I has a bucket

From icanhascheezburger.com.

LOST Season 4 Preview

Apparently I only post videos now.

Season 4 starts on January 31. Eight episodes (half the season) were finished before the strike. Hopefully it ends soon and they can do a whole season.

New Dark Knight Trailer!

There's finally a real trailer for The Dark Knight online. I beseech and implore you to watch it. It gives me goosebumps.

Or, you can just watch it here (the quality isn't as good):

My nephew. I love my in-laws. : ) And they're doing fine, just in case you were wondering.

New 2 minute LOST episodes online

ABC.com is showing one new lost mobisode (a kind of mini episode, roughly 2 min) every week until season 4 starts...well, due to the WGA strike, it may be only a half season... : ( Either way, I'll take what they give me. While watching the current one I realized a big reason why I like the show so much--it's the music. Click on the link, and watch the two minute episode. Then imagine it without the music. Not nearly as cool, is it. The composer is Michael Giacchino, who also did the soundtrack for Mission Impossible 3, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille.

Hazardous to one's health

To do within the next two to three weeks:

-890 pages to read
-33 pages to write
-4 finals
-lose and find my identity 2-3 times
-suffer from at least one existential crisis
-waste an exorbitant amount of time playing Scrabulous

New Video of LG!

I just got the video thing on LG's site to work. I had to decrease the size from 7 gigs to 50 mgs, but it's still cuter than heck.
Check it out!.

The Remedy

Prajna in Real Life:

Shenpa in Real Life

I feel shenpa when:

Other drivers cut in front of me without using their signal. When my head itches during a counseling session. When I read about republicans who care more about corporations than individuals. When individuals care more about issues than relationships. When democrats care more about rights than responsibilities. When I am labeled. When people tell me war is good for the economy. When church people care more about fuzziness than reality. When I have a headache. When I tell someone about a very personal experience, and they mock me behind my back. When I have a hangnail. When people care more about being funny than being polite. When someone tells me I need to do something differently. When I'm hungry and there's a tasty donut in front of me. When an 11 year-old boy in Sunday School answers all of my questions with "video games!" When I see a group of driving hooligans yell at an old man trying to cross a busy street. When I don't feel like studying. When someone else tells me what I believe.

Psychotherapy for Vampires, and Halloween

I like counseling at night--from about 7 pm on. For my program we have had to practice counseling each other using all of our sweet counseling skills. The sessions I did at night were way better. Maybe I was just more tired so I was not as discerning, but I enjoy it at night a lot more. Hopefully I can find another job that I can do during the day (adminstration, legal, teaching) and do counseling at night. Regardless, it's been a really neat experience just to practice counseling. One of my professors told me yesterday that I have already grown a lot in the last few months, which I didn't believe, but I still couldn't stop smiling about it for the next 30 minutes. : )

N and I finally came up with cheap halloween costumes (we have a church party, and one at school). She is going to be old school Avril Lavigne (is it possible for a twentysomething to be old school?). I am going to be Dr. House. We found a blazer and a cane, but I still need to work more on the attitude. And I need to stop shaving for a few days. And a bottle of Vicodin. LG is going to be a lion. He likes to growl. Lately he decided he likes to roll around too, but maybe he can be a rolling lion. He's already so cute I don't know how dressing him up as a lion will make him any cuter...

LG makes his transition...

We're trying to get LG to not eat at 3 or 4 am. So far he's doing really well with it.

3 am: He is crying a little, so I went in there and gently shooshed him, patted his belly, and rearranged his blankets. Then I left. He has hardly made a peep since. Hope this keeps up. I think he got my sleep genes, which dictate that one shall fall asleep easily whenever remotely possible.

4:30 am: crying a lot more...he had fallen asleep again (I think), but maybe he felt tricked and now he's letting us know about it.

5:40 am: woke up crying again. I went in to check on him and he was lying on his stomach with his baby butt up in the air. I turned him over to his stomach, which he DID NOT like and proceeded to cry even harder. I left the room and he cried for a few more minutes and then fell asleep again.

6:?? am: woke up again, this time N got up and fed him. He made it past 6!

9:30 am: I woke up again, and Mom and baby are both asleep.

10:00 am: Baby is awake now, and he still loves me, amazingly.

