Lenny G

Respek!

Oh, October's almost over, you say?

I really ought to post more. So much is happening with a quickly growing Lenny, who can now readily roll onto her stomach... in her crib... which is terrifying. And she roars and growls, she sings when Ariane sings. She's awesome. The days flow into one another at this point. By now I've lost all my regular readers, so I might as well write nonsensical things, like anything Tracy Jordan says. I'm at work less than I should be, that I know.

It's been so long since I posted that in the meantime I have:
Had an article published in Microelectronic Engineering (nerdy title!)
Had two (two!) more accepted (one in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society and one w/o revisions, awesome sauce, in the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A [super nerdy title, awesome])
Killed one before finishing
Finished my dissertation (first draft, excellent)
Been politely turned down by DuPont (your questions were ridiculous!)
Not heard back from the first interviewer (didn't want to work in the Mojave Desert)
Had another campus interview (still waiting)
Visited Oregon* for an interview (nervously waiting... very, very nervously)

(Quick aside: I left for the interview on Monday morning to return Wednesday - can you believe there are no direct AUS-PDX flights? I know!, so I sent an email to my boss, the building manager, and the other guy on my project [i.e. the guy who now owns the system since I am DONE, BUDDY] saying, and I quote: "I will be out until Wednesday, I am heading to the Oregon Country. Don't worry, I won't ford any rivers. I've lost too many oxen this way." My boss emailed back: "Don't waste too many bullets shooting buffalo along the way." I've always liked my boss.)

You might notice that "have been offered a job" is not listed. Right now, all of my eggs are in the basket for the job in Portland. Got to feed the baby some way.

So that this isn't just about me, here's some pictures (makes for an easy post). As always, click to embiggen.

Lenny's preferred sleeping position once she learned how to get up on her side and rotate her entire body. Her feet are sticking out.


Somebody got a highchair so she can join dinner conversations. She likes to talk politics, and I am trying to teach her that is a faux pas, but since she doesn't speak French she goes on and on about it. She's got interesting ideas and opinions (End Mommy's monopoly on breast milk! It violates antitrust laws!). Still no solids.


And a play thingy. Which has sounds! Loud ones! That's going to be such a regrettable decision!


Hoodies: get them started early.


Sometimes you don't have a free hand when you are walking from one room to the other...



*As obnoxiously noted earlier this week via phone, I have now defeated Zack in the race to visit all the west coast of the US and Canada. He didn't know we were competing, but you snooze you lose. That puts Alaska (Inside Passage + Denali + Fairbanks), BC (Vancouver + Fraser, which isn't a city), Washington (Seattle), Oregon (Portland... but really just Hillsboro), and California (San Diego) under my belt, with Yukon (Carcross) thrown in for good not-quite-Pacific-coastal measure. TAKE THAT, ZACK. Also, I think I'm probably beating you in airports: Fairbanks, Seattle, Portland, LAX, San Jose, San Diego, Anchorage, Dallas-DFW, Dallas-Love, Houston-IAH, Houston-Hobby, El Paso, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Harlingen, Little Rock, STL, Indianapolis, ORD, Minneapolis-St Paul, Detroit, Atlanta, Toronto, Newark, JFK, Albany, Memphis, DC-Dulles, Zurich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Split, Heraklion, London-Heathrow, Austin, Cincinnati, Raleigh-Durham
Oops: Forgot Vancouver, Calgary, and Cancun.

Blog neglect

I wish I were writing way more frequently, if only to record things like Lenny's first tummy-to-back roll, or our morning walks spotting all the deer. I apologize to all the regular readers (all three of you). Lenny made it to her first tailgate last weekend, though.


Hook 'em!

The walks are the best. It's amazing how close we really are to the hills, and some of them are killers. I plan to take the camera one morning to document some of the sweet views you can get here.

Alas, it appears our time in Austin (this time around?) is running short. Where to? Who knows as of yet. I've dpne one interview complete for a position in California, either Ventura County or... uh, well, the middle of the Mojave Desert. Next week we'll interview with another unnamed company (not NASCAR, on the hood...), which is on the other side of the country in Delaware, maybe elsewhere, because they do everything. Others who have indicated any level of interest are in San Jose, CA; Niskayuna, NY (essentially Albany); Portland, OR; Houston, TX; NYC exurbs; Amsterdam, Netherlands (only after years in Houston, though); here in Austin; Phoenix, AZ; San Diego, CA; Japan (no thanks!); and wherever the hell Frito-Lay is located (I'm too lazy to look it up). No one even pretended to be interested in shipping me to Dresden. Still looking anywhere.

