Monday, September 29, 2008

The Sunday Summary that Aims High

Last Sunday, Ryan and I got into a little bit of a "discussion" about his tendency to go overboard in the "Goal Setting" arena. For example, he decides he needs to lose weight and so his goal sheet for the week (oh yes, he has a goal sheet for the week), reads


  1. Work out 14 times (I'm not making that up even a little bit)

  2. Eat 1400 calories a day--isn't that what they eat on the Biggest Loser when they're trying to lose 24 lbs a week?!

So I have to bring him down to earth (I have a real talent for that) and he has to try to stand his ground. So after our discussion, I noticed his goal sheet on the floor. This is what it said (again, NOT making this up):

  1. End world hunger

  2. Achieve world peace

In contrast, I found a little booklet Emma had made for school. It was super cute and if our scanner wasn't upstairs and I didn't have to lay down on the ground after each foray up said stairs from exhaustion, I would scan it in, so you could see how much work she'd put into it.

Anyway, after telling about herself and her family, on the last page, she'd written her goals for the school year. These were her goals (word for word):

  1. Get a B on my last report card

  2. Get a C on my first report card

(You realize, of course that this is a girl that has a VERY easy time at school.) Shoot for the stars, Em.

So somehow, we need to meld Ryan (Mr. World Peace) and Emma (Miss Mediocre Grades) to have some sort of balance in our house.

That huge long essay I just wrote is actually only the LEAD IN to the Sunday Summary. (I'm imagining groaning at computers everywhere). I just wanted you to know why my angle for this weeks' summary dwells on each individuals Goals for the Week:


Jane learned how to finally ride a bike without training wheels. See how she ROCKS the bike:


Jane's goal for this week is to convince her parents to buy her a new bike, as this hand-me-down looks ghetto, has flat tires, brakes that don't work and half a pedal.


Here, in the following picture, Emma looks like she is super-cool and chill,


but she wasn't so chill on Sunday, when one of the Primary Counselors came frantically running into my class, telling me Emma needed me. Her teacher explained that Emma was choking on a piece of hard candy, that she is okay, but that she really livened up the Primary Program practice when she stood up wheezing for air and pointing at her chest. Later, she sheepishly told me that is wasn't actually a piece of candy--IT WAS A MAGNET that she'd found on the ground. Yeah, she's 9 1/2. Still eating non-food items off of the floor.

Emma's goal for the week: Pass the magnet. (Should I write a whole post about that?)


Seth's preschool co-op has been at our house this week and we've had fun.


As the youngest kid in preschool, his goal is to not be intimidated by the fact that he the ONLY kid who doesn't know the letter A.


Gabe attended his first pack meeting, and because of an initial (but short-lived) enthusiastic push by Mom, has already gotten his Bobcat patch. He was bouncing off of the walls with excitement at being old enough to participate.



His goal for the week is getting his Non-Sewing Mother to attach that Bobcat patch, so he can wear it proudly. (We've heard rumors of non-sewing adhesive, for which I will pay millions, should I get my hands on it.)


I personally have to aim low. I'm trying to decide between

  • not making and eating a dessert every single night this week

  • not yelling the words "I'm done! Really, guys, I'm done! If I hear one more request, I'm losing it" before 8 pm

  • and limiting my Rolaids/Pepcid/Zantac ingestion to 5 per day.

What do you think?


You already heard Ryan's goals, so watch for an end to the economic crisis and the Iraq war this week.


We hope we inspired you to set your own goals this week and will keep you updated as we achieve all we've set out to do.

Live Free or You've Gotta Be Kidding Me

Giant nuclear lizards.

Source: Once, many years ago, I was watching the movie Godzilla (or something similar) with my parents. After about an hour of watching this movie, my father (who worked in the airline industry for several years) jumped up to complain about how the outside of an airplane they showed did not match the plane cabin that the actors were in. That was the scene that drove him over the edge. I exclaimed "GIANT NUCLEAR LIZARDS!!!" to remind him that the entire premise of the movie was implausible, and once you suspend your disbelief over something like giant nuclear lizards, pretty much anything is possible.

Explanation: Yesterday, Sarah and I watched Live Free or Die Hard and during one of the final scenes, I looked up and proclaimed that we had exceeded my threshold for implausibility. Mind you, at this point, digital terrorists had already seized control of every traffic system in the country, set off the anthrax alarm in a government agency, hacked the New York Stock Exchange, and shut down power to the entire country. Oh, and let's not forget the gorgeous ninja computer hacker woman - oh, I totally remember her from my computer science classes in college.

