't too productive today ;)
Calli got us all excited with her standing a couple weeks ago, but now she hardly does it! It's a little disappointing, but I know that once she's walking, there'll be no keeping up with her, so I'm just relishing it while it's relatively easy. When I was talking to my dad about it, he broached the topic of the leash. It seemed that he was trying to be delicate, expecting us to be 'Liberal' and free-range with our parenting. Andrea and I both have a healthy dose of Hippie, and believe she should be free to discover on her own. We also believe that she'll discover more if she doesn't get lost or hit by a car. We're all about the leash.
I was thinking of this when I saw a mother in a store tell her child to hold onto the buggy. I'm pretty confident that even the best-behaved child can get distracted and wander off, so perhaps some handcuffs would be in order. Of course, steel cuffs would be just cruel, we'd need the furry ones.
You may have heard that last week, southern Ontario, and the states in the Great Lake region got a natural hammering. First, there was an earth quake – the first I've heard of in this region. Then that night, tornadoes touched down. Midland, where my parents and sister work lost a car dealership, a factory, and – wait for it – a mobile home park. Really, I didn't just make that up. I'm really glad that we didn't just legalize gay marriage, of pot, or else we'd be hearing from Fundamentalists about how we were being punished, or warned. So, what were we being warned about? Well, it was days before the G8 & G20 Conferences. Then, at the end of the Conferences, Toronto experienced some flooding! They said it was from the rain, but I think it was from fire-hosing so many protesters!
Calli got us all excited with her standing a couple weeks ago, but now she hardly does it! It's a little disappointing, but I know that once she's walking, there'll be no keeping up with her, so I'm just relishing it while it's relatively easy. When I was talking to my dad about it, he broached the topic of the leash. It seemed that he was trying to be delicate, expecting us to be 'Liberal' and free-range with our parenting. Andrea and I both have a healthy dose of Hippie, and believe she should be free to discover on her own. We also believe that she'll discover more if she doesn't get lost or hit by a car. We're all about the leash.
I was thinking of this when I saw a mother in a store tell her child to hold onto the buggy. I'm pretty confident that even the best-behaved child can get distracted and wander off, so perhaps some handcuffs would be in order. Of course, steel cuffs would be just cruel, we'd need the furry ones.
You may have heard that last week, southern Ontario, and the states in the Great Lake region got a natural hammering. First, there was an earth quake – the first I've heard of in this region. Then that night, tornadoes touched down. Midland, where my parents and sister work lost a car dealership, a factory, and – wait for it – a mobile home park. Really, I didn't just make that up. I'm really glad that we didn't just legalize gay marriage, of pot, or else we'd be hearing from Fundamentalists about how we were being punished, or warned. So, what were we being warned about? Well, it was days before the G8 & G20 Conferences. Then, at the end of the Conferences, Toronto experienced some flooding! They said it was from the rain, but I think it was from fire-hosing so many protesters!
Friday, June 25, 2010
A Good Shower Story.
As a matter of course, I tend to get up with Calli in the mornings because I'm a morning person (my wife is not), Andrea puts in the lion's share of time at parenting, and deserves to sleep in, and it give me time to read Blogs as I feed her. I won't wake Andrea unless I need to to go to work, and then, not until the last minute.
The other day, Andrea was still sleeping, but a shower had become a non-negotiable necessity. So I bring Calli into the bathroom with some toys, shut the door, and hop in. I've done this before, and I figure that it'll be fine. However, when I'm, almost done rinsing my hair, she starts crying. Not a physical-trauma wail, or a frustrated-and-fed-up complaint, somewhere in the middle. When I pulled open the curtain, I didn't see her, and there's no way a 20+ pound child should be able to hide in a 6x5 space! Turns out, she had pulled herself up on the tub, on the faucet-end, behind the outer-curtain, and was getting showered-on on the front half of her head. No wonder she was giving a confused/upset cry! She was unresponsive to my verbal comforts, so my shower got cut short, and she learned she could survive such a trauma. I'm sure that it was the first of hundreds of half-showers.
When I told this story to my co-workers, I finished with “I bet when you got up this morning, I'll bet you said to your self 'Gee, I sure hope someone at work has a good shower story.' You're welcome.
Last week, I did something kinda stupid. I read something about Obama that flew in the face of my beliefs, and I knee-jerked and let everyone know what a disappointment he was. I didn't do any digging of my own, and didn't even read the articles referenced in the Blog I read.
As it happens, the solution that Norway offered was a chemical that wasn't approved by the American Food & Drug Administration. This seems like a right-flimsy excuse to me for his “Thanks, but no thanks.” Granted, he's under a lot of pressure, and whatever he does will have the Conservative members of American media crawling up his ass to do Tae Bo. Is there any reason he couldn't call the FDA to get 'all hands on deck' to comb through the testing other nations have done, to see if what they'd be using was better or worse than what they've been using?
Another instance in the saga has Obama directing these offers to BP. Now THAT makes sense, except he has publicly taken responsibility to deal with this.
Some theorists have said that he has let the leak go on so he can reinforce his platform on off-shore drilling, or going to cleaner energy. Here's the rub: he could have used this tragedy politically if it had lasted only a week, or a day!
It could be argued that a Canadian has no place bitching about American politics, but a cursory observation will show what affects Washington has on the world. More tangibly, if Il Nino/a affected our climate here in the Great Lakes region, it's easy to imagine that this will have it's ramifications too.
