tales from the rock

reading the tales from the court, I can tell that tombo is falling into the full time parent trap. of course, based on my philosophy, this is the appropriate way to raise your kids. comments like:

• but i now understand whats it like to come home exhausted… and then have to work with the kids.. and be with the kids..
• I noticed how my free time is now spent with the kid..
  Basically all time that you had for yourself is now for the kid. 

you can see how he has rewired his mind to always wonder about the kid.  the popular opinion is that this is a genetic trait, programmed into our mammalian brains to ensure survival of the species.  I think our modern society and gluttonous behavior has erased that though…

it’s truly odd to me how caring for your kids becomes a conscious choice for some people. the wifey certainly has less patience with the baby than I do, but even if she is frustrated, she doesn’t stop. even watching the other privileged kids in the preschool - you can certainly tell which ones are raised by active, attentive parents, which ones are raised by people who think discipline=yelling at the kid till they get it right, and of course, which ones are raised by grandma and grandpa. 

tom should have 2 more kids so we can do a true scientific study….

in other news, warren G’s move to Japan is on hold pending receipt of his visa.  he is expressing his rage by destroying fine stemware whenever he gets the chance.

so they say things happen in threes, and the 3rd lost soul has been identified.

it started with the G, trying to find meaning in relationships and his place in this world.  he is off to Japan soon, on an adventure of a lifetime, if he can only find the life he wants to lead.

my P/MIT grad coworker found the guts to put in his notice (anyone want to work for me at the P?).  13 years at the P, 6 or 7 at MIT earning 3 degrees, and all the guy would do every day is feel shitty about the way he was treated at work by all these people who were below his station.  not sure he’s making a real strong move towards independance, but he’s off to Austin to work with a successful friend on a startup.

finally, soogs called me up yesterday to tell me his pops was getting remarried!  soogs mom died a while ago of brain cancer, and it totally destroyed his dad.  the guy couldn’t even stay on the rock anymore, so he picked up and moved to Oregon.  the awkward thing right now is that soogs doesn’t know much about this lady, except that they met online, she’s french, and lives in Utah!  whatever the circumstance, it’s a bold move.  he’s been wandering for a while now, and a decision like this so late in life can’t be easy.  maybe he will be the superstar of the bunch.

pops soogs decision has no safety net, and no ulterior motive.  he asks for no approval, and risks all that he has left.  granted - it may not be all that much he has left, but it’s now on the line.

good luck to all these soul searchers, and life livers.

so the baby finished her first week of school, and I gotta say - she loved every minute of it.

no separation anxiety, no crying when I left.  in fact, since she only had half days this first week, she was usually mad that she had to leave, and everyone else got to stay.

all the ordered activity starting right away every morning really wore her out though.  usually, she could just lay around until she was ready to get active, but the new schedule did take some time to get used to.  hopefully, next week she’ll be primed and ready for full days.

after 2 1/2 years of fooling around, she now will be functioning in an ordered society.  not a whole lot of time to mess about really.  I’m sure when I started school though, I was really into it.  I wonder how long that lasted….

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watched Black Snake Moan last night, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, and Justin Timberlake.

reviews on this movie are very polar - either people love it, or they hate it.  I certainly didn’t hate it, but I also think I missed a lot of the complexity the filmmaker tried to layer in.  still a thumbs up.

the 3 things I learned from this movie:

1. Christina Ricci has a well fine body,
2. If Justin Timberlake wants to become a serious actor, he’s taking the right steps, and
3. if you EVER need someone to say the word(s) MotherFucker out loud for ANY reason, then Samuel L. Jackson is your god damn man!

so the G-spot is in town before he heads off to the motherland in search of life’s purpose. I wish I had more time to hang out, but alas, this is the life of a parent.

the kid started pre-school today - pretty uneventful since we were there with her the whole time, but still a major step. it’s good to jump in with a new bunch of kids to gauge where you are at - especially a bunch that is supposed to represent the upper echelon. all in all a good day - nice to see that the no pressure approach can work out.

after that, had to run back to work to help broadcast an event that was SUPPOSED to represent new age education. it’s really scary to see how little these educators understand about what they are trying to deliver. I don’t know if this is how it always is - the kids turn out good in spite of the ignorance, or if this is a preview of a generation that is fucked. have t keep an eye on this.

the G was also sharing a life update on this rain man like genious we know. still doing well, but also fallen in to the rut of island lifestyle. my life may appear similar, but the key difference is that I’m still looking for upward mobility. I focus on the kid, try to do well at work, and find ways to enrich our lifestyles here. that is really the missing piece with a lot of people here - just accepting the life they are given.

we’ll have to watch to see the direction tombo takes it. the king of living life has just been saddled with new responsibility - have to see how the model evolves.

well, j9 is about to birth the spawn of tom.  false alarm last night, but it is clear it will happen soon.

coincedentally, the wife and I babysat the twinners last night while mom and dad went to a wedding.  I am again reminded of the different parenting styles, and wonder how great an effect it has on young kids.

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