October 2008
When Megan uses the 'big girl potty' now, we reward her with chocolate chips. Good job Megs!
Public restrooms are tricky. I carefully pick a stall and clean; you
know, pre-flush, seat-wipe, TP-prep, and so on. Then I help her get
situated so she doesn't fall in. I beg her not to touch anything!
Together we negotiate uncooperative waistbands, tights, dresses,
sometimes a dangling shoe. And on the way out I prevent her from
investigating things like pink urinal cakes. "Look, Daddy, it's pink!" She
points and steps toward it. No! I shepherd her toward the exit. She says, "I did it, Daddy," and beams a smile and I love, love, love her.
Michael is learning to spell and read. I love his enthusiasm. The other day, he said, "Daddy, I know how to spell 'talk'! It's T-O-C!" Ah yes, we begin phonetically. I high-fived him and said, "You'll be reading your Star Wars books in no time!"
Michael is facing his toughest annual decision: what to be for Halloween. And he empathizes with others, apparently; he said, "Daddy, there's a great Obi-Wan costume if you're not sure who to be."
Meggie wants to go to the movie 'heater' to see Madagascar. Michael said we need another 'gallop' of milk. Megan likes to eat at California Pizza 'Chicken' but Michael prefers a sandwich and shake at 'Hot' Belly. And so it goes.
March 2009
Michael mentions his penis a lot these days. Or not, but any use of the word is glaring. In the bathtub, he'll say, "Megan kicked my penis and that is bad for my penis." I agree, of course. I advise him to turn when Meg submerges so she doesn't kick his penis. Later, he says, "It would really hurt if my penis got stomped." Yes, this is true. I nod and want to change the subject. But Michael giggles and then Megan asks if her toy puppy has a penis. Okay, enough! What else can we call it?! Private parts?
Michael knows I have a job and that most days I leave for it. He
said, "Daddy, take this page to work and ask your boss if you can color
it."
We encouraged Michael to try showering. He asked, "Do Jedi take baths or showers?" I know Michael and his wonderful brain; I brace myself for more questions. "What about Yoda and Kit Fisto?" (These two are distinctly not human.) What about superheroes? Do they wash? Do they launder their costumes and capes? Do they eat? Back to Yoda (who is really short), does he use a stool at the sink like Megan? And here's what I wanna know: Do Jedi ever reach for the TP and find it down to the cardboard? Cause that happens to me a lot around here.
Megan is majestically beautiful, even when she has crusties on her face. Her eyes are big and clear. Her lashes, long. Her voice, sweet. Her mini-shoes, jeans, sweaters, and summer dresses, adorable. Her tiny painted nails. Her hugs, laughter, tears. Her snot. When she clings to me in the close presence of strangers... well, that is inexpressible; but it gives me the strongest and rawest feeling of purpose I've ever experienced.
Last weekend, I asked Megan if I could swoop her up and whisk her across a busy street. She said, "I can walk, Dad. Don't worry, I won't even get killed at all." Thank you, Sweetheart, that's very reassuring.
Michael told me how tests work. He explained they had one at school, and it involved writing, and they were not allowed to look at anyone else's paper. I listened. I also thought, sorry kid, you got a few thousand more to go. I love how little kids explain things, eagerly, sincerely, and always assuming the subject is as new to their audience as it is to them. I do nothing to dispel this; I hang on every word.
It's my birthday. In the jargon of cars, a new obsession for Michael, I told him I am a 1975 model. I said Tiger Woods is also. He wasn't impressed. And Angelina Jolie. Still not impressed. (I agree with him; I find many actresses more beautiful.) I told Megan that David Beckham was build in 1975. No reaction. I told her David Beckham is so cool he married a Spice Girl. Nothing. I told the kids it's time for cake and ice cream. Aha! Something they understand.
Megan said, "When I grow up, I'm never gonna cry."
Saturday, February 23, 2019
Monday, February 11, 2019
Stuff About Things #30
“Life is what happens while you're making other plans.
