Joe Z ... The Quintessential Waiter

After a painful 30 minute drive to Bridgepointe shopping center in San Mateo due to M's fussing the entire way (she absolutely hates the car seat), we managed to do a little shopping while M fidgeted & kicked in her Baby Bjorn. We picked up a bath toy for her, hoping that this will distract her enough to make it through her bath without getting too cranky.

We stopped by our favorite restaurant at Bridgepointe, Mimi's Cafe. There's enough stuff on the walls to keep M occupied while we hold her, and there's enough background noise for her to doze off if. This visit had to be the best ever...

We managed to get a roomy U shaped booth in the corner of the back room next to the emergency exit which provided extra room to park the stroller and not get in anyone's way. Our waiter, Joe Z, promptly showed up soon after we were seated to take our drink order (2 Iced Teas) and came back with 3 glasses. He was cool about giving us time to peruse the menu, and came back at the right time to take our order. DH ordered the Slow Roasted Turkey Breast dinner with the soup of the day, I ordered the French Quarter with cole slaw. Our waiter came back with DH's soup, plus an extra cup of soup for me. We got a huge basket of bread. M fell asleep on DH's shoulder, perfect timing, so he placed her in the stroller to take a nap. He came back at the right moment to refill our glasses of Iced Tea. That's always a plus; I've gone to so many places where they take forever to refill drinks or they forget entirely. The entrees arrived, yum! When we were finished, the waiter materialized with a box, some more Iced Tea, and the check. And before we could ask, he immediately noticed that we needed more boxes and mentioned that he would return with them. Every restaurant should clone this guy!!! He excelled at anticipating our needs and meeting them before we could ask; we never had to wait long for anything, never had to search for & flag him down. He was personable and efficient. I wonder if we'll get this guy the next time we dine here. It was the perfect dining experience. And to top off the visit, M woke up from her nap just before we were about ready to leave. Perfect timing.

The things you notice after having baby... during my last visit to the restroom at Mimi's Cafe, the door to the handicap stall was wide open and I noticed that there was a baby changing station mounted on the wall inside. Cool. That's always good to know. :-)

I'm also noticing handicap-friendly curbs and doors too. I find it amusing looking at the Macy's doors at the local mall. There are three sets of double doors; the center set has a handicap sticker on it. The only difference is that the door handle is lower, the handle on the left & right set of doors are higher. The "handicap" doors aren't automatic. I don't see how anyone in a wheelchair can get through these doors cuz they are heavy! And there is another set of doors to traverse through 10 feet past the outer set. Good thing the main mall entrance has one of those automatic doors, and so does the Nordstrom at the other end of the mall.

I see lots of people pushing their strollers up and down the escalators at the mall. It looks rather dangerous to me. I don't see myself doing that. Knowing my luck, the stroller will slip, falling down & hitting other people like bowling pins, and baby would scream her head off about the rough ride. I'm becoming better acquainted with the location of elevators at the local mall. Sure it takes longer, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

M is still riding around in her infant carrier which attaches to her stroller. She hates the infant carrier, I think she is starting to find it a bit too snug. Of course her favorite place is in my arms. :-) She's still a little small for sitting directly on the stroller.


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There be teeth!

We noticed a tooth poking through M's gums last weekend, it was her lower left incisor and it looked like a sliver of white. It was definitely a tooth, we could feel it, and we could hear it against the rattle she was chewing on.

This week we noticed a second tooth in the works ... her lower right incisor. Wow! Two teeth at the same time. This is exciting. Of course we're not thrilled about the teething pains and her resulting fussiness, but understand it is part of the process. Not to worry... we are armed with Hyland's Teething Tablets and a tube of Baby Orajel.


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M, in her knitted hat & baby blanket

Here is a picture of M taken on one of our walks in our perpetually cold neighborhood. She is wearing a hat I knit for her last month, and is covered with a baby blanket I knit for her in January.




