Happy Birthday, Dad!
Do you think Mom’s going to trade you in for two 29 year olds? [grin]
Weekend Roundup
This was another weekend of grandiose plans that fell through, but we enjoyed the replacement activities.
The warm and rainy Friday evening was the only night that went according to plan � Dina and watched the second season of Coupling. How we managed to last an entire week in between seasons is beyond me. We couldn’t watch the whole season in a sitting, but we did finish off the first disc.
On Mom’s birthday, Ben and I got up early and let Dina sleep in. We called Grammie to wish her “Happy Birthday,” made coffee, and then gobbled down a bottle while reading the paper. Ben is fascinated by the newspaper. He loves to grab at the loose sheets, and the sight of his little ink-stained fingers is endlessly amusing.
After a leisurely breakfast and some Ben-related playtime, we went out to see our accountant about those darn taxes. Naturally, discussions about Ben took up most of our time, but we also had plenty of questions about inheritances, capital gains derived from house sales, and the tax benefits of having children. Much to my surprise, the deductions aren’t based on weight.
Then, we went over to Blockbuster to use up my quarterly coupons on a stack of movie rentals and used DVD purchases. We rented Intolerable Cruelty, The Good Thief, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Brazil, and I picked up a used full-screen version of Matrix: Reloaded for 10 bucks (less 2 bucks for coupons and discounts). Say what you will about the misbegotten Matrix sequels and the self-sufficiency of the original film, but the fight scenes are certainly worth that price. I plan on paying no higher for the as-yet unseen Matrix: Revolutions.
(As it stands, I’m much happier believing Matrix to be the core text, and viewing the Animatrix and Matrix Comics as supplements to the shared universe. Okay, I’ll end this mini-rant now.)
After a quick lunch, we went over to Ramsay & Mirela’s for a gaming day. Well, the gaming day that should have been, but wasn’t, because of prior commitments all ’round. This was more of a friendly, where we compared babies and laughed, and did manage to play two games: Richelieu, a two-player game of influence and control set in 18th C France, and Monkeys on the Moon where we educate space monkeys in the ways of yoga and pogo sticks and launch our favourite monkeys back to Earth.
All in all, great fun! Plus, it was terrific seeing Vincent after four months. I didn’t notice the changes with Ben because they happened before my eyes, but the changes in Vincent are remarkable. He’s a cute baby.
On our return home, Dina and I enjoyed some offerings from Souvlaki George, and then watched the end of Coupling while Ben stayed up a little later than usual. Dina almost burst during the final episode, which matched my near-breakdown during the second-last episode.
On Sunday, we planned to assemble and mount two CD racks, two bathroom cabinets, and two light fixtures. We settled on installing one light fixture, collecting all the extra IKEA cardboard into recycling bundles, and making a bundle of boxes for a donation to the soon-to-move Bill.
The apartment felt cleaner as soon as we trundled off with all that extra cardboard. While that was going on, I took care of the laundry, and Dina made a delicious-smelling vegetable rice concoction for Ben. She mixed up his chicken cubes and some extra vegetable cubes with the cooked organic long-grain rice, ran is it through the food processor a half-dozen times, and came up with a flavourful puree that he seemed to enjoy!
But before the feeding took place, we had an unexpected visit from Bill and Cecil, who were in the neighbourhood hunting for apartments. They stopped by for tea, chatted, and then walked away with all their boxes. Well, if we though the hallway looked tidy before�.
(Next week, we’re going to try to convince our landlords to help us get rid of the renovation debris from the basement, and then I’m going to go at our long-term storage space. Then, the apartment will finally take proper shape and we can invite people over on something more than an impromptu basis.)
After dinner, we watched Intolerable Cruelty, and then conked out, feeling very pooped indeed.
Happy Birthday, Mom!
I know you’re going to have a great day!
Six Degrees of Separation
I was invited to join the orkut online community today.
And so I did.
The first person I looked up was Kevin Bacon.
Wheel of Time Vol. 10: Crossroads of Twilight, by Robert Jordan
Jordan is a hard habit to break, even though fully half these novels are aimless, and the next volume is a prequel. He let the plot get away from him, and the flashes of familiar fun aren’t enough. It’s sad to see the series flounder. Jordan is downgraded to paperback.
I Want to Stomp and Shout and Make a Big Noise!
They’re moving Poko from 8:00 to 9:00! And there might not be a second season!
What am I going to watch with Ben in the mornings?
How did I become so addicted to children’s television?
Why are none of my friends surprised?
Where’s my tuba?
Now With Dogma-Chopping Action!
[Thanks, Elizabeth!]
Coupling: Season 1
Couples are created from two lives, not just two people, with attendant baggage. This is a farce of the familiar, with frank insight into what makes relationships funny, and actors with chemistry. Real relationships rarely reach those heights of hilarity and humiliation, but it’s easy to see how they could.
Famous for Fifteen Minutes
Just look at that…
[Thanks, Bill!]