Argh and Boo

Well, it's one step forward, one step back with the final bit of adoption paperwork. The application for Sam's certificate of citizenship was returned because I sent a personal check and they only take cashier's checks or money orders. I should have known better, having done this all before..."Doh!" Luckily this mistake "only" cost me the money it took to send the application by registered mail ($13 to cover several hundred dollars worth of original documents). What's another $13 at this point? Nothing really. It's just frustrating to make a dumb mistake on the last step!

The amazing thing was, they actually had the rejected application and all my forms back to me within 2 days of their receiving it. Not bad at all for a government office. :-)

On another note, we spent our Saturday morning with the largest mob of costumed people I have ever seen at the zoo's annual Halloween event, Boo at the Zoo. The animals must have wondered what was going on, but they took it in stride. It was great! Alex discovered blue taffy, Sam had his first big Tootsie Pop, and we all had a grand time.

Tetris humano en Japón

Un vídeo de un concurso japonés bastante simpático.

Nueva bandera de España

Últimamente se habla mucho de los símbolos nacionales y de la bandera en particular.
Un madrileño ha "diseñado" una nueva bandera que se cree será del gusto tanto de opositores como de seguidores de partidos de izquierdas y de derechas.

magia en la red, 0q.net

Navegando, navegando, me he encontrado esta web en la que mediante 20 preguntas pueden averiguar algo en lo que estés pensando.
Conmigo ha funcionado, la primera era música y la acertaron con menos de 20 preguntas (me quedé boquiabierto) y la segunda era uña y necesitó algo más.

Genial

http://www.20q.net/

no quiero dejar de ser un niño

Cuando era pequeño miraba a los mayores con cierta admiración y cierto respeto ya que pensaba que al ser mayores eran muy distintos de mí, que siempre tenían razón; me veía incapaz de reconocer que alguna vez habían sido niños también. Ahora me doy cuenta de que las cosas no han cambiado tanto y que somos lo que éramos pero nos esforzamos en que no se note.
Me preocupa que los niños, con quien siempre me he sentido muy identificado, no me vean como a alguien diferente a ellos y que no piensen que el tiempo les va a hacer cambiar, porque eso sería un gran error, pienso.
Me encanta la gente a la que me puedo imaginar cuando eran pequeños o pequeñas.

Medical Oddities: The Album

This one goes out to Beau Davidson in memory of some good times:


1. Kick the Cookie Under the Crash Cart

2. Focus to Walk

3. Don't Scratch Your Balls With Your Keys

4. Knock on Glass

5. Splint My Handjob

6. If You Break Your Leg, I Got Your Back

7. Kicked In the Calf By a Cow

8. Good Consistency of Chewiness

Pumpkin Patch

Took my little tiger and pumpkin to Engh Gardens' "Pumpkin Patch" today.
Alex took off through the hay bale maze, so I had to grab Sam and follow before I lost her. Luckily I was tall enough to see over the bales so I could sort of tell where she was. It was cute seeing her little tiger tail wagging along behind her. Sam liked playing with all the tiny pumpkins, and several people commented on what a cute pumpkin he was. Alex wore it 2 years ago, but she would never keep the hat on.

I've decided after all these years I should really just get a costume I like and wear it every year for Halloween. I tried looking around for some fun masks or hats, but all I can seem to find in the regular stores are very ugly, gory, or grotesque. Not to mention boring. There are a hundred variations on witches, vampires, beasts, ogres, etc. Where are all the cute, innocent, funny costumes? Nothing seemed to inspire me. Finally I bought a $2.50 headband with two spiders with "googly eyes" wobbling around on springs on top. If anyone knows where I can find a Lisa Simpson costume, let me know. I would dress up as Lisa and carry a sign with my favorite quote of hers: "The courage of the small embiggens us all!"

Zero Tolerance Fighting Skool, Sol Gilbert

En el mismo edificio en el que trabajaba en Brighton, abrieron no hace mucho un gimnasio bastante peculiar.
El ZT Fighting Skool, las siglas ZT vienen de Zero Tolerance (tolerancia cero).



El que lleva este gimnasio es Sol Gilber, conocido campeón de Rage Cage, para los que no sepan de qué va esto, sirva un vídeo de explicación.



Sol Gilbert es el que siempre gana en el vídeo...

Solo con ver a los "socios" de Sol se te helaba la sangre, típicos gángsteres ingleses sacados de una peli de Guy Ritchie (Lock and Stock, Cerdos y Diamantes) que llegaban al gimnasio en Range Rovers, Porsches y Aston Martins con espectaculares mujeres...

One More Step

For over four years now, we've had adoption paperwork in process.

Today we got Sam's social security number in the mail. That means we have ONE MORE STEP in our adoption paperwork - obtaining the Certificate of Citizenship. After 4 years, I am ecstatic at the thought of being DONE!