I could go on to explain the exact scene which drove me over the edge, but I don't want to "ruin" the movie for anyone.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Minority Report en Londres

Son unos pocos segundos porque si hay algo que me da corte en la vida es ir sacando la cámara y hacer el guiri...



En este caso, además de turista, me he sentido un poco Paco Martínez Soria, pero flipo con esas pantallas. ¡Lo que se podría hacer con ellas y con un guión! (de hecho, hay un anuncio que no he grabado pero en el que las pantallas interactúan con las de al lado y según vas pasando al lado, te cuentan una historia que termina por ser el anuncio de un móvil con Skype integrado).

P.D./ Que creo que ya o casi ya sale el Scifiworld Magazine Nº7. Ese Cronenberg lo firma servidor.

Sunday Post

This week I have felt worried about extended family, stressed and angry and scared about the economic crisis, bugged and overwhelmed at the difficulty that is All-Day Mothering, uncomfortable and hormonal during this last month of pregnancy.

And, juxtaposed against these negative feelings, I've felt edified and inspired. I thought I'd leave a list:

Things that have lifted me lately

1. The Book of Mormon. I am reading 3 Nephi right now and am simply amazed at the correlation between those chapters and times and the time we are living in now. But instead of feeling scared and confused, I am reassured by the Spirit as I read, that we will be okay. Nephi and Gidgiddoni were prophets who clearly told the people in Book of Mormon times how they could be safe. The people who followed them were safe. We, too, have prophets who speak with our Heavenly Father and receive clear directions on how we can achieve safety (physical, family, financial, spiritual) in troubled times. I have felt much peace as I have read the scriptures this week.



2. The blog written by CJane. Many bloggers out there know about the CJane/Stephanie and Christian situation, but if you don't, please take the time to find out. Stephanie and her husband, parents of 4 children, were severely burned in a plane crash. They have been in medically induced comas for 6 weeks and she is still in critical condition. Her sister, Courtney (or Cjane) has been chronicling their situation on her blog. It is the first post I look for in the morning, and I never read a post that doesn't give me joy and fill me with the Spirit as she testifies of joy in trials, the Plan of Salvation, the blessings of Charity and the pure Love of Christ.



3. A baby in my tummy. Don't get me wrong. I whine constantly. But I am so grateful I get to have this sweet baby. I'm grateful I get to feel the sweet connection to Heaven during childbirth and the newborn stage. I'm grateful that I get one more child to learn from and laugh at and love. I know she will bless our family and I'm giddy with anticipation to watch how she will do that. Heavenly Father is so good to allow us to live and love in families and I'm thrilled to do it again.



4. Kenneth Cope's song Come to Jesus. I just had it returned from a friend and have been listening to it again. It is a profound and joyful reminder that we should and can turn to the Savior during all of life experiences: sin, joy, heartache, confusion. It is my testimony in song.



5. Elder Uchtdorf's talk during the Women's broadcast last night. I loved his connection between creation (our taking nothing and making something) and service and true, Godly happiness. It was inspiring and timely for me.

What has lifted you lately?

Waichee Birthday in FULLHOUSE

Looking for property? Looking for a house? nicely decorated house? ok... let go to full house. just that... you can't stay there. heheheh. FULL HOUSE, here i come~

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erm.. can i park my Wira side by side with the MINI COOPER?? no parking out there lar. ar? cannot ar?? why? why cannot!?!

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Fullhouse Time always stop at Midnight.. forever...erm.. maybe here you can hold your birthday celeration forever? haha Young Forever :P (while mine still show ... 9 something..)

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Comic book? look likes it.. how come this comic so many price tag 1? ohh.. is the food Menu.. paiseh..

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Let's go Up above.. roof??

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Full House Environment...Speachless Nice.

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nah nah nah~ these is not for SEAT 1. this is for decoration purpose only.. yaya.. mean FOR DISPLAY ONLY.

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The Comic Book of FullHouse.very creative... colourfull.

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The House Garden i suppose??? nice~

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Everyone who trying to turn the House Upside Down. hahaha

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Food Served by FullHouse. yummy~tiramisu are yum yummy

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something else about Fullhouse.