― John Lennon
“You change the world by being yourself.
― Yoko Ono
“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.
― Joseph Campbell
“Cherish forever what makes you unique, cause you're really a yawn if it goes.
― Better Midler
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."
― Oscar Wilde
“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it is lethal.”
― Paulo Coelho
“The best feedback is what we don't want to hear.”
― George Raveling
“Every day of our lives, we are on the verge of making those slight changes that would make all the difference.”
— Mignon McLaughlin
“All of our miseries are nothing but attachment.”
— Osho
”
“The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.”
— Bertrand Russell
“
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
— Mark Twain
“The force of the temptation which urges us to seek for such evidence and appearances as are in agreement with our desires, and to disregard those which oppose them, is wonderfully great. In this respect we are all, more or less, active promoters of error. In place of practicing wholesome self-abnegation, we ever make the wish the father to the thought: we receive as friendly that which agrees with us, we resist with dislike that which opposes us; whereas the very reverse is required by every dictate of common sense.
“You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.”
― Robin Williams
“Experience is the best teacher in life.
— Lebron James
“Well, they’re all (very competitive), or they wouldn’t get to where they are. Probably the two biggest assassins, where, when they look at you, you feel ‘Okay, I’m gonna lose to this guy,’ were (Michael) Jordan, I think Jordan is the best player ever, and Kobe Bryant. Their preparation and their ability to just focus is off the charts.
— Coach Mike Krzyzewski …. When asked, “If you had to pick among the pro players you have coached and witnessed (in the Olympics and international play), who would you say is the most competitive player you’ve ever coached?
“Effort is grossly underrated.”
― Gary Vaynerchuk
“A surplus of effort can overcome a deficit of confidence.
― Sonia Sotomayor
“You have to understand your own personal DNA. Don’t do things because I do them or Steve Jobs or Mark Cuban tried it. You need to know your personal brand and stay true to it.”
— Gary Vaynerchuk
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion.
― Jack Kerouac
“Be faithful to that which exists within yourself.
― Andre Gide
“Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing it.
― Tallulah Bankhead
“We cannot put off living until we are ready. The most salient characteristic of life is its urgency, 'here and now' without any possible postponement. Life is fired at us point-blank.
― Jose Ortega y Gasset
“If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner.
― Tallulah Bankhead
“And yes, I was afraid. You're never not afraid. I'm still afraid.... But my fear of failure never approached in magnitude my fear of what if. What if I never tried at all?
― Will Ferrell
Nowhere is there place
To stop and live, so only
Everywhere will do:
Each and every grass-made hut soon leaves
Its place within this withering world.
― Saigyo
― John Lennon
“You change the world by being yourself.
― Yoko Ono
“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.
― Joseph Campbell
“Cherish forever what makes you unique, cause you're really a yawn if it goes.
― Better Midler
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."
― Oscar Wilde
“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it is lethal.”
― Paulo Coelho
“The best feedback is what we don't want to hear.”
― George Raveling
“Every day of our lives, we are on the verge of making those slight changes that would make all the difference.”
— Mignon McLaughlin
“All of our miseries are nothing but attachment.”
— Osho
“The less people know, the more stubbornly they know it.”
―
―
”
— Bertrand Russell
“
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
— Mark Twain
“The force of the temptation which urges us to seek for such evidence and appearances as are in agreement with our desires, and to disregard those which oppose them, is wonderfully great. In this respect we are all, more or less, active promoters of error. In place of practicing wholesome self-abnegation, we ever make the wish the father to the thought: we receive as friendly that which agrees with us, we resist with dislike that which opposes us; whereas the very reverse is required by every dictate of common sense.
―
“Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you.
— Carl Jung“Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you.
“You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.”
― Robin Williams
“Experience is the best teacher in life.
