MSNBC Keith Olbermann weighs in on Proposition 8

I have to do this. I can't keep silent about what happened. If this offends you, you should really take a good, long look in the mirror and realize by polarizing and dividing people, you are standing for hate, for bigotry, and for discrimination.

school daze, rolling the die, and the misadventures of metalmouth & gameboy

I intended this entry to take place a lot closer to the beginning of
the chickens' schoolyear, but because it has been a busy one so far,
I blinked and now almost a month has gone by since they started. Better late than never, however. =)

School for Forrest has gotten off to a great start so far! He has entered the 8th grade, and I can't help but remember the hell and confusion I was going through back when I was his age (which seems like such an eternity ago). He seems to have finally found his rhythm at the close of his junior high years, having weathered a rather bumpy transition from elementary school two years ago (the school system here starts Junior High with the 6th grade, like many others across the country), and his grades are better than they've historically been. I'm hoping this change will stick just in time for his move to East High School, where Nathan graduated from, in the fall next year.

Forrest is not really doing anything extra-curricular this year, instead expressing the desire to stay focused on his school work, and I suppose given the tough time he's had managing his school workload in the past that this is a good thing. I'm also quite pleased he hasn't started dating anyone yet as he's quite blunt about not wanting to explore any of that just now either, so Nathan and I are breathing sighs of relief we get to put all that mess off for another year at least. ;)

The big change for Forrest was he had bracesapplied to his top row of teeth right at the end of the summer. We were all a bit nervous about it, but he actually looks great in them! He'll get the bottom row done in November after those teeth have spaced out a bit more. In his spare time, he still loves skateboarding (though these days he favors his Razor scooter; picture above - isn't he something???), messing about on the new computer we bought the boys for their room as a back-to-school surprise, watching programs on the Science and the Discovery channels, and sometimes reading if he's found a book he particularly enjoys. It's really exciting to see him becoming so enthusiastic about science and nature and learning in general! I'm very proud of how well he's doing in school this term so far.




Jerrod is starting the fourth grade this year, and trying once again to have it all -- he's in intermediate band and still playing the trumpet two mornings a week before school, taking a digital photography class once a week, and a computer class twice a week, both after school. He also has real homework this year, where in years past he was given a couple of assignments and a week to do it. Now, he's required to turn in something every day except Friday. Guess he'd better get used to that now so it won't be such a rough adjustment later!

Jerrod isn't getting braces - yet. His dentist says he'll need them soon, though. Lucky us! =) In this picture, Jerrod is wearing one of his favorite school outfits, new this year. We'll transition to colder-weather clothes once it's officially winter, but for now he loves to wear skinny pants that are popular with the skater crowd whenever it isn't too hot out. I snapped this one in the gated parking area for our loft community; Jerrod wanted something 'industrial.' =) Like the view of our city alley? ;)

When Jerrod isn't studying, reading, playing the trumpet, or playing with Tech Decks, he's zapping space creatures or smashing LEGO characters on the Play Station 3 gaming system we bought last Fall; Jerrod's current favorite games are 'Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty' (pirate's booty, but I fear the double entendre is intentional although the game has a rating of E for Everyone), and 'LEGO Batman: The Videogame.' He also enjoys the other two LEGO games, 'Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures' and 'Star Wars: The Complete Saga,' as well as 'Uncharted: Drake's Fortune' and 'The Orange Box' games. They have several others, but those are the top six. Here's a photo of Jerrod catching some pretty decent air as he skates with his in-lines. :) Both the boys are quite athletic; I wish I had been at their age -- it would've saved me so much heartache in school. ;) Oh, well...



Jerrod just celebrated his tenth birthday last weekend, and we threw him a big birthday bash with several of his classmates followed by a sleepover with a few of his best buds. We hosted the party at Steve's Snappin' Dogs, a gourmet hot dog stand we're lucky enough to have here in Denver. The theme of Jerrod's party was 'Rockstar,' and so guests were encouraged to come dressed as their favorite icon. Thank goodness Spirit Halloween Store was open this time of year!! We even made CDs containing 10 (+ 1 bonus track to grow on) of Jerrod's favorite rock songs as a party favor for guests.

Adding to the glamor, Jerrod was lucky enough to have his birthday party booked the same day Steve planned to have a commercial filmed about his restaurant, and so they filmed the commercial around Jerrod's party and we'll all be airing (locally, of course) on The Cartoon Network and ESPN (funny but appropriate mix of target audiences). =) If I somehow manage to come by a copy, I'll post it here, but in the mean time enjoy the slide show of some snaps from the party by clicking on THIS (for some dumb reason, I couldn't get the vid to upload to this blog even though it meets all the requirements; whateva)! :) That one was for you, Mother. Yeah, that's right, even my Mother laid a 'what-ev-a' on me on the telephone the other day! Blew my mind! And, she did it perfectly! Anyhow, I think the boys look very intimidating in their costumes, but they loved it! I'm glad they don't look like that all the time. ;) Nathan and I luckily stayed mostly out of the photos although we did dress up, but I think I snuck into a shot. See if you can spot me! The party was a blast, and hopefully it did something to help Jerrod edge toward the limelight of his elementary school's highly competitive social scene. ;)

Switching topics, we've made some changes in how we handle discipline at home this year. Previously, the chickens were randomly 'punished' with a variety of restrictions, groundings, time-outs, and loss of privileges, and these 'punishments' would snowball depending on how much the offending chicken had messed up, how often they had been messing up as of late, and whether or not we felt there was a chance they would mess up in the future. OK, I'm kidding about that last bit. Anyhow, this process wasn't really working for our family, leaving the chickens frustrated because they never knew whether we would let them eat cake or death instead, and us frustrated at having to come up with more imaginative and bizarre punishments such as the time last summer we hung Forrest upside down by his toenails and forced him to smoke a carrot. Yeah, kidding about that one too. My point is discipline was very slap-dash for us, and this year we finally got organized. I developed a performance chart that was tied to what the chickens love best - no, not money -- MEDIA TIME! Yes, now their beloved enjoyment of all media ranging from recreational television programs like 'The Suite Life of Zack & Cody' to playing 'Oblivion' on the PS3 or 'The Sims 2' on their new computer is tied to
whether or not they have earned enough behavioral points the previous week to qualify.



They earn points based on a variety of categories such as school behavior, home behavior, chore effort and completion, etc. They have up to a total of seven earnable points on weekdays and six on weekends, and must achieve a total of 41 points or more each week to qualify for media time the following week. This chart has really worked well, putting the power of choice in the chickens' hands, and consequently leaving them no one but themselves to blame if they don't qualify. They have access to the performance chart, built with Microsoft Excel, via their computer (it's stored on our wireless network drive along with all our music and photographs; we went with the Apple Timecapsule) so they can see throughout the week how they're doing and any areas they need to improve in as scoring time draws nigh. One on one in a private conference, I tally the points for each of them every day before bedtime, and on Sunday evenings we count up the total points for the week. Nathan and I are thrilled this method of tracking their behavior rewards them, inspires them to achieve performance goals, and keeps them informed of not only what is expected of them but also how they are progressing in 24-hour segments. They are also able to view their overall performance to date on a bar graph, as well as see which weeks they qualified and what their total points for any given week were.