She doesn't look too happy because she hates being in her infant carrier. I usually take her out for walks in her Baby Bjorn carrier, however it has gotten colder these days so I put her in the stroller instead so I can keep her warm under a blanket. She is going to outhrow this infant carrier soon, her head almost reaches the top. We will have to upgrade her to a convertible car seat. I'm thinking of the Britax Marathon which gets great reviews and supports up to 65 lbs which is a lot more than most other car seats. This means I'll get more mileage out of it. I'm hoping that she'll like the convertible car seat more since it should offer her more space. She probably finds the infant carrier too confining.

She loves to grab the hanging toys (snail, butterfly & turtle) attached to the infant carrier. She pulls on them and shoves them into her mouth. She shoves everything into her mouth! Sometimes she pulls on them enough for them to detach, and sometimes she flings it out(!) of the stroller where it lands no the sidewalk. :-( Her favorite toy is the butterfly, she seems to reach for this one more often than the other two.

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The crap I watch on Cable TV

I've caught lots of miscellaneous stuff on Cable TV in recent months. It helps to have Tivo. It's like having a VCR on steroids! :) Just tell Tivo to record stuff, and then watch & delete programs in any order I choose. Tivo has to be the best thing since sliced bread.

Some programs/movies I've caught lately:

Aristocrats (Masterpiece Theatre). This was fun, loved the costumes, etc. Did not like how they brought in a whole new set of people to portray older versions of the characters. I was left confused trying to figure out who was who.

He Knew He Was Right (Masterpiece Theatre). This seemed to drag, but I made it through to the end.

The Importance of Being Earnest. It seemed like the first time I've seen Rupert Everett, however I think the first time was in The Madness of King George, which I got on Laserdisc (remember those??) over a decade ago, I just don't recall the movie clearly. I'd rewatch it if somebody could figure out how to reconnect the LD player to that jumble of equipment by the TV. I later stumbled upon him in Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking (Mystery!). The Importance of Being Earnest is the second movie I've seen with Colin Firth, it was strange to see him in a romantic comedy after seeing him in Pride & Prejudice, a movie I have rewatched numerous times, where he has a very serious facial expression throughout most of the movie. I just finished watching the 1940 version starring Laurence Olivier. It was probably great for its time, but I was distracted by the costumes they wore in the movie (they seemed so wrong), and was it my imagination or did they speak very very fast? It's as though they did a super abridged & slightly tweaked verson, which didn't turn out short enough so they made the cast talk faster than normal. I understand there is a new version of Pride & Prejudice coming out on November 18, starring Keira Knightly. I am prepared to hate this version, but who knows, perhaps it will surprise me.

Citizen Kane was recently on TV. That was an interesting film, and of the better of the two 1940-ish movies I've seen recently.

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the Inspector Lynley Mysteries (Mystery!) I caught on TV. I've seen about 10 episodes; there are still a few more I need to catch. I understand that these are based on novels by Elizabeth George, starting with "A Great Deliverance". Another mystery series I like, although not as much as Inpsector Lynley, is Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (Mystery!).

That's just some of the stuff I've been watching on my own during the day. There's a whole different set of programs which I watch with DH: Las Vegas, NCIS, CSI, Battlestar Galactica, Cold Case, 24, American Idol & Naruto.

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What is this paper folding art?

Here are some pictures of the paper folding art that my MIL has recently gotten into. She learned to do this from someone in Taiwan. She cuts paper into smaller rectangles, then folds them into triangular shapes that get nested together to create shapes such as swans, baskets, strawberries, vases, etc. She likes to play around with different color combinations. She has several books with instructions on how to assemble these into different shapes. I have no idea what this art is called. The books she has are written in Chinese which I can't read... and even if I did, I probably wouldn't be able to translate it into the English equivalent.

When my MIL is not cutting paper into smaller rectangles & folding them, she spends her time doing cross-stitch. She makes lots of cute things to frame or for pillows, towels, bibs, clothing, and other items. I did a little bit of cross-stitch while I was in college. I never really got into it much, it is very hard on the eyes looking at all those tiny squares on the counted cross-stitch pattern. But I suppose I could do stamped cross-stitch instead...