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Oh... Of course not to forget.. yuet leng and our Birthday Star.. Waichee a.k.a GodBlesz. Happy Birthday~~


Place : Full House Lifestyle Store and Cafe.
Location : NZX, Ara Damansara

C-G-11 Block C,
No.2 Jalan PJU 1A/41B,
Pusat Dagangan NZX,
Ara Jaya PJU 1A,
47301 Petaling Jaya.

Tel: (603)7885 0836


Friday, September 26, 2008

No Quiero Taco Bell

Curse you, Taco Bell!

Explanation: Yesterday I decided to splurge during my lunch break from the court case and went over to Taco Bell again. This particular Taco Bell has a three-step ordering process - first you order at the giant menu, then you pay at the first window, then you pick up your food at the second window.

I placed my order for a #1 Combo. That's a burrito and a taco. When I pulled up to the first window to pay, the woman asked me if I would like any sauce with my order. Well, I was getting one taco so I wanted one packet of hot sauce. Since it clearly didn't get through last time, I made a big deal of it this time. I said, "I only need one packet of hot sauce. Just one. Last time I got twenty and I'm sick of throwing them out." She laughed and leaned over to yell something to the person at the other window. I assume she was explaining my request, but I could not totally hear because the window shut. Next, I completed my payment and she gave me one of those random survey slips where I can call and have a chance at winning $1000. I've never gotten one of those from Taco Bell before.

Anyway, I get to the second window, they give me my food and drink, and I'm on my way. I glanced in the bag, but didn't see any sauce, which I thought meant that there was only a single packet hidden in there somewhere.

When I returned to the courthouse, I opened up my bag, and to my surprise, there were three Supreme tacos in there. That wasn't my order. Not only was that not my order, but for three tacos, I would want three packets of Hot Sauce, not just one. How many packets were in the bag? Zero.

I'm going to enjoy taking this survey.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Me voy a Londres (y Miguel Oyarzun)

Casi nadie de la gente que lea este blog sabrá lo que es bOXEA!!! y eso es bueno y malo a partes iguales. Bueno porque no conocéis algo que no está bien que la gente con buen gusto conozca, y malo porque os perdéis saber una parte de la vida de mi amigo Miguel.


Miguel es un actor, un pedazo de actor, uno de esos que lo vive, que lo hace por que su ADN se lo marca así y no por afición. Miguel estudió en la RESAD, apareció en una peli de Achero Mañas, en un par de obras de teatro, en algún corto bueno, en un corto malo y un día, un director de casting bastante imbécil le privó de la oportunidad de su vida (bueno, el director de casting no fue, la culpa la tuvo y la tiene el ejecutivo de televisión que estaba por encima). De modo que Miguel, jodido por ese último capítulo y echándole un par de huevos, se cogió las maletas y se marchó a buscarse la vida a Londres.

Ahora, tras mucho trabajo y mucho machacar el inglés, estrena una obra de teatro en el Union Theatre y yo, aunque tenga que irme esta tarde para volver el domingo, no me lo pienso perder.

Ya tengo la reserva hecha y en un par de horas salgo para Barajas. Nos leemos a la vuelta.


Plutón B.R.B. Nero: El origen de Roswell


Tengo una pila enorme de mails por responder y cosas que escribir antes irme a la cama, por lo que no podré extenderme todo lo que me gustaría (para el que necesite o quiera leer opiniones más profundas que la que yo escriba ahora, recomiendo leer las opiniones de DaniLebowski en los comentarios de su blog y la entrada que mi hermano en fast-food, escrito por, le ha dedicado en el suyo)

Por partes, Plutón B.R.B. Nero no es lo que jamás hubiese pensado que iba a ser, esperaba algo menos "Enano Rojo" y más "Star Trek", pero el producto resultante me ha encantado (me ha encantado porque juega esos dos factores para dar un producto absolutamente distinto).

Como piloto, "El origen de Roswell" es bastante raro. Demasiado poco primer capítulo, quizá... pero da igual porque la sensación de inicio ya la da con los créditos y porque ya queda bastante claro que esta serie va a contradecir casi cualquier convención. Y eso último, aunque sea arriesgado es, casi como lo de "Enano Rojo" vs. "Star Trek", la gran baza de la serie, la capacidad de hacerlo todo de nuevo aún con los elementos de siempre.