In addition to the performance chart, we have a system of doling out consequence for more serious rule infractions like dishonesty. I learned about this system last fall at a parenting seminar put on by Forrest's middle school PTA. Nathan and I put our heads together and came up with a set of six consequences we both agreed were fair as a result of such infractions. We purchased a colorful large six-sided die, and when one of the boys breaks a more serious rule, they have to 'Roll for a Consequence.' The number they roll corresponds with one of the six consequences Nathan and I cooked up. You'll notice I'm avoiding labeling them as 'punishments' because we're trying to drive home the lesson that there is no action without consequence, advice I learned in this seminar I mentioned.

The consequences equate to things like loss of media time for 24 hours, loss of just telephone privileges for 24 hours, having their next social engagement cancelled, and my favorite, the sneak. We actually have funny names for all the consequences, and I'm including a snap of the sign I made to remind them of what potential consequences for infractions are. As you can see, the sneak equals having to sit through a Disney movie or few of my choosing (this was especially effective during the summer break), and while this might sound like a treat for some of you, the boys particularly loathe some of the older Disney films which are my favorites, like 'Alice In Wonderland,' 'Cinderella' the original animated '101 Dalmatians,' and the like. I'm not really sure why they don't like these films, but suspect they secretly do deep down and are refusing to admit it, or else that these films are so quaint to them and completely out of touch with the more modern Disney films like 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' At any rate, groans always ensue when they roll a consequence and hit a sneak, which means they know they'll soon be suffering through scenes like this one. =) Well, we couldn't come up with a sixth consequence and were trying to be creative! What else can I say?

As we prepare to move towards the holiday season, which means we'll all be busier, hopefully happier, and probably a tad heavier owing to the yummy comfort food this season of hearth and home always brings, I wanted to take a moment and give you a snippet of a few of the details that make up the lives of our favorite chickens, and consequently of my life as well. I hope you enjoyed it. =)

start spreading the news (but not the cream-cheesey kind)

As promised and better late than never, here are some photos from my trip to Manhattan with Nathan this summer. I've discovered the mosaic tool on Picasa, and I think it's a better way to view these; though numerous, one by one they're photos more for me and less for sharing as they're kind of boring by themselves. =) If you don't get the cream cheese reference, consider yourself lucky. I think the coolest thing about viewing the photos in this way is it gives the viewer a taste of the feeling that was mine during my five wonderful days there - a rush of images rapidly sliding in and out of view as one amazing experience replaced another and all of them combine to form one big messy magical memory. Visiting Manhattan was the closest thing I've found in the states to what I experienced when I visited Paris several years ago - it is truly an amazing and marvelous city.

learning to be the memory-keeper

So I've been studying under the tutelage of my sister-in-law who is a master craftswoman when it comes to archiving and creating keepsakes for the important moments in her life and the lives of those she loves, and I've learned a thing or two about how to start doing that myself. Yes, I'm talking about SCRAPBOOKING! Yes, yes, I know -- you've been to the parties, you've suffered through sorting ribbons and buttons and bits of paper into numerous stacks, bins, and envelopes. You may have even held a pair of scissors like these for long enough to cramp your hand as you slaved away for hours over a page for your album only to have to start all over again because of a snip too much, a cut too far in the wrong direction. So before you laugh at your monitor and run away screaming or turn away in disgust, wait until you read how this highly respectable though arguably time consuming art of memory archival has evolved. 

It has been for some time now one can produce high-quality pages (called layouts and commonly abbreviated as LO) for one's keepsake album entirely on one's computer. This process, referred to as Digital Scrapbooking, completely eliminates the waste of paper involved in traditional scrapbooking as well as dramatically shrinks the carbon footprint such a hobby might usually occupy in physical form. I realize that might not be a motivating factoid for some of you, but I found it very pleasing. 

Further, I was thrilled to learn large crafting tables, a dedicated craft-space, numerous scissors and glues, or massive filing systems for all one's bits and pieces of decoration and photographs aren't necessary either in this new form of modern scrapbooking. All it takes is a way to take or create digital photographs (which is fairly simple for most as digital cameras are far more common now as are scanners if you can't come by a camera), a fairly decent computer (though even those with spec-challenged machines can play along quite well, albeit a bit slower), a sizable amount of free space on your hard drive or network drive or even a virtual drive online (especially if you plan to be more than casual about this hobby), and a good working knowledge of basic computer software operation. You don't really even need much cash as much of the embellishment used in creating a digital layout can be found for free on the Internet if you know where to look, and the programs used to create your layouts have fairly lengthy trial periods for you to enjoy gratis while you get your feet wet. 

Eventually, though, you'll have to pony up a bit, and costs to continue are in my case $80 to purchase a full version of the most commonly used and in my n00b opinion best image editing software out there, Adobe Photoshop Elements version 6, plus a bit more if you go for a proper image file management system like ACDSee Photo Manager which is what my sister-in-law uses and sings the praises of. Although you might not need the image management system right off, if you are at all interested in scrapbooking digitally you will be amazed at how quickly you amass a collection of photographs, pictures of various paper treatments and decorative accents, and other accoutrement and an easy efficient and speedy way to locate these items without sifting through numerous lists of files is paramount.

If you have any love at all for creative projects or graphic design, digital scrapbooking will definitely appeal to you, especially when you've gotten your feel for the various ways to enhance and manipulate your images to create your layout - with the numerous tips, tricks, shortcuts, and even layout templates out there, having a professional-looking page for your digital photobook (or for taking to a printer for professional production) takes mere minutes, and I'm not kidding. Compare this to the extremely lengthy time involved in creating a physical layout from scratch, and you'll understand why I'm so excited about this. If you've been reading, you know the main theme of this blog is Busy Parent, and things that save me time yet allow me to produce wonderful and immensely satisfying results are extremely attractive to me.

So as I wrote, I've been studying under the direction of my sister-in-law, a traditional-style and digital scrapbooking Queen, for the last couple weeks as part of a test-run for her desire to start teaching this craft and her extensive knowledge of it to other n00bs like me. I'm participating in a six-lesson beta course which will one day soon be a public offering for a nominal fee, at which point you too can have this colour. =) Along with the instruction, my sis-in-law even provides lesson notes and all class materials - you supply your trial-version of Elements and some ready-to-edit digital photographs. I learn, along with my Aunt, via GoToMeeting (a license of your own is not necessary to learn from my sis) and at the end of each week's lesson I've produced a (to me) impressive-looking layout I'm proud of, and all this with no prior experience with Photoshop whatsoever (although I do again want to hit upon the importance of a fairly solid computer software operation skill set; you'll play faster and happier if you've got that one down). 

I'm really very pleased at what I've been able to do using my to-date very basic knowledge of these tools and tricks, and am realizing the possibilities are vast as I progress in skill. If you've got a collection of digital or even actual photographs languishing in a folder or drawer somewhere and you don't know what to do with them, or if you've become familiar with traditional scrapbooking but were scared away by the time/cost/space requirements/soccer-mom-esque aspects of it, then this might well very be a delicious alternative for you!  I'll post an announcement when my sis-in-law is ready to start teaching, and if you contact me privately I'll put you in touch with her.

