Category: Children

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Awesome Children Drew Friends Nonfiction Sentiment Technology

A New Dominion

I’m a little competitive. In life, and in board games, and other types of games. Sometimes I get carried away.

I stopped playing Risk because of one terrible experience in the college dorms, when I formed an alliance with my friend Josh, and then in a few turns I broke it and invaded him. He gave me some kind of disappointed, “I can’t believe you did that,” look, and then he and the other two people we were playing went to dinner at the dining hall. But I was too upset about my treachery to eat, and I stayed in the dorms feeling bad about myself.

Later, I realized that was stupid, and it’s just a game. I had a late dinner. But I never forgot how swept up I got in that game of Risk.

Drew’s friends recently introduced him to the card game Dominion. One of his friends has this insane expansion pack, with like a million different types of cards. I’m not even going to try to explain the rules.

Drew taught it to me and Erin over the weekend, so we could play while we watched the 49ers game. (Could our lack of attention be what caused…? No, surely not.) The three of us played three rounds and each of us won once, which is nice and PC.

Last night, Drew and I played again and he won, but it was close. I think I like this game! I like the dimensions I’ve been introduced to so far, and I like the way there is some interaction between players but it’s not overly based on that. (Like Ticket to Ride, the other addictive board game brought to you by Drew’s friends.)

I guess what I want to say is…in this world of Words with Friends and Hanging with Friends and Scramble with Friends (Boggle! omg! so fun) and Tiny Wings and Qrank and Fruit Ninja and Temple Run and Harbor Master and Flight Control…it’s really nice to sit down in a single room with RL friends and play an actual board game.

Even if Drew mostly wins.

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"Other people" Children Drew Not awesome Theatre

Bring It On: The Musical

Last night Drew and I went to see Bring It On – the musical with the same title of, but not based on, the movie. It’s at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco, which has an awesome ceiling.

I have been equating Bring It On with Legally Blonde – both fluffy musicals about blonde girls with more depth than it first appears. I mean, that’s what I assumed.

Here’s what I have to say about the show:

I liked it. The music and lyrics were co-written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who did In the Heights, which is one of my top 5 all time favorite shows. The direction and choreography (some of which was truly amazing) is by Andy Blankenbuehler, who also did the choreography for In the Heights. I was fascinated by some of the cheerleading stunts. I laughed at jokes. I enjoyed the songs. I understand that I’m not supposed to take any existential meaning from it. I would fully recommend the show to…anyone. I want the cast recording (which apparently doesn’t exist as of yet).

But.

Last night was the press opening (which we didn’t know) and they had papered the house with high school students. In the mezzanine there was a large group of students chanting and cheering before the show started. Right after 8:00 (the show started about 10 minutes late) a group of like 8 14-year-olds girls (and one androgynous 14-year-old) came in and sat down in the seats next to us. Here’s what I have to say about them:

I don’t think there was one moment that they all had their phones closed. They were constantly checking their phones, needing to fish things out of plastic bags wrapped in other plastic bags, bouncing in their seats and looking down into the mezz, and – the worst of all – straight up talking to each other.

After the first five minutes or so of this, Drew and I staringly got their attention and it might be true that I slashed my finger across my throat and said “KNOCK IT OFF” in a loud whisper. I spent the next five minutes worried that it was too harsh, but I needn’t have worried. They didn’t care. They continued to talk through the entire 2 and a half hour show.

At intermission and after the show, Drew and I were ranting about them, and as we calmed down he wondered whether we were just annoyed too easily. After all, all kinds of things are annoying: the car in front of us in line bouncing on their brake lights, the ushers’ lackadaisical, “Hey, no pictures…we just have a couple rules” as he walks away.

But I think no. I think that there are little everyday annoyances that you go, “This is so frustrating!” and then get over. And then there are the rude, unchaperoned, socially-unaware teenagers who literally don’t care that you’re sitting next to them staring at them because they are having a conversation during a show. A show that we a lot of people around them paid a lot of money to see.

On the way home, Drew and I vowed that our children will never behave that way. Because we will kill them if they do.

So okay. So Bring It On was great. But teenagers are not. But if you’re in SF and contemplating it – go see it! Super fun.

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"Other people" Children Nonfiction Not awesome Self improvement

It’s Either This, or the Plague

You’ve probably heard that Earth recently welcomed its 7 billionth person. Not of all time. But at one time. You’ve also probably heard that in 1950, the world population was about 2.5 billion. That’s a 4.5 billion people growth in 60 years. Perhaps then you’ve also heard that the UN projected world population of 2050 is between 7.5 and 10.5 billion.

