Friday, February 16, 2007

Status update

Bed just sold! (Too quickly? We can't pick up the new one for over a week. Air mattress, here we come...)

Lola seems well!  (Thought it had passed yesterday when she was vomit-free for about 6 hours...then more came.  But went all night and all today with no more symptoms and an appetite, so I think we're back to a sickness-free home.  Knock on wood.)

Weekend is here!  Let's go eat some sushi!

Thursday, February 15, 2007

From Valentine burgers to toddler vomit

Seems like it's been ages since I posted anything, now here I am with all sorts of (typically unexciting to anyone but you few close friends) news to share...

In the mass consumtion department, we here at maison Tiar seem to have found ourselves in a frenzy of acquiring new stuff. A new laptop is ordered and coming soon, new carpet is ordered and also coming soon, a new bed is bought and coming just as soon as we can sell the old one and pick up the new (well, new to us...Macy's had a killer deal on floor models, half price!).

We went out last night for Valentine's Day, not a sweet romantic evening like you might expect, but with good friends and family. Johnny Rocket's for burgers and fries, then some good bowling, all at the Grand Sierra. Especially fun was watching the crowd both entering and later exiting the Jamie Foxx concert, and the almost-gang fight that tried in vain to erupt. Good times. The romantic stuff came earlier when I got this nice delivery of flowers at work, from my dear Morgan and baby Lola:

Valentine

And the good times continued late into the night when dear Lola woke up with some kind of stomach bug, vomitus eruptus several times throughout the night, and continuing today. She seems cheerful enough, but geez, poor thing has been through pinkeye, runny nose/cough stuff, and now this. <Shaking fist>Let her get better!</shaking fist>

Possibly setting a record for recent years, I actually "went out" two nights in a row this week.  The night before last, Turi and I decided to get together for a few beers and a bite.  Jessica totally hooked us up at the new Foley's, and a good time was had by all.

And speaking of hanging out with the boys, looks like the Westfalia's first trip of the season will come at the end of April, David, Bart, Ryan and I planning to truck on up to Chico for a visit to this tattoo-n-barber shop for a good manly "shave and a haircut", maybe a visit to Sierra Nevada, and an overnight camp at Lake Oroville.  Should be fun.

One last announcement, it sounds like Lola and #2 are going to have the luxury of two more grandparents in the area if plans hold true.  Yep, Nana and Pepe Tiar have declared their intention to move back stateside at some point, probably late 2008.  Hurray!

Well, I think that about wraps things up for now.  Until next time...

Monday, February 12, 2007

Rain, rain

I am a big fan of the wet weather. I love the smell of it! We really needed it, and in my book, all is welcome!

We went to Tina's birthday party on Saturday night. The big 3-0. There were three other babies there. Lola was the oldest. It is so funny that when we get together with friends, there are more children now. I guess that's what happens as we get older! As Tina has, a lot of my friends (and myself) are turning 30 this year. Wow, time does fly!

A shout out to Jim! Glad you are checking the website. We will really miss you. Good luck!

A few more 'things about me:'

41. My favorite cereals are Life and Captain Crunch. I am not allowed to have either while I am pregnant.

42. I am horrible at laundry. I've washed my ipod shuffle and a new cell phone. I can fold it when it is done, but I hate putting it away.

43. When I was little, my babysitter would make special treats for our birthdays. On mine, she made Totino's pizza. I didn't like it at the time and remember saying so. Last year, it was all I wanted on my birthday.

44. I think farts are funny.

45. My first job was at Burger Time. I was 14.

46. I had my tonsils taken out when I was 16. When I awoke from anesthesia asking for my mom, I was told that my surgeon, anesthesiologist, mother, sister, and friend had gone out to lunch and weren't back yet.

47. I ran for senior class president after ours had to replace the student body's. After the first vote, the said it was too close to call. After the second, I had lost by one vote. Kinda suspicious.

48. I started playing the flute in fourth grade. Okay, I only played for two years.

49. I'm right-handed.

50. I have a good sense of direction. If I've been somewhere once, I can most likely get there again without help.

I'm half way there.