Learn more about the history (all the way back to Ancient Greece in rudimentary form) and evolution of modern scrapbooking here! 

Check out what I've been able to create in just the two weeks I've been learning!

Week 1

Week 2

sesame street flashback | an orange sings 'Carmen.'

This probably has something to do with why I enjoy opera to this day. But you gotta admit - Sesame Street was really weird! All that post-sixties stuff floating around in an exhaled haze... ahem... well, it's no wonder my generation, forced to watch hours of this stuff, is a little ... odd. =) Update: upon reading this post, my mother emailed and reminded me she never had to force me to watch Sesame Street because I loved it so much. I suppose others from my generation loved to watch as well. Were you one of the forced? Leave a comment!

my token DNC post

Here in it's entirety is what I just wrote in an email to my dear friend Cheryl when asked if I and the kids were planning to attend Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field later this evening.

"Yes, it’s all a very big deal. =) My friend Katie that I’ve mentioned on Twitter and her fiancée Jon sublet their loft which is just three blocks from the convention center for the week (ours is more like ten), and are staying at her parents’ home in a nearby suburb, still having to commute into the city every day for work as they chose not to go on vacation during this week (Jon luckily telecommutes much of the time), so she’s having to fight her way into the city each day through all the mess and crowds and traffic. Katie says she saw Hillary and Chelsea exiting one of Denver’s most famous hotels, The Brown Palace, the other day. But as you know, I’m not really one to get star struck. These are just people, after all, and yes they’re very important people, but I don’t see the need to treat them like aliens or Jeebus or something. =) I’m not saying that’s what you are doing. I’m just always the first to kind of stay away from these big brouhahas and far prefer to observe safely out of the limelight. I made sure I got all my errands that would take me anywhere near where all this is happening done last week and over the weekend so I could happily avoid all the mess, and I must say it has been quite nice. One happy effect of the convention is that many people did leave town this week or are starting their commutes hours earlier than normal, so overall traffic has been very light unless you’re closer to the epicenter of everything.

I think people who have had a taste of what public scrutiny can be like tend to feel this way, only bathing in the limelight if they must, and although I was never anything like a superstar, in my own tiny microcosm at CCC I got very weary of all the constant attention, everyone wanting to be around me all the time, everyone hanging on my every word or action just to be close to the small level of fame I was experiencing because of my voice. It just always tended to wear me out, and so I never want to be the one to inflict that on others who really are famous. =) So, although I’ve been watching the coverage all week on our big screen in HD, I’ve completely avoided downtown entirely and as the routes I take to the boys’ school cut across the top of the city, I’ve been very successful in staying out of the masses. I thought Hillary gave a wonderful speech. I’m sure she’s really unhappy about not winning, but she was believable and that’s what mattered; I found her words inspiring. I also enjoyed Bill’s speech and still have Biden’s to watch which I plan to do later this afternoon (I recorded it).

Yeah, so the Kennedys are in town and Susan Sarandon has been spotted several times as have so many other important Democrat celebs and noteworthys; Rudy Giuliani is here too even though he’s a Republican, and so is Mitt Romney and pretty much anyone who is anyone, all stumping about all over the city I call home. But so what? =) I think it’s really cool and all and great exposure and a financial boon for our fair city, but I just don’t want to sit in traffic. They did move the speech event to a larger forum tonight – it’s being held at our football stadium, Invesco Field (we have that plus a baseball stadium, Coors Field, for the Rockies games), which I’ve been to several times. They’re also closing down entirely all the parking lots that surround Invesco Field to handle the overflow crowds and non-ticketed folks that want to be near the action; people will have to park elsewhere and shuttle or walk in.

Friends of ours are having parties; other people we know were actually able to get tickets to be inside the stadium. But N and I didn’t really want to bother with it, frankly. He’s out of town; it’s a school night, and our lives aren’t really stopping just because of what’s happening this week. Maybe they should; maybe this makes me lame; but both Nathan and I are pretty much “Well, BFD” about the whole thing. It’s cool; it’s exciting; it’s on prime time; the whole world is watching; it’s clogging the streets not even an eighth of a mile from my home with traffic and reporters and delegates and celebrities and demonstrators (we actually did get caught in traffic trying to get back from the boys’ beloved skate park in LoDo on Sunday because of a demonstration), and in general the whole thing is something of a hassle that I can’t really say I’ll be sorry to see end. The kids got a taste of what it was like when we got stuck on Sunday, and I’ve been having them watch bits of the televised coverage so when they grow up they can say they saw it. Overall, I think that’s enough.

After all, even if I did try to get close to the stadium, the security checkpoints cordoning much of the city creates long lines and there are already thousands of people ahead of me trying to get to the stadium even now as I write this, so I’d basically have to drop everything NOW and zoom off to pull the kids out of school and hurry down there … for what? To get stuck in traffic, probably, and even with the windows down I doubt I’d be able to hear much. I know it's an historic moment, but I’d rather just skip the crowds entirely, help the kids with their homework, have a quick dinner, and watch the whole thing from the comfort of my living room. =) At least that way I can guarantee myself the best view and the best seats in the house.

Does my attitude surprises you? Maybe this is just me being misanthropic, but that’s always been a pretty strong bent in my personality. ;) Or, perhaps I’m on overload – I mean, it’s really all anyone’s been talking about all year and even before that since when Denver was awarded the honor of hosting this auspicious event, so maybe some of us locals are just a bit sick of the whole thing. ;)"

So that should sum up my thoughts and feelings about all the excitement going on in my city all week quite nicely.

a shot in the dark...

So many of you have been asking to learn more about Nathan's company, ShotSpotter, so I've decided to briefly explain a bit more about it and include some links to various articles, press releases, and videos demonstrating the technology.

Nathan is a Project Manager for ShotSpotter, a position he was recruited for only a few months after passing his PMP Certification exams with top scores. I'm very proud of him; Nathan consistently excels in all his professional endeavors (and domestic, for that matter). Because he has such high standards, he is consistently impressing his superiors and peers everywhere he works simply by doing what comes naturally to him but at a level that is so far above the lackadaisical norm that he is always referred to as a hot shot, a top dog, and someone who just blows everyone away with his attention to detail and solid work ethics. He is enjoying his time with ShotSpotter very much, although feels he has been travelling a good bit more than we originally expected. However, steps are being taken to scale back some of that in the coming months, though probably not until after the first of next year. Our hope is for Nathan to progress within the company within a relatively short time and eventually be invited to work in the company's corporate offices in Silicon Valley (which would result in our relocating to that general area).

ShotSpotter is a company which manages the installation of a suite of gunshot location systems covering a predetermined set of square miles within a specifc area of a city, and is primarily attracting the dollars of larger city governments with higher crime rates, including cities overseas in addition to within the United States (and has also caught the interest of the military). Nathan's responsibilities are to manage the installation for specific cities, interfacing with local law enforcement and government, attending press conferences, overseeing the assignment of specific sites for installation of the gunshot location equipment, and managing the installation project in general. The installations are very high profile, being somewhat controversial, and have very impressive results in lowering crime rates.