— Lebron James
“Well, they’re all (very competitive), or they wouldn’t get to where they are. Probably the two biggest assassins, where, when they look at you, you feel ‘Okay, I’m gonna lose to this guy,’ were (Michael) Jordan, I think Jordan is the best player ever, and Kobe Bryant. Their preparation and their ability to just focus is off the charts.
— Coach Mike Krzyzewski …. When asked, “If you had to pick among the pro players you have coached and witnessed (in the Olympics and international play), who would you say is the most competitive player you’ve ever coached?
“Effort is grossly underrated.”
― Gary Vaynerchuk
“A surplus of effort can overcome a deficit of confidence.
― Sonia Sotomayor
“You have to understand your own personal DNA. Don’t do things because I do them or Steve Jobs or Mark Cuban tried it. You need to know your personal brand and stay true to it.”
— Gary Vaynerchuk
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion.
― Jack Kerouac
“Be faithful to that which exists within yourself.
― Andre Gide
“Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing it.
― Tallulah Bankhead
“We cannot put off living until we are ready. The most salient characteristic of life is its urgency, 'here and now' without any possible postponement. Life is fired at us point-blank.
― Jose Ortega y Gasset
“If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner.
― Tallulah Bankhead
“And yes, I was afraid. You're never not afraid. I'm still afraid.... But my fear of failure never approached in magnitude my fear of what if. What if I never tried at all?
― Will Ferrell
Nowhere is there place
To stop and live, so only
Everywhere will do:
Each and every grass-made hut soon leaves
Its place within this withering world.
― Saigyo
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Retro M 'n' m – 2008 – #6
August 2008
Megan is a pacifier connoisseur. She's selective about color (pink), brand (Avent), type (multi-piece), airflow (yes), texture (smooth; there's a brushed finish she bitterly rejects) and quality/durability; yesterday, she took a 'paci,' grimaced, and said, "It has a crack." She was right; I found a tiny puncture in the silicone. These details can ruin an otherwise satisfying experience. I can't help but think of the preferences and routines of smokers. Camels, menthols, after a meal, with a drink. Megan only gets her paci at nap and bedtime now. And she handles it with impressive dexterity, just like a seasoned smoker who can light a cigarette in a windstorm. Kicking the habit won't be easy.
September 2008
Megan's hair is finally long. It's soft and beautiful. I love it. I love her. But she needs a haircut. It's constantly in her face, and then in the caramel she dips her apples in, the glue she uses for art, her oatmeal, toothpaste, syrup, stickers, yogurt, and so on.
On labor day, Papa Mike, Uncle Scott, and I played nine holes with Alissa and Michael. Alissa is impossibly cute and a good little ball-striker. Michael didn't hit many shots but he drove the golf cart for me and Papa. He sat in between us and did his best, despite short legs, to put the "pedal to the medal." At one point, Michael raced down a hill and turned. Papa Mike and I both white-knuckled our respective side rails and screamed "STOP!" Michael, startled, took his foot off the gas, which likely saved the cart, and the three of us, from flipping and barrel-rolling down the hill.
Darth Michael is strong with the Force. He has a lightsaber (a plastic telescoping one from Target) and his skills are prodigious for a young Jedi. I act as a training partner (with my skinny, yellow wiffle ball bat) and have the welts on my forearms and knuckles to prove it. Michael's aggressive attacks aren't easy to deflect. Thankfully, Jedi Knights adhere to a code, with tenets like 'never whack your little sister' and 'don't wallop your dad when he's not looking.' Megan wants to play too. She will pick up anything that resembles a lightsaber and swing it and talk about Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker and 'The Yoda.'
Megan is starting to use the 'big potty.' I have mixed feelings about this. A potty-trained Megan is too grown-up!
Whenever Megan sees any teams playing baseball, or football, or any sport on TV, she says, "Look, Daddy, the Cubs!" I have mixed feelings about this, too. I want the best for Megan and 100 years of futility isn't the best. But Wrigley is the best, and Chicago is the best. I guess we love our lovable losers. They've actually won their division two years in a row. But nobody disappoints like the Cubs; they've also been swept in the playoffs two years in a row.