Some people might argue that knitting is hard on the eyes... it really isn't too bad, and there's always the option of using lighter color yarn and thicker yarn. Stitches are harder to see on darker yarn. Good thing I don't knit with black yarn! I do have some black yarn in my stash, just haven't gotten around to using it. Although it is easier and quicker to knit with heavier weight yarn, I have found that I prefer to knit with fingerling, sport, or DK weight yarn. I've never knit with the thinnest weight, lace weight yarn, but would love to try knitting a lace shawl someday. Of course I envision myself getting the lace weight yarn all tangled up as I rewind the hank into a ball. One of these days I'll invest in the Mama Bear Yarn Swift and a ball winder. Knitting with fingerling weight yarn feels like it takes forever to knit anything ... it requires more number of stitches to get the same area of knitting. The heaviest weight yarn I will use is worsted weight, I don't really like knitting with anything thicker than this.

I've found that I prefer traditional yarns more than the novelty yarns (fun fur, eyelash, etc) which are the current fad. I find it very hard to see my stitches using these novelty yarns, this makes it very difficult to fix problems or recover from dropped stitches. I love superwash wool yarns because they are machine washable & dryable. Unfortunately there aren't a whole lot of these. After superwash wool, I prefer yarns of natural fibers, such as wool, alpaca, silk, etc. Of course these yarns tend to be hand wash, dry flat.

One of these days I will knit with mohair. I hear it is a pain to frog, so I'm in no hurry to give it a try. I'm just waiting to find the right variegated kid mohair yarn for a project I have in mind.


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Pass the cold virus around

I've been feeling a little off this week and it finally hit me that I have a cold. Must have gotten it from Marisa who got hers from daddy. We're just passing the cold virus around. :( So I'm suffering almost as much as Marisa is ... I just don't have to deal with teething pains. Marisa's cold is definitely taking a toll on me, I think part of it was from the lack of sleep since she can't seem to stay asleep at night with her cold & teething pains. Last night, I was awake soothing/walking her around for 4 hours during a 7 hour period (midnight to 7am), with the longest stretch being 2 AM to 4 AM. No wonder I'm exhausted and not recovering from this cold as quickly as I would like. I hope it'll be better tonight.

I have heard from other parents that when their kids get sick, the whole house gets sick along with them. I think there must be some truth to that! I'm sure all our immune systems will become much stronger over the coming years as a result.

Marisa's left lower incisor looks like it is coming out soon, we can see a sliver of white protruding from her swollen gums. And we can HEAR it clicking against her rattle too! She'll look so cute with her one tooth. :)

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Marisa's favorite toys

At 7 months, Marisa is experiencing teething pains and as a result drools a lot and loves putting things in her mouth. She'll grab anything within reach ... toy, bib, shirt collar, edge of crib mattress pad, towels, blankets, pillows, etc. She'll even try to reach out for your mug as you lift it to drink out of it, and she will try to pull it towards her mouth and lick the side. It's really cute.

Her favorite toy at the moment is a teething rattle. You can hold up one of her two other rattles and she will either be indifferent or not interested, however when you hold up her favorite rattle she will raise up her arms to reach out for it. It's really cute to watch her do this. She loves the soft liquid filled side, it helps with her teething pains. Sometimes she tries to stick the bulbous end in her mouth too. In either case, they are the quintessential medium for moving drool out of the mouth!



Her other favorite toy is a red one with plasting teething arches on its back. We got this one from Cheryl who has two kids of her own. Marisa loves gnawing on this one when her favorite rattle isn't in front of her. We try to rotate her toys so she doesn't get bored with the same one. This red one usually remains in her Pali Mia crib, along with a colorful clown which she used to love a few months ago but has shown little interest in lately.