Thursday, February 8, 2007

A couple more....

31. Paige and I locked ourselves in a closet in the basement when we were younger (I was about eight). It had all of our Christmas gifts in it. When my dad found us, he made us promise not to tell my mom.

32. I've had stitches twice - once after hitting my head on the radiator and another when I cut my chin after falling on railroad ties. I guess three if you count Dr. Bonaldi fixing my chin scar.

33. I am afraid of snakes, some spiders, sometimes the dark, and pool drains.

34. I was frequently one of the last picked in gym class.

35. I LOVE garage sales and thrift stores.

36. I've lived in four states: South Dakota, Arizona, Hawaii (3 months) and Nevada.

37. I love roadtrips.

38. My grandma had a pair of crutches in her basement. I cut them down to my size. When I got caught, I had to miss the girl scout sleepover in the mall.

39. My favorite carnival ride is the Tilt-a-Whirl. Most others scare me if fear of not being put together right.
40. One of my favorite jobs was working as a cart girl on a golf course.

Really, this is a lot harder than I thought. Maybe 40 is enough.....

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

plague

So, I thought I was immune to all the crap floating around this house. I was even going to post one of my 'things about me' as the fact that I have never gotten pink eye. Well, I woke up this morning and I have it! Yuck! The first time I had to call in to my new job and I hated doing it. I am really enjoying it. Darn it!!!

A few more things about me:

21. I bite my nails. I have since I was in second grade.

22. I've never had a cold sore.

23. My first concert was MC Hammer. I've been to very few since then. I am not good about music. I just know what I like when I hear it.

24. I was a huge New Kids on the Block fan. When I moved to Reno, it was not cool so I quickly abandoned them.

25. One of my favorite books is To Kill a Mockingbird.

26. As much as I'd like to - I do not have a green thumb.

27. A kid named Wade was going to kiss me in my grandma's garage, instead wiped a hand full of spit on my face. I didn't kiss a boy until I was 16. It was very romantic by the falls in Sioux Falls.

28. I love golf. My dad and grandma started me when I was 5. I won trophies when I was in junior golf, but I think we all got trophies.

29. I LOVE Vietnamese food.

30. I started driving when I was 14. In SD, they have limited permits because of all the rural areas.

That's it for now. It is a lot harder than I thought it would be!

Statistical update

OK, just a brief update on the rather remarkable dice rolling streak I wrote about previously...we were way off in how the odds against such a streak would be calculated. I consulted my resident games-of-chance statistical genius and he explained it thus:

The first die of the 6 - whatever number comes out is correct-whether it's a 1,2,3,4,5, or 6 as any of these numbers are needed.

The second die of the 6 hits the table-it must be one of the remaining numbers left. So you have a 5/6 chance of hitting this number.

The third die hits-must be one of the 4 remaining numbers. And so on.

So 6/6 x 5/6 x 4/6 x 3/6 x 2/6 x 1/6=5/324 or 1.54%

Then to do it 3 times in a row. Must multiply the number above by itself 3 times 5/324 x 5/324 x 5/324=125/34,012,224=roughly 1/272,098 !!!!!

So there you have it. The odds against rolling 1-2-3-4-5-6 on six simultaneously rolled dice three times in a row are 1 out of over a quarter-million. Remarkable.

Monday, February 5, 2007

posting

I don't write very often only because I feel that I am redundant to Marc's posts and that I really have nothing interesting to say. But I LOVE Marc's idea of the 100 things you may not know about me. I even love the email that people send to everyone where you have to erase their answers and put yours in. So, honestly, I am going to copy him. I think I will do a shorter list over a period of time, since I really doubt that I can come up with 100 facts about myself, let alone good ones!
In other news, I am still winning the rock-paper-scissors war. I have stayed ahead for a while now. Our ultrasound is to be scheduled for the end of this month.

Lola is getting so big, but I realize that is what they do. She loves horses! Amy, from across the street, takes her occasionally to local stables and she gets to help muck them. She uses very long, complete sentences. She asks about 20 questions an hour. Who's that? Where'd Paige go? What's Daisy chewing on?