Me parece fascinante, por un lado, la economía de recursos de la serie y como esa cutrez se sobrepone gracias a unas situaciones de quitarse el sombrero. Eso sin contar al casting, que me resulta de lujo... a Tallafé, Villén y demás no los voy a descubrir ahora, pero la dupla Antonio Gil y Carolina Bang creo que merece ser resaltada. El primero por la economía (que ya observáis es toda una constante) con la que sabe dar el tono y la segunda por exactamente todo lo contrario, por saber mover cada músculo de la cara sin parar y hacer que eso no resulte cargante.

En definitiva, TVE ha intentado muchas veces ser la BBC con todo tipo de programas "de calidad" como los "Estudio 1" y demás, pero creo que hasta ahora, nunca lo había conseguido. Ojalá la serie viva muchos años y lo que en principio es una serie "de autor" termine teniendo vida propia y se convierta en nuestro particular y patrio "Doctor Who".

En mi, ya tienen un fan.

P.D./ El capítulo 1, totalmente legal para ser visto en Internet.

Jury Service, Day 3

Well now, la-ladies and g-g-gentlemen of the j-j-j-j-jury...



I am serving on a jury today... again.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

No tengo iPhone pero...

... Tengo las zapatillas más chulas del mundo (y nueva cámara de fotos)


Mañana hablamos de la pasada que es Plutón BRB Nero.

Cosas que han ocurrido estos días y que no os he contado:

- Tengo pendiente un viaje a Londres sobre el que hablaré el viernes por la mañana...
- La brutal granizada me perforó dos persianas
- Un tipo intentó acuchillarme
- He escuchado los nuevos temas de oci-osa en su Myspace y son la hostia

Plutón B.R.B. Nero

Llevaba un par de días esperando al estreno para hacer coincidir algún comentario sobre él con mi vuelta (me ha pasado de todo estos días, pero ya he vuelto).

Ahora bien, lo único que puedo decir sobre la serie es... ¿soy el único que ha llegado tarde a verla por culpa que el horario de emisión aparecía mal en muchos sitios?

Cagüen....

A Case of Mistaken Identity

Ryan and I were deciding where to go for an impromptu lunchdate together yesterday, when Jane piped up:

Jane: "I want to go to Peni$ today. The place I went for my birthday."

Me (confused, and smothering incredulous laughter): "You mean Wingers?"




Jane: "Yeah, Weiners. I want to go there."

Jury Service, Day 2

"You can't handle the truth!"



I'm continuing to serve on a jury today.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Hit me with your best shot

Since I honestly CANNOT think of anything to post about, ever, I thought I would use YOU for a blog post.

There are some things I need help with and I would love if you would comment and share your opinion with me.





First, I want a really good NON-BIASED website on the candidates. Specifically, I want to know what their voting records are on the major issues and what their official verbatim promises/views are, should they be elected. I just don't trust very much I see in either emails, media or commercials and I want to feel like I'm making an informed choice. So send me your good, non partisan websites.



Second, I need decorating help (Smart girls, you better comment). This is the room that I'm using as inspiration/copying for the baby's room:



(I know. The yellow and black is so different, yet still girly. )



And I'm doing the walls yellow, ordering a cheap black crib:
with the Pottery Barn bedding and am ordering a nursing chair (not the $1300 one in the picture PB picture, but similar) from Penneys in black and white polka dots. (Here's the fabric:)
The room is trimmed in lots of white and has two big windows that will have white/polka dots curtains. My question is this: my funky friend Christine is helping me put it all together and she suggested this dresser from IKEA.
What do you think? Will the yellow be too much against the yellow wall? Would a black dresser be too much black, considering the big black chair and ottoman and crib? Please share.

And last, still in the baby department, what products have come out in the last 3.5 years that you have loved? Hooter hider? Bumbo (sp?) chair? Tell me what I should buy, and make it good, because this could be my last one and I don't want to waste money.


Thanks for your assistance in my blogging, my vote and my baby.

Oh wait, I just thought of one more: Are there any methods that you think really work in the inducing of labor? I'm good for another month, but then I'm trying them all, so share!

And The Case Begins

You're out of order! You're out of order! The whole trial is out of order!

Source: Al Pacino in And Justice For All.



Explanation: I'm serving on a jury, starting today.

Special Blog Bonus: I just found out that Choke is coming to theaters! As a fan of Chuck Palahniuk, I have to suggest you get out and see it. Or you could read the book. Whatever.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Comet Slideshow video

In case you had bad connection...