Another toy she plays with is this pink bunny with star shaped rings. She got this from Vicki & Larry when they came to visit at the hospital. She loves to stick the stars in her mouth. If the stars aren't in her mouth, then it's one of the bunny ears. Poor bunny. The bunny usuallly stays in her Graco Pack n Play. She will sometimes (rare occasion) take mini naps in the playpen, she is more open to it during the early morning hours. Not as much luck during the day. Her favorite place to nap is in our arms, against our chest with her head resting on our shoulder. Her head has gotten much larger and heavier since birth.. our shoulder feels sore after she has been napping on it for nearly an hour.

Marisa's first cold

Boo hoo, Marisa has finally gotten her first cold and she is miserable. Fortunately it's only been less than a week and she is recovering nicely. She is still having some difficulties breathing (stuffy nose) which causes her to wake at night. I understand, I can't sleep with a stuffy nose either. Poor thing was feverish, tired, and out of sorts. She hasn't been her usual active playful self. Not much we could do but make her comfortable and wait it out. Too bad we can't explain to her why she feels the way she feels. I've been more exhausted as a result of her cold, waking up when she wakes up, holding her a lot more, walking her around while she tries to fall asleep. There will be lots of laundry to do after she recovers, runny nose, wet sneezes, and drool all over everything...

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Subaru Joyride

We had been considering getting the new 2006 BMW 3 series wagon which was unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show in Sept, and supposedly available in Oct. Well, it turns out that this wagon is very difficult to find. One Bay Area dealer is receiving 3 wagons at the end of this month and they are all already sold! So no chance of actually LOOKING at a wagon. :-( We wanted to take a look at the new wagon before deciding whether to go for it.

So we started considering other wagons ... Subaru Outback and Volvo V50 & V70. I thought the V70 was too large, loved the cargo space, but didn't think I would ever be able to park the thing (although the funny thing is that the V70 is shorter than the Outback!). As for the V50, I didn't like how the head rests on the rear seats blocked out a good chuck of the lower corners of the rear windshield, and I thought the cargo space was too small. Actually, I also think the BMW 325 has a small cargo area as well. Loved the Subaru Outback when I first saw it. Had all the basic features I wanted, it has a relatively simple climate control (the complicated climate control on the Audi A4 drives me nuts... they expect you to make adjustments solely by "feel"?! It's too dangerous to glance down at all those buttons while trying to drive), and the cargo space is adequate. I need enough space to hold a stroller, some diaper bag stuff, and have enough leftover space for a Costco run. :-) I love the car reviews on Tech Now, a local TV show that talks about latest technology but sometimes includes a car review at the end of the show. They measure trunk/cargo space by the number of Costco (Kirkland brand) toilet paper packages that will fit into it. That sure makes it easier for me than trying to figure out how much x cubic feet of space really amounts to!

Here are some interesting numbers (showing dimensions of various automobile models, Length, Width, Height):

Audi A4 (2001):..............176.7......68.2......55.7
BMW 325 wagon (2005):....176.3......68.5......55.5
BMW 325 wagon (2006):....178.2......71.5......55.8
Volvo V50:....................177.7......69.7......57.2
Volvo V70:....................185.4......71.........57.5
Subaru Outback:..............188.7......69.7......63.2
Honda Accord (2005):........189.5......71.5......57.1
Toyota Camry (2005):........189.2......70.7......58.7

I was very surprised to learn that the Outback is a smidgen shorter than the Accord and Camry. There's something deceptive about those sedans, they look shorter than they really are. And there's something about wagons that make me think that they are very long.

After test driving, we're leaning towards the Subaru Outback. It has the basic features we like and reliability is decent according to Consumer Reports. The only thing I don't like is the gas mileage (19/25), the key which is one long pointy thing (instead of the retractable key/fob on the Audi which is a rectangular thing that doesn't poke), and the non-existent armrest. But these are just minor annoyances. We test drove the VDC model from Ron Price Subaru and went on a 12 mile loop ... up Westborough, past Skyline, down to Highway 1 back to 280 to the Westborough exit. It was a nice little loop with a little of everything. Pleasant drive. Baby loved it, she fell asleep shortly after we started. That's a thumbs up. ;-) It drives like any automatic, with a little delay before it shifts gears and a more sluggish getup&go compared to a manual. My left foot felt like it should be doing something; I'll get used to it. The Outback had no problems getting up the hills, and it didn't feel like it would roll over during the turns although I didn't take them very fast. Certainly seemed to take turns better than the Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo we rented when we were on Kauai (where I discovered who actually needed to heed those speed limit signs!). The turn signal lever wasn't too far away from the steering wheel, so small hands could easily reach them. The windshield wiper lever must use reverse polish notation or something, it's the first one I've ever seen where you push DOWN to turn the thing on ... it's somewhat reminiscent of installing Novell Netware.


