Dante is approximately 72 hours old. Bridget and I just awoke from our first full hour of sleep in more than 48 of those hours. Dante just finished feeding and we have just witnessed his first smile. We noticed him trying to smile a few times over the past day, but he couldn't or just didn't know to hold his face muscles long enough to maintain the smile. Up till now, we've only seen the corners of his mouth raise up just a tiny little bit for a fraction of a second. Tonight he had just pulled off a breast after a few minutes of feeding and gave us a legitimate smile. It's our first positive facial signal from our happy boy. I almost cried, I was so proud. I will likely fill up half my smart phones memory card trying to capture his second and third smile, but ultimately we hope that his smiles will become common place.
Prior to the feeding smile, I was amazed at how much he's using his legs to kick now. He woke us up with soft cooing noised and was eagerly making his 'feed me face'. I was holding Dante while Bridget was preparing to nurse and I noticed the strength in his legs was much more forceful than earlier.
I decided to write down these little observations much like diary entires because some of the common advice that I've frequently received from our experienced parent friends, is to treasure them when they're small because they will grow up so fast. I hope that these blog posts will allow us to look back and remember when our little man was so very small young. As a bonus, by putting this in a blog, family and friends can easily read about these experiences as the wish.
Lastly, because this was typed up in the wee hours of the night between feedings, please excuse me if some sentences make zero sense.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Sunday, March 22, 2009
BSG Rant
The greatly anticipated Battlestar Galactica season finale leaves me with mixed feelings. I feel that over all, they did a pretty good job ending this season, but I do feel that that they left too many story lines unresoved and they could have done better at closing up the ones they chose to address.
They finally brought back the action that I've been missing for most of Season 3 and 4. This show became too much of a character driven space drama. I think the first season they had the perfect balance of action and drama. It was also nice to see the old centourions back in action again. And as the victiorious fleet reunites around earth, the musical cue from the original 70's score was a nice touch too.
1) Too much god shit. Seriously, it was kind of getting annoying. And Baltar and The 6 as angels of God? Yeah.......
2) Gaius should have died. I understand that he's the bad guy you love to hate, but I think it would have been way cooler if he finaly got his in the end rather then him developing morals. Or maybe he could have been mdade a good martyr?
3) What happened to the other Cylon, 'Daniel' who was an artist and we never got to meet? I though they were gearing up for that to be Kara's Father, who they also played up a lot, but never really explored.
4) Don't understand why Adama had to leave with Rosilin so suddenly and he wasn't going to come back.
5) Cylon Suicide? Come on, Cavel was too much of a bad ass to kill him self.
6) Still don't understand why Hera was so important to the human survival. I get the Cylon motivation for wanting her, but why was she worth a volunteer sucide mission?
Feel free to bring the flames if you loved the finale.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Is reading cool again?
So the other day Mike invited me to join a new social network centered specifically around books, http://www.goodreads.com. Now up until last year I hadn't read a book since college. It's kind of weird, because as a child my mother would read to me every night. I used to fall asleep while she read me "The Borrowers", "The Indian in the Cupboard", and "Stewart Little". Her encouragement led to me reading my own books during grade school. I particularly enjoyed "Encyclopedia Brown" stories, even though I could never guess the mystery, and I had a pretty impressive "Choose You Own Adventure" collection too.
By about 11 or 12, I ultimately fell in love with the science fiction and fantasy genre, and burned though "Dragonlance" and "Robotech" stories. But shortly there after, in junior high, my teachers started assigning books to read for class. I think some of them were OK, but I was going through that rebellious phase that pre-teens go through. For some reason, if I had to read it, because a teacher said so, it wasn't as enjoyable. Maybe rock and roll was just way cooler distraction, but I ultimately stopped reading? I used cliff notes for a few book reports, most notably "A Brave New World", which I think I would really enjoy to read today. I used to brag to my friends that I didn't read becasue I thought I was so Gen X.
In any case, Mike also started the "Mens Book Club" last year. It's been a fun opportunity to keep in touch with a friend who I don't see that often now days. Most of the books I've read in the last year have been book club assignments. I don't have enough time/diligence to burn through a 400 page novel in a few days, so ultimately I haven't had the chance to read as many other books as I'd like due to book club responsibilities, but that doesn't really bother me, because if I don't enjoy a book we're assigned to read, I won't bother finishing it. ("Naked Lunch" pretty much hurt my brain while reading)
So now we come to Good Reads, the social network for bookworms. I enjoy a web site with exceptional User Experience, and I'm pleased to say that the goodread.com guys have really nailed it. Perfect use of AJAX to update book status and rate in real time. Their catalog is exhaustive. (At least I've been able to find anything I've searched for) Oh, and the site is fast too! Which ties in to my next point.... nobody is using this cool site.