What is Comet?

Photoshop.com vs. SlideRocket

We already posted about Photoshop in the web, this version, previously known as Photoshop Express, is now officially launched as Photoshop.com.

I am quite happy about this and all things you can do with it. The most important ones for me is the possibility of importing photos from Picassa, Flickr or Facebook. Of course, you can also make arrangementes to photos and all those things we already know. You can also publish an album. And the best thing is that is free!

On the other hand we find SlideRocket. This is about slideshows, something I like if you have seen my website. You can import a Powerpoint so as to prepare the slides. The transitions are great and you can publish the material in the web also.

So, this kind of applications are perhaps the future. Why do you need to have them in your computer if you can have them on the web?

Stanley the Poker Monkey

I have successfully recreated a digital chess monkey in poker!

Explanation: For quite some time now, I've had a computer game called Chessmaster that features a large selection of computer players. The computer players range in skill from the Chessmaster himself (whom I could never ever even think about beating in a bajillion years) all the way down to little kids and finally to a monkey named Stanley who makes random legal moves.


In my quest to create a digital poker player, my intent is to create a table of capable digital players and then simulate thousands of games between the players to see which algorithm is stronger. The first step, however, is to create a digital player, and that first player was Stanley the monkey. In any given situation, Stanley randomly folds, checks, calls, or bets. While wildly unpredictable, he acts very quickly, giving me a great base opponent for my simulation. I have moved ahead quite a bit in the quality of my digital players, but no accomplishment was better than recreating the digital chess monkey in poker.

My next hurdle is enabling Stanley to sling his digital feces at you when he loses.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Sunday Summary

Kay. This is what I got:

Ryan had to clean out an entire roll of toilet paper from the kids bathroom. (Thank you, Seth). It's so exactly what he had in mind when he dreamed of becoming a dad.

I got to take 6 Cub Scouts to the library to research, using old newspapers and almanacs, the day they were born. The librarian had to only come tell them to calm down twice, so I felt like it was a roaring success. While there, Gabe found out about World Record books and now has been grossing his sisters out all week with The World's Longest Intestinal Parasite, etc. (The wonders a library can bring to your own living room?!)

I actually got excited about decorating a nursery and actually purchasing a bed for Gabe. Sooo hoping this means I'm nesting and that my body is preparing for an early delivery. See a before of the baby's room:


Ryan's mom was in town this week watching the Daines kids and she and Ryan braved Valleyfest with all the kids. They bouncy-housed (see Emma here in her belted outfit that she thought was so cool):

face painted:

met Clifford:

and only lost Jane for 15 minutes. Really impressive, if you think about it.
We had a lesson today on Garbage words. We identified them:"You're a jewk" (a real favorite with Seth and Jane), "Stupid", and "Sucks" (unfortunately, a favorite with mom) to name a few. We threw them in the garbage, found substitutions and got out a jar to collect any mistakes, 25 cents each. 9 hours later, we're at $1.75.
That sucks.


And last but not least, Seth's tongue has apparently been loosed during prayers. For the last 6 months, this is verbatim the prayer he gives every single time: "Dear Henly Father, thank you for dis day, please bless Dad on his mission (?!), In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."
That all changed tonight. He was blessing Gabe to not get burn by the fire and born again (what are they teaching in nursery, anyway), that Nephi's brothers can say sorry (again, nursery), that our baby gel will come out after costumes and that Emma will have a good day at work. He went on and on, with a pause to tell "Jane, you should be quiet during my prayer." We had to finally help him wind it up.
Which is probably what you are wishing I would do, too.
I don't know where he gets that tendency to go on and on. I really don't.

Friday, September 19, 2008

John Birthday@The Cave

John Birthday is Coming.. and don't know where to go.. so.. i suggest go be flinstone again. haha yeah.. i went to THE CAVE once again.

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THE CAVE.. yeah... we went there again ...

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Our dinning table inside the cave.

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we ordered a drink that matchs colours of our cloth. what a coincident!

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The Cake is On Fire!!! anyone!! please call BOMBA!!! before it burn down my Birthday cake!

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These people who trying to exprience how Flinstone lifestyle is.. so we celebrate John birthday in THE CAVE

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the left over candle? don't waste it.. let's light up our Tang Lung. haha ,TangLung Session again for this year :P (we're not in The Cave anymore liao... hahaha)

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Here's all our Tanglung.

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John Birthday~ let see what happen to the cake.. ohh~ it did survived..



The Cave
The Cave16 & 18, Ground, Mezz,
1 & 2 Floor,Jalan SS2/61,47300
Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan.
Tel :- 03 7873 9888 / 9698

Fifty people, one question

Nice video to make a little stop.


Fifty People, One Question: Restored from Benjamin Reece on Vimeo.

From Benjamin Reece

Run For the Border

And the eternal dance of the taco sauce continues...

Explanation: You think I'd learn, but I never do. I went to the Taco Bell drive-through the other day and ordered a #6 combo - that's two chalupas and a taco. I like the Baja chalupas as they are, because they have their own sauce on them, but I do like to add a little something to the taco. That little something is a single packet of Taco Bell Hot Sauce. That's it. That's all I need.

So, after I placed my order, the nice lady asked, "Would you like Hot, Mild, or Fire Sauce with that?" I responded the same way I always do: "Yes, I would like ONE packet of Hot Sauce." Then I drove through to pick up my order and sure enough, it contains 67 packets of Taco Bell Hot Sauce. Seriously. There was more volume occupied in my bag from taco sauce than there is from food. It's ridiculous. You think I would learn and just give up on the taco sauce, but I don't.

It's kind of like at Subway when I say "I would like a little lettuce and a LOT of tomato" and the person proceeds to slather on the lettuce and then gives me a whopping 3 slices of tomato. I think they're required to ask the question, but they aren't required to care about the response.

Anyway, should you ever visit my house and open up that one kitchen cabinet, and have millions of packets of Taco Bell Hot Sauce fall on your head, now you know why they're there. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

I'm Just Bursting With Civic Pride

Heheh... duty.

Explanation: Well it took a number of years, but I had my first experience with jury duty yesterday. I was on call for the morning, but then I had to go in for the afternoon session. Here's a timeline of how it went down:

12:30 PM: I arrive at the courthouse parking lot and wolf down the Taco Bell value meal I bought on the way. At home I usually eat a meal every two to three hours, so I was pretty worried about surviving an entire afternoon without sustenance.

12:50 PM: I walk into the jury room, feeling bloated from my Mexican feast and clinging to my tub of Mountain Dew. The first thing I discover is that it's "Juror Appreciation Week" and they have a spread of free food and beverages for people on jury duty. At this point in time, the mere appearance of food makes me feel ill.

12:52 PM: After checking in, I take my seat in the front of the jurors' room where they have two televisions showing "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?" There are also computers for jurors' use and a large number of books available. Of course, I brought a book, so I'm good.

1:00 PM: "Millionaire" ends and a daytime soap opera comes on. I'm suddenly very uncomfortable sitting that close to the television.

1:02 PM: Court Lady #1 puts in a DVD about how a courtroom works. Surprisingly, the acting is much better than in the soap opera she turned off.

1:10 PM: The video ends and Court Lady #2 spends five minutes taking attendance. There are 54 of us. Then we all proceed up to the 6th floor where the courtroom is.

1:15 PM: Outside the courtroom, there are about a hundred jurors, some from the previous session. We wait patiently. Some of us who may have just finished chugging our tub of Mountain Dew are relieved to discover that there are restrooms there.

1:20 PM: We are shepherded into an unused courtroom, where we are told we will wait for 20 minutes until the judge is ready for us.

1:30 PM: Whiny lady in front of me complains that she has to pick up her kids at school and there's no way she can be on a jury.

2:00 PM: We are told that the lawyers are still working with the previous group of jurors and it may be a while longer.

2:12 PM: Court Lady #3 pulls a copy of "My Cousin Vinny" out from the Clerk's desk and plays it for us on the large court monitor.

2:15 PM: Whiny lady in front of me complains again that she has to pick up her kids at school and there's no way she can be on a jury.

2:41 PM: Whiny lady in front of me complains again that she has to pick up her kids at school and there's no way she can be on a jury.

2:43 PM: Whiny lady in front of me makes a phone call where she tells someone else they have to pick up the kids.

3:10 PM: Whiny lady in front of me complains that she has to pick up her kids at school tomorrow and there's no way she can be on a jury.

3:30 PM: The judge will see us now. We proceed to the courtroom next door. It is amazing how many times you can tell a large group of people to "not leave any empty seats" before they realize that you are talking to them. I certainly hope isn't a jury of MY peers.

3:37:02 PM: "All rise for the Honorable So-and-So."

3:37:04 PM: "Please be seated."

3:37:05 PM: Major head rush accompanied by sudden leg cramps.

3:38 PM: The Honorable So-and-So explains the details of the case and introduces the lawyers and the defendant.

3:39 PM: The Honorable So-and-So says you should come up and talk to him if any of the following four conditions apply...

3:46 PM: It took so long to explain the four conditions, I had forgotten the first two by the time he was done. I remember desperately hoping that I would know a witness so I could be excused. No luck, though.

3:47 PM: A parade of people walk up to the bench one by one to tell the judge why they're too good for jury duty.

4:30 PM: We are dismissed for the day and have to return at 10:00 AM tomorrow.

And there you go. In conclusion, the justice system works and I've never been more proud to serve as a citizen of this wonderful country of ours.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Working their fingers to the bone

Some people think that I have kids because I think they're so cute, because I feel inspired to have more children to devote my life to, because I don't know how to use birth control.
Well, they're all wrong.
I have kids so they can do all the work for me. Seriously. Just ask my kids. I do nothing and they do all the work and it is awesome.

I thought I'd let you in on my Guide-to-the-Easy-Life Job System. Get those bon-bons out, ladies. Life's about to get cushy.
Our chores fall into three categories:
Category #1: Jobs-that-are-so-everyday-they-don't-even-merit-a-place-on-the-job-chart
  • Make bed, or clean up blankets from where you were sleeping on the floor (Gabe)
  • Clean room
  • Get dressed
They have to do this before they can eat, because hunger is a real motivator.
Category #2: The job chart jobs
  • Straighten house--stairs and main living areas (done right before dinner)
  • Clean bathroom--straightened and wiped with Clorox wipes (done after everyone's slopped their toothpaste all over the counter, after breakfast)
  • Straighten basement (done right before dinner)
  • Clear table (done after dinner...I actually have to work and clear the breakfast/lunch dinner)
  • Empty car--clear and put away all of the day's accumulations (done before dinner)
  • Garage and Outside--clean up all outside toys/otter pop wrappers/return all the neighbor kid's flip flops (before bed)
  • Set Table
  • Empty dishwasher
  • Sweep (done after dinner)
  • Laundry (see laundry post)

Emma (or Miley on the job chart), Gabe (Yu-gi-oh) and Jane (Sparkles the Snow Leopard) have 3 jobs, Seth ( Diego, a new slave, see him on his first task below) has 1. Everything is velcroed and they rotate down one job on each Monday morning (so we get to be tortured by Jane's poor job execution for 3 straight weeks. I'm SO happy when it's Emma's turn to straighten the house again).

Rewards/Consequences

No one plays until there jobs are done.

If they do it happily and on the first asking, they get a check. All green checks = 25 cents a day, making their weekly job earning possibility a whopping $1.50 a week. If they yell and cry (Jane) or make me ask them 10 times (Jane) or do a really poor job (Gabe), they get an X. And X gets nothing. Except when it's X'd, then they can go play.

Category #3: Friday Jobs

I basically decide what deep cleaning the house needs and assign it out. Sometimes it's happy and gets done in 2 hours; sometimes it's so miserable that Ryan and I can't take the sacrament the next Sunday.

Here's a sampling of what they do:

Vacuum, clean bathroom (I always do that bathroom the next week, to insure less e coli), wiping table and chairs, windows, dusting, trash emptying, spot cleaning and drying the floor (with Mom mopping--keeps me off my hands and knees), washing walls.

So that's how I read and blog so much. I have nothing to do around here.

Serious note: It takes quite a bit of consistency, calling kids in to re-do jobs, forcing myself to be happy with less-than-perfect, listening to whining, stopping what I'm doing to re-focus or help--but it's my job as a mom to teach my kids how to work. And they really are pretty darn good. And I really don't know how I'd manage without the kids that have learned how to help out (Emma and Gabe).

It's awesome to have my servants.

Comet Photo Slideshow: What is Comet?

Right now, as I go on with my migration to Actionscript 3.0 I have just made a preview of my portfolio, check it out at www.fernandocomet.com.

I have also created a Comet Facebook Page, it´s quite easy! And also have created an event for
the Comet Portfolio 3.0 Launch.

So I will be posting here and there about my experiments and advances!