We picked out new carpet yesterday. Yippee!! I can't wait. So what if I won't let anyone walk on it, eat near it, or even touch it? It was a good compromise between Marc and I, and we love the idea of the upgrade to our home.  If you've seen our carpet, it is definitely an upgrade.

One other thing of interest to me has been the moon risings lately. They have been so beautiful. I actually had the camera with me one night, but I couldn't get a picture. Plus, a picture would not have done it justice. I feel they were absolutely breathtaking.

Thanks for the ears...or eyes, I guess. Here is the beginning of my list:

1. Born and raised (until I was in 6th grade) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

2. The two toes next to my big toe are grown partly together.

3. I have 4 tattoos.

4. I had my tongue pierced at one time and now have my nose pierced.

5. Marc speaks French, my mom speaks French , Paige majored in French, and I know VERY few words/phrases.

6. I love to travel - the most fun was with Marc before and after we got married! I'm even a fan of the day trips.

7. I have two half brothers and a half sister - Todd, Tracy, and Terry. I also have a very large extended family on my mom's side - she is the youngest of 13.

8. I regret and still have a hard time with the fact that I missed Grandma Claire's funeral. I did have a dream after that she called and said she was okay. I even answered the phone in her house in my dream.

9. I HATE getting out of bed in the morning - except when leaving to travel, garage sale, and special occasions.

10. I've never broken a bone, but had stitches twice.

11. I didn't like the Office at first, and now think it is one of the best shows on.

12. I have lots of favorite movies.

13. I believe that I have past lives.

14. I don't like OJ because I got sick after drinking it once. It could be related to the drinking the night before and the fact that I chugged it because I was sooooo thirsty. That was over ten years ago.

15. I HATE Wheel of Fortune.

16. I wear my disposable contacts ALOT longer than I am supposed to.

17. I knew all the state capitals when I was two. I think I would be above 70% if I tried right now.

18. I never took an ACT or SAT test. I signed up twice. Once, I had no ID and the other I ran out of gas on the way there.

19. I could replace spark plugs and the fan belt in my '66 VW Bug.

20. I would love to have a very short haircut, but am too afraid to do it. I chopped it once and Marc said I looked like Elise Keaton from Family Ties.

Continuing (completing?) the 100

To continue...

  1. I've got a bachelor's degree in Psychology, and a minor in Criminal Justice.

  2. I first shaved my head in college, just for the summer. Now I keep it shaved because my hair would be too thin if I let it grow in.

  3. I love Mythbusters, 24, Family Guy, and American Dad on TV.

  4. I'm semi-addicted to online sweepstakes.

  5. I've subscribed to SPIN magazine for years, but I'm letting it lapse this year.

  6. I'm now a confirmed reader of Wired magazine instead.

  7. I love local history.

  8. I have a pretty big bookmark collection, mostly promotional freebies and ones left in library books and donations.

  9. I loved video games growing up, but virtually never play them anymore.

  10. I have bad posture.

  11. I didn't go to prom, and missed my 10-year reunion because I was out of the country.

  12. My middle name is Christian.

  13. I'm a weird combination of packrat, neat freak (more of an anti-clutter freak), and slob.

  14. I once bought an old Vespa on ebay because I just had to have one.

  15. I sold it almost immediately because I was in over my head.

  16. When I can't think of another item for this list, I "cheat" by looking at others for ideas.

  17. I tend to agree with most libertarian values with one exception.

  18. I'm pro gun control, but like guns.

  19. I've owned a gun in the past, a .22 rifle.

  20. I'm pro-choice.

  21. I'm mostly liberal, but I'm still in favor of the death penalty in some cases.

  22. I love ripe mangoes.

  23. With little exception, the only cooking I am able to do requires following a recipe precisely or preparing frozen/boxed/pre-made dishes.

  24. I really, really love music: oldies, metal, rap, disco, reggae, punk, rock, some country, some electronica, lots of sub-genres of all of those. But I can't play a note or sing anything.

