Up North (& Out There doing it)

A definite favorite outing of all time

D was sick again with his usual coughing stuff (thought the sick season was over) and so I convinced him to let me put him in a stroller and have him go out for a run with me. We haven't done this together in a long time, at least since he could talk, maybe at least 3 years (?).

With a little prodding and a small little bribe (one episode of 'Special Agent Oso' when we get back and a 'Little People race car from Target), I convinced him to go to the North County Trail with me.

At the last second, I threw the iTouch into the stroller as well and the 42 lb D, the 21 lb stroller and myself heading out.

It was completely awesome and one of the best runs I've had in a long time. It just felt so good to be out there and D really seemed to enjoy himself.  And I only had to tell him one little fib.

He was insistent that we only go '1 mile' and I knew in his mind that was just arbitrary, he had no ability to determine how long 1 mile was and I knew I wanted to get at least 3 miles in so I just adjusted how long it took us to run '1/2 mile' before turning around (read 1.5 miles).

It was slower than slow, but so much fun.

I couldn't keep thanking him enough for making my day.

 

Reposted on RunningThree65 (I'm going to do this from time to time).

 

Nothing but fun

Foursquare is exploding and just can't get much hotter in the media. I've been doing it since October and there is only one way to put it -- it's fun for some strange and addictive reason.

But all of the sudden, after having the entire 'world' as my oyster and being the Mayor of just about whatever wherever I went, folks are catching on.  This morning, I got this note that bothered me waaaaay more than it should.

------Original Message------
From: foursquare
To: kdaddy
Subject: foursquare :: You've just been ousted as the mayor of Black CowCoffee Co!
Sent: Mar 13, 2010 8:10 AM

Hey there -

Sorry for the bad news, but Alicia M. has just replaced you as mayor of Black Cow Coffee Co!

http://foursquare.com/venue/332952

Don't take it too hard - a few more checkins and you could be back on top...

- foursquare

The only redemption, checked in at the Bagel shop later and boo-yah! Alicia M. got the same note about me!

I know, I know, Zoolander is thinking it right now -- doesn't this guy have more things to worry about and I don't know how he has so much time on his hands to even think about junk like this.

A very determined Helper

D absolutely loves to shovel the driveway. Loves it! In fact, he doesn't want to stop.

Even when we are done, he doesn't want to stop.

Its pretty funny.

Hard core reading!

Just sat down next to a guy on the train, and noticed that he had a print out from the web of the first chapter of 'War and Peace' printed out in English. Then I noticed that to the side of it, he is reading the real deal book, 'War and Peace', written in Russian.

Regardless of whatever is this guy's native tongue, he clearly isn't 100% proficient in the other and reading 'War and Peace' in the 'other' language is pretty hard core.

Fantastic Night

I had a fantastic night last night, and it might not be for reasons you would guess. It was my night to pick up the boys and G's been sick with an ear infection. Needless to say, they both have been giving us a run for our money. Battles to get to bed, interrupted sleep, every one is a little cranky at the end of the day, etc. However, last night was perfect. G was calm, cool and so fun. Went right to bed while D played very nicely down stairs with his new 'Car Garage' that Santa Claus brought him over Thanksgiving -- didn't you know? I'm not sure how we did that to ourselves, but some how Santa swooped down from the TV and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and dropped off a huge hit of a gift for the little guy.

What made my night was actually taking the recycling out (again, perhaps not where you would expect to have a great moment). The way our house sits, D's window looks down over the garage and driveway. I've come home a couple of times to a grinning D saying that he saw my pull my car into the driveway. As I was walking back to the garage last night, I realized that I should be careful not to make too much noise so that you know who would open his shutters and peek down. As I walked back to the garage for the first of two times, I suddenly saw the shutters fly open and there was D peeking out. I pretended not to notice and made another trip to the end of the driveway. On the way back, the shutters flew open again and there was shadow of D, looking down at me with his little hand feverishly waving, so excited to be peering out down on Daddy and being able to wave, even though we both new that he should be focused on going to sleep, not what was going on outside his window..

It felt so good.

So I feverishly waved back and I could just make out the smile on his face.

But then instead of getting wound up and fighting going to sleep, that was it. I didn't hear from him again and he slept in late.

Services Showdown

What I'm about to say is completely true, and falls under the umbrella of 'you can't make this up'

Our neighbor was getting a refrigerator delivered this weekend (and blocked us while doing it with a 2 minute heads up, but that was fine.). At the same time, they were getting their automatic watering system serviced for the winter. Well, apparently, the water guys accidentally (or maybe not so accidentally) sprayed the refrigerator delivery guys. Considering that it was about 28 degrees outside, this was received none too well by the delivery guys and apparently things got a little heated and nearly came to blows (I somehow missed this).

But somehow cooler heads prevail and everyone goes along their merry way, except when the water guys circle back and water down the walkway that the delivery guys are trying to use to get the refridge into the house. (Remember, its 28 degrees outside) and so it immediately turns into a skating rink.
Now our neighbors are stuck with an ice rink for a walkway and only 5 days before the T-day weekend.

Was I right? You cannot make this stuff up.

The "Little" differences.

I'm up early this morning to take care of voting and walk in. The polling place is next door, so city style I can walk over. There is a table of little old ladies ready to help out and one polling machine. One! I'm used to walking in to NYC where there were multiple machines, which come to think of it represent multiple districts rather than just multiple machines for one district. Polling machines are very complicated and its amazing so something you only use once a year (and in many cases once every 4 years) doesn't have a more intuitive interface. Why not have a touch screen where you could just step through each decision, get to the end and review and commit your vote? Seems like it would be so simple. .

Small town feel

This is why you live here. A charming couple runs the little coffee shop at the train station from I'm guessing 5:00 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon. Today they were congratulating a regular patron about getting married recently and just returning from his honeymoon. Then the woman asked to see some pictures. That's such a cool connection that isn't fostered as visible or as easy in New York.

A Favorite Fall weekend activity

Thompson's Cider Mill is open again. Hooray.

Louder than a Bus on 2nd Ave

Amazing. Stepped outside to walk to the basement (long story but basically our basement door has fallen off its hinges and yes, I was pissed. 5 months at home and this happens the week I go back to work -- come on!). But what an amazing thing was going on outside. The insects outside were making such a racket, and I mean it was *loud*. Incredibly loud. All of the city folk talk about Up North being so rural, quiet, etc but man, it was way louder than any 2nd Ave bus I've ever heard (and that's saying a lot).