No time, just vids

DFH alert

Can't. Get it. Out of my head. Consider this my Song o' the Week.




I swear to the FSM, I can't remember the last time I had such problems getting a song out of my head.

The pathetic existence that is my life

First off, let it be known that I generally hate Facebook. Of course I have an account, though. I dislike myself for that, though. One thing that drives me crazy are the Facebook memes that bubble up now and then, like "25 things you don't know about me" or whatever. I loathe those. Loathe. LOATHE.

Then I saw this one today, and as I naturally answered along in my own head, I realized how unbearably pathetic my existence is right now. I could blame my lameness on the oppressive heat this summer, but it's mostly because when I am alone two things happen: 1.) I work about 12-16 hours a day, sometimes 24+ (several times, plus one a-comin' up on Sunday), because I can and what would I do at home? and 2.) I immediately go onto vampire schedule. Get to work at 2 pm or so, stay til 4 am or so. Drink blood intermittently. You know, normal things.

Anyway, here are my woefully, cringe-inducing answers to some stupid Facebook meme. Whatever, it's my blog. Ariane still hasn't posted jack squat.


1. What time did you get up this morning?
Morning? What am I, Superman? 1:30 pm

2. How do you like your steak?
Medium rare

3. What was the last film you saw at the Theater?
I don't know, maybe Ratatouille? I don't go to movies.

4. What is your favorite TV show?
I don't have a favorite TV show since I gave up on LOST

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Pacific Northwest, I think. Physically the most beautiful area on Earth, IMHO, plus politically close to my (apparently) radical liberalism (for the US, elsewhere I am considered "centrist" or even "right-of-center") and (best part) lots of non-religious people, which after being surrounded by the loonies here in Texas, is kind of like Shangri-La. (Not that they don't exist up NW, but they probably aren't being appointed to the state BOE or, you know, the governor.) San Diego and I are not political matches, but I think I could make an exception. If I were still single, I'd do a year in Fairbanks and/or Whitehorse and/or Yakutsk, just to see what it's like. I would hate it.

6. What did you have for breakfast?
V8 and jambalaya. Basically the only things in the fridge right now.

7. What is your favorite cuisine?
Tex-Mex. Next question.

8. What foods do you dislike?
Black licorice. That's about it. Oh, and now Schweinshaxe. Never again.

9. Favorite Place to eat?
Home

10. Favorite dressing?
Don't have a favorite

11. What kind of vehicle do you drive?
'98 Ford Explorer, because I am a huge hypocrite

12. What are your favorite clothes?
T-shirt and jeans.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
Siberia. Fr srs. Or Namibia. Also fr srs.

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
This is a stupid question that does not merit an answer

15. Where would you want to retire?
Where's Lenny going to be living? I'll hunt her down and become a drain on her.

16. Favorite time of the day?
What does this mean?

17. Where were you born?
Beautiful Baton Rouge, LA. Thank FSM I got moved out of the hellhole that is the Deep South... to beautiful, progressive Missouri. Ah, that's the ticket.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
Oh, hey, finally a good question. In person: baseball (preferably college). On TV: college football.

19. Who do you think will not tag you back?
I don't do this crap on Facebook

20. Person you expect to tag you back first?
ibid.

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?
ibid.

22. Bird watcher?
WTF? I'm not Ike Sanchez.

23. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Asked and answered previously

24. Do you have any pets?
No

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
Of course not. That's kind of insulting at this point.

26. What did you want to be when you were little?
Define "little." I don't recall. Not an astronaut though... Andy.

27. What is your best childhood memory?
I don't recall

28. Are you a cat or dog person?
Cat people have problems

29. Are you married?
Duh

30. Always wear your seatbelt?
I can't believe this question would require being listed

31. Been in a car accident?
A few, but never my fault. Dora's* holding up well still.

32. Any pet peeves?
Oh god, infinite

33. Favorite pizza toppings?
Whatever is on a pizza

34. Favorite Flower?
I don't know

35. Favorite Ice cream?
Whatever is in front of me

36. Favorite Fast Food Restaurant?
Taco Bell. I don't care that it is disgusting garbage.

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
1

38. From whom did you get your last email?
My boss. Aren't I cool?

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
I don't have a credit card and find this question to be irresponsible, much like #30

40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
Jeebus no

41. Like your job?
I love my job so much I'll stick around as long as they'll have me - not sarcasm

42. Broccoli?
Yes

43. What was your favorite vacation?
Caribbean with Ariane. Hands down.

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?
My mom I am so pathetic

45. What are you listening to right now?
Nothing. I am sitting here in complete silence filling out a stupid questionnaire that no one is interested in.

46. What is your favorite color?
Yellow. I'll fight you.

47. How many tattoos do you have?
1 or 2, depending on your particular definition.

48. How many are you tagging for this quiz?
NO!

49. What time did you finish this quiz?
10:40 pm

50. Coffee Drinker?
Diet Coke is my drug of choice thanks.

And there you have it. I would have loved to have seen my answers to this back when I was 22. It'd still be pathetic, but at least in a "got drunk and struck out with a girl(s)" kind-of-at-least-making-an-effort-to-be-fun type of pathetic.

I can't wait til I hit my 30s.

*Dora is the unofficial name of my car. Kiwi named his car Jimmy... because it was a Jimmy, so I figured I had to one-up the stupidity of naming cars.

Why not: I just checked into groups to see if there was a "Dirty Fucking Hippie" group I could join. There is. I did (don't forget that the DFH's were right all along). Then when I checked which groups I have joined, I saw that years back I joined "I sit down to pee," which (stunningly) has only 17 members. All of whom were my college friends. So pathetic. "I sit down to pee" is related to the group "I deny wearing a diaper. Oh that? Yeah, that is a diaper." and "Creed is almost as TIGHT as Nickelback." Boy, weren't we funny? /sarcasm

Best. Right wing. Idiocy. Ever.

Sure it's hilarious that some wingnut opposing a "government takeover of healthcare" (or as non-morons refer to it, a public health insurance option) protesting in St Louis (who was probably just sitting around screaming NOBAMA! and LONG FORM BIRTH CERTIFICATE!) got "injured" and is suing everyone and begging for help paying his "medical bills" because he doesn't have insurance, because now Republicans are the lawsuit-crazy welfare queens...

But Investors Business Daily wins today's Internets with this anti-NOBAMACARE! (SOCIALIST FASCISM WHAT?) editorial, featuring this incredible paragraph:

People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn't have a chance in the U.K., where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless.

I won't be the first to say HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA cough cough cough HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. /tears running down my face

Also, you know who would really benefit from easily available insurance that won't deny you for pre-existing conditions? Trig Palin. Weird, huh?

Topical follow-up: Stephen Hawking:

"I wouldn't be here today if it were not for the NHS."

Plus: John Cole:

[F]requent commenter Redkitten’s (aka Krista) water broke, so presumably she is in labor as we speak. Due to the horrible delays and long lines associated with the Canadian system of socialized medicine, she was required to wait almost nine months for this procedure, so let’s hope everything works out ok.

Probably an old, recycled joke, but: Ha.

Got to be a joke, right? RIGHT?: Youth in Asia will kill your grandmother. Just jokes, not real Morans, right?

Good idea/Bad idea

I was looking for a particular post on the BabyNameWizard for Drew, who is back in Austin by the way, and came across this one regarding names that had fallen out of the US top 1000 for the first time in a long time.

Reading it, I focused on one that I thought would sound cool if we happen to have a boy in the future.

• Karl. Karl was one of the true stalwarts, a name that had made the top 1000 every year on record (since 1880). This year marked the end of that run, as Karl – like Brad – suffered for its 3-to-1 consonant-vowel ratio.

Karl Henderson. That's a strong name.

Then I remembered my daughter's name is Lenny.



As someone who was cruelly named Luke in 1982 (see the dates here and here) and was given another untimely last name (which had the added bonus of striking back when I was about nine), I'm not sure I could do that to them. Although, nobody would "get it" unless they were together, and the person "getting it" would have to be a Simpsons fan, and instead of laughing at me, I'd probably get a high-five.

But then, of course, we all know that only black people have names like Karl.

ALSO: Drew and Melissa are not having a child as far as I know. Not intending to give that impression.

I'll try to slink back into this with no one noticing

Little Baldo is getting so big.



I miss holding her so much.

Going dark for a while

I've nothing to write about and too much to chew on. Not sure when or if this will come back.