  25. I don't like raw tomatoes on salads, burgers, sandwiches, etc. , but love salsa, ketchup, tomato sauce, and don't mind most things with tomatoes as an ingredient.

  26. I don't like olives.

  27. I don't like mushrooms but tolerate them.

  28. I'm allergic to guinea pigs, I think.

  29. My first job was at Sierra Sage golf course, shagging golf balls and cleaning carts.

  30. Other odd jobs I've worked: Circus Circus midway and Century Theatres (the domes formerly next to the Peppermill).

  31. I didn't really experiment with the usual vices in high school.

  32. I'm frugal most of the time, indulgent occasionally.

  33. I have a hard time getting to work on time, but I hate being late to anything else.

  34. I lived in Nevada for over 20 years before I visited Las Vegas for the first time.

  35. I'm pretty sure I've visited more capitals of other countries than capitals of other states.

  36. I once got a fishhook that was stuck in the carpet stuck in the bottom of my foot; we had to cut the carpet around my foot to take me to the emergency room.

  37. My preferred cocktail is a vodka tonic.

  38. I'm not on myspace and perfectly happy about it.

  39. I've never read any Harry Potter books nor seen any of the movies, and I don't feel like I'm missing anything.

  40. My paternal grandparents were Algerian-French.

  41. My maternal grandmother was English but lived in Canada almost her entire life.

  42. I can't tell the difference between actual childhood memories and ones I've manufactured based on photos taken during my childhood.

  43. The first wedding I ever attended, I was the best man.

  44. I've never been to a funeral.

  45. I was big into rap during high school.

  46. I wish I wasn't envious of the rich; I can't believe that money doesn't make a person happier, even if it does create other problems.

  47. I have a big bump on the right side of my forehead that sometimes people don't notice until they've known me for years.

  48. I've worked for the County for so long, I'll be eligible for full retirement on my 52nd birthday.

  49. I'm an only child.

  50. My only blood relative in the US is Lola.

  51. I have less than 10 blood relatives in the world (that I know of), including my parents.

  52. I can be reached at no fewer than five email addresses.

  53. I have two "popular" authors that I read each new book from: Michael Connelly and Ridley Pearson.

  54. I haven't decided whether I believe in UFOs and extraterrestrials or not.

  55. I feel like this last entry should be a grand finale of some kind, but can't come up with one. This will have to do.


So there you have it. Everything about me that I think anyone will find interesting and that I feel comfortable divulging publicly. It's been interesting and introspective. And now I'll sign off.

Sunday, February 4, 2007

100 things, feeding the meme

So apparently there's been this meme going around blogs for years now, wherein the writer lists 100 things about themselves. Examples abound. I saw a "5 things people don't know about me" sort of thing a few weeks ago, but somehow the 100 things slipped past me. Strangely compelling, I present mine below. Some are common knowledge, some more obscure. This might take a few days, so, for the record, I'm starting on Saturday afternoon, 2/3/07. Without further ado:

  1. I was born in Dallas, TX

  2. I once burned my hand really badly trying to make a smoke bomb on the stovetop.

  3. I claim no particular religious affiliation but lean towards Buddhism and am interested in commonalities among diverse religions.

  4. I really enjoy working around the house.

  5. I wish I had time and know-how to do more working around the house.

  6. I'd like to own my own business but am petrified to take the risk.

  7. My business would almost certainly have to do with two passions: beer and coffee.

  8. The first dog I remember my family having was Coco, a yellow lab.

  9. I had gerbils, a ferret, a chuckwalla named Barney, and hermit crabs as pets during my youth.

  10. I didn't plan to be a librarian, it just sort of happened.

  11. I love to make lists.

  12. In most respects, I'm a total left-brain anal planner.

  13. My first car was a 1976 Mercury Capri, two-tone black and silver.

  14. I took four years of metal shop in high school, learned welding, machine shop stuff, etc. Loved every minute of it. Thanks Mr. Pointer.