Here are some links to press, pics and videos for ShotSpotter, some of them focusing on the projects Nathan has been slaving away over for the last few weeks.

St. Louis, MO - click here

Various vids: click here and here

Additional Press via Google:

"Gunshot sensors being installed in Nassau Newsday - Long Island, NY, USA Technicians from ShotSpotter are now considering precisely where in Uniondale and Roosevelt to post the sensors for the $833000 system. ..."

"One of the Safest Counties in the Nation Selects ShotSpotter MarketWatch - USA The Nassau County Police Department will be implementing the ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System in the communities of Uniondale and Roosevelt (New York) ..."

"Gunshot sensors will alert Nassau cops to trouble Newsday - Long Island, NY, USA Technicians from ShotSpotter, the company that makes the detector, are now considering precisely where in Uniondale and Roosevelt to post the sensors for ..."

And finally, pics posted from a recent press conference: click here

sometimes monkeys fly around our loft

A quickie about the sign I made for the refrigerator over the weekend. =) My Mother gave me the idea -- she said she saw a similar slogan on a sign in her bank the other day, and I imagine it looked something like this one I found (which used to be in production) on the net. I made my own version; the kids (and Nathan) love it. Thanks for the idea, Mom! OH, and you might be wondering who Père is -- it's ME! =) The children decided long ago to call me 'Père' because two guys called 'Dad' in one household could potentially be really confusing. Père is the word 'Father' in French.

sad little mice

My poor sad little mice! Oh how frustrating to be trapped in the house on such a sweltering hot Summer day! (Until just recently, we had a ten-day right ole' fashioned heat wave - BOO - and it was too hot even to go outside.) For this photo, which I admittedly staged, I told the boys to lie on their beds and look 'bored.' I think the end result is they look a little closer to dead or catatonic, but you take what you can get. The reality is frequently (during the summers especially) I will walk past their room on my way to the kitchen and find them in very similar positions and with very similar expressions on their faces, and upon asking what's wrong, one of them (usually Forrest) will say, "I'm bored." Oh, to be bored! Think about it--it actually sounds vaguely pleasant! To have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do, nowhere to be, no one calling out to you asking you for help, advice, involvement, supervision ... and to just sit there, letting your mind drift through the endless possibilities of what could possibly fill your time, contemplating each opportunity and holding it up to the sun where it catches the light and sparkles like a precious jewel... I wish I was bored more often. But I digress. I'm supposed to be telling you about The Chickens.

Chickens? Well, perhaps I should digress further and explain one of the silliest nicknames in our family. It's actually a reference to one of my favorite films, the legendary 'Gone With The Wind,' specifically the scene in which Scarlett has just bravely shot the Yankee intruder in the grand stairwell of her family's Plantation home, called Tara. Discovered by her sister-in-law Melanie (who slyly had plans of her own for the intruder involving her deceased brother Charles's sword), Scarlett shows little remorse over what she felt she had to do to protect herself and those she was responsible for and instead seems only shocked and disgusted. Scarlett's sisters and father, outside and overhearing the shot, call out in alarm and Melanie rushes to a large window and throws it open to quickly explain away the damning noise of the gunshot. "Don't be scared, chickens!" she calls out coolly, sounding glib and in a high state of humor to calm them. "Your big sister was trying to clean the revolver and it went off and nearly scared her to death!" And now, through the magic of YouTube, you can watch the entire scene by clicking here if you have four minutes and thirty-nine seconds to spare. =) Thank you, lagirl8. SO, somehow that scene just stuck in the flotsam and jetsam of my mind over the years and when I became an impromptu father it just made sense to call the boys 'The Chickens.' I've even got Nathan doing it and now anyone casually overhearing us discuss the children might think we have a coop somewhere out back and be slightly confused. I'm sure it's something the boys will laugh at when they're older, and yeah, I know how gay all of this about the movie and all make me sound but ... well ... =) There you have it. Anyhow, now that I've introduced The Chickens to you properly, I'll continue writing about what sad little mice they are these days. (Mice, chickens ... perhaps I really do belong on a farm somewhere!)

So they're bored much of the time. It's frankly supremely challenging to keep them entertained, and it doesn't matter what recent toy or game they've just received (usually after placing it at the top of a wish-list or pestering us incessantly for it) -- not more than a paltry few hours later they'll announce they have once again become afflicted with acute boredom. During the school-year week-days, there's usually plenty of activity to occupy them much of the time so we don't hear the 'I'm bored' routine too often, but summers and weekends it becomes a regular refrain. Nathan and I are largely puzzled. Their room is filled to the brim with fantastic books, various toys, board games, art supplies, and the like (much of it rather expensive stuff). They've got RC cars, an ant farm (more on that later), a microscope and slides, bug catchers, iPods, a video camera, a rock tumbler, numerous TechDecks and ramps to finger-skate them on, and the list could go on and on and on. They've access to numerous DVDs and of course the coup de grace, the PS3 system with almost a dozen games (we've only had it a few months so our collection is a bit young; note the tongue-in-cheek here). They have expensive skate boards, razor scooters, and competition-grade in-line skates (I fought Nathan tooth-and-nail against that purchase, but he won out and so Jerrod received those for Christmas one year). We've even tried summer-long passes to the local theme-and-water-park, all to no avail. I'm sure many of you might be thinking they're spoiled rotten, and although we really fight the 'spoil' part of it, you'd be right in thinking they have more than many children in the world at their disposal. And yet, inevitably, they tire of it all and that's when I'll find them moping in their room, near-comatose, and sighing "I'm bored." But I have a theory: They're not really bored - they're just over-stimulated.

Now, I admittedly laugh at myself and realize fully the paradox of my current perspective, but such is the great irony of our culture: when we're young, the adults who rule us are idiots, but when we're older, suddenly we realize how smart they were. So, forgive me as I done my 'When I Was A Child' cap and continue. When I Was A Child, for much of the time there weren't any video gaming consoles or computers or Cable-TV or iPods or Blu-ray DVD players. There was only Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, several toys, tons of books to read, a swimming pool, a swing-set, a sand-box (that I wasn't really even allowed inside much because the neighborhood cats liked it all too well), and Outside. I'm sure I bugged my Mother with the occasional 'I'm bored;' most children do, after all, but I also remember having a very active imagination and spending hours making up games to play by myself or with my brother involving whatever I could find lying about outside or my marbles or walls to walk along or the ivy in our front yard or whatever. And when I wasn't doing that, I would explore the neighborhood on my bicycle or read books or listen to records (remember those?) or, when allowed, watch a bit of television. I had a couple of neighborhood friends I would play with from time to time, but for the most part I spent a great deal of time by myself, especially when I was younger, and I don't remember feeling unhappy with that - I wasn't an overly lonely child that way (though others might have thought me to be so). I simply liked playing by myself and got very good at providing my own entertainment whenever necessary. As I aged, I became an avid reader and would while away whole afternoons and summer vacations reading book after book, begging my Mother to take me to the library to pick out something new.