Megan is a pacifier connoisseur. She's selective about color (pink), brand (Avent), type (multi-piece), airflow (yes), texture (smooth; there's a brushed finish she bitterly rejects) and quality/durability; yesterday, she took a 'paci,' grimaced, and said, "It has a crack." She was right; I found a tiny puncture in the silicone. These details can ruin an otherwise satisfying experience. I can't help but think of the preferences and routines of smokers. Camels, menthols, after a meal, with a drink. Megan only gets her paci at nap and bedtime now. And she handles it with impressive dexterity, just like a seasoned smoker who can light a cigarette in a windstorm. Kicking the habit won't be easy.
September 2008
Megan's hair is finally long. It's soft and beautiful. I love it. I love her. But she needs a haircut. It's constantly in her face, and then in the caramel she dips her apples in, the glue she uses for art, her oatmeal, toothpaste, syrup, stickers, yogurt, and so on.
On labor day, Papa Mike, Uncle Scott, and I played nine holes with Alissa and Michael. Alissa is impossibly cute and a good little ball-striker. Michael didn't hit many shots but he drove the golf cart for me and Papa. He sat in between us and did his best, despite short legs, to put the "pedal to the medal." At one point, Michael raced down a hill and turned. Papa Mike and I both white-knuckled our respective side rails and screamed "STOP!" Michael, startled, took his foot off the gas, which likely saved the cart, and the three of us, from flipping and barrel-rolling down the hill.
Darth Michael is strong with the Force. He has a lightsaber (a plastic telescoping one from Target) and his skills are prodigious for a young Jedi. I act as a training partner (with my skinny, yellow wiffle ball bat) and have the welts on my forearms and knuckles to prove it. Michael's aggressive attacks aren't easy to deflect. Thankfully, Jedi Knights adhere to a code, with tenets like 'never whack your little sister' and 'don't wallop your dad when he's not looking.' Megan wants to play too. She will pick up anything that resembles a lightsaber and swing it and talk about Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker and 'The Yoda.'
Megan is starting to use the 'big potty.' I have mixed feelings about this. A potty-trained Megan is too grown-up!
Whenever Megan sees any teams playing baseball, or football, or any sport on TV, she says, "Look, Daddy, the Cubs!" I have mixed feelings about this, too. I want the best for Megan and 100 years of futility isn't the best. But Wrigley is the best, and Chicago is the best. I guess we love our lovable losers. They've actually won their division two years in a row. But nobody disappoints like the Cubs; they've also been swept in the playoffs two years in a row.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Retro M 'n' m – 2008 – #5
July 2008
Michael had a great week at Gramma's. It's Papa's house too, but Gramma gets top billing, kind of like A-Rod over Jeter now at Yankee Stadium. Of course, both are All-Stars. And even the Gramma-Michael relationship was strained a few times in their 8 days together. For example, Michael announced he and Papa should "put Gramma in jail" after she firmly ended playtime in favor of bedtime. And Gramma insisted that Michael go potty which he otherwise refuses to do until his eyes water and he pees "like a firehose" as Papa describes it. Michael asked every night how many days he had left, followed by negotiations for more. He cried on Saturday, his last day. But he will go back, and often, I promised him.
We visited Clear Lake. Uncle Bill drove the boat fast! The kids loved it, and Megan was especially breathless when gibbering about it afterward. I love it when Megan talks. About anything. Both kids swam and played in sand so much we're still finding grains of it in their ears, nails, in every crack and crevice.
There were four big dogs at Clear Lake, and I don't blame Meg for not trusting an animal that bit her in the face. She isn't afraid of Belle, but Belle is so wonderfully passive she's like Dalai-Lama-level imperturbable; a toddler could take away her dinner, tug on her ear, and poke her in the eye and Belle would only smile. Megan loves Beller-Feller but screamed whenever the other dogs came close. She even swatted at them a few times, swinging wildly with one arm while clinging to my leg with the other. Perfect. When Megan clings to me = heaven.