Where are these people going to go? I ask myself. Also, Is this going to trigger Nature to do something to help control population growth, a la Stephen King’s The Stand? And finally, How did we let this happen??

Well…I think I know how. In many parts of the world, thanks to society and forward-thinking and liberation, we have very specific views on sex and childbirth. Namely, that both are A-OK no matter what your status in life – age, marital status, finances, etc.

This is where I’m going to tread semi-carefully, because I definitely know people who have gotten pregnant out of wedlock and who have loved and cherished their babies and raised them up (or are in the process of raising them up) to be decent, upstanding, hardworking people.

BUT. The way I understand it – and I wasn’t there; I could be wrong – in the 1950s and before, you just didn’t start having sex with your boyfriend when you were 15 and then accidentally get knocked up before you graduated high school and then keep the baby because you can make your own choices about your own body. But these days…that’s par for the course. Now take that one scenario and multiply it by a billion. Then multiply that again for all those second children that those people just have to have because they love their first one so much. And plus, you know, they already have the first one…

It gets glamorized, being a young mother, on shows like Teen Mom and True Life. Film crews romanticize having a ton of children, on Table for 12, 19 Kids and Counting (don’t get me started on Michelle Duggar being pregnant with #20), Raising Sextuplets, etc. Moms who get artificially knocked up with multiples that come in potentially unsafe droves become celebrities – Kate Gosselin, Nadia Sulemon.

The TV personalities – they aren’t really any of my business. I don’t watch those shows (well…I used to watch Jon & Kate Plus 8 back when it was innovative and sweet) and I ignore the “celebs.” But then I start thinking about them in terms of the population growth, and it just irritates me.

There’s something I like about the idea that each couple on earth gets 2 kids – one to replace each of them. But if one couple is out there having 8, or 12, or 20 kids – well, that’s just greedy.

And the 20-somethings out there, each with their own kid or two, will one day meet and fall in love with someone, who also has his or her own kids. And then they’ll come together and have to have more kids, as proof of their love…or of their total inability to grasp the concept of birth control.

What annoys me is that I want a family someday soon. I don’t want 12 or 15 or 20 kids. I just want one or two. And I resent that here I sit, thinking about the world population and wanting to do my part to reduce growth and help the human race avoid apocalypse – but oops! Here’s one more 19-year-old on Facebook, spilling her guts about accidentally getting pregnant. Or oops! One more 40-something celebrity pretending it’s just an unexpected blessing, when really she went through a bunch of medical treatments, because she just had to have a fourth child.

I think we – as a society – need to get back that some of that healthy shame about sex. It needs to not be totally acceptable for 14-year-olds to be doing it, and maybe some people should get shipped off to visit their spinster aunt to cover up their pregnancy, or something. (Cross my heart, this is hypothetical.)

On the other hand, I’m also advocating for more accessible birth control – possibly just pumped into the water? Because even in my heightened state of anger here (yeah, I think I’ve actually reached the anger stage), I know that I can’t stop a couple billion teenagers from losing themselves in the moment, or however we’re going to justify this. (But seriously, pumping something into the water – that’s not a bad idea.)

I’m not saying this only out of a selfish place. I’m just thinking of the human race and what’s best for us. Surely we don’t want to bring on a plague or an epidemic or something, just because everyone forgot to buy condoms? And also somehow forgot to use a backup method? (Use a backup method, people!)

The way to fix all the world’s problems can be summed up into, “Everyone take some responsibility.” Everyone: just take some freaking responsibility. Lest we reach a point in society where the government just randomly (?) sterilizes a percentage of the population.

Parents – don’t give your 14-year-old the freedom to start having sex.
TLC – stop showing shows that promote getting as much use out of your uterus as you possibly can: just because you have one doesn’t mean it needs to be in constant rotation.
Kids – save yourselves, if not for marriage, at least for love. And if you can’t do that, then get thee to Planned Parenthood.

I’m just trying to ensure space for a couple of my own offspring one day, okay?

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Awesome Celebrities Children Drew Love

L’amour

The scene: Drew and I are both sitting quietly in the living room, minding our own business. Minutes have gone by, silently. I am reading some blog I follow, which is talking about Adele.

Syche: “Okay, I know it’s not going to happen…but I SERIOUSLY wish Justin Beiber is that girl’s baby daddy.”