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Deception Point

I finally finished listening to "Deception Point" by Dan Brown. It seemed to follow a similar "formula", and I just couldn't get into it as much as I did "The DaVinci Code". The story seemed far fetched. I didn't care for the characters. Perhaps I would have liked this novel better if I hadn't read DVC first?

I just started "Angels & Demons", and yes, I started with Disc 1 this time! :) I was surprised to find the same main character from DVC, Robert Langdon.

I'd like to get my hands on Neal Stephenson's "Quicksilver" on CD. I have the book. Don't think I'll get around to reading it. I'm finding audio books more convenient these days.

At the moment, I am listening to Alain Souchon's "Et si en plus y'a personne" from his album "La vie théadore". I used to listen to his albums "C'est déjà ça" et "Défoule sentimentale" a lot, but always find myself returning to Francis Cabrel et Jean-Jacques Goldman.

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Dan Brown again

I was eager to start another Dan Brown novel after finishing "The DaVinci Code". I finally settled on "Deception Point". I didn't quite get sucked into DP as easily as DVC, but Dan Brown's style still attempts to keep you in suspense. I think I liked DVC from the start because it was about codes and art, something much more interesting to me than glaciers and meteorites. I'm one of those people who can spend hours in a museum, looking at each piece, reading everything... you do NOT want to go to a museum with me if you're the type who just glances at each piece for a second, from a 20 ft (6 m) distance, without reading any of the blurbs written about the piece.

So back to DP... I believe part of the problem was my first impression of the novel jumping into the story making it difficult to follow. I later discovered that this was not the case at all. It was actually user error. Kind of like the PEBKAC problem of computer (l)users. I had somehow started with Disc 3 instead of Disc 1. I didn't notice until I finished Disc 3 and went to switch to the next disc only to discover that there was Disc 1 waiting in the wings. Doh! No wonder I thought the story started funny. I couldn't believe I did that. I blame it on my daughter. I'm convinced she sucks the life force out of me, leaving me exhausted and disoriented.

Well after a week, I am finally on Disc 2 of the novel. It's weird listening to it out of order since I already know what is going to happen. Good thing I didn't inadvertently start out with Disc 5! Making slow progress, I've been listening to this novel sometimes while nursing Miss Froggie.

Note:
PEBKAC = Problem Exists Between Keyboard and Chair

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Doctor Zhivago

I recently caught Andrew Davies' version of Doctor Zhivago on Masterpiece Theatre; this is the version starring Hans Matheson and Keira Knightley. I had neither seen the original nor read Boris Pasternak's book which it is based on. I didn't know what to expect, except that it was some sort of romance. I was very disappointed by the time I finished viewing the 2-part miniseries. How can you call a married man (Yury) lusting after and having an affair with a woman (Lara) who is not his wife (Tonya) a good romance? Yury never should have married Tonya, whom he did not truly love. Tonya's life was a tragedy... to marry a man who didn't love her ... to raise their son Sasha on her own while her husband Yury went off to war to lust after Lara (his head nurse) ... to find out about his affair with Lara while she was pregnant with their second child no less! And Lara, well, she's no angel. She should never have seduced a married man.

Ironically, the actress who plays Lara is named Keira. The name Keira, or Kira, sounds like the name of a woman who would seduce a married man into lusting after her, even while the married man's wife is pregnant with his child. Married men should not lust after women who are not their wives, nor should they obsess about women they work with.

Sam Neill did a good job of portraying Komarovsky.

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