Today's kids, though, are a different breed altogether. When measured up against the latest blockbuster film like 'The Dark Knight' complete with all the explosions and effects of a madman's technicolor dream, or pitted against the latest computer or PS3 game in all its cyber-glory and hyper-realism, or even compared to things like the Disney Chanel in high definition, it's no wonder modern children have little use for books or imagination. After all, how can the images in their heads compete with the indescribable beauty of what they see on the numerous projection-screens and LCD-panels that surround them almost constantly?

And yet, this frustrates Nathan and I greatly. We firmly believe what lead to much of the technological wonders our generation has invented was imagination itself, so we're just not ready to stop trying to assist the children in developing theirs. Unfortunately, our generation's very vision seems to be bringing about the destruction of the seeds it grew from as commercialism and consumerism become larger and larger forces in the lives of America's children--movies and shows and video games become bigger, better and ever more enticing all in the name of selling the next expensive gadget or experience to our kids via our wallets. To combat this, Nathan and I do everything we can to strictly limit the amount of time The Chickens spend plugged into the box, or the computer, or the PS3, and yet even with strictly controlled exposure it still seems their imaginations are stunted somehow. We try to augment television with instruction, limiting them to selections like The Discovery Channel and The Science Channel and shows like 'Mythbusters' or 'Dirty Jobs' with only occasional forays into 'Disney Channel' land (I just hate that Miley Cyrus, don't you??). Yet our efforts to try and broaden their minds seem to flop much of the time, and more often than not the boys will beg to watch that insipid 'Life of Ryan' instead. =(

They loathe being made to go play 'outside.' I make them - I'm a firm believer in fresh air and exercise for children (and, admittedly, the blessed peace it brings the adults who remain 'inside'). But it's never easy. "We don't want to play outside," they protest. "There's nothing to do." As they've aged, I've even extended their boundaries outside beyond the walls of the large courtyard our loft and the others in our loft community share to include two blocks in almost every direction, but after a few trips around that perimeter on skateboards and skates, they come inside after being gone only a half-hour or so and the 'Boredom' song begins anew. The only way I can easily get them to spend longer amounts of time out of doors is to take them to the skate park in LoDo (lower downtown), and even that has been difficult lately as Forrest doesn't want to go unless the temperature is somewhere in the 70's (Jerrod is too young to go all by himself). By the way, the photo on the website is really old - I don't even know what that white building to the left is; it's not there anymore and I've never seen it before. Here is a video of them skating that Nathan took over the weekend. =)

They both have telephone numbers and email addresses for any number of friends they could call to try and set up social functions with or even just to pass the time, but that doesn't seem to overly tempt them either. It seems all they really want to do is play video games (Jerrod) or watch hours of television (Forrest) and sometimes I wonder if what they're craving isn't really more stimulation at all but instead a sort of refuge from having to exercise their brains - mindless entertainment. BOO to that, I say! I'm not about to give up and raise little couch potatoes like so many other American families are these days. Now, in their defense, The Chickens do play together, and fairly well, from time to time but these sessions seem far too few and the boredom zombies never seem to rest too easily. During the summers when free-time is more plentiful for them we transition from a daily-media-time schedule of an hour per day each to media days (two hours apiece) three days per week plus loosely monitored extra time on weekends. When The Chickens are suffering through a long off-media day, they might play together for awhile but then all of a sudden I'll notice they've gone quiet and this is when I'll catch them lolling about listlessly in their room like sad little mice and I'll hear the dreaded words, "I'm bored. Can't we please play games or watch television?" It drives me nuts, and I just don't know how to combat it effectively. Do you have any ideas? Post a comment. It takes a village, after all. =)

A Note About The Ant Farm: While they were visiting, my Mother and Stepfather (a.k.a. Mammy and Grumps; I guess my family really is big on nick names) bought the boys an ant farm from a hobby store in Boulder we visited together one afternoon. This new toy seems to be captivating the children's interest a bit more than some of their others; they both seem to really enjoy nature and science (in small doses, however, as I've said), and today's ant farm is far cooler than the ones I remember seeing around when I was growing up. In this photo of Forrest and The Ants, we had just received the ants via mail order after several days of waiting and I had just gingerly and quickly deposited the tube they shipped in into the securely-fastened chamber filled with blue nutrient-enriched gel. Nobody told me they were RED HARVESTER ANTS!!! Yes, the BITING STINGING KIND! YIKES!! Don't worry, I wore gloves, and the lid is VERY secure or this little window to ant world wouldn't be in our home. The ant farm even lights up! Pretty cool, eh? Thank you, Mammy & Grumps!

my secret weapons

So how do I keep on top of things (for the most part)? How do I remember where everyone is supposed to be, what everyone needs to do when they get there, and where we're supposed to all leap to next? How do I manage to keep the floors mostly clean with two kids, two cats, and constant foot traffic everywhere? Well, it's very simple, really - I have an arsenal of secret weapons I'd like to share with you (because yes, these days, I'm domestic that way). ;) I rely heavily on each of these items in my arsenal, and without them I'd truly be lost (or at least quite puzzled and living in a really dirty environment). Here they are, in no particular order.

My iPhone. I waited to buy as long as I could possibly stand it, and then broke down and jumped on earlier this March; it was actually my big birthday present from Nathan this year (back when these babies were a bit more expensive than the current model is today). Yes, I know my old model is yesterday's gadget because the new one (which I knew was scheduled for release this summer when I bought; I just didn't want to wait) is so shiny and pretty and a bit faster at loading web pages, but other than that there really isn't much difference. My model runs the much-touted 2.0 OS software just like the brand new machines, and works in exactly the same ways as the 3G model. So it's not quite as speedy when I'm away from a WiFi hotspot - and I admit, yes, the Edge network I'm stuck with in those moments can be painfully s-l-o-w at times - but does that mean I should just dump the investment Nathan generously made for me to have an iPhone and buy up? I don't think so, at least not yet. I'm thinking I'll keep using my no-longer-quite-cutting-edge model for another year or two at least. With my iPhone, I can truly do everything and anything, from the obvious making phone calls, browsing the internet, and checking email to using it as a remote control to operate my iTunes from anywhere in the house (handy as my office area is on the second floor of our loft and I'm usually somewhere else) to using Twitter on the go to managing the countless bits of information that fly my way constantly (more about Evernote in a bit) to listening to my favorite tunes at the gym or in the car. I would be truly powerless without it. Just in case you've always wanted to take a peak at one but have been two embarrassed to ask the person using it, here's an older vid that covers just the basics. The new OS update (2.0) has really kicked the device into high gear and now I love it even more - with the hugely improved GoogleMaps application I'm now never lost and can easily drive anywhere without having to suction-cup a navigation device to my windshield or buy DVD-updates for an in-car model, and I can operate any of the hundreds of Applications available at the iTunes App Store (which can do anything from locate nearby restaurants and shops complete with customer reviews to maintain virtual 'pets' to let you network with friends and acquaintances via the GPS technology built into the iPhone to ... the possibilities are truly infinite). My iPhone is my life and fits neatly into my pocket.