Drew: *stares* “Are you kidding? I was just thinking that. I was literally – JUST – thinking, I hope that’s Justin Beiber’s kid.”

A match made in heaven, am I right?

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Awesome Children Friends Uncategorized

Drawing A Baby

Today we went to a friend’s baby shower – both Drew’s and my first baby shower. One of the games was to put a paper plate on top of your head, and then draw a baby – no looking at the plate!

This used to be kind of my thing. I used to draw pictures of my high school best friends all the time, without looking at the paper. I recently found some of those drawings, which I would love to scan and insert here, but they are back in a box somewhere and that is very labor-intensive.

But here’s the plate with baby that won me the game (well, I tied with another guy) and the Jamba Juice gift card!

That’s not an earring – it’s a rattle. I just missed the hand.

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Children

Hurry up and type

Writing under a deadline is fun for me, even helpful sometimes.

However, when the deadline is “I want to go to sleep” and the reason I haven’t written yet today is “I’ve been out at a Giants game” and my computer is situated so I have to sit in the draft coming through the sliding glass door…writing under a deadline is just annoying.

So let it be quick: Today I saw the Giants play the Diamondbacks. I won’t spoil anything because I have a ton of cameraphone pictures (I know right!!) for tomorrow. So get ready.

For now I’ll leave you with some words of wisdom from the adorable (loud) 4-year-old sitting behind us for the first 3 innings.

“Chocolate is VERY BAD for you. But it’s yummy. Because it’s made of basically PURE SUGAR.”

Later: “I saw an eagle! I saw THREE EAGLES!” (After looking up in awe, I realized she was talking about seagulls. A letdown, but also precious.)

Categories
Awesome Children Drew Endings

The Mystery Face Game

 

Drew has this old Guess Who? game that we used to pull out whenever we were home from New York and killing time at his parents’ house. They finally sent it back to our apartment with us today, in the last box of his old stuff, and so we sat down to play a game.

But it’s too easy.  I mean, the game is for 6-year-olds, and the box suggests questions like, “Does your person wear glasses?” and “Does your person have blue eyes?”  Which…I thought you’re supposed to ask second-person questions?  “Do you have a hat on?” and “Do you look like an escaped convict?”

So in the past, in order to give the game an extra twist, we’ve restricted questions about gender, and anything to do with color.  But the game still lasts all of about 4 turns each, or about 60 seconds.

So today we started a new rule: Only questions about their occupations. 

We played three games this way, and it does take longer. 
1) You have to study all the faces you have left and come up with a good occupation that would help you narrow it down: “Are you in fashion?” 
2) Then you have to interpret the other player’s response: “Um…yeah? Yeah, I guess so” is a very different response from, “OMG yes.” 
3) Then you have to apply that response to all the faces, and use your best judgment whether or not to flip that little person down.

It was actually much harder than regular Guess Who?  In fact, no one won any of the three games we played.  Every game ended something like:

“Are you Sam?”
“No!  I’m Max!”
“What??  Oh, I guess Max might be a waiter.”
This was our Guess Who? swansong, because Drew is going to donate the game to his work.  But I did like the 10 minutes of fun it provided this afternoon!
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"Other people" Awesome Being a girl Children

Potpourri 2

Today is the second day in a row that I’ve put 4 brand new bobby pins into my pocket, intending to use them in my hair as soon as it’s sort of dry, and after arriving at work found that I only have 3 bobby pins left.  I’m not sure where the fourth one goes, I mean it must fall out somewhere, but when?  This morning, after realizing that I only had three – AGAIN – I spotted something on the floor of the car in the passenger side, and pounced on it, thinking it was an abandoned bobby pin.  But alas, it was a piece of plastic trash. Lucky for me, the person who sat at this desk before me left a SINGLE bobby pin in a cup of paper clips.  Victory!

Last weekend I went and saw Sam’s new baby.  He’s gorgeous.  I held him for over 2 hours and he didn’t cry.  Just made sleepy noises.  Adorable.  Plus he was dressed in a little froggie onesie.  Why do babies get all the cute clothes?  I want a froggie footsie onesie with sleeves that turn into little mittens.  That sounds so comfortable.

Anyone else enraptured with Charlie Sheen’s downward spiral?