We saw Kung Fu Panda in the theater. Right in the middle of it, Michael turned to me and said, "You were right, Daddy, this IS a cool movie!" It was over-stimulating for Megan though. Her eyes were very wide and when I whispered to her, "Are you okay, Love?" she began chattering unintelligibly. I heard words like 'fast' and 'loud' and 'flying' and 'crash.' Then I reminded her to lower her voice (in the theater). Megan is adorable at movies. Her little legs, straight out in front of her, barely reach the edge of her seat. We prop her up, give her some popcorn, and she's quite happy.
Last night at bedtime, I challenged Michael to a round of "I love you more than...." I led off with an impressive volley of massive quantities. "Michael, I love you more than all the water in the ocean, all the stars in the sky, and" – my kicker, my trump, my coup de grace! – "all the Legos ever made!" I figured this was unbeatable, and the Lego reference sheer genius. (Legos are the most popular toy at home lately.) I inhaled smugly. But Michael is a cool cat. He kept his composure, paused, countered: "Daddy, I love you more than a hundred and a thousand Jupiter's." Ooh. It was a good one, a real good one. A confusing mix of numbers and the largest planet in our solar system?! Damn. The best I could argue for after that was a tie.
Michael had a great week at Gramma's. It's Papa's house too, but Gramma gets top billing, kind of like A-Rod over Jeter now at Yankee Stadium. Of course, both are All-Stars. And even the Gramma-Michael relationship was strained a few times in their 8 days together. For example, Michael announced he and Papa should "put Gramma in jail" after she firmly ended playtime in favor of bedtime. And Gramma insisted that Michael go potty which he otherwise refuses to do until his eyes water and he pees "like a firehose" as Papa describes it. Michael asked every night how many days he had left, followed by negotiations for more. He cried on Saturday, his last day. But he will go back, and often, I promised him.
We visited Clear Lake. Uncle Bill drove the boat fast! The kids loved it, and Megan was especially breathless when gibbering about it afterward. I love it when Megan talks. About anything. Both kids swam and played in sand so much we're still finding grains of it in their ears, nails, in every crack and crevice.
There were four big dogs at Clear Lake, and I don't blame Meg for not trusting an animal that bit her in the face. She isn't afraid of Belle, but Belle is so wonderfully passive she's like Dalai-Lama-level imperturbable; a toddler could take away her dinner, tug on her ear, and poke her in the eye and Belle would only smile. Megan loves Beller-Feller but screamed whenever the other dogs came close. She even swatted at them a few times, swinging wildly with one arm while clinging to my leg with the other. Perfect. When Megan clings to me = heaven.
We saw Kung Fu Panda in the theater. Right in the middle of it, Michael turned to me and said, "You were right, Daddy, this IS a cool movie!" It was over-stimulating for Megan though. Her eyes were very wide and when I whispered to her, "Are you okay, Love?" she began chattering unintelligibly. I heard words like 'fast' and 'loud' and 'flying' and 'crash.' Then I reminded her to lower her voice (in the theater). Megan is adorable at movies. Her little legs, straight out in front of her, barely reach the edge of her seat. We prop her up, give her some popcorn, and she's quite happy.
Last night at bedtime, I challenged Michael to a round of "I love you more than...." I led off with an impressive volley of massive quantities. "Michael, I love you more than all the water in the ocean, all the stars in the sky, and" – my kicker, my trump, my coup de grace! – "all the Legos ever made!" I figured this was unbeatable, and the Lego reference sheer genius. (Legos are the most popular toy at home lately.) I inhaled smugly. But Michael is a cool cat. He kept his composure, paused, countered: "Daddy, I love you more than a hundred and a thousand Jupiter's." Ooh. It was a good one, a real good one. A confusing mix of numbers and the largest planet in our solar system?! Damn. The best I could argue for after that was a tie.
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