My Mercedes-Benz E-320. This weapon-blurb is really for people that aren't local to me or haven't visited me here in Denver yet. I'm not trying to show off, honest -- these days our vehicles are so very important to us, extensions of our very personas in some cases, and almost members of our families. We rely on them for so much more than just transportation from point A to point B. So please forgive me for sounding trite; I simply want to share with you what I'm privileged enough to be driving these days (and believe me, I never for one single second forget just how very lucky I am). As all of you know, I've always enjoyed sports cars and like to name them (many of you will remember my beloved silver VW Beetle Sport Turbo, 'Lola' from when I was in my twenties). So this is Charles, and we have an absolutely wonderful symbiosis. OK, not really, but it sure seems that way. I can't lie to you - The car is nothing short of amazing to drive, anticipating my every move, literally learning my driving style and storing that information in my key so the engine is always ready to handle what I'm going to do next, and keeping us all safe. Without it, how else could I zoom around that oh-so-painfully-slow Subaru driver in front of me because I'm dashing from one end of town to the other with only minutes to spare? =) Thank you, Nathan, for Charles - he means the world to me.

The LitterMaid Elite 900. Yes, I still love kitties. And unfortunately for the two asthmatics in our family (Nathan and Jerrod), so does Nathan (don't worry; these days Nathan and Jerrod are both heavily medicated so their asthmatic condition stays pretty-much non-existent much of the time). So, we have two beauties: Khensu [KEN.soo, an Egyptian name meaning bringer of light and joy], the loveably goofy black Persian I brought with me from California, and Roarke (after Howard Roarke from The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand), an absolute sweetheart of a mixed-bag Nathan and I adopted from a local shelter about a year after I'd moved here. With that much fur flying around, we've all found it a bit tough to keep up with the litterbox, especially given what a busy (and typical) family we are. So, we jumped and bought the Littermaid Elite 900, an absolute dream come true for cat owners. Now, all Forrest has to do is empty the charcoal-filtered catch-all once a week or so instead of constantly scooping out the cat box. Robotic appliances are COOL! Say 'Thank You,' boys. =)

The iRobot 560 Roomba Vacuuming Robot. Like many lofts, we have sealed and stained concrete floors, and these make up the first floor of our loft everywhere but the boys' room and their bathroom (everywhere else is tile or Berber carpeting). What with the dust we carry in from outdoors and the little cat tufts which tend to somehow spring up overnight (mostly from Khensu), I found myself needing to vacuum almost constantly. Thankfully, I was able to add another robot to my mini-army here at home and so the Roomba came to be an important part of our family life here in loft-land. Yes, it takes longer for the Roomba to vacuum an area than if I did it myself, but as iRobot points out, Roomba vacuums so I don't have to. =) Running the Roomba almost daily keeps our high-traffic areas (and the not-so-highly-trafficked ones) looking their best without me chasing dust all over the place; I simply prep the area I want cleaned by positioning the portable electronic eyes that came with the unit to keep Roomba out of anywhere I don't want it going just then, and move any furniture I easily can out of its way such as dining room chairs and barstools, and then turn it on and walk away. Roomba takes care of the rest, and even finds its way home to its docking/charging station when its done. I love you, Roomba!

The Dyson Animal DC17 Vacuum. I love this thing! It really is a better vacuum! We really avoided buying one for a long time because they're so expensive, but Bed Bath & Beyond hasn't figured out the wisdom of excluding these on those '20% off' coupons they send out constantly so when we finally realized that, it didn't seem quite so bad after all. I tell you honestly, our carpets have never been cleaner unless we've had them professionally cleaned. The first time I used it, I was absolutely appalled at what the dirt chamber was collecting and what we'd been living with all that time, thinking we were keeping things clean enough with our old vacuum (which we dropped off at the Salvation Army immediately afterwards). I use the Dyson on all our carpets and for quick mess-clean-ups in the kitchen.

Novo Coffee - Get Closer. A note about my drug of choice. I couldn't make it at all without my daily double-espresso, either drunk as a hot or iced latte(depending on the weather) or else all by itself. Everyone has their vices, and I'm no different. Being as into food as I am, it shouldn't be any surprise to you that I take my caffeine addiction very seriously, and see no reason why I shouldn't give my coffee the same attention as I give the other foods I consume. All of Novo's beans are single-origin, organic, and completely fair trade. All of their blends are roasted right here in Denver. Novo has some of the precious few Rancilio multi-group lever presses this side of the US (normally not seen outside of Italy), one in each of their three locations throughout Colorado (these machines retail for above $8K US and pull arguably some of the best espresso shots in the world). Novo also uses the touted Clover machines (another rare multi-thousand-dollar iPod-esque miracle) to brew their 'drip' coffees. Novo definitely gives all of their offerings supreme attention to detail and quality. Weaning myself off of Starbucks after I moved to Denver, I've since learned a great deal about coffee and have been down the road of the Illy bean and other local beans, each experience getting better until I discovered Novo and finally reached what I firmly believe is espresso Nirvana. What's good enough for Denver apparently is good enough for New York City, as Novo single-origin beans are sold in NY's famed Cafe Grumpy locations, including a special blend roasted just for them called 'Heartbreaker.' Novo strives to elevate espresso and coffee consumption to the level of wine tasting, a just comparison as Coffee has 1,500 discernable components of flavor - three times more than wine. Upper-left is my favorite Novo barista, Johanna. Local Press for Novo.

The Magic of Evernote. I'm a huge scatterbrain, a condition not really very conducive to a busy and fast-paced lifestyle, so I've had to cheat as much as possible, using electronic ways of remembering and reminding myself of everything I need to be able to recall at a moment's notice. My Mother says if I rely too much on these methods, I'll degrade what little memory I have, but I'd rather do that then not be able to successfully recall much of anything which would otherwise be (and has been) the norm for me. I finally stumbled upon Evernote just the other week and am completely in love. They not only have multiple ways to notate information (handwriting, audio, and photographic notes in addition to standard typing), but also have released a brilliant mobile app for the iPhone which syncs fluidly with the desktop application so I can take all of the information I need with me whereever I go. Now I no longer see things in a shop to consider purchasing at some point in the future and have to remember what it was hours later when I return home (which I usually wasn't very successful at) or memorize the titles of trailers I see at the movie theatre for later research. Without Evernote, I wouldn't be able to so effortlessly access and manage all the stuff I need to know and process to be an effective busy parent. =) If you're like me, consider checking it out -- it'll change your life.

