Elm City Dad | Elm City Mom



My Way Is Better


There's a lot of ways to use the world around you. It is not always the intended path or the 'right' way to do things. Often 'right' really means 'usual' and as we all know, habits are easy to form but hard to break.

If enough people have the same habits it can turn out that what is just the most common way to do something isn't necessarily the best. To the right is a habit in spite of intention. There is a lot of that in the world. Where people take the parts they have, and create something better and more interesting.

Good mashups fall into that category. But it doesn't have to be music. IE googlemaps + craigslist which was vital to our New Haven apartment search, or this one called The Hype Machine. They are hacks and mashups and incredibly useful.

Or Check out these things you can do with food. I especially like the way he hacks open a mango.

NYC tomorrow and WEEN on sat night. Cannot freaking wait.


Eeek! A Mouse!


Okay, the fact of the matter is, I love Mythbusters. The Busters themselves, the myths they tackle, the way they... well the way they blow shit up, it's all just great. From them I learned the quickest way to chill a bunch of beers (a cooler full of icewater.) From them I learned how to prevent motion-sickness naturally (ginger.) And most recently from them I learned whether or not elephants are really afraid of mice. See for yourself here.

And since we're talking elephants, take another look at the Elephant Nature Foundation. I still daydream about that place. It was one of the most amazing 2 days of our trip through Southeast Asia. I hope that Gil and Jen have a chance to spend some time there. I know they will be just as blown away as we were. Provided, of course, they don't bring any mice with them.

Last bit has nothing to do with mice, except perhaps when you consider how quiet these people had to be to pull off a rather awesome and somewhat unusual prank in the heart of Paris. Whatever the opposite of sabotage is, that's what they did.


Finally


Huge step up in life today.

I have a writing office. It'll double as a guest room, Lu's dressing room, and a storage area for Lu's crafty supplies, but a desk and my computer are in here, and there are doors I can shut so I can write. In the last apartment it was almost an office, because I was set up in the bedroom which was far back and quiet, but at night if Lu went to bed and I was still writing it became sorta difficult to type quietly.

Now one of two things are gonna happen. Either you'll notice the quality and quantity of the writing here increase, or it'll drop off a bit because I've finally managed to actually start writing a novel. This is definitely the best shot I've ever had at accomplishing that. Far less fun things to do and far fewer friends to do them with than in SF. And winter. Nothing says stay in and write like bitter cold and ice falling from the sky.


Almost Livable


The apartment is finally approaching livable status. Boxes still reign supreme, but furniture has begun to take a stand. A couch, dining room table, 2 desks and some book shelves are now in place it is a wonderful thing. Any time now the wall will start to fill with images and art and then sometime down the road we will be able to sit back content and completed. We're not there yet, though. It's really kinda hard to believe that we started this whole process back in September when the first boxes were assembled and we began to pack.

I cannot wait until we are done. But at the same time, I also cannot devote every waking minute to this long, tedious process. Sometimes I have to step back, sit down, read the paper, whatever, anything really to just not be opening any more boxes, not move any furniture. Not paint walls or put shit away.

I just hope we're finished by Festivus.

Here's way to get free stuff on the Net. Here's a way to make Ikea crap better. And the One Laptop Per Child program is extending their sale because of high demand.

Monday after a long vacation is never easy. Good luck and have fun!


It's Also Very Strange


This is a sideways bike.

See, I told you.


Slow Leak


This is a fascinating explanation for a myth that appears in many different cultures and religions. I have always wondered why this story appears so often.

We have acquired a television and a pair of lamps, on loan from my aunt and uncle. They also gave us a home-cooked meal, and allowed us to sit on their couches. It was excellent.

Our possessions are packed in a truck, on the road someplace in Upstate New York. We await their arrival eagerly. Until then, the air mattress slowly deflates beneath us, and the freshly painted rooms of our apartment echo, objectless.


Go Around Twice if You're Happy


Got some blue up in the bedroom and it's looking good. Our apartment is an elegant rainbow and we are living in it! But the guest room is going to be a very light brown. Figure we'll give our guests some respite from the bold hues in the rest of the apartment.

Finally got online here, too, which is wonderful. Felt like half my brain was missing without 'net access.

So check out this great little video called "Go Around Twice if You're Happy". It should definitely bring a smile to your face. And I bet you never knew all the uses for vinegar.


Colors and Fumes


Now that we have a place to live, we need to make it our own. And that means colors. Lots and lots of colors. (and fumes!!)

Update: because lu demanded it, I give you... the backyard!!


Almost There


Last night in the last place that isn't my home in the last 24 nights.

Don't get me wrong, I love this house I grew up in. Mom and Dad have been amazing. But having our place--our own walls and windows and thresholds--is absolutely essential.

Tomorrow night I'm sleeping at home with my wife and the kitties. It's going to be a wonderful family reunion. I can't wait!

Here's a game for Friday fun. Here's what they are showing instead of a new 24.

And as I sit here with In Rainbows playing, I find a blog post about a statement by Radiohead declaring sales speculation is incorrect. They don't give any numbers of their own. But apparently some people think the number 10 is important to this album, and in fact is a clue to... something. I'm going to give it a try, though. Why the hell not?


Timing is Everything


It's rather amazing how much life can change from one day to the next.

Take Oct. 16, for example. When that day started we had an apartment in SF. When that day ended, we were 637 miles away in the midst of the Great Salt Lake, and homeless except for the kindness of friends.

November 5, yesterday, was almost exactly the same, but utterly opposite. Started the day homeless and then ended it with a key in hand, for exactly the type of apartment we wanted, in the 'hood we were aiming for, as easily and simply as we could have ever hoped.

Lu was cruising the streets of New Haven between apartment appointments, jumping online whenever the MacBook grabbed a signal. A new one popped up on Craigslist, she made the call and after checking the place out sent a text message to me with the words I so badly wanted to see: "This is it!"

After finishing my second staffing firm interview I raced to the car and then drove over to the Willow Street place. The door was left unlocked by the landlord so that I could have a look and immediately upon entering I knew Lu was right. I called her, then the landlord, and he met me at the place a few minutes later.

"We love it!" I told him.

"It's yours," he replied, handing me the key.

No credit check. No references. He liked Lu, loved her website and trusted that we would be good tenants and pay the rent on time. A lease would be forthcoming. Our check would be handed over sometime soon. We shook hands, detailed a few minor items and then he walked out the door with a wave and smile.

"Stay here tonight, if you want!" he had told me. Even though Nov. 15 was the official day of the lease's start. Even though he had nothing from us but a promise and a shake. I stood alone in the middle of our empty apartment in New Haven, CT and I wondered--with a great big grin on my face--what amazing things were going to begin there within the walls of our home.

It feels incredible to have found our place. Now the real fun can begin. Finding furnishings to make this place comfy and cozy. Bright colors for the walls. Walks around our neighborhood to discover our new community.

And one of the best parts of the whole day happened only moments after Lu first saw this place. She drove away, around the corner and suddenly she saw the only other person we know that lives in New Haven. Turns out our friend lives only 1 block away.

Timing is everything, and for now, everything is going our way.



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