Update version 2.0

I got the internship--it is at Catholic Charities, which is a nationwide organization but run locally by regional Catholic leadership. Due to all the abuse scandals and what not, we have to have special training once a year. This semester I'll just be doing a few hours a week there learning the office stuff, but I'll have clients starting with the practicum in January. I've been pretty nervous about it but everyone tells me that I can't possibly mess these people up worse, which is sad but comforting. They work with the lowest of the low in terms of socioeconomic status, which is obviously difficult but inspiring.

N and I finally started watching The Office. I didn't realize how funny it is. It's a little easier to watch TV episodes than a whole movie after LG goes to bed and still get to bed before 11. He has been sleeping a little better lately, but she still gets up to feed him around 4. We got a babysitter today (that's two weeks in a row now!) and we're going out. Dinner and a movie is a lot cooler than it used to be! : )

I started a Flickr page for pictures of things other than LG. I would move his pictures there too if I could figure out how to send photos to Flickr via text message--like Tumblr, because you can't comment on Tumblr.

I also found out that the department I'm in may start a Marriage and Family program the year after I'm done, so it would only take me six more classes to get the extra certification if I stayed a year. I probably won't decide on that for quite a while though. So many degrees, so little time. I think if there were a degree in Everything, I would apply.

Cheesecakes and Dijeridus

-Got a new electric toothbrush that rattles my brain a little. I had not been to the dentist in almost five years, and he commanded me to get one. Only one cavity though.
-Applied for a counseling internship. I could be seeing clients in January. Scary (for them and for me).
-Went to Seattle with my parents.
-Went to concert at the Showbox: saw Guster and ”wonky pop” Tally Hall and some guy from The Shins. It was our first date in about a month. We pretended we were young (read: able to go wherever we want) again. LG was fine for about 30 minutes after we left but cried his little eyes out for 30 minutes after that (once he realized his parents were gone). To N’s credit, she worried about him. When you’re used to going out all the time but haven’t for over a month it really feels good. It’s a good thing he’s cute! Guster is one of our favorite bands. I had never heard Tally Hall before but they’re entertaining.
-Went to iTunes and bought the Tally Hall song “Banana Man”. The guy from The Shins sang with Guster and played the banjo. He was also in a band called The Fruitbats.
-Learned from Guster that modern Rock and Roll “didn’t start with the electric guitar or the dijeridu, but the cowbell.”
-Also went to the Cheesecake Factory for some delicious lemon raspberry cheesecake. It was delicious.
-Got some new shoes.

Hoops

This whole substituting thing N was supposed to start has been quite a pain. There have been so many tediously long applications to fill out, résumés to send in, recommendation letters to request, fingerprints (all ten) to be taken, etc. etc. In Utah they must desperately need subs because I think all they require is a high school diploma and a contract saying you won’t seduce any of the kids.

A lawyer friend of mine once said when he was applying to a state bar, they wanted to know the addresses of every place he had lived for the past 20 years. What is the point of all this? Sometimes I think Bureaucrats make up extra hoops to jump through just so they feel like they’re doing something. I know “there is always a reason for a rule”—someone at some time did something that required a new law—but when was there ever a substitute teacher who only submitted TWO letters of recommendation instead of the standard three, and turned out to be a psychopath? When has there ever been a lawyer admitted to the bar who only turned in former addresses of the past 10 years, and it later became known that fifteen years ago they were chummy with the Unabomber?

I'm confused (read: ?)

I've been trying to figure out what exatly it means when someone writes "(read:_____)". Does anyone know? I can't find an explanation anywhere online. Also, WHY is it used? Is it "proper", or just slang? Here's an example: "...the purpose of this kind of wild character analysis was to establish a psychogenic or functional cause (read: explanation) for Parkinson's disease..." To me it seems like the writer is trying to better define 'functional cause'. Why didn't they just write 'explanation' in the first place (if that indeed was the purpse)?

School starts tomorrow! And other things...

Finally things are starting up with the sure-to-be smash hit "issues and ethics" class! I've been waiting for so long for class to start I think I'd go to a class in the history cross stiching if it was available. No offence to cross-stitchers.

