Avoidance of Annoyance

I've noticed a trend among the relationships of my friends. In general it seems that the one of the key dynamics is the avoidance of annoyance of one partner in general. Take the relationship that I have with my wife for example. There have been a number of times when I've done something that I didn't want to do or vice versa to avoid annoying my wife. If I were to have a night without parental responsibilities and didn't clean the dishes or do the diaper laundry or otherwise have something accomplished to account for my time, she would be rather annoyed. And so whatever it is, it gets done not because I feel any need in particular to have accomplished something.

Is it just me? Testify in the comments.

Let's play ball!

Last night, I went to the Cards game with a couple of guys in my office. It was an odd group as two of the four of us didn't really follow sports and I don't much like baseball. Sure, I can talk a good game since I listen to sports radio, but I'm really just not that into baseball. It was vital to know when the Cards were in town when I worked in O'Fallon as ballpark traffic was crazy. Now that I'm not even taking the highway to work I imagine that it will become less important.

The game itself was okay. The Cards lost 3-1 to the Indians. The Cards weren't able to put up much offense and most of the offense took place in the top of the first before we were able to even take our seats. Our tickets were amazing - four rows off the field on the third base side. But the two most interesting things were the rain delay and the FredBird t-shirt. The rain delay was interesting because apparently the only place in St. Louis to get rain last night was the ball park. And no sooner than they called the game and got the tarp on the field did the rain stop.

There is a story behind the FredBird t-shirt. The CEO of the company had gone to the game a couple of weeks ago. There were a couple of Hoosiers in front of them. As the game wore on they became drunker and more amusing. When FredBird came out to throw out the t-shirts, they hooted and hollered but alas no t-shirts came their way. "He always gives them out to the kids." "Fuckin' bird..." So when FredBird came out, we chuckled about that until one of the FredBirds girls bounced a t-shirt off someone and into my lap. We decided then and there that our CEO needed to get that shirt.

Lazy weekend

Friday night we got together with some friends because our mutual friends had come into town from DC. I had a good time. I was on Oliver duty for much of the night and kept him entertained by playing with the kids in the yard. We ended up having to leave at Oliver's bed time. I offered to let my wife stay and hang out, but instead we came home and hung out.

Saturday morning we went for a run with the group in the morning and then spent the rest of the day trying to get a few things done around the house. We took a family nap in the afternoon. Later in the afternoon my wife took Oliver to the pool and I stayed home and got some stuff done. Then I got to put Oliver to bed for the second night in a row.

Sunday morning, I got up with Oliver in order to let Mommy sleep in. When she got up, she decided that it was my turn to go to the early yoga class. I took extra care to hydrate and went to the class. It still kicked my butt, but I'm getting the hang of it. Now if I could just stand on one leg. When I got back, we had lunch and then Oliver and I went down for a family nap while Mommy got some stuff done. We ended up going back to Target Sunday night so my wife could look for some organization stuff. Oliver and I spent about 45 minutes playing chase through the aisles of Target. Then home to bed.

Movie Review: Underworld: Evolution

Underworld: Evolution starts its story immediately after the end of Underworld. At the end of the movie, Selene has killed Victor, the head vampire, and gone on the run with Michael, the human descendant of Corvinus. Selene goes back to negotiate with Marcus, the new head vampire, only to find that he has slain all of the vampires in the coven and is now after both Michael and her. The movie becomes into a long chase sequence as Selene and Michael look for information to help them try to stop Marcus from reuniting with his brother, William, the first Lycan. At the same time, Selene has a series of flashbacks establishing her place in the Underworld universe.

Kate Beckinsale adds a layer of vulnerability to Selene which wasn't present in the first movie. While this isn't exactly the kind fo movie that requires significant acting skills, she adds a touch of class to the procedings. Plus, she looks outstanding in her leather outfits. Scott Speedman mercifully spends most of the movie not speaking but rather fighting in hybrid form or just providing eye candy for the girlfriends dragged to the movie. Tony Curran provides a credible villain and Derek Jacoby adds a bit of dramatic weight to the role of Corvinus.

I had a difficult time deciding what I thought about the movie. On the one hand, the story on its own is good, but the movie suffers from excessive flashback syndrome. On example is that the film spends time establishing a backstory for characters that were already killed off in the previous movie. Good for universe continuity, but bad for pacing. The other qualm with the movie is that the majority of the film is lit with blue light. Vampires are not supposed to fight in daylight, but there were times where the lighting made it difficult to figure out what was going on.

I'd recommend Underworld: Evolution for fans of the previous movie, but everyone else can wait until it hits the bargain rack at the video store.

The other side of an interview

I've never really been on the other side of an interview before. So yesterday when we did a phone screen with an applicant, I had a weird feeling of deja vu. I remember answering the questions about the things that I had done, trying to strike answer their questions based on my own experiences, trying to make a favorable impression on disembodied voices on the other end of the line. In the end I guess it worked out for me as I'm here now.

The nice thing about the interview was that the candidate seemed like he was pretty strong. I'd hate to have to do one of these where the candidate was clearly unqualified.

Yoga is kicking my butt

My wife and I have been doing Bikram yoga classes. I've had 5 classes and every one has kicked my butt. We start by lying down on our towel and mat in the heated room. When it is time for the class to start, the instructor walks in and turns on the lights. The next 45 minutes takes the class through a series of standing postures, many of which require you to balance on one leg. I'm particularly bad at balancing on one leg, never mind doing so while kicking my other leg up over my head. Finally we go to a set of ground based postures punctuated by sit-ups. Many of the postures are familiar to me from my days as a runner, but they are all done a little bit differently in yoga.

From the beginning of class until it ends, I usually end up sweating out about 7-10 pounds of water. This tends to make my towel a little bit sodden and difficult to balance on. I guess I'd do better if I were going more often than once or twice a week, but right now that's all that fits into my schedule. I do feel like I'm getting a benefit from going. I just wish it would stop kicking my butt so much.

Transitions

One of the toughest things about going to a new job is all of the transitions that you make along the way. The easiest transitions are the physical ones. I'm trying out new routes to work and new routes to day care. I wear a new set of clothes to go to work. I'm carrying a laptop back and forth to work with me. I now sit at a table across from my co-workers instead of in a cube farm.

The cultural aspects of the switch are slightly harder. What is the protocol for lunch? Is it an "eat at my desk" kind of place or does everyone go out together for lunch? What movies/music does everyone listen to? What is the office pecking order? Are knees really appropriate in an office setting?

Finally there is the mental aspects of the switch. Whenever you get to a new spot, you have to learn a new business. Additionally in my case, I have to learn a new technology. It takes me a while to get my feet under me and during this time i feel like I'm that cousin that nobody talks about.

I'm back!!!!

Apologies to one and all who visited this space looking for updates over the past week and change. I was out of town and generally away from the internet for the duration. And I missed you all terribly. Sounds good anyway...

We left on Wednesday night after work. The actual leaving of town was quite an effort as we didn't have everything ready to go or packed when the time came. And went. As we came. And went. And came back because we forgot things. Wednesday night was a long one as we decided to push all the way to Niagara Falls from St. Louis in one shot. For those of you playing at home, that's a 12 hour haul. To complicate matters, Oliver had eaten a boatload of blueberries and had the requisite runs to accompany them. Every so often we'd have to stop, change his diaper, slather him with cream, and resume driving. The good thing about the whole experience is that Oliver really took all of the driving in stride and was as good as you can imagine for the duration.

Thursday we got to Niagara Falls. We intended to do some sightseeing before naptime, but that didn't end up happening. We all ended up taking a 3 hour nap together. By the time we woke up, it was time for dinner. And after dinner, it was time to go back and sleep. This would make our trip sounds like a complete waste of time, but we'd gotten a Falls View room on the Canadian side and got to go to sleep watching the falls in action. The next morning we went for a run with Oliver and then went on the Maid of the Mist. It was cool to see the falls in action from down below. My wife and I enjoyed it; Oliver did not. By now it was time to check out of our hotel and we headed to Albany.

We were in Albany for the wedding of a friend of my wife. When we arrived on Friday night, we thought we had an hour to spend getting ready for the rehearsal dinner, but we hadn't reset the clock from Central Time, so we ended up arriving a little late. The wedding itself on Saturday came off beautifully and without a hitch. I spent most of the reception on Oliver duty. I ended up taking him back to the hotel to crash before they cut the cake. My wife spent some time renewing acquaintance with friends from college and had a good time.

Sunday we drove from Albany to Boston to spend some time with my aunt. We got there early enough on Sunday that we were able to take him out to Castle Island where Oliver got his first taste of the ocean. It might have worked out better if he were dressed to swim. As it was he walked onto the beach and into the surf (after my wife removed his shoes) and then took a header when he went to turn around.

Monday we went downtown Boston to take in some of the sights. We started on a Freedom Trail tour, but had to give up after Oliver was clearly not having a good time. Perhaps the 90 minute tour was a bit ambitious to start with. Either way we got some food, discovering that Oliver likes Fish and Chips, and went back to the Boston Public Gardens for Oliver to nap. Unfortunately he woke up just after the swan boats closed for the day.

Tuesday was a bit of a lazy day as nap time coincided with the time that we were getting ready to depart. A long nap and dinner plans with family meant that we were only able to see one thing (the USS Constitution) before heading out. We went to my aunt's house in Leominster for dinner. Oliver wasn't much of a dinner companion (preferring to feed his rice to the rug), but he was sufficiently charming that we weren't tossed out of the house on our collective ears. Wednesday we took a trip through Cambridge and had a few more sights planned, but we aborted and spent more time with my aunt.

Thursday started the long circuitous trip home. We started in Boston in the morning, visited an aunt in Providence in the morning, took a trip out to the middle of nowhere for lunch, continued through the middle of nowhere to Hartford but missed seeing a friend of my wife, and then continued on through nowhere to end up in Syracuse for the night. While it was a pretty trip, it made me appreciate the interstate. From Syracuse we drove to Detroit to stay with a cousin for the night on Friday and finally we drove from Detroit back home on Saturday.

It was a great trip, but I'm so glad that I'm back home.

Last day

Today is my last day at work. I've transferred all of my knowledge. I've said all of my good byes. I'm basically killing time until I think I've stayed long enough. I've got mixed emotions. I'm excited for the work ahead and I'm going to miss these people. It's always tough when you make a change as you leave behind the familiar for the unknown. But change is good. And so I'll keep telling myself until I leave here for the last time.

Serenity

If there is one thing that I seem to be lacking recently it's serenity. I'm not talking about a copy of the Joss Whedon film (although that would be nice too), but rather "a disposition free from stress or emotion or an absence of mental stress or anxiety" (thank you, dictionary.com). If anything I've been in the anti-serenity mode. I'd love to blame it on a lack of sleep or stress in my job or something, but I think it just stems from a lack of patience - this is a notably bad thing when Oliver seems to be entering the twos. I just need to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. Especially when that involves Oliver standing on chairs or trying to walk in the street or banging on the screens after he's been told not to or doing the screaming arch as we attempt to put him into his car seat or ... just generally being a toddler.

I just need serenity. And soon.

Lazy weekend

It ended up being a really lazy weekend. Friday night we got together with Andi, AD, and their son, Raghu. We managed to get in a game of Settlers of Catan, but in order to finish the game, we were there much too late (sorry guys!). Then on the way home I ran into highway construction traffic and didn't get home until after midnight.