The Pottery Barn Daily System. Now, I'm certainly no lover of Pottery Barn. Their style no longer suits me (and hasn't since I moved to Denver), their prices are frankly somewhat ridiculous, and the brand is worshipped by most Suburbanites (which makes me want to run away to begin with). It's OK for me to talk smack about Suburbanites as I used to be one. =) I generally gravitate more towards Crate&Barrel for my home accessories (yes, a corporation as well, I know, but far more in touch with effective corporate responsibility than the whole Williams-Sonoma conglomorate). However, PB sells something I absoloutely love and would be loathe to live without - a daily organization system made to hang anywhere you like and comprised of several components all unified by a polished wood frame and brushed metal hardware. One of the keys to staying organized and efficient is having a central repository for various things needed to be at the ready at all times, and this system definitely meets that need. I have a relatively modest set including a coarkboard, some filing bins for incoming mail and catalogues, a white-board calendar, a chalkboard, and a supply bin / key caddy. Conveniently located inside our back door as seen in the photo, this is where we throw our sunglasses, hang our keys, pin up postcards and invitations, make lists for the family to see, track the children's chores, and maintain our household calendar so everyone can keep track of everything we've got going on. It's definitely not cheap, but well worth it. PB even offers a module which can plug into a standard wall socket and serve as a charging station for your household's various electronic devices. Now, if I could just figure out a way to get it to sync with my iPhone... =)

The Big Book O' Martha. Do you know the best way to get candelwax out of the carpet or how to properly care for your granite countertops? How about how often through the year you should perform the numerous chores required to effectively keep and maintain your home? I don't either, but with Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook, I don't have to remember how -- I just look it all up as I need to know. Far more than just a fussy book of lists and silly trivia, this book effectively catalogues virtually everything you would ever want to know about caring for and maintaining your home, from what a surfactant is and why it makes your cleaning products so effective to what time of year you should clean out your gutters. Once it was decided domesticity would become my primary role in our household, I decided to get serious about it and this book has really helped me get organized, stay on track, and properly clean and maintain our home. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Read the reviews and see for yourself.

so far ...

Wow. It seems like forever since I've had time to sit and think and write. I've definitely not been the best at making time for myself to do these kinds of things, but I have vowed to start fresh and put a bit of effort into what I hope will be a wonderful and therapeutic outlet for me as well as an easier way to keep in touch with my many friends and family members. I am not about to make any promises as to how often I might update here, but I do intend to maintain a relatively regular schedule. *crosses fingers* Hopefully I can be disciplined about it. I figure if my sister-in-law with four growing children of her own can maintain a blog amongst all the other amazing things she's able to do, then so can I. Props, Tez. =)

I intend this blog to be a snapshot of my life here in Denver, sharing details about myself, my family, things that I'm contemplating, and even an occasional rant. I promise not to go out of my way to offend any of you, dear readers, but I'm not going to mince words either. This is my blog, and I'm going to be myself here in these pages, uncensored and undiluted. That doesn't mean I'm going to curse all over the place, mind you. ;) If you don't like something you're reading, either skim over it or better yet leave a comment and express yourself. But I'm not about to start editing what I say here to make people feel more comfortable simply because they might not agree with certain parts of my life or my personality. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, after all. Therefore, consider yourself warned. =)

Also, as you can see, this initial post is rather lengthy, and I don't intend for that to be the norm at all as I really don't have the bandwidth for that kind of chattiness. However, some of you may have been out of touch with me for quite some time, and so I have a lot to say in my efforts to bridge that gap. Please excuse my verbosity.

So, HELLO to all of you! *Xtian waves ecstatically* I miss those of you I don't get to see often enough, and look forward to seeing those of you whom are just a stone's throw away. Here's what's been going on over the last few years or so (in brief) of my life, and if you're local to me you can pretty much just skip this part as you've heard about it already.

What I have I been up to lately? Nathan, the wonderful and amazing guy I moved to Denver for, and I are still committed and happy together and will be celebrating our sixth year as a couple next month. Although moving to another state to live in a city I'd only passed briefly through before has been a huge and monumental transition for me, it was a good one, and I've never been healthier or happier in all my days.

These days I’m spending my time as a stay-at-home Dad while Nathan climbs the corporate ladder – I stopped working about three years ago. Nathan’s two sons, Forrest (age 13) and Jerrod (almost 10) live with us full-time, and they keep me super-busy! I spend a typical day (when they’re in school) shuttling them to their classes for the day, then hitting the gym, doing what it takes to manage our household (bills, planning, etc.), and then trying to catch a few precious moments to myself doing something fun (this ranges from visiting the local botanic gardens to read a book to having coffee with a friend to doing a bit of gaming)—you know, just living the daily grind.

This year, we did the usual for PrideFest in June; Denver has a really big festival, and we spent a bit of time (sans kids) catching up with friends and drinking a bit of course and booth shopping etc. =) What is PrideFest? It is an annual festival held in cities around the globe celebrating the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, as well as "the philosophy asserting that LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) individuals should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity. The word pride is in this case an antonym for shame, which has been used to control and oppress LGBT persons throughout history. LGBT pride advocates work for equal "rights and benefits" for LGBT people.[1][2][3] The movement has three main premises: that people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity, that diversity is a gift, and that sexual orientation and gender identity are inherent and cannot be intentionally altered.[4]"(from wikipedia.org)

Last spring, the four of us spent a week at the Disneyland Hotel in California; it was Nathan’s and the kids’ first trip so I was anxious to show them everything I’ve been bragging about compared to Denver’s sadly pathetic amusement parks for so long. We all had a blast, and were able to spend time with my sister Julie, who lives in L.A. and spent several days at the park with us, and also with my mother and stepfather who flew down from Sacramento to meet Nathan and the boys for the first time and spend a couple of days getting to know them.

Summer just FLEW by – I’m always tons busier during those months than any other time of the year as the kids are home. We would've liked to send them to a camp as in years past, but frankly their grades weren't up to snuff at the end of the year and so as a consequence we enrolled them in Sylvan Learning Institute instead. Now that the boys will be heading back to school in just a couple of weeks or so, things will quiet down a bit as I settle into my ‘Taxidriver’ routine. I’m still trying to get the kids to tip me when they exit the vehicle, but they won’t do it. ;)

At least I’m more than comfortable taxiing in the Mercedes-Benz E class Nathan bought me a couple years ago for my birthday. See, even though I’ve changed quite a bit since coming out and moving away, I still kept a bit of my attitude from before. =) Forrest, our oldest, will be starting eighth grade, and spends much of his free time skateboarding and reading (we've finally found the right books). Jerrod will celebrate his tenth birthday in September, will be starting fourth grade and loves in-line skating as a counterpoint to Forrest’s skateboarding obsession. Both the boys are huge film buffs and are very attached to their beloved PS3 (the use of which is rationed strictly; I'm a real Nazi). Jerrod will also play the trumpet again in the school band this year, although he has expressed interest in the saxophone and might switch. Having them in more after-hours activities keeps me on the road more, but also affords me a bit of extra time to myself. Thankfully we offset all the driving I do by being green and organic in most other areas of our lives. I love Whole Foods so much! =)

So yes, I’m a stay-at-home Dad, and still loving that. Surprisingly, I’ve managed not spend too much time Martha-ing out by cleaning too much; I’ve spent much time at the botanic gardens and art museums this year, and have a series of lectures I want to attend lined up for the fall. I also tend to read quite a bit, although I’ve never let go of my passion for PC gaming and am currently still playing ‘The Sims 2’ and replaying ‘Bioshock.’

Nathan changed careers last year, having spent many months earlier studying for his PM (project management) certification exam, which he passed with flying colors last Summer. He promptly made plans to leave the bank he was working at, and successfully transitioned to another position as a project manager last August for 9squared, a ring-tone manufacturer with their U.S. headquarters just three blocks from our loft downtown (you might have used realtonejukebox.com? that’s them). After just a few months working there, he was hunted down by a recruiter for and accepted a position with ShotSpotter, a gunshot location systems company. There was a flurry of the two companies bidding to keep Nathan, but ultimately ShotSpotter made him the better offer and off he went to work for them. He won a huge bump in salary, stock options, and vast career advancement potential and now spends much of his time traveling to various parts of the east and west coasts and in between managing system installation projects for various metropolis's throughout the country. ShotSpotter is already expanding its scope to handle installations overseas, and if you haven't yet heard of them you almost certainly will at some point in the future.

