30 year anniversary of the Walkman

I'm not sure if this story makes me laugh because it's so funny, or cry because I'm old!

Walkman, at 30, a mystery to teen

What better way to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Sony's iconic Walkman than to ask a teenager for some feedback on the device?

The BBC couldn't think of one, and neither can I.

I like to imagine that the experience was similar to an archaeologist rediscovering how a recently excavated artifact was employed thousands of years ago. But I'm well aware that it must have been different for 13-year-old Scott Campbell, who co-edits his own news Web site. For one, teenage impatience must have stood in the place where I fantasize scientific curiosity should have been.

"My dad had told me it was the iPod of its day," Campbell wrote. "He had told me it was big, but I hadn't realized he meant that big. It was the size of a small book."

Sure enough, people on the street noticed the antique clinging from his belt with amusement and friends on his school bus were quick to come up with some witty remark.

Campbell went on to criticize the portable cassette player's size, appearance, functionality and the "hissy backtrack and odd warbly noises."

Even when he discovered the cassette had more music on the other side (it took him three days), Campbell was still disappointed it could only hold a small fraction of what an iPod can.

"Did my dad ... really ever think this was a credible piece of technology?"

Ouch.

A daily dose of postings from The Chronicle's technology blog (sfgate.com/blogs/tech)

This article appeared on page C - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle

It's getting better all the time...

No, not really, but one can hope. I'm mean I can't see things things getting any worse for a while. I was all looking forward to summer and getting things done and then I found out onFriday that I have Lyme Disease. Yes, that thing you get from ticks. And now I'm sore and cranky and on a 21 day course of antibiotics. My joints ache something fierce and occasionally I get really light headed and I'm so tired. Of course the tiredness may also be chasing after three kids and still getting up 1 to 2 times a night to feed the hungry Buddha. So wah wah me... that's then end of my whinning.

If you care to read more about Lyme Disease, check out this link to the CDC. It's very informative and will answer all your questions.

Summer Fun

More Photoshop Fun

Here's some more photo shop fun/ advertising.

Photobucket Fun

I finally get a moment to myself and what do I do with it? Waste it photo-shopping of course!

Actually I really needed to improve some pictures of some hats I am selling in my Etsy shop, but then the procrastinating side of me came out. And this was the result...

Maya Tinted

Maya as Ink Stamp

Maya ala Andy Warhol

Miles calls...my moment is over.

Why Three Is So Much More Than Two

Life is busy. I used to think that having kids was like having cats. You already got the food, the toys and the beds, why not have 2 or three? (Insert maniacal laughter here.) Let me list a few reasons why 3 seems so much harder than 2.

1. As a parental unit you are now out numbered.
2. You only have two hands.
3. With two, usually only one kid would have a problem at any given time. Now it seems far more likely that two are demanding your attention simultaneously, and then the third one will join in just because. I call this my "Lemming Theory", or the "Jump on the Bandwagon Theory" also known as "Why the Hell Not?"
4. You can effectively drown out one child crying. Two you can attempt to ignore. Three makes you want to gouge your eyes out.
5. Your car and everything else you own will suddenly be too small (and I don't care how big your house is...I guarantee it will seem too small).
6. People start to question you about the third child as in, "Wow, did you plan to have three?"
7. Now you can't really tell who "did it", because there are more kids to blame each other.
8. Someone is always napping so it is virtually impossible to go anywhere.
9. Someone is always hungry so it is also virtually impossible to get out of the kitchen.
10. That one extra load of laundry when you had your first child, has now turned into three or more extra loads of laundry a week.

I cold go on, but I don't want to scare anyone away from having children...I just want you to think very carefully before you do. I know I should finish this up with something cute like... "and of course there is three times the love..." but I have to tell you right now I'm not feeling the love. Give me a few more months to start sleeping again and then I'll let you all know.

Getting Artsy

Trying out some new Photobucket techniques.

Valentine's Day Cutie

Mom's Hat Model

Mommy and Me and a field of Daisies

Miles Anthony Has Arrived

After much anticipation Miles Anthony Adams made his arrival Friday, January 30th at 10:50pm. We were admitted into the hospital around 6:30 after pacing the halls for an hour to make sure it was really labor. The midwife broke my water around 7:30 and Miles showed up about 3 hours later, face up just like his sister! He weighed in at 9 lbs 9oz. and is 20 in. long!

We came home today and all seems to be going well. He is a real sleeper!

Maya and Anya are thrilled with their new baby brother.

Now we can settle in and watch the Superbowl from the comfort of our own couch! GO STEELERS!

Maya's First Gingerbread House

I'm not sure where the idea came from...probably some book that she read. But Maya got it into her head this year that we needed to construct a gingerbread house.

Now I've never done this, and the thought of the effort it was going to take was daunting to say the least. But never fear (a distant trumpet sounds) Sam's Club had these great prefab kits with everything you could possibly need. Well, everything but comprehensive directions.

So after much muddling and winging it. Here it is... the first and possibly only gingerbread house ever to grace our home. Oh, did I mention the net weight is 4 lbs? That's a lot of gingerbread...