My 2 bits on Senator Craig -- 1st bit: Why are cops going undercover to catch latently gay men in bathrooms? Is this a problem? If it is, then see the 2nd bit. 2nd bit: Why the heck are these guys choosing dirty airport bathrooms? Are there not better (and cleaner) places for this?

A real foray into fathering

I'm going to be a part-time stay-at-home dad! Maybe LG isn't too excited about it...but it will be interesting! N and I have decided that she is going to substitute teach 2-3 days a week (the pay is over $15 an hour, and it's really flexible), and I'm going to take care of LG during those times. Our schedule is going to be crazy--we'll be busy from 7 am to 8pm M-F.

For those traditionalists out there who are thinking "Oh no, LG is going to get messed up now", or "Adam is a slacker and an infidel who doesn't provide for his family (see 1 Timothy 5:8), you may be right.

I am, however, excited that I'll get to spend some more time with him--especially as he begins to form attachments to things other than the TV (we've had to put our foot down on that one). And now that he got his exersaucer, along with his newfound love of sucking on his feet, there is plenty to keep him entertained with.

I have also decided that when N is at work, and it's just me and LG, I (despite his protestations) am definitely the one who presides!

With school about two week away...

...we’re still enjoying some free time up here. I think we have watched maybe 20 movies in the last month--all borrowed--and I’ve been reading some of my textbooks for the fall, just to get a little ahead. It has been nice to be settled for a while before everything really starts. I started my job working with foster kids last week. Basically it involves taking them out to do cheap (we get $6 per session) activities, and a bucket load of paper work. I also just finished CPR training (which is required for the job).

I’ve been applying at a hospital as a counselor in the psych ward but apparently it is pretty competitive to get into, so I also applied to some other things but we’ll see. I’ve also been looking into becoming a personal trainer. They make about $20/hour to start, all the way up to $100/hour or more depending on experience and qualifications. There is a self-study certification thing that I might do, which includes a weekend seminar. It would be nice to be able to do it part time and make some extra money. After dealing with emotions and struggles and anxiety all day in therapy, it might be a relief to just show someone how to do an Arnold press.

LG is really cute. He is laughing more lately and loves conversations, playing Superman with me, and watching TV. Wait. He shouldn’t love TV—we try to steer his eyes away from it, but when it’s on, he’s glued. At 4 months. So we started watching movies after he goes to bed, but then we’re up late; what can you do? Tonight we’re having the missionaries over for dinner (that’s when you know you are really an adult Mormon). I’m even picking them up, which feels weird. N is presently eating her laffy taffy stick (our free day this week was from yesterday afternoon to this morning), and reading "How to Win Friends and Influence People." She decided to read it to help us introverts make more (any?) friends in our new ward.

Free Day! Well, guilt free, that is

We love Fridays (our day we can eat anything we want)! N sent me to the store to pick up some treats for tonight and I got a little carried away, but you should see the stuff I put back. : )

Fun Times at the Airport

Oh boy we had a grand old time at the airport this morning. Apparently when you have a baby, you have to check in at the "regular" counter, not the "kiosk". Never mind that in this case the "regular" counter and the "kiosk" are side by side, and the signs above the "regular" counter said "not open". On top of that we were a little crunched for time. Oh and then the guy at the "Kiosk-now-turned-ad hoc-regular counter" told us we needed to show him LG's birth certificate, immunization records, footprint, eyelash sample, three favorite toys, and a recent home-made iMovie. All to prove that he's under two. SHeeeeesh. How about LOOK AT HIM AND REALIZE HE'S UNDER TWO!! Unless of course he's some kind of alien experiment, in which case he could be anywhere from 3 months to 200 years old. Maybe that's what they were checking for.

To their credit, the Southwest employees were very nice the rest of the way. As we were running to our gate, there was a man halfway there who used his swanky radio to signal the other guys to wait for us, and gave us cups of gatorade...well not really gatorade, or anything at all really, but they were nice.

