showboating in the pool

Yesterday, after all of our water fun in the back yard, Trent asked to go play in the pool. When we got there, there were 2 teenage girls in the water and Trent wanted to go over and see what they were doing. When we got there he started to laugh a lot and kept jumping off the side of the pool (into my arms) and checking to see if they were watching him. He was completely showing off for the ladies. They were cracking up and so was I.

Trent is really starting to love the pool and is starting to understand the concept of swimming, although he's not ready to actually try it yet. I need to get him a floaty bathing suit!

Backyard fun

Today Trent and I are spending the day together, just the two of us. It's been a great day so far... We slept late (10am) then Trent asked to talk to Nana and Grandad on the computer, so we chatted with them for a while and Trent drew a picture to show them. Then we played outside in the kiddie pool. I added a drop of baby shampoo as I was filling it up, and it produced a lot of bubbles, which Trent thought was the best thing ever. Just look at his smile!
I threw in all the balls that came with his play hut set and he was so thrilled. We spent a good couple of hours playing. Here are some of the highlights. You can, of course, see the rest on Trent's picasa photo album.

Dinner date

Tonight Trent and I had dinner without Brian (he had soccer). He helped me make quesadillas (or queasy dillos, as he called them) and we ate those, with beans and avocado. During dinner Trent told me about his day. He said he had a "good day" and I asked what he did, and he said "coloured", and I asked who he played with and he said "Evan and Jack". How cool is that? he can tell me how his day was!
After dinner he asked to watch Mickey Mouse and it was sooo cute. He goes "hot dog, hot dog... doggy dog... watch Mickey Mouse. yes!". Sadly I didn't have any Micky Mouse recorded, and he asked for several other of his shows by name (which I didn't have) but we finally settled on the encore American Idol Michael Jackson tribute show, and he danced with me to the songs.

What a great little boy he is!

Boat buddy

This Saturday we were lucky enough to spend the afternoon on the lake with Mike and Tara. We headed out after Trent's nap and he was so excited to get on the boat. In the car he kept saying "On a boat. Touch the lake. Touch the water!". When we got on the boat Trent just hung out on Daddy's lap as we motored up river to where the water was more calm. We hung out over by the Dell lake house and just relaxed why security kept a watchful eye on us. Trent ventured onto the swim platform at the back of the boat and laughed when the waves splashed over him. The water was very cold and after I had managed to talk myself into getting in, Trent agreed to join me and we hung onto the boat as he tried to acclimate to the cold water, and numerous times decided it was "toooo cold, mummy! - back on the boat!". But he at least made several attempts to submerge himself, so long as he could hang on tightly to Mummy.

We sat and cuddled and watched Uncle Mike wakeboard and Trent seemed very interested. Then I got to wakeboard. It's been almost a year since the last time I did it, but I'm happy to report that my body remembered how to do it and I even got about an inch of air as I crossed the wake.

We were out from about 2:45 to 7:30 and the whole time Trent was so perfectly behaved. On the way back to the dock he sat and cuddled with Aunt Tara. He sure does love his Aunt Tara and Uncle Mike, although he keeps calling Mike "Aunt Mike", which makes me laugh, but Brian always corrects him.

We stopped at Rudy's for dinner on the way home, and Trent went to bed like a very good boy. We expected Trent to be well behaved because he is a very sweet and considerate little boy, but he completely exceeded our expectations that day and we are just so proud of him.

My online life

Whatever did we do before the internet? I'm old enough to remember those days, yet I still find myself questioning how we lived before it. How far we have come just in the last 15 years amazes me. How much technology I rely on daily amazes me. It also scares me a little bit. Let's look at the technology I use on a typical day. I consider myself to be a relatively light technology user. I don't own a smart phone, Sat Nav device, kindle, or any other fancy gadgets, but my electronic footprint is quite large.

Blogging
I have blogged for several years. This blog alone dates back to 2005. A total of 463 blog posts so far. That averages about 115 a year or so, about 10 posts a month. Not only do I keep my own blog but I read other people's blogs.

Social Media
I have profiles on facebook, myspace, dailymile, twitter, in addition to the profiles I keep at work on Lotus Greenhouse, Lotus Live, Beehive, Fringe, Blue Twit... kinda makes your head spin, doesn't it?

Email
I have active accounts on yahoo, gmail, and my work email. I send and recieve almost 200 emails a day. Some are spam, most are not. Some are important, some can be ignored. Some I have to act on immediately, some I flag for action later. All require at least a cursory glance to see if it's relevant to me.

Instant messaging
I use Lotus Sametime in my job and spend hours at a time chatting to work colleagues about work related things via this medium. I use AIM to talk to my BFFs, I sometimes use Facebook messenger to talk to friends from back home and friends from just around the corner.

Text messaging
I use text messages daily to keep my BFFs in the loop and get the latest scoop on who's doing what.

Phone
This is a technology I have the biggest aversion to, and it's the oldest one. I'm on the phone an average of 6 hours a day on conference calls. It's not surprising that come 6pm I don't want to answer my phone.

Webcam
I use this to talk to my mum & dad on a very regular basis. My favourite piece of technology because it allows me to see them and bridge the very large distance between us. A couple of weeks ago mum took me into the kitchen with her while she checked on dinner. That was cool.

Online photo galleries
I have accounts on Picassa for both me and Trent. Hundreds of pictures instantly shared with anyone with a browser and the curiosity to look at them.

Web sites
I manage 2 music-related web sites for friends. I'm heavily involved with contributing content to web sites for my job, including wikis. On any given day I have used the phrase "I'll google it". I perform Google searches daily and consume massive amounts of information. You can find ANYTHING on the Web. I used Google to help me repair my digital camera, my toilet, my vehicle, my house. The web makes it possible for me to never leave my house and have everything I need come to me. The days of going to a shop and picking out a gift, packaging and taking it to the post office are long gone. Now I point, click, pay, and ship all from my office chair.

I have the electronic footprint of a giant! All of this has happened within the last 10 years. How amazing is that to think about? Did you ever think the future would be like this 10 years ago? can you imagine what we'll be doing 10 years from now?

This is an amazing time to be alive. Yet every now and then I long for the days when none of this existed, people were simpler, communication was in-person or via traditional mail, and nobody could reach me 24/7. Every now and then I want to not open my laptop and not answer my phone. This is why I am so excited about our upcoming holiday. No laptop. No phone. Just us.

storm chaser

Last week we had a really bad storm. Lightening, thunder, tornadoes, hail. Trent, Brian and I sat in the game room upstairs and set up some of Trent's chairs by the window so we could all watch the storm. Trent grabbed his bears and made sure they all had front row seating. When he heard thunder he would say "thunder! hear it. No touch!", and when lightening would strike he'd say "lightening. hot. burn you. no touch!". Brian and I were cracking up.

Yesterday when we were heading out to Mike and Tara's, Brian was wearing a new shirt and Trent said "Cool shirt, Daddy". When I asked him if he thought my shirt was cool he replied "no mummy. No cool shirt". My shirt was just a plain blue t-shirt and it was NOT cool. It's nice to know he won't lie to me to make me feel better!

Today we went to the pool and spent a good 2 hours playing in the water. By the end of our time there Trent had gotten all the way into the pool and was sitting on daddy as he did the back stroke. He thought it was so hilarious. We sat at the baby pool for a little while and chatted with a lady who had twin girls about 4 months younger than Trent. One of them wanted to sit on my lap and as soon as she did Trent got very upset because I am HIS mummy! A little possessive maybe?

Toilet training and a little trip on the Ecstasy

Trent's potty training is going very well. He actually used the toilet for its intended purpose twice this week at school. We still haven't seen him actually go at home, but he does like to sit on the toilet and grunt. It's very cute.
Today I woke up under a thundercloud it seems. I have very low patience and Trent knows all the right buttons to push. It didn't help that Brian chose this very day to finish the front door re-staining project, which means while he's working on that I'm dealing with the little button pusher on my own. Not a good combo. The door looks nice, though. We added one more coat of stain which is now drying and tomorrow we have the final step of the urethane top coat to seal the deal.
Can't wait for our cruise! We're going on a 4 day cruise on the Carnival Ecstasy. I'm especially excited about this because the Ecstasy has a lot of sentimental meaning for me. It was the first ship I ever set foot on in my short but fun career as a Casino Dealer for Carnival. I met the Ecstasy at the boat yard in Finland where it was built, and was one of a very lucky group of crew members who got to take its inaugural voyage from Finland to it's final home in Miami, stopping at Boston, NY, and Philadelphia along the way. What a fun trip that was. It was on this ship that I met one of my best friends ever, Marie (from Sweden *ya!). It's also the opening chapter of my life in America. So many great memories on that ship. My memory of the ships layout and details is fading, but I imagine it will all come flooding back. I just can't wait

Some cool things about Trent lately

Trent's been cracking me up lately. His grasp of the English language is amazing and he's busting out words I'd never expect to hear from him. On Saturday when we were coming down the stairs he noticed that Onyx had thrown up a little bit on the stairs and he said "Oh Oh! Onyx! Puke!" Then he said "clean it! Towel! Get towel. Clean Onyx puke". Which was funny in and of itself, but then the icing on the cake was when he got a towel, went back up the stairs, and started rubbing the carpet!

Yesterday he made me and Brian so very proud. He actually asked to sit on the toilet. When I confirmed what he had asked me he said "Yes!" and then pulled his shorts down and said "Diaper off!". He didn't actually use the toilet, but this is a sure sign that we're ready for potty training. Later on he did it again. This time I showed him how to tuck his stuff down so that he didn't pee in mummy's face :-)

He's still very fond of giving me bogeys. Brian encourages it, of course, because he thinks it's hilarious when I gross out. Nothing says love like accepting a bogey from someone while holding back spew.

attitude adjustment

In light of my recent holiday cancellation and consequent bummed out feeling, I needed a distraction. Yesterday I spent the day at Hippie Hollow with Barbie, Michelle, & Andi. We all giggled when the lady at the booth at the park entrance said "y'all know it's clothing optional, right?" Of course we know!
We made our way down the rocks to a perfect spot and made ourselves comfortable. We figured since it's a week day that there wouldn't be too many people out. We were wrong. By noon the place was buzzing with nekked people and very entertaining for us. Many times we laughed so hard we rendered ourselves inaudible. You know, the kind of laughing that looks like someone pressed the mute button. At one point we were happily floating around in the lake when a MASSIVE critter launched an attack on our picnic area. We identified the offender as a squirrel the size of a raccoon. The thing was humungous! The reaction of our group and the surrounding people was hilarious and we spent a good 20 minutes trying to control ourselves and causing a major scene. Barbie rescued our food from the critter while the rest of us watched helplessly from the water and heckled her.
A group of guys showed up about the time we were ready to leave and started throwing beer bottles into the lake. As the rest of the people sat there and politely ignored it, Andi asked them to stop it and pick it up. Go Andi! When we left we ratted them out to the park ranger. Bastards need to learn some respect.
What a fun day we had. We all left with a major attitude adjustment, and the promise to do this more often.
I still want my cruise, though, Brian. Don't think you're off the hook ;-)

Is there brightness on the horizon?

I spent some time with mum & dad on Sunday, via web cam. They enjoyed watching Trent trash the patio with a bucket of water and some sidewalk chalk. We also talked about their upcoming holiday to Rhodes (Greece). I'm very happy that they were able to find an alternate destination for their holiday for the same dates and everything. I had briefly entertained the idea of us joining them, but after a bit of research online it turned out to be a bit unfeasible due to the number of connecting flights needed to get there.
Then we got to talking about next year's plans and a great idea was born! We could go to England for a week, then leave Trent with mum & dad, and just Brian and I could go to Italy for a week! how much fun would that be??? then, since I was in the holiday mood, I thought it might be a good idea if Brian and I could take a 4 day cruise out of Galveston this year after the pig flu problem is resolved and travel to Mexico resumes. Wouldn't that be nice! 4 days with just my husband.

a little cheese with that whine?

I have lived a relatively charmed life. I don't have much to complain about at all. And the situation I'm in regarding living thousands of miles and an ocean away from my family is self-inflicted. But somehow, right now, those facts still don't make me feel any better about the fact that I was looking forward to seeing my parents in less than a week, and now I have to wait 7 months to see them. And purely due to circumstances way beyond my control. I'm not just disappointed for me. I'm disappointed for them, too. And for Trent. And on a more selfish note, I was so in need of a holiday. I was so looking forward to relaxing on a white sandy beach, not thinking about work or responsibility. And now it's business as usual. With nothing to look forward to. No plans. No beach. Nothing. I realize this makes me sound terribly spoiled and part of me is thinking "boo fricking hoo mandie, get over it, people are dying of the flu", but I just can't shake it. :-(

Idol manipulation

I love the psychology behind American Idol. The manipulation tactics they use to make you remember or forget a performance, like the "pimp spot", for example. The pimp spot is the last spot of the night. It plays on the short attention span of the veiwers. Adam Lambert has dominated the pimp spot for more of the weeks than any other contestant.
I was amused by the mind manipulation on the results show last night. I was surprised to see Adam Lambert in the bottom 3, but what I wasn't surprised about was when they said they would send one of the 3 back to safety, they chose Kris, and not Adam, and this is pure speculation on my part, but the media buzz around him and popular opinion of my friends, seems to support my hunch, that Adam was unlikely to have received less votes than Kris. The producers clearly wanted us to be on the edge of our seats as Matt and Adam waited to hear which one of them would be gone. Of course we all knew it would be Matt. We all KNEW. But it doesn't stop you from feeling that tiny bit of doubt for Adam. And the result? all those Adam fans who felt that he was safe and nobody can touch him will pick up the phone and vote for him next week. He likely won't be in the bottom 3 next week. That's just an observation from an untrained eye.

2 weeks since my last blog?

Wow, I'm slacking! Ok, what's gone on in the past 2 weeks?

Well, first and foremost on my mind is this damn swine flu outbreak in Mexico. That's royally screwed up our holiday plans. I was so looking forward to that trip, not only because *I need* a holiday very badly, because I have a very stressful job and being a mother to a very active toddler on top of that is extremely hard, but also because I get to see my parents once a year! Many people I know joke and say things like "man, I wish I only saw my parents once a year!". Let me tell you, if you were in my situation you'd feel much differently, no matter what your relationship is with your parents. I'm not saying you'd feel the same way I do, but certainly you wouldn't be wishing to only see them once a year. I'm lucky enough to have a great relationship with my parents, and I can't think of anything I'd enjoy more than spending a couple of weeks with them, and seeing how much they love Trent, and how much he loves them. Now I don't get to do that. At least not for another 7 months!
I'm trying to get over it. Really I am. But I just feel robbed of an experience that was so important to me. I'm mad. I want to blame someone, but of course there isn't anyone to blame, and blame is pointless because it won't change my situation.

Other things of note:

• Trent counts only in odd numbers.
• My American Idol prediction on who would leave last week was spot on.
• That awesome blue cheese pasta dish I made a while back is even better with beef (leftover fajita beef)

Idol chatter 2009

I haven't blogged much about American Idol this season, mostly because I've been using Facebook to air my opinions. Tonight, though, Brian is working on the Honda (regular maintenance) and I have some time to kill. He doesn't get into American Idol, so I usually watch it alone anyway.

Alison Irahita took on an Aerosmith song. In fact one of my favourites. I thought she did ok. My issue with her is that she doesn't have much range. I think that she picks songs that suit her voice, and that is probably the only reason she's still around.

Anoop Desai has a lovely voice, but there's something about him that makes me think he's a jerk. I can't get past it.

Adam Lambert is probably my favourite Idol of all the seasons (ok, I loved Daughtry and David Cook too) but Adam's got a star quality and is the most unique contestant the show has ever had. My money is on him to win.

Matt Giraud is too piano bar. I think voices like his are a dime a dozen and he pulls some weird faces when he sings. I just can't get past it.

Kris Allen is completely forgettable for me. He has a decent voice, but I find myself forgetting his performances almost immediately. I think he's pretty, though.

Danny Gokey has an excellent voice and is very talented. Something about his face reminds me of Robert Downey Jr., although I don't think he looks like him. Danny's my #2 pick. I predict that he, Alison, and Adam will be the last 3 standing.

Lil Rounds has consistenly disappointed over the past few weeks. She started off so well but has completely lost herself in bad song choices. I completely agree with the judges on this one. Poor Lil. She seems sweet.

I was happy to see Scott McIntyre go last week. I felt like he got a lot of mileage out of his disability and he didn't measure up to the others vocally. I admired his attitude and how capable he was despite his visual impairment, though. A true inspiration that you can overcome almost any challenge.

So there you have it. I predict Alison or Danny will be the second to last person standing, and Adam Lambert will take the gold. Don't let me down, America. (I voted for both Danny and Adam tonight - probably a good 20 votes for each).

I want to do it on MY terms!

Lately Trent has been protesting quite a bit about anything and everything. From changing his nappy (even though he has a huge poop in there) to putting on clothes, to taking a bath, to putting on shoes. He has to do it on HIS terms. So for example, I ask him to put his shoes on, he says "no! no! no! no! no! no!" then 2 minutes later I show him his shoes and say would you like to put your shoes on now, and he says "shoes!" and lets me... the 2 minute waiting period is important :-)

Last night I had to manipulate him into taking a bath using bubbles. Not bath bubbles, but the bubbles that you can blow from the bottle. I had to give him bubbles in the play room, then slowly steer him toward the bathroom while trying to undress him without him noticing. I finally got him into the bath without him screaming. Then when it was time to come out, and to take the bubbles away, he freaked out.

I have to bribe him to get in his stroller and go for a run with me. I have to use cookies. Sometimes even that doesn't work.

He won't sit in his high chair anymore. He freaks out if you try to put him in it. I haven't managed to find a strategy to get him in it yet. He goes all stiff and screams. Now I have to sit and eat one handed with him on my lap. I end up wearing a lot of Trent's food.

Ah the joys of reaching the terrible 2's.

another great pasta dish

3 or 4 links of **Chicken, feta and spinach sausage
handful of asparagus
1 tbsp olive oil
garlic salt
pepper
2 cups bowtie pasta
3/4 cup feta cheese

1. Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile...
2. Cut sausage into small chunks - I find it easier to just take the skins off and use my hands to rip into chunks
3. Brown the sausage in a saute pan.
   
4. Cut asparagus into about 1 inch pieces and place on top of the sausage. Turn head to med/low. Cover and let the asparagus steam for about 2 minutes.
   
5. Mix asparagus and sausage together and turn down the heat to low.
   
6. Drain pasta. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Add olive oil and feta to the pasta. Mix it all up so the feta melts and coats the pasta.
   
7. Add pasta/feta mixture to the sausage/asparagus pan, and mix all together.
   

That's it! you can either serve it right away, or keep it over a low heat and stir it every now and then till you're ready to eat it.

**You can use other types of sausage, this is just the original one that inspired the recipe.

This dish would probably be good with some cherry tomatoes cut in half and tossed in at the last step as well.

Productive weekend

This past weekend Trent had the pleasure of spending his Saturday with his aunt Tara. He had the best time! He didn't flinch when I left, and he had so much fun playing trains with her and Austin. He helped her water the plants in the garden, and they blew bubbles and played ball with Maverick. Meanwhile, Brian and I spent the day doing some much needed chores around the house. Brian took off the front door, stripped and sanded it, and re-stained it to its former glory. All that's left to do now is a clear urethane coat. While Brian took care of that, I cleaned the entire house.
On Tuesday, Trent discovered Baskin Robbins - the ice cream shop at the end of our street. He really enjoyed his chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, but was also very interested in daddy's bubble gum ice cream. After ice cream he walked all the way home holding my hand and talking about ice cream all the way.

Last night Brian, Trent and I went to Steiner Ranch Steakhouse to see Brian & John play. It was a beautiful night, not to hot, just the right amount of breeze, and the venue is incredible because it's overlooking lake Travis in the distance and the sun sets are gorgeous.

It's official!

Brian and I are now officially holders of a United States Patent, issued by the US Government :-)
It has taken 7 years from filing the patent to actually having it issued, but here it is in all its glory:

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=7490298&OS=7490298&RS=7490298

How awesome is that?

Sadly, one of our co-inventors, Herman Rodriguez, passed away last month. Herman had an amazing enthusiasm for inventing and he took every opportunity to encourage others to invent. Herman leaves behind a an intellectual legacy of hundreds of inventions and US patents, and a personal legacy in all the people he has helped and encouraged to become inventors. I hope everyone he helped will honor his memory and continue to invent things that make the world a better place to live. R.I.P. Herman.

Great chicken pasta dish

I find it hard to always come up with new ideas for dinner, and yesterday was no exception. I had a giant tub of blue cheese, some chicken breasts, and some pasta available, so I experimented with that and came up with the most delicious dish! It took 20 minutes to make and is super easy. Here it is:

Serves 3 - 4

2 chicken breasts
Bowtie pasta (or whatever shape you prefer)
cup of blue cheese crumbles
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 whit or yellow onion
1tsp dried rosemary
garlic salt
pepper

1. Boil pasta according to directions on package
2. In large saute pan, add 1tbsp olive oil, onion and chicken. Season with garlic salt, pepper, and rosemary.
3. Brown the chicken and turn the heat down to low.
   
4. When pasta is cooked, drain and pour into the pan with the chicken.
   
5. Add the remaining 1tbsp of olive oil and toss it all around to get the pasta mixed in well.
   
6. Add the blue cheese. Toss it all around again to mix the blue cheese in. The cheese will melt with the heat from the pasta

Things you could add to make it even better (not all, choose one):
Asparagus
Artichoke hearts
Fresh tomatoes

Interesting article about religion and its correlation to standard of living

http://www.gallup.com/poll/114211/Alabamians-Iranians-Common.aspx

I'm very tolerant of other people's belief systems so long as they're not pushing their views on me and condemning me for mine, so I say this with as much objectivity as I can muster:
I found it interesting that Texas is one of the top 10 most religious states, and yet more than 75% of my friends are either non-believers, agnostic, or non-practicing believers. I imagine that's largely due to the fact that I live in Austin. I've always thought of Austin as being like an oasis in the middle of Texas where open mindedness still dominates. That's not to say that I think all religious people are closed minded. I don't think that at all. I do think that to choose a specific religion and to follow it to the exclusion of all other religions closes a person off to all of the other possibilities. I'm just sayin' ;-)