In conclusion, sorry to all. I'm not an Obama-hater, but I'm a little more cautious with my affections. After all, GitMo's still open.
The other day, Andrea was still sleeping, but a shower had become a non-negotiable necessity. So I bring Calli into the bathroom with some toys, shut the door, and hop in. I've done this before, and I figure that it'll be fine. However, when I'm, almost done rinsing my hair, she starts crying. Not a physical-trauma wail, or a frustrated-and-fed-up complaint, somewhere in the middle. When I pulled open the curtain, I didn't see her, and there's no way a 20+ pound child should be able to hide in a 6x5 space! Turns out, she had pulled herself up on the tub, on the faucet-end, behind the outer-curtain, and was getting showered-on on the front half of her head. No wonder she was giving a confused/upset cry! She was unresponsive to my verbal comforts, so my shower got cut short, and she learned she could survive such a trauma. I'm sure that it was the first of hundreds of half-showers.
When I told this story to my co-workers, I finished with “I bet when you got up this morning, I'll bet you said to your self 'Gee, I sure hope someone at work has a good shower story.' You're welcome.
Last week, I did something kinda stupid. I read something about Obama that flew in the face of my beliefs, and I knee-jerked and let everyone know what a disappointment he was. I didn't do any digging of my own, and didn't even read the articles referenced in the Blog I read.
As it happens, the solution that Norway offered was a chemical that wasn't approved by the American Food & Drug Administration. This seems like a right-flimsy excuse to me for his “Thanks, but no thanks.” Granted, he's under a lot of pressure, and whatever he does will have the Conservative members of American media crawling up his ass to do Tae Bo. Is there any reason he couldn't call the FDA to get 'all hands on deck' to comb through the testing other nations have done, to see if what they'd be using was better or worse than what they've been using?
Another instance in the saga has Obama directing these offers to BP. Now THAT makes sense, except he has publicly taken responsibility to deal with this.
Some theorists have said that he has let the leak go on so he can reinforce his platform on off-shore drilling, or going to cleaner energy. Here's the rub: he could have used this tragedy politically if it had lasted only a week, or a day!
It could be argued that a Canadian has no place bitching about American politics, but a cursory observation will show what affects Washington has on the world. More tangibly, if Il Nino/a affected our climate here in the Great Lakes region, it's easy to imagine that this will have it's ramifications too.
In conclusion, sorry to all. I'm not an Obama-hater, but I'm a little more cautious with my affections. After all, GitMo's still open.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
My First Father's Day.
My first father's day was fantastic! Calli got me a beautiful key chain locket with her picture of her in it (I spent Sunday showing it off to everyone at work. Well, mostly the ladies, 'cause the guys see it and think “Yup. That's a kid alright”). Andrea got me Slash's new CD, and a book: “The Secrets of the Freemasons” by Pat Morgan The book is great, and timely, as I finished another book the day before. It gives away more than I thought they would, considering it's written more like a recruitment pamphlet than a conspiracy revelation. The CD is FREAKIN' AWSOME! It features a bunch of guest vocalists (kinda like Santana did), like Ian Ashbury (of The Cult), Chris Cornell, Fergy (not a fan, but these songs are freaking steller!), Ozzy, Alice Cooper, Cyprus Hill, M Shadows from Avenged Sevenfold, etc. Slash shows a fantastic versatility without losing his particular flavor that makes him so distinctive. Look at me, gushing like a 12-year-old!
When I got home, Andrea had Veal Parmesan ready for dinner with garlic bread – TREATS!! and black forest cake. Does it get any better?
Normally, I don't like to get attention because it happens to be that time of year (I'd rather get attention for being a clever smart-ass!), but this was different. With all of the focus on fatherhood, it struck me that I'm part of a bigger institution. There are a few words in the language (or any other language) that trigger a lot of sentiment, or baggage as the case may be. Many of the Blogs I've read focus on the hero's that raised us, but there's a few stories of regret too.
Most of the time, it's an absolute delight to spend time with my little girl, but sometimes, she's having a bad day, sometimes I am, but I still spend the time with her, because I don't want to be another cat's-in-the-cradle story. Also, odds are that she will grow up to date men who are a lot like me, and I find that mighty sobering! She's always easy to love, but not always easy to spend time with, so I drink it in when she's all smiles and giggles, and rock and soothe her when she's in an exhausted tizzy. Like every other relationship, she will test my patience, and a view of the bigger picture will serve me well to keep it all in context.
When I got home, Andrea had Veal Parmesan ready for dinner with garlic bread – TREATS!! and black forest cake. Does it get any better?
Normally, I don't like to get attention because it happens to be that time of year (I'd rather get attention for being a clever smart-ass!), but this was different. With all of the focus on fatherhood, it struck me that I'm part of a bigger institution. There are a few words in the language (or any other language) that trigger a lot of sentiment, or baggage as the case may be. Many of the Blogs I've read focus on the hero's that raised us, but there's a few stories of regret too.
Most of the time, it's an absolute delight to spend time with my little girl, but sometimes, she's having a bad day, sometimes I am, but I still spend the time with her, because I don't want to be another cat's-in-the-cradle story. Also, odds are that she will grow up to date men who are a lot like me, and I find that mighty sobering! She's always easy to love, but not always easy to spend time with, so I drink it in when she's all smiles and giggles, and rock and soothe her when she's in an exhausted tizzy. Like every other relationship, she will test my patience, and a view of the bigger picture will serve me well to keep it all in context.
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