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Awesome Beginnings Being a girl Children Friends Work

Children and art

CHILDREN

I got a call this evening from my 10-months-pregnant friend, and our conversation went like this:

Me: Hey there!
Her: Hey, sorry I missed lunch today.
Me: That’s okay.  Did you have a very good reason?
Her: Yup!
Me: What is it?
Her: A baaaaybeeee!
Me: OMG!
Her: It’s so weird!
Me: AND?
Her: It’s crazy!
Me: AAAAND??
Her: It’s a boy!

I am so stoked for her.  She’s still at the hospital but once she gets home it will be all I can do to not bother her constantly to let me come over…especially as I now drive RIGHT past her house to get to work.

Hopefully she won’t make me wait too long before I meet him.  I want to see him when he’s still very small.  (Not that he was THAT small – almost 9 lbs apparently, yikes.)

I might have teared up a little when she told me.  I wasn’t there throughout her entire pregnancy but the last three months (is that all it’s been? doesn’t seem like it) have been all about this moment.  When I didn’t see her on Facebook or gchat for a couple days I figured that’s what was going on.  Weird that I couldn’t just text her and be like “Are you pushing right now?”  Weird when you have to take some time off from instant gratification.

& ART

On the job front…I can’t believe I’m so happy.  I didn’t expect to be SO. HAPPY.  I love it, I’m just having the best time.  It helps that I remember most stuff so I’m not training from scratch.  But I love the team there now, I love the space we’re in, I love the work I’m doing.  The work days are flying by and everything is interesting.  And I don’t think that’s going to disappear, I think it’ll just get better as I get more situated.

Today I spent large amounts of time on a storyboard for an “audio slideshow” – which we use as a show “trailer” on the website.  So I storyboarded the images and text that will go up there to sell the next show in the season.  It’s great having some creative parts of the job to go along with the sales parts.

I’m not sure what’s different about the job this time around, that I’m a trillion times happier there.  (I have a couple theories though.)  I’m just uber grateful that this worked out the way it did, and that I’m now in this position.  It’s a far better situation than I figured I’d be in, back in the beginning of February as I looked ahead.

Because I don’t start until 10, I’ve been getting up when Drew leaves (at 7:00) and going to the gym.  Because there is no way I’m going to come home at 6:00 and then go to the gym.  No freaking way.  I think I’m going to try going every day next week, and then I could take the weekends off.

So happy today – everything is great!  Makes it easy to be thankful.  All color and light.

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"Other people" Children Sentiment Work

An ode to the smart kids

Another middle school today.  This one all around much better than the last one.  I think I’m sort of getting the hang of just NOT being the students’ friend.  I like it, in a way.  It gives me an outlet.  No worrying about making a great first impression, or being charming or funny.  Just no-nonsense, sit down, shut up, take out your lang arts book.  Love it.

I always notice the one smart, bookish, no-fuss kid.  The one who rarely says anything (I’m not talking about the raising-her-hand, I’ve-got-all-the-answers kid).  Just the regular kid who is going through middle school.

Last week there was a kid who finished his worksheet, turned it in, put his pencil away, and then pulled out a book and started reading – all silently.  Love that kid.  Loved him even more when I saw he was reading Stephen King’s Misery.  I kind of wanted to say something to him (like, “Have you read it before?  Do you love it??”) but he was still near the beginning, and I didn’t want to be a total creeper.

There was a kid this morning who also silently started the worksheet.  When I said they could work QUIETLY in pairs, he raised his hand and said, “Do we have to work in pairs?”  No, no you don’t – I hated group work also.  Much easier to just do it and get it done.

In my sixth/seventh period today there was a kid who looked annoyed/fed up with his classmates’ antics (and there were a lot of them).  At one point he said, “Can I talk to you?” and I said, “Yeah, what’s up?” and he said, “Can you make a list of all the names of the kids who were being good?”  I guess he could foresee the mediocre report I gave the teacher about that class.  Then he said, “I finished the reading questions.”

“Did you finish the worksheet too?”  He nodded, face in hands and elbows on desk.  “Both sides?”  Another nod.

Then he said, “I’m bored.”

All I could say (and no one else was listening, so I felt it was safe) was, “I know you are, I know how you feel.  I promise you it will all pay off one day.  Don’t let it discourage you.”

He just nodded some more, looking resigned.

Oh, smart kids.  Please don’t let the monotony of middle school (or high school, or life) get you down.  Eventually you get a chance to stretch out and grow. 

And then in college you’ll learn the joys of skipping class.  So work it while you’ve got it.

I bet Smart Kid would know better than to put unnecessary quotation marks.