  15. I still have the coffee table I made in freshman wood shop.

  16. I've never broken a bone.

  17. I've visited Japan twice, and South Korea on a side trip.

  18. I've been to Burning Man 8 times since my first time in 1995.

  19. I made it almost half way through my Masters in Library Science before quitting.

  20. I drove a Mini Cooper for about 2½ years.

  21. I've been homebrewing off and on since 1999.

  22. I used to be an avid comic book collector.

  23. One of the best decisions I've ever made: buying a house.

  24. Another of the best decisions I've ever made: becoming a husband and father.

  25. Another of the best decisions I've ever made: laser eye surgery.

  26. I love doing taxes, probably because I've never had to pay.

  27. My first concert was Van Halen's 5150 tour.

  28. My second concert was the Run-DMC/Beastie Boys "Together Forever" tour.

  29. I still like ska music a lot, even though lots of people think it was just a fad.

  30. My favorite movie used to be The Breakfast Club, now I don't think I could pick just one.

  31. I think my two favorite restaurant foods are Beto's ceviche tostadas and spring rolls with peanut sauce at Golden Flower.

  32. In a less specific sense, my favorite restaurant food is sushi.

  33. I would rather have more free time than more money.

  34. I like camping, hiking, and the great outdoors, but rarely do those things. See #33.

  35. I have Canadian citizenship and French citizenship in addition to my US citizenship.

  36. I love to visit other places, Europe, Japan, and southwestern BC among my favorites.

  37. I've been online since before Internet Explorer was released - about 13 years now.

  38. My earliest memories of using a computer at home are of a TI-99/4A in 1983. I remember the year because it was a program I copied from a computer magazine that counted down to the new year and made sounds and a big "1984" blink on the (TV) screen. Thanks Mom and Pop, for getting me into computers early.

  39. We moved to Reno in 1978.

  40. Before that, we lived in Atlanta, and I had a southern accent when we arrived here.

  41. I have seven tattoos, and 3 holes in my left earlobe.

  42. My two favorite bands that I never tire of are Sublime and the Beastie Boys.

  43. Right this minute, buying a car from a dealer and moving are two of my least favorite things in the world.

  44. I just can't grasp the logic of right-wing conservatism.

  45. I didn't like Reno growing up. I realize now what a great place it is.


Sunday afternoon update: The Super Bowl is just starting, I've got it on but I'm not especially watching.  Lola's down for her nap after a rousing park session.  She hit the slides and swings hard today, really nice weather again to be out being a 2-year old.  I just put on a fresh pot of coffee, thought I'd sit down and continue my list a bit and continue my goal of will writing (although I've got a draft of our wills written, just shelved until baby #2 comes along and I can fill in those details, now I'm working on living will/medical power of attorney stuff).

Wow, the Bears just returned opening kickoff for a touchdown.  Even not caring about football, that's pretty impressive.

So Morgan's home now, coffee is served, and we're going to buy carpet.  But for now, I'll post what I've got in my list and more will appear as I can.

Saturday, February 3, 2007

Weekend catchup

Here's where we (well, I) stand on a sunny Saturday in February. So sunny, in fact, that it compares to what I usually hear from my parents where they live on the Mediterranean. And this is Reno, in February.

Today's agenda includes shopping for, perhaps buying, new carpet. HD has 10% off sale through the weekend, so we're going to go for it now. Dinner at Andrew's tonight.

Last night, after drinks with departing boss Kate, we bade adieu to dear Maggie. She left for Portland this morning to start her new job, new life. Although she'll be back frequently for the next 6 months or so, we already miss her. We sent her out in traditional weekend Tiar family style, with beer, games in the basement, and friends having fun. Drive safe Maggie! (Side note: playing 10,000, I rolled what appears to be an astronomical statistical anomaly. 1-2-3-4-5-6 on six dice tossed simultaneously, THREE TIMES IN A ROW! Odds to be calculated and posted here. I still lost.)

And finally, just wanted to mention that we're going to the final UNR game of the season on March 3. Should be fun. Jury's still out whether Lola will attend. Probably not.

Bye everyone!