In the age of the internet we've debunked that old myth , "If you build it, they will come". There are just too many places where I can got o find relevant info or equally waste my precious free time on the internet. Who has the time to learn how to use and maintain a new social network when all my friends are already on Facebook and Myspace? The result is that DUNE, which tops the 'Best science fiction books' list, has only 600 votes. Clearly the good reads community is in it's infancy. Hopefully it will only grow larger with each day.
But I'm hooked already! I've invited friends and coworkers, and their general response has been very positive. I anticipate that with all the buzz that Amazon's Kindle is stirring combined with the good experience of websites like goodreads.com, reading might actually become cool again.
By about 11 or 12, I ultimately fell in love with the science fiction and fantasy genre, and burned though "Dragonlance" and "Robotech" stories. But shortly there after, in junior high, my teachers started assigning books to read for class. I think some of them were OK, but I was going through that rebellious phase that pre-teens go through. For some reason, if I had to read it, because a teacher said so, it wasn't as enjoyable. Maybe rock and roll was just way cooler distraction, but I ultimately stopped reading? I used cliff notes for a few book reports, most notably "A Brave New World", which I think I would really enjoy to read today. I used to brag to my friends that I didn't read becasue I thought I was so Gen X.
In any case, Mike also started the "Mens Book Club" last year. It's been a fun opportunity to keep in touch with a friend who I don't see that often now days. Most of the books I've read in the last year have been book club assignments. I don't have enough time/diligence to burn through a 400 page novel in a few days, so ultimately I haven't had the chance to read as many other books as I'd like due to book club responsibilities, but that doesn't really bother me, because if I don't enjoy a book we're assigned to read, I won't bother finishing it. ("Naked Lunch" pretty much hurt my brain while reading)
So now we come to Good Reads, the social network for bookworms. I enjoy a web site with exceptional User Experience, and I'm pleased to say that the goodread.com guys have really nailed it. Perfect use of AJAX to update book status and rate in real time. Their catalog is exhaustive. (At least I've been able to find anything I've searched for) Oh, and the site is fast too! Which ties in to my next point.... nobody is using this cool site.
In the age of the internet we've debunked that old myth , "If you build it, they will come". There are just too many places where I can got o find relevant info or equally waste my precious free time on the internet. Who has the time to learn how to use and maintain a new social network when all my friends are already on Facebook and Myspace? The result is that DUNE, which tops the 'Best science fiction books' list, has only 600 votes. Clearly the good reads community is in it's infancy. Hopefully it will only grow larger with each day.
But I'm hooked already! I've invited friends and coworkers, and their general response has been very positive. I anticipate that with all the buzz that Amazon's Kindle is stirring combined with the good experience of websites like goodreads.com, reading might actually become cool again.
AMA's Review - Watchmen
Watchmen by Alan Moore4 of 5 stars
It's good. Very dark. Gritty. Hands down best graphic novel I've read.
Most believable depiction of world reaction to superhero phenomenon. Story jumped around a lot. I'm always skeptical about weather a story would be better sequentially or though flash backs. Concerning this story, I'm still undecided.
View all my reviews.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
How to read hip
Tonight I decided to watch Factotum. You know, the Bukowski movie. Shortly after starting the movie, I think "I should read some Bukowski". That's right, I've never read any. I know vaguely who he is. I've heard many a friend mention the name, especially those friends I consider hip in the realm of reading. Then I realize, I'm not a hip reader, but that I'd like to be.
So this may be a bit of a blog of solicitation, to find out how to read hip. What do I start with? Do I just start by reading anything I can get my hands on? I want suggestions. I want to get started. I want to be able to converse on Kafka and Hemmingway, to suggest books to others. As I stand now, this is not very possible. So please anyone out there who is really into reading, suggest away. I'll do my very best to get on it.
How do I read hip? Is it really even possible? Or is it all subjective?
What I'm reading now:
The Big Rock Candy Mountain - Wallace Stegner
Watchmen - Alan Moore (yes, I stole the idea of reading this from men's book club. whatevs)
So this may be a bit of a blog of solicitation, to find out how to read hip. What do I start with? Do I just start by reading anything I can get my hands on? I want suggestions. I want to get started. I want to be able to converse on Kafka and Hemmingway, to suggest books to others. As I stand now, this is not very possible. So please anyone out there who is really into reading, suggest away. I'll do my very best to get on it.
How do I read hip? Is it really even possible? Or is it all subjective?