Saturday dawned bright and early. We got up at 5:00 to make it to Creve Couer Lake by 6:00 for a run. Five miles of running and one mile of walking later, it was time to go home. Once home, we had breakfast and did some cleaning up. Paul, Sarahlynn, and Ellie came over to play with Oliver while my wife and I went to see a preview for Cars. We had a good time and then met everyone at Applebees for lunch. We headed over to their house to hang out while our children napped. Only Oliver had other plans. Mr Didn't Want to Nap stayed up and played. Then they went to see the DaVinci Code while we watched the children. Or I should say while my wife watched the children. At some point, I just laid down and slept. When they got home, we finished watching Alias and then we headed home.

Sunday I got up early and watched Oliver while my wife went to her yoga class. Oliver and I ran some errands and then we headed home. Oliver crashed on the way home and went down for a nap. My wife and I ate lunch and watched the second season of Soap all afternoon. Then it was my turn to go to yoga. I made it through this class without passing out, so it was a good day. After dinner Oliver went down to sleep and we finished watching Soap while I did the laundry. My wife fell asleep on the couch and I went upstairs to crash.

Movie Review: Cars (2006)

One of the benefits to being married to someone who works at Energizer is that when Energizer sponsors a movie, we get to go to a preview showing. And so it was Saturday that my wife and I headed to the Esquire theater for the preview. It was apparently showing on several screens, but we picked the main theater. With apparently everyone else who brought a baby. For the most part, the kids were well-behaved, but there was a lot more talking during the movie than I would have been happy to have paid for.

Lightning McQueen (voice Owen Wilson), is a self-centered rookie contending for the Piston Cup. In the final race of the season, he ignores his crew chief, has a blow-out, but manages to just hold on for a tie with the King (voice Richard Petty), the long-standing champ, and Chick (voice Michael Keaton), the perennial second-place finisher. On his way to a run-off race in California, he gets lost and while running from the law wrecks the road in Radiator Springs, AZ, a town on Route 66 bypassed . He gets sentenced to fix the road before they'll let him leave to finish. While there he learns important life lessons from its denizens Doc (voice Paul Newman), Sally (voice Bonnie Hunt), Mater (voice Larry The Cable Guy), Ramone (voice Cheech Marin), Luigi (voice Tony Shalhoub), Flo (voice Jenifer Lewis), Sarge (voice Paul Dooley), Sheriff (voice Michael Wallis), Filmore (voice George Carlin), and Lizzie (voice Katherine Helmond). After he learns his lessons it's on to California for the big race.

At least one reason that there was so much talking from the under-10 set is that Cars is a very talky movie for a cartoon. There are a number of well-done action sequences, but the bulk of the movie consists of the characters waxing philosophical about the virtues of the towns on Route 66 that were bypassed by the freeways. That isn't to say that the movie isn't funny. It's very well written, easily on a par with some of the other Pixar films. The animation is also up to snuff, although some of the race sequences suffered in comparison to the Phantom Menace.

I give this a solid recommendation, but I would suggest that it isn't for the youngest children not due to subject matter but more due to presentation.

Book of Questions

Question #199: You are given $1,000,000 to donate anonymously to a charity or to a stranger? How would you dispose of it?

Answer: I would make a cross-country scavenger hunt that requires people to solve all sorts of challenging puzzles eventually leading them to a pot of buried treasure.

Question #200: In conversation do you tend to talk or to listen more? What are you looking for when you converse with people? What kinds of things do you usually discuss? Are there other things that would be more interesting to you?

Answer: I tend to talk more with people I know and listen more with people I don't know. It takes a little bit of effort to bring out the extrovert in me. And once he's out, he's awfully difficult to put back in. I usually find myself in discussions looking to solve a problem or complete an activity. I'm very bad at small talk. I generally talk to people about the usual topics - children, work, health, etc. Every once in a while I uncork my inner weirdness and ask about whether the world would be a better place if the default religion was polytheism.