Psychotomy

DK hasn’t been getting to bed until nearly 11pm lately, at which point I tend to check email and then go to bed.

Today I’m letting him watch some word world vids, since if I try to play on the console or even with the legos, he walks off and starts climbing on kiir, so I’m trying to let her have something of a break. Especially since I forgot to tell her I was coming home a bit late tonight :/

But between the late bedtime and the india prep … kindof busy and not getting around to posting much lately :/

Posted in: DK, general by attriel /
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Yesterday was NOT a good day for my commute :/

Morning commute: Normally catch the train @7:45, get to the office ~8:30 give or take. Yesterday? Train came about right, then it quit being the express and made all the local stops (no one got on or off AFAICT … probably because the train that hits those is an hour later, so why stand around for an hour?) Some delays, got in ~9.

Afternoon commute: Train leaves @4:15, usually get off ~5. Yesterday? Left right enough, then stopped for 20 minutes just outside Union Station … bah! oh well. Then we stopped again in like 5 minutes, for another half hour. Then we were going slow enough that I think one of the conductors passed us on foot to look at something … Finally got off the train ~6:15. OI!

And of course, yesterday I hadn’t taken in my crypto work, because I think I made an error in an earlier step, meaning I have to start over from that step. But first I have to manually check everything to see where that mistake is (or IF). And my book ran out during that first 20 minute delay in the afternoon. Last night kindof sucked :/

Kiir had put in baked potatoes for dinner, so at least DK didn’t have to wait while something cooked.

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So, all day at work it was running around trying to do all sorts of things. I got asked to do a security scan. this evening. luckily I was staying late since Friday is DK’s day at Dadi & dada’s … but then I had to get the password to the scanning machine, then to the app I’m supposed to scan, plus setting up the scan. Oh, then there was a pair of meetings about the DoS last week and whether we (the developers) had any more information (like packet captures and tcpdump logs and … wait, isn’t that what we asked security about last week???).

In between all of that, I tried to do my job some. Didn’t get very far, honestly, since I kept getting pulled away for something else. Eeeesh.

This weekend we’re going to be running around, I imagine, starting to collect bits for the India trip. Ordered a new suitcase yesterday, since we need at least a second large one (only one of our big ones still functions properly ; we’ve ended up throwing the others away AFAICR .. I should check and throw them away if we haven’t already). Oi.

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A few weeks ago (2+?), kiir was exhausted one friday morning, so I took DK down to my parents for the day. That has now spiraled into a once a week outing for him, giving kiir a day of rest each week. plus the weekend when I try to take him for the most part.

The following week she decided she had a cold and was generally feeling meh. Last week DK developed a runny nose and spent a few days being a little ennervated. Not as energetic and kinetic as usual.

Sunday I apparently finally caught the cold from DK. This morning I got an email, it seems my mother caught his cold when he visited on Friday last week.

K ALSO has this cold. I swear, it feels like a flu or something, but it spreads like the freakin’ plague!

Posted in: DK, general by attriel /
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So, The other day I was asked to sit in on some interviews that my boss was doing. No problem. My boss and the lead programmer were going to be there, I’m just there to provide a third viewpoint.

Oh, and they’re inviting the other two programmers on the team (including the one who changed teams recently). So they want the other devs to chime in.

Oh, the lead programmer is bowing out of the first interview b/c he knows the guy. OK, sure.

Wait, the boss is backing out too? wtf?

Three of us, who have never done an interview without being the candidate, alone with this guy on up to two hours notice. I had two hours notice that they wanted me to sit in. We had ~20 minutes notice that “sit in” was code for “do it without us”. We were woefully unprepared.

So we told him stories of how things work in federal contracting. We regaled him with horror stories of cutting edge HTML 3.0 techniques in use. And basically we did a piss poor “interview” because, lets face it, we’re coders not interviewers.

The second interview, the other two devs had work to do, but he lead came to this one. it was more enlightening, since he had some idea wtf he was doing in an interview :o

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So, Sunday we went to Drummer’s place for brunch (kiir’s brother ; I dub thee drummer!)

Of course, they don’t have kids (they just graduated college and probably not getting married for a year or two, he just found a job a couple weeks ago finally, hard times for his major). So their house is proofed more against their dogs and cats than against kids. Like ours used to be, honestly.

As DK kept running around and picking things up, I’d take them from him and move them up to higher shelves, or steer him away from the bookshelf, etc. He was playing with their Xbox controller, trying to get his games or shows or SOMETHING to come on. He was trying various remotes to change the channel on the laptop which was at eye level (so, lower than a computer is, but not too much lower than the tv at home ; and no one was typing, it must be the tv). Drummer was just laughing whenever DK got into something, and helping me move things up. At one point, they have a wireless mouse with the receiver strung down the bookshelf and taped there. DK kept playing with it and Kiir moved it up, stuck it back on. It fell down, and … uh … I dub thee Kate, because Drummer and Kate sounds good?, anyway she was trying to fix up the tape to put it back up and Drummer took it and cleaned it up and stuck it back down where they kept it. I pointed out that it was up for a reason, and he just said “oh, DK is trying to pull it down?” and moved it to the top of the shelf.

Contrast to some friends of ours, whose house is almost child UNproofed. Small beads and marbles and stones everywhere, candles on every LOW table. Etc. Now , they don’t have kids, so it’s not really surprising that they’re not child-proofed. But whenever we’re over there, they make no effort to move anything, and basiclaly get pissy whenever he plays with something. Oi. We’ve actually started not going to visit them as much, just because instead of hanging out we spend most of our time chasing after DK. And if I’m going to do that, I’d rather it was somewhere that I’m just following him to know where he is and in case he finds something, rather than continually grabbing things from him because he can’t HELP BUT find something.

It’s amazing the dichotomy between the two. I’ve noticed it before, but it just really hit me when we visited drummer’s place this weekend that maybe our other friends really are just that off the track. It’s a wonder no one else’s kids have ever choked there :o

Posted in: DK, general by attriel /
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This morning at the train station, I was pulling into the lot and I saw in front of me one car driving in the opposite lane to go around a car.

Now, it’s possible that the car in the right lane had been stopped trying to read a sign or something, checking to see if the train was late maybe. I don’t know, when I saw them, car B was swinging around over the doulbe yellow in the parking lot to pass the moving car, tried twice to change lanes back without worrying about such details as car A being in that lane, and then almost drove into A when he turned left into the rear lot area to park.

B then whipped in , raced around a turn to pull into a space (still a bit fast for a freakin’ parking lot ; how fast do you need to park???) then sat in his car. I commented on the whole incident to A when I passed on the way to the platform, and he was furious. B didn’t get out of his car until we were halfway to the platform. I think he was afraid A was going to kick his ass. I’m not sure he’s wrong.

Although A was wearing a tux at 7:30 in the morning, so it’s possible he might not have wanted to mess it up :o Train wasn’t scheduled until 7:50 (and didn’t arrive until nearly 8) … I think B might have had time to drive like a sane and rational human being :o

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So

A few weeks ago, our Gymboree Play & Fun (or whatever) location moved. New bigger space, a little more “on the beaten path” (but they might want to put up a sign that people can see when they’re not already in the parking lot, for that part), etc.

But. The old location had kitchen-style cabinets. Upper and lower. It had latches and locks and catches on everything below the counter. Stuff over the counter was unfettered, but if the kids get to that point, it’s all over anyway.

The new place? Not so much with the prepared. I don’t really blame the staff, because from what I understand some of hte issue is due to them having to rely on the building management. But, for instance:

1. The Old location had a small (~2′ wide? less?) openening, and a gate that swung out, and door-stopped and latched. The new location? The opening is 3-4′ wide. And ungated. They’ve been using gym mats. Except that has problems. First of all, none of them are quite big enough to properly block the entrance and support themselves well. Second? Yeah, DK can just walk up and either push or pull them out of his way. Point, DK.
2. Tonight when we went for freeplay, they had the new gate! Except it’s a saloon-style two part swinging door. Double hinged. So it swings out and in. Easily. Apparently it swung back earlier today and whacked a kid in the head (not hard, but I think that was more an issue of how far out the kid was). Doesn’t latch either. Which meant DK could just run at it and through and play in the lobby area. And that swingback? That’s got some force on it. It has a very low oscillation, so it dampens out pretty fast. But that first swing back? Comes back at least as far as you pushed, possibly more. Yeah … Not what I had in mind. Point, DK.
3. The closet where they keep a lot of the toys is a standard dual fan closet door. Actually, DK hasn’t (quite) figured out the secret on those yet. Mostly because the handles are high enough that he has to stand too close to get good leverage. Oh, but the other door? Sliding door. Unlatched. (WTF? What is it with this building and not latching anything?) First day at the new place, DK followed one of the instructors, and learned how to open that door. I have to keep him away from it because it is NO trouble for him . Well oiled track I s’pose. Less oil, more latch!!! Point. DK.
4. The small cabinet they put in themselves, to hold some of the more common toys, and to prop up their CD player. Actually, the first week, DK was changing their CDs for them and switching tracks. They pushed the player to the very back of the top shelf and now it’s at least hard for him to play with it, so no point (because if I give them one for moving it, I have to give him the one for getting to it first anyway).
5. The small cabinet has little magnetic catches. Weak ones. DK was popping that door the first week too. They keep tamborines in there. It only took them maybe two weeks to get one of those standard kitchen latch kidsafe things. The trombone ones. That go through close loop exposed handles. Except the cabinet has low profile knobs. The block on the lock makes it press out from the cabinet so badly that last week the whole thing popped. I put it back together (because my son is the one who likes playing in there, so it’s for my own benefit), except I’ve also noticed two instructors who just pry it off rather than unlatching it. No wonder it popped. I have one of our spares, that will work well on that door, in the car. Point, DK
6. They got a new instructor on Tuesday. And she was, understandably, not quite as pre-prepped as other (old hands) are. So she kept opening the cabinets throughout class. The bifold closet 4 times. The sliding door 3. And DK was watching her. He wants to learn the secrets on that bifold door because (a) they have toys in there, and (b) daddy hasn’t latched all the closets at home yet! Of course, she also would take the toys out and then leave the door open …. OK, she’s putting these toys down, then going back for more or going back to close it when her hands aren’t full or … no, she’s just leaving it. CRAP! DK is running across to play with the stuff! … I kept closing the doors. I hope she gets better, because right now? she’s more of a menace, IMO. Because bifold doors? While he can’t open them (leverage), he can close them (gravity). And he can close them while his hand is in the fold. And that will lead to screaming. And that I do not need. Point. DK.

You’d think that an organization oriented towards 0-5 kids … would know that 0-5 get into things and need locks dammit!

Posted in: DK, general by attriel /
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A few things that I noticed today.

• Why wear a dress that ends at your knees, has no sleeves, and then includes a turtleneck? don’t you think the rest of your clothes might be more efficient at keeping you warm? hell, just buy a scarf if your neck is that sensitive! WTF?
• It’s not macho to back into the parking space. I mean, at the train station of a morning, yeah. I understand the people in the front lot all backing in. Because getting home in the evening, the other cars and all the train riders walking through the lot, kinda hard to back out. But when you park in the half-empty (at worst) rear lot? Where I’ve only had to wait pulling out a few times because someone parked right next to me was pulling out too? You seriously shouldn’t waste 5 minutes backing into the space to save 10 seconds pulling out. And, really, don’t look all pissy at me just because I went around your gas wasting ass.
• When I’m out walking K and DK both? You don’t have to get all apologetic when you realize that DK is sleeping on my back and you didn’t say anything about him at first. I’m walking the dog and took the baby for some fresh air. It’s not a sociology experiment wherein I test people’s reactions and how long it takes them to see the baby and then consign them to the fiery pits of hell if it took longer than 30 seconds of conversation.

I had others, but I forgot them. It’s been one of those weeks.

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So, this is just a quick post to tally the final fallout from Great Purge 08

• 13-15 bags of trash (13 bags, and then a handful of other things that didn’t fit in bags reasonably)
• 5 bags of recyclables
• 5 big collections of cardboard boxes
• 1 car full of electronics bits to the recyc
• 8 empty drano bottles, since the “household hazardous waste recycling” was open

So, not bad. Final analysis when kiir got home was that it was “decent”.

Posted in: general, house by attriel /
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