What I'm reading now:
The Big Rock Candy Mountain - Wallace Stegner
Watchmen - Alan Moore (yes, I stole the idea of reading this from men's book club. whatevs)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Beach Blanket Bablon, Slumdog Millionaire, with Lamb Curry
This past weekend we went to see the infamous San Francisco Institution, Beach Blanket Babylon at the Club Fugazi on Green St. It's safe to say that between the both of us, we gave it mixed reviews. Bridget was entertained, but I don't feel like I need to see it again. I thought it felt like a really loose premise, distracted by too many pop culture references, sometimes awkwardly introduced and rarely executed well. I understand that it changes weekly, so maybe we saw a bad show, but I don't think I'll be back.
Before the show we went to Capps Corner for dinner. We had planned to go to Il Polliao for dinner, but after taking the scenic route (we didn't get lost) and circling for parking we didn't have time to wait for a table. Capps was a pleasant alternative; cozy, family style Italian conveniently located a few doors down from Club Fugazi. They really pack 'em in at this restaurant, we were sat at a four top with another couple. We split one entree (baked eggplant), and they charged a $10 split plate fee. Not a huge deal because the check totaled $34 and the meal came including minestrone, and a green salad. The autographed photos on the wall were pretty cool, including a Christopher Lloyd from his days on TAXI. We both agreed that we'd go back to Capp's for sure, but only with a large group.
Saturday Night, we went and saw Slumdog Millionaire at Santana Row. We had Deja Vu whilst trying to park, (took us 15 mins). The movie was intense and presented very well. Very excellent tight sound editing with an exciting soundtrack. None of the actors blew me away, though. The story put a contemporary game show twist on a classic brother vs brother theme. I thought the most interesting parts were the depiction of the slums of Mumbai. The imagery alone was impressive, but coupled with good directing/pacing, I felt immersed in the story with the characters. I didn't think it could win best picture, but I was just proved wrong not 30 minutes ago.
Sunday night, Bridget cooked a Lamb & Spinich Curry with fresh naan for dinner. We play this game where we take turns choosing a recipe for the other to cook for dinner, and tonight was her turn to cook. It turned out quite excellent. I will be encouraging her to cook more Indian food for me, although I am sensitive that it is a lot of work for which I'm very appreciative.
Also watched Dune today. (1984, directed by David Lynch) As I just finished the book, I was anxious to see the on screen adaption. HOLY CRAP DID THIS MOVIE EVER SUCK!!!! Hopefully they get it right with the next remake scheduled for release in 2010.
Before the show we went to Capps Corner for dinner. We had planned to go to Il Polliao for dinner, but after taking the scenic route (we didn't get lost) and circling for parking we didn't have time to wait for a table. Capps was a pleasant alternative; cozy, family style Italian conveniently located a few doors down from Club Fugazi. They really pack 'em in at this restaurant, we were sat at a four top with another couple. We split one entree (baked eggplant), and they charged a $10 split plate fee. Not a huge deal because the check totaled $34 and the meal came including minestrone, and a green salad. The autographed photos on the wall were pretty cool, including a Christopher Lloyd from his days on TAXI. We both agreed that we'd go back to Capp's for sure, but only with a large group.
Saturday Night, we went and saw Slumdog Millionaire at Santana Row. We had Deja Vu whilst trying to park, (took us 15 mins). The movie was intense and presented very well. Very excellent tight sound editing with an exciting soundtrack. None of the actors blew me away, though. The story put a contemporary game show twist on a classic brother vs brother theme. I thought the most interesting parts were the depiction of the slums of Mumbai. The imagery alone was impressive, but coupled with good directing/pacing, I felt immersed in the story with the characters. I didn't think it could win best picture, but I was just proved wrong not 30 minutes ago.
Sunday night, Bridget cooked a Lamb & Spinich Curry with fresh naan for dinner. We play this game where we take turns choosing a recipe for the other to cook for dinner, and tonight was her turn to cook. It turned out quite excellent. I will be encouraging her to cook more Indian food for me, although I am sensitive that it is a lot of work for which I'm very appreciative.
Also watched Dune today. (1984, directed by David Lynch) As I just finished the book, I was anxious to see the on screen adaption. HOLY CRAP DID THIS MOVIE EVER SUCK!!!! Hopefully they get it right with the next remake scheduled for release in 2010.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Back from Mexico
We arrived back from Mexico one week ago today. We understand that you've been eagerly anticipating our vacation photos. While it has taken us some time to get pics from two cameras consolidated, sorted, and uploaded, we apologize profusely for the additional stress you may have incurred in anticipation. But we are proud to announce that you may now view all our vacation pics online in a web gallery.Click here to view Amadeo and Bridget's vacation pics.
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