Maya's 5th Birthday

The Birthday Princess

Oooo, cake and punch...

Fun, fun for everyone. The party consisted of too many kids, eating too much sugar and given balloons. I think that sums it up. Oh yeah...it was loud. Really, really loud.

Silly Saturdays with Daddy

It all starts out so innocent and loving.

Then the tickling begins...

... and the insanity ensues.


Which involves retaliation of the riding kind.

Until they kill it.

And move on to other more helpless prey.

Can you tell the weather has taken a turn for the worse and we've been house bound all weekend?

Happy Halloween

The best part of getting older is getting to go to multiple parties...

The Local Library with Oma:

School:

Trick or Treat at Meme and Pappy's house with our neighbor:

Fall Field Trip to Metrick's Farm

Maya and her best friend Amber

Looking at the chicken coup

Learning how cider is made

Maya's First Day of Preschool Pictures

No I'm not dead...

...I'm pregnant and working three jobs. Yes, that is why no one has heard from me in months.

As far as the baby it was a total surprise and even bigger surprise - It's a boy. We expect his arrival around February 3rd.

Maya started 3 day preschool in September and is loving it.

Anya is just trying to keep up with her big sister.

I've been working like a fiend.'

And so has Chad.

That out of the way... here are some pictures of the girls enjoying fall.

Somewhere Over the...

Chad snapped this with his phone.

Brag, brag, brag...

May I say that she may be the cutest kid ever? Here she is modeling my latest Etsy creation. A crocheted wool cap.

I feel terrible...

...that I haven't taken the time to post at all lately. The only excuse I have is that I've been so busy. Like "Oh my God it's Thursday again!" busy. (Thursday being the day I teach at school) I spend all my free time making stuff to sell on Etsy, and shipping stuff we've sold, and cleaning, and yard work, and feeding and, and, and... So I get precious little time to just sit in front of the computer and do non business related things.

But please don't think that I'm whining. I'm actually thrilled that things are so busy and crazy. I really don't think I could ever enjoy a life of simplicity...meaning nothing every happens around here. But I do admit I'm looking forward to summer and the end of teaching, and preschool and dance. More mornings to pretend like I might just sit around.

So I promise, really, I'm going to try harder to write more frequently about all the silly things that occur around here. Just to prove it I'll relate the story of Hedgie.

Hedgie is a very small, soft, stuffed hedgehog that Anya got for Easter this year. Just to be silly I stuck it under her shirt. Now, two months later, Hedgie is still riding around under her shirt. She is so proud of her little lump. She runs around patting Hedgie through her shirt and grinning and if he happens to fall out she will frantically run up to me and lift up her shirt so I can stuff him back in there. I can see it now. "My name is Anya, and when I grow up I want to be a kangaroo."

Too cool!

My nephew was born a quadraplegic and has, at the age of 5, already far exceeded what the Dr. ever said he would be able to do! Check out his sled hockey team! My nephew rules!

What am I doing?

I know it's a little late for a New Years resolution, but this isn't really a New Years resolution because no one ever keeps those any ways. This is more of a conscious effort to lessen my families impact on the environment. Here are some ways I am already trying to save energy and money...

1. Attract birds to our yard to work as natural pest control.


2. Use cloth diapers


3. Dry laundry on the clothes line (weather permitting)


4. Bought a more fuel efficient car (my Focus gets twice as many miles to the gallon than my Jeep did)


5. Buy energy saving light bulbs


6. Use a motion sensor on outdoor lights


7. Unplug cell phone chargers when not in use


8. Use power strips to shut off your computer when not in use


9. During the heating season, leave shades and blinds open on sunny days, but close them at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows. Close shades and blinds during the summer or when the air conditioner is in use or will be in use later in the day.


10. Wash only full loads in your dishwasher, using short cycles.


11. Clean the lint filter in the dryer after each use.


12. Turn off lights when I leave a room.


13. Try to consolidate my trips to the store.


14. Reduce, reuse, recycle


15. Drive the speed limit (this one is the hardest of all!)


16. Wash all the laundry in cold water (except the cloth diapers)
    

And here are the things I'm hoping to implement this year...

1. Buy a new energy star water heater


2. Plant a garden


3. Recycle rainwater from the new shed to water the gardens


4. Replace the upstairs toilet with a low flow


5. Buy an energy star dishwasher when we remodel the kitchen


6. Replace our old heat pump with a more energy efficient model


7. Composting for fertilizer for the garden
   

There are so many other things I would like to be able to do, but some just aren't feasible. I'd love to get a push reel mower but with 2 acres to mow that's not going to happen. It already takes over an hour to mow it all on the riding tractor. We do try to mow the back acre less frequently. We'd also like to buy a hybrid truck for Chad when we get my car paid off. Because of his business he needs a truck, but with two girls, we need one that we all can ride in. Hopefully in a few years they will improve hybrids and we can purchase on that will really save us money. I'd also like to get a solar water heater but I don't think we get enough sun to power it! We've only had maybe 10 sunny days since Christmas!

I'm sure there is more that I'm not thinking of right now... I guess I'll just have to bore you with another post later!