The last step is exciting, but as with most things in adoption, it comes with a pricetag. The $420 fee for a Certificate of Citizenship is annoying for a couple of reasons. First of all, there is a law in effect that declares our adopted children citizens at the time of their adoption. BUT - despite that law - we still have to pay them $420 for the piece of paper that says it. Second, it is not technically "required" for us to get that piece of paper. Our childrens' passports, birth certificates, and adoption papers prove their citizenship. But passports expire, and in case there is ever any confusion (throughout our kids' lives the laws could change again - not taking away their status but people's understanding of it may be muddled, for instance if they are trying to apply for college scholarships, etc) so it's just nice to have that final declaration. For Sam, it's also a means of making sure he is never called to serve in the Korean army. Korean men have mandatory military service and I've heard about immigrants who were basically drafted after living in the US their whole lives. As I understand it, Sam's US citizenship means his Korean citizenship is automatically revoked.

So, I have downloaded the 7 page application for the CoC and the 8 pages of instructions and I will be happy to get them in the mail, despite having to write that $420 check. Lord willing, by the end of this year, we will be officially FINISHED with adoption paperwork. YAHOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Unless, of course, I can talk Bryan into adopting again in a few years! ;-)

Sam at 18 months

Slammin' Sam is a little ball of energy, a 21-pound tornado who spreads crumbs, toys, germs, kisses, and joy. We are in love with him. Well, with Alex it may be more like love-hate, but...anyway, here he is figuring out how to feed Elmo and modeling his shark pajamas. Note that his manhood is not at all challenged by the act of pushing dolls around in a pink stroller. He is in touch with his feminine side.

Aleister Crowley, Led Zeppelin y Boleskine house

Alesteir Crowley nació en Inglaterra en 1875. Es conocido por sus escritos sobre ocultismo y por la poco común vida que llevó. Criado en una familia de fuertes raíces católicas, cuando tuvo uso de razón decidió seguir su propio camino y rendir culto al maligno.

No tardó mucho en convertirse en más conocido practicante de la magia negra de su época.

Famosas eran sus orgías (él mismo era bisexual) en las que se dice que realizaban actos de magia negra y se llevaban a cabo sacrificios animales.

Se le ha llegado a conocer con el título de “Wickedest Man in the World” (El hombre más malvado del mundo) y la “Bestia 666”.

Entre 1899 y 1913 vivió en Boleskine House, una casa que adquirió en la orilla Sureste del Lago Ness en Escocia. Al otro lado del conocido pueblo visitado por millares de turistas al año en busca del popular monstruo del mismo nombre; desconocedores casi todos ellos de la terrorífica atracción que se encuentra al otro lado del lago.

En esta casa se cree que realizó terroríficas misas negras y todo tipo de embrujos e invocaciones. Aún en la actualidad la casa está rodeada de una zona de vegetación muerta y los pocos vecinos que aún viven en la zona siguen escuchando y viendo cosas extrañas por los alrededores de la
casa.

El cementerio que se encuentra cerca de la casa en el que todas las lápidas tienen grabado el mismo apellido, Fraser...

Siguen llegando cada año contados “thelemitas” o seguidores de la Thelema creada por él.

Jimmy Page, guitarrista de Led Zeppelin, adquirió algunos de los manuscritos de Crowley e incluso se mudó a su nueva casa, Boleskine House.

Led Zeppelin usaba símbolos relacionados con el diablo y la brujería en sus discos y en sus canciones. Tanto era esto que el cuarto álbum no tenía nombre sino que lo representaban con ciertos símbolos que se creen algunos de ellos ser firmas de demonios auténticos.

Muchas desgracias ocurrieron a los miembros de Led Zeppelin en ésta su época oscura.

Man Tears

The rugby world cup concludes this coming saturday with a titanic clash between england and south africa. I say titanic because the 'boks have been looking solid all tournament, while the english have risen from the dead with a string of powerful performances that have taken them a game away from retaining their crown. Considering that south africa have already beaten england 36-0 a few weeks back in the group stages, it should be very interesting to see how much of the psychological effects of that game are still lingering in the minds of both sets of players.

This post was supposed to introduce a theory of mine that I have been honing for a few weeks but was unfortunately dented slightly with the argies' demise to the 'boks last night. The argentinians were hands down the most emotional bunch of players prior to every match. At least half the team was crying at the lineup for the national anthems, and some were even reduced to quivering wrecks. Throughout the tournament I noticed a trend in which the team that seemed to be more fired up during the national anthems in crunch matches seemed to be playing with a higher intensity, and ultimately either won the game or ran the score much closer than anticipated against heavily favored opposition. The argentines, fueled by what seemed to be some real pride in their country and a quite inspiring anthem, were undefeated until last night. The theory had been working so far, with the english really getting pumped up to God Save the Queen over the past two games which got them playing with real intensity from start to finish. The french have another great anthem in La Marseillais, and they really got into it against the kiwis in cardiff, resulting in one of the greatest and most memorable upsets of all time. Although the stade de france was booming two nights ago, the players seemed to be less emotional than the english before that game and the final result was a win for the red roses.

So far so good theory-wise, except for last night. The springboks have been cool and composed throughout the tