Monthly Archives: March 2009

Imaginary names

I’m sad: Olivia has such a great memory and can recall names that I give her toys and her imaginary friends that I have long forgotten. And she remembers them with ease. Names like “Tooth-o” for the rubber whale. I can’t even remember naming him. I fear that these names will someday fade into the past and we’ll both forget them as we get older. Soooo, here’s some names I don’t want to forget:

Tootho
Chewie
Mookie
Roary
Ring-Rong
Snow
Smile-co
Blorgensday
(more to come as I remember them)….

There are songs that I play often in the car. It didn’t dawn on me how much Olivia listens to them too. She can sing “Under the Waterfall” by James. She’s also often heard saying that she’s “Off to find the hero of the day”. And she somehow will use this in context. “Where you going Olivia?” “I’m off to find the Hero of the day!” (spoken matter-of-factly). Her music collection that she keeps in her head is vast and can be recalled at any moment.

She is non-stop singing and this bodes well. We’ve got her in a music class now and if her enthusiasm is any indication, we’re in for some fun recitals and auditions down the road.

Christien, meanwhile, has been figuring out how to crawl. He’s been working at it for well over a month now. Although it can be quite frustrating to have such a squirmy kid, it is exciting to have been seeing him rolling around and working his way across the floor for almost two months now. He hasn’t figured out the jolly jumper yet which leads to a workout on the arms since the substitute is to bounce him ourselves. It’s also been three months since we’ve been assisting him in his walking. I can’t believe he’s been trying to walk since he was 3 months old. As Sonia says: It’s like holding a puppy over water….the instincts kick in and they try doing the dog-paddle while still in your hands. When holding Christien above the floor, he immediately starts pumping his legs as if walking and has been doing this since very early on. And when his feet touch the ground he’s off to the races. And loving it. This is going to be a very mobile kid in contrast to the observant Olivia who early on was content to sit and figure things out.

Of course, OG is now also highly energetic. Which I think can account for Christien’s quick physical development. My friend Ian has 2 kids close in age and he told me the other day that his second one rapidly developed thanks to the older sister.

If it weren’t for Olivia, I don’t think Christien would have as many ants in his pants. She has as much influence, if not more, on the development of this child as we do.

OK, I’m not an American Idol fan, BUT….

I admit this, it’s true. I do watch AI (American Idol), and am always somewhat disappointed. That’s a direct result of the fact that I’m a dud and love Echo, James, Roxy Music and the other *greats*

But tonight, there was this *Grand Ole Opry* night where the singers had to choose an *opry* like song. And lo’ and behold, 9 of the 10 chose to sing country style (nothing wrong with that).

But this one guy….I think his name is Adam…chose to sing J.C’s “Ring of Fire”. and Randy (Travis)? was ‘upset’ about the *eastern* flair. “I don’t know what to say about this boy” “That Johnny Cash arrangement thru me for a loop”. The best comment he made was “A great singer” dusted in with many *unusual* criticisms.

So anyway, Freakboy, I don’t think you watch this show, but if you ever get a hold of this guy’s rendition of “Ring Of Fire”, you will likely take Reznor’s rendition of this and shatter it into many many pieces. This is a mixture of The Darkness (One Way Ticket To Hell And Back) and The Tea Party. I can’t give it proper justice.

The only justice I can give it is that dunce girl was stupified, Simon Cowell was an idiot and Randy Jackson thought it was hot and *the bomb* — whom I think is the most qualified of the bunch.

So anyway, I know this guy won’t last (not that I care) but he is on my wavelength. And I say this: In my mind I know what I like and be that as it may, it’s a shame he has debased himself by going on this show. He is a singular talent that I would probably be buying many albums from….except that now he has reduced himself. I really hope he loses so he can go off and do what he’s meant to do.

Cheers buddy!

The Basement – bye-bye ‘Roach’s last resort!’

Years ago the basement started out as a place where we stored old furniture and had laid down the old shag from upstairs. Think of it as a student’s living room: mismatched junk. No finished walls, exposed sump, etc. etc. One studded load-bearing wall to give semblance to a future finish.

Fast forward a couple years and an influx of furniture enters the scene: my brother moved to Bermuda and wasn’t able to bring much with him. We stored most things in the fruit cellar, but not the 36″ T.V. that I quickly hooked up with digital cable. Then, the Nintendo64 was brought down and the room began a transformation: Roach’s Last Resort! The place that was frequented mainly by myself.

Then, the weight equipment arrived and the far side of the basement that houses the laundry facilities becomes the workout area. Soon after, the dartboard goes up and Dan & I are doing our workouts again. The old shelf stereo goes up and we’re beginning to have a place where I can spend some serious time.

Another year passes and some ‘sports-type’ paraphenelia works it’s way onto the concrete walls and studding. Then, a fridge appears! All of life’s amenities are within reach. My mecca has arrived.

Then the twist in the plan: Olivia. Things are fine for the 1st year. In fact, the Arcade machine is born and the basement becomes ‘the’ room for me. But soon, the toys. Oh, the toys. It was time for me to share the basement and that is the arrangement to this day.

But, the times they are a-changin’. We’ve got all the pieces in place, the contractors are hired and we’re finishing the basement! Photos to come, starting with the ‘before’ and then documenting the process to completion.

The first snag: we thought it prudent to get a permit due to the fact that we’re cutting into the load-bearing wall to produce an 8-foot entrance between the 2 rooms that will be finished. Much to the chagrin of the contractor. This may delay things slightly.

Lesson #1: don’t leave things to the last minute. Scrambling for electrician, A/V wiring, building permits makes things stressful.

Lesson #2: make sure you have a clear picture of what you want done. Once it’s done, it’s too late. That includes the pre-wiring for the future. Use the resources you’ve hired to help define what you want the finished product to be.

Lesson #3: Re-financing. Acquire 50% more funds than you think you’re going to use. Even if you don’t use them at least you’ve got them. We miscalculated the amt of coin we need and now will have to dig into alternative sources.

Lesson #4: Don’t compromise your dream. Especially if you plan to use the space for many years. That includes forgoing the drop-ceiling!