Nathan is really enjoying Project Management far more than the systems analyst (read: I.T.)work he used to do. He’s been wanting to make that transition for a while, and is thrilled he was able to manage the change successfully. ShotSpotter flies him home to Denver every single weekend (and back out again) when he’s travelling, so we get to see him some of the time, but the rest of the time when he's off the road he gets to spend working from home which is nice. He’s racking up the auto, hotel and flight bonus miles, and has achieved super-duper platinum elite status or whatever it’s called with Hertz, Marriott and United so he’s always getting upgraded to first or business class and we’re able to rent autos and stay in hotel rooms periodically free of charge, always a nice perk.

However, having Nathan gone all week means I'm far busier than usual. Until recently, Nathan was our household executive chef, handling all things food-related (his beloved hobby) such as cooking, meal-planning, and grocery shopping. Obviously, this role for him had to be passed over to me in addition to all the other things I do to manage our household and take care of the children, and I am now something of a single parent Monday through Friday when he's not in town. I don't mind at all and am happy to take over this important part of our hearth and home, but the consequence is my time is now even more thinly spread, so after months of inner debate and trying to keep doing it all myself, I hired Nora to keep house for me on a monthly basis. She comes highly recommended from several friends and acquaintances of ours who have been thrilled with her services, and I was quite pleased and impressed with the work she did in her initial visit last month. She'll even cater and act as wait staff at parties should I require. Please don't think me a snob, however - it was through much inner turmoil that I finally broke down and allowed myself this luxury; I kind of have a teensey problem with paying someone to do things I really could do just fine by myself; it's just I can no longer effectively and efficiently manage it all. To that effect, to any of you that are/have ever been single parents, I take my hat off to you and will buy you a drink / coffee the next time I see you as a way of showing my respect and admiration. It's exhausting, and I don't see how any of you did this full-time without any reprieve (at least I get to have Nathan home to help on the weekends!).

A Note About Poor Tara: Unfortunately for my little family, tragedy struck early in the year, coinciding with Nathan's transition to his new position with ShotSpotter. On March 13th at roughly 8 PM, I received a telephone call alerting me Tara, our boys' mother and Nathan's ex-wife, had been in an extremely serious automobile accident. Nathan had just left that morning to begin his first day of work at ShotSpotter at their corporate office in Mountainview, California and planned to spend the next couple of days there for orientation and such. Initially, Tara was not expected to live through the night and reportedly had suffered extensive brain damage, spinal cord damage, etc., etc., etc. Our family was thrown into turmoil as we had to deal with the aftermath of this horrifying event, and we prepared for the worst. Desperately torn between being home to comfort the children and afraid to do a disappearing act so soon into his new position, Nathan was faced with an awful decision. We decided to wait and see what was going to happen rather than have Nathan hop on a plan right back to Denver. To make a very long story short as this tragedy is something that has literally consumed much of our time, emotional energy, and lives over the past several months, Tara beat the odds and lived on. We dealt with Forrest not wanting to see Tara right away because she was so badly hurt in the accident and did not look like herself. We've dealt with going from having the boys spend most weekends with Tara at her home to having them now live with us completely full-time. We've dealt with Nathan needing to take over coordinating Tara's extensive medical bills and forwarding them on to the correct insurance carriers and the like, fielding countless telephone calls and emails, all because there was simply no one else to handle these things for her. We've dealt with Tara moving through various levels of critical condition as she fought to survive and to recover. I'm sure you can appreciate what a horrible and completely exhausting thing this has been for all of us, especially for Tara. Early on, we put both the boys into therapy, and they've been seeing their psychiatrist separately on a weekly basis (though just recently Jerrod completed his treatment and Forrest has scaled back to twice a month). And so this is how things have been, and to date Tara is a patient at Craig Hospital, one of the best spinal injury rehabilitative centers in the country. She has very little movement in any of her limbs and significant gaps in her mental faculties, but her movement is getting better bit by bit although the doctors are extremely cautious about offering any possibility of full recovery and in fact it is believed Tara will probably be more like a quadriplegic than anything else. Her mental gaps have left her largely emotionally unstable, prone to fits of irrational behavior and bouts of crying. And yet, through it all, at times she is quite lucid; it simply depends on the moment and we never really know what to expect. Perhaps she'll be able to live something of a normal life, perhaps not. Perhaps she will remain in the hospital indefinitely, perhaps not. Perhaps she will require an assisted-living facility to take her on, perhaps not. We simply don't know, and for now must accept the not knowing. Send us your good wishes, your hopes, your prayers. We need them.

Most recently, at the start of the spring this year my sister and her husband spent a week visiting with us; we went camping and had a lovely time showing them the prettier parts of the state. We camped inside Estes Park, went white-water rafting, and visited The Stanley Hotel (she's a HUGE Stephen King buff, as am I) among other things. 

Then, a couple weeks ago Nathan was working on Long Island where he’s been managing a project for a few weeks now, and so rather than have his company fly him home to Denver as usual, we had them fly me out and we spent four days in Manhattan (the boys stayed over with a good friend of our family here in town)! I hadn’t yet been to NYC and I had an absolute blast! We did all the touristy things and ate in some really amazing restaurants like Les Halles and Haru for Sushi. We visited the very first licensed pie palace in the country, Lombardi's Pizzeria. We took a mini-cruise around Lower Manhattan as the sun was setting, and I got to see much of the city as well as some amazing water sculptures along the Hudson, temporarily installed for the summer and which I had only just read about by chance earlier that afternoon in Dwell Magazine (love that one) on the plane. Our hotel was just a couple of blocks away from Grand Central Station, so the subways were our green-friendly mode of transpo the entire time we were there; we hit all the museums, Rockefeller plaza, Park Avenue, and all the other boroughs and places I’d only read about prior. I snapped TONS of pictures, and will be spending some time organizing them in the coming weeks; I’ll try to post a few when I can. 

The weekend immediately after my return from New York, my Mother and Stepfather came to visit for five days; we put them up in a hotel right Downtown not far from our loft, and spent the visit showing them some of the fantastic restaurants Denver is so famous for (they’re very into food and fine dining like we are). We toured the Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy Farm and sampled cheeses, lunched at the Wynkoop Brewery and The Market, dined at Marco's Coal-Fired Oven Pizzeria, Vesta Dipping Grill and Sushi Sasa, and sampled wonderful wines at Trios Enoteca. It was an absolutely wonderful visit! Nathan and the boys are really enjoying getting to know my family, and vice a verse.

Other than that, there really isn’t too much to report – we aren’t planning on travelling anywhere too far from home over the winter (although that could change – you never know!), but will probably go snowmobiling or skiing or something as usual. I hope you and yours are doing wonderfully, and I hope you'll be coming back to visit me here in cyberspace from time to time. And if you made it this far, thanks for reading.