Traveling is definitely good on a marriage I say. Especially when you're in a hurry. Then it's extra good. : )

LG's many faces

Here's some recent pictures you can chew on for a while:


Happy














Drunk











Excited














Mad









Wistful

Robots in disguise

We're almost done moving in to the new apartment, and I only needed two back replacements to get the job done. It wasn't all work though. Isaac and I saw Live Free or Die Hard and Transformers, two ostensibly testosterone oriented movies. Incidentally, one of the computer hacker characters in Die Hard is the same actor who plays the Mac in the PC/Mac ads. Is that typecasting? I loved both of them as kind of highly entertaining "check your brain at the door" summer movies. They were both really funny too.

The apartment is nice. We're kind of outside the city a little surrounded by a bunch of trees, which I like. I have a summer class in research and stats that started this week. I miss N and the baby a lot. She has been sending me pictures every day on the phone to tide me over though. : )

LDS leader hits all your favorite topics, from Intelligent Design to women holding the priesthood

An interesting thing has been happening with Romney running for President. LDS leaders are being interviewed in the national media, and they’re not being asked your standard Sunday School questions. Reuters recently interviewed Elder Christofferson of the Seventy. Some excerpts…

On a member voting contrary to a church political stance:

"Even where the church has taken a firm or vigorous position on something…if a member as a government officer votes in a different way or contrary to the church’s position there’s no church censure…either way we say to be honest, be of high moral standards and govern yourself that way but vote according to your best judgment. If we were to try and dictate to members how to vote…we would contravene a very fundamental doctrine and the whole idea of pluralism and religious freedom that we value so much."

On whether or not Intelligent Design should be taught in schools:

"Not necessarily…We’re not pushing that schools teach Intelligent Design but rather that they teach honest science, and at church we teach what we know. Eventually they will come together."

On women someday holding the priesthood:

"I don’t know. I really don’t know. We do honestly believe in the reality of revelation…We think the Lord continues to reveal His will…God has always acted that way and there’s no way he wouldn’t continue. In that sense it would be conceivable…He wants to time things in a certain way that’s up to Him."

On polygamy:

"When someone’s spouse has died for example and they remarry, they could be married in a temple for a second time, sealed as we say. How that sorts out in the afterlife we’ll leave in the Savior’s hand… The default mode is monogamy. That was divinely established at the beginning of time with Adam and Eve and it continues unless God for his own purposes, for whatever reason, permits, or authorizes or directs in this case the practice of plural marriage, and there have been times when He has, if you look at Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…and this instance here in the early (LDS) church history… but unless God were to specifically reveal to the Prophet this must be done at this time, it’s not, it’s wrong without his direction."

And the quote of the week:

"I think it’s important to admit on the scientific side there are limits to what we know, and on the religious side there are limits to what we know."

That sums up how I feel about knowledge and faith. There is a lot we don’t know. Science will continue to have more discoveries that modify or change current theories, and religion will continue to have more revelations that modify or change current beliefs. May we all be open to further light and knowledge.

Glasses and Sneezes

The devil and I now have something in common. We’re both wearing Prada these days. Yesterday I finally got some glasses after 5+ years of squinting. I’m a little near sighted, so with these glasses a whole new world of movies, road signs, and whatever the teacher was writing on the board are now within my view. Fortunately I don’t need to wear them all the time, just when I want to see anything.

Also, the Top 5 things that make the baby cry
5-when he has to do tummy time for longer than two seconds
4-when he wants to be held
3-when he wants to get out of bed
2-when he’s hungry
1-when I sneeze

This morning it was really bad, as I sneezed just as he was getting hungry. I asked him why he doesn’t cry when anyone else sneezes but he just looked at me and didn’t answer. Here's a happy picture (obviously there have been no recent sneezes).

Yatta!

We had a successful trip to our new stomping grounds this week. Thanks to LG we get to board the plane early! We couldn't bring his diaper rash cream though because it was more than 3 oz. Right after we landed we got in the car and drove probably 5 minutes to the apartment we had looked at online. We loved it! It has a nice view of a little forest from the living room, dishwasher, washer/dryer, an open kitchen/living room, and a gas fireplace. So we signed the lease.

The next day I had a job interview for a position as a mentor for foster children. It sounds very similar to what I have been doing as a CASA, but less on the "friend" side, and more on the "mentor/teacher" side. Anyway, I got the job! This has been a good trip! I even went to the courthouse to get fingerprinted so they could start my background check. Also, I have some information on a possible second job already! This one would be at the hospital where I would walk around making sure delirious people don't pull their own plugs. It pays a lot more than the mentor job but it's arguably not as fun.

Little Bug Finds His Lungs

L has decided that he can make a lot more noise than previously known, and he likes to demonstrate that for us. Often during the day he goes from completely asleep to screaming an about a third of a second. It's usually because he's hungry. Yesterday he ate at a Guinness obesity record-shattering rate of about every 1 1/2 to two hours. I think he has a four chin goal. It's not all ear-shattering though--he's started smiling a little and making cute non-primal-screaming sounds.

N still gets up with him in the night, and then when he wakes up in the morning she rubs my back until I wake up to take care of him. Often I'll be dreaming or something and suddenly I'm getting a back rub. I think to myself, wow, this is nice, and then as I wake up I realize she's just trying to "gently" let me know that it's my turn. : ) She's a great partner and she has a lot more patience with L than I do. Often when he is fussy I find myself telling him to "cowboy up!" but he doesn't seem to pay much attention to that.

Genius baby speaks first word at 7 weeks!

LG's first word is officially "nnggheeeeeeeee". We don't know what language he is speaking, but we think it either means "I'm STARVING SO FEED ME NOW!" or "I NEED TO BE HELD RIGHT NOW!" or "I HAVE GAS!"

baby photos 2

papa and son sleeping


sleeping in papasan

Flabby Graduations

Mostly due to LG's arrival, everything related to my graduation has gone on the backburner, and I didn't have the time to waste any money on fancy graduation announcements. So this will have to do. I am graduating with a B.S. in Psychology and (permitting I finish a paper this weekend) a B.A. in Japanese. To celebrate, N and I are getting a babysitter, going out to lunch, and going to see Spiderman 3. Batman is still my favorite, but Spidey gets a close second.

Also--a comment on N's amazing metabolism. After only three weeks, you cannot tell that she just had a baby. Even the somewhat elderly washing machine repairman Don commented on her figure. In the hospital, I noted that her belly looked somewhat like mine (a little flabby). However, three weeks later, and with nary a sit-up or run on the treadmill, she nearly has a six-pack again. So I'm back to being the flabby one in the family again. Although LG is trying his best to gain a few more chins.

No Hawaiian sunsets for me

I guess I won't get to be an extra on 'Lost' anytime soon.

"The Committee was unable to act favorably on your application and regrets that, because of the competitive nature of the selection, they must disappoint a large number of promising individuals..."

I am still waiting on two more law schools, and I have an interview with a counseling program next week.

"Standing Room" Only

Here’s one for the “lazy Dads file.” I have been telling myself repeatedly ever since I took a Fatherhood class at the U two years ago that I was going to be an equal contributor to the parenting relationship. Well, late last night, while N was feeding Little Bug (for what seemed like the fifth time in four hours) I made a little mistake and fell asleep on the couch. Wait. My first mistake was laying on the couch. Second mistake, falling asleep. And when I fall asleep, whether it’s in high school physics class or at home, I’m really asleep. I wouldn’t wake up if a train came through the room. Often either my head tilts back and puts my mouth in a sort of quasi-open position, or alternatively, I am face down and drooling (both are embarrassing in class, I might add).

So, after N was done feeding him, apparently she went in the other room to change him and he was screaming about something or another (which I didn’t hear of course). N came back into the room and gave me a (very deserving) stern-yet-kind-as-she-could-muster reprimand about helping her. DAAAAANNNNGGGGGG! And I was trying so hard to be a helpful husband. Thank goodness for repentance. From now on a will not sit or lay down past 10 pm. I’m pretty sure I can’t sleep standing. I hope so.

Baby photos 1

I'm feeling pretty good today--I went home last night to sleep in order to avoid the supremely uncomfortable chair-bed thing they have for partners of the mothers. Baby Kal-El (he has many names) is doing well, despite having a few minor cuts imposed upon him by the doctors today. He's having a little trouble eating, but hopefully that resolves it self soon. I've never been a huge fan of newborns' appearance--my high school health teacher thought they look like lizards--but our baby is extremely cute. And (so far) even his cries are cute. He mostly just whimpers and makes little grunting noises.

7lb6oz,20"

Our son LG was born a few hours ago via c-section. He was a few weeks early, but is still a good size. The doc actually had a bit of a problem getting him out due to his massive Arnold-like shoulders. I'm feeling pretty dazed about the whole thing and a little overwhelmed, but thanks to my wife (and a cadre of nurses) I think we'll get through it. I'm sure the fact that we now have our own little crumb-snatcher to care for will set in here in a few days. I'm amazed at the ordeal N had/has to go through. In the OR, the nurses kept asking me if I was alright--apparently I had a kind of consternated/worried look on my face. I was mostly worried about her being comfortable. But it was still nice that they ask how the father is doing once in a while

serenity now

Today I found out I was accepted into a master's program in Japanese at a school on the East coast. It is gratifying to have an option now, albiet without the promise of any funds for at least the first year (I was hoping for a job as a TA). This picture illustrates my current feelings well. Calm and contented, yet aware of the fact that I still have to choose a path.

Sorry, Utahns

It's safe to say we won't be staying in Utah, due to the rejection I received today from the U. I was assured, however, that the U. denies admission to "many well-qualified applicants." Although, they didn't clarify that I was in that group. As Sheena likes to say, "Onward and Downward!"

Orlando?

Today I got an offer in the mail from Barry Law School in Orlando, for a 7k per year scholarship pending upon my applying or not. Before you think to yourself, “wow that’s great,” you should focus on your second thought, which may be something more like, “uh, where’s Barry?” Well it’s not a well known school (it was granted full ABA accreditation recently), but it is in Orlando, which is nice. I like Orlando. I suppose a lot of people get letters from Barry offering scholarships, but I GOT ONE TOO! So there! Anyway, Barry’s tuition is 27k per year, so 7k is not a lot, but I suppose it’s still something to consider…what do you think?

It’s always better when we’re together

Yesterday was my wife’s baby shower (actually the first of three--I know, we’re spoiled). N said it was more like a dump truck than a shower, and she was right. It took me five or six trips to bring all the stuff home (during the commercials of 'Lost', of course--more on that later) from next door. I managed to show up for the last 45 minutes or so, despite the fact that my name wasn’t on the invitations. I decided that men normally get all the official recognition (ex. Mr. & Mrs. Husband’s name), and women are just as capable and deserving of being in the forefront. Incidentally I also got to eat some cheesecake for the third time in a week, but we swears on the precious that wasn't the reason, preciousss. It’s only March but I think my saturated fat intake has now exceeded the yearly recommendation. I’m glad I went and got to see N being showered, er, dumped on, with love and attention, and gifts. It’s always fun to watch a sweet and humble person like her getting presents.

I also have a confession to make. I’m addicted to ‘Lost’. It is riveting. I can’t turn away. My eyes are turning square. I wouldn’t suggest that anyone start from the current point (season 3), but if you ever have the means of seeing it on DVD and starting from the beginning, I highly recommend it. Unlike most entertainment Lost is suspenseful and funny and dramatic AND thought provoking. And I don’t mean the 'Grey’s Anatomy' type of thought provoking, as in “will she die, or will they sleep together?” I guess not everyone wants to think about philosophy while they’re watching TV, but I do. And N and I are watching it again tonight (she missed it last night). It’s always better when you have someone to join you in your addictions. Hey there’s some good advice. If an addiction to a TV show is hurting your relationship, don’t try to beat it, just get your partner to join you. : )

Moscow Idaho and Frostbite Falls

Apparently I won’t have to worry about the weather in Idaho because Moscow is the first to enter my rejection pile. It worries me a little that UI was the place I had the best chance of getting into, but I will not rest until all 6 of my applications are in the rejection pile, or burned, or sacrificed to Baal.

Opening the letter, I kind of felt like Rudy, who also opens a lot of rejection letters. Hey, Emily felt like Rudy in football practice…I wonder who else has felt like Rudy.

This is a good time for a Rudy reference. Earl and Randy (My Name is Earl) are on a college campus trying to return a laptop they stole:

Randy: “This is cool—like when that hobbit in Rudy walked on campus for the first time.”
Earl: (looking at flier) “Frostberg State University. Isn’t that where Bullwinkle went to college?”
Randy: “Went to Whatsamatta U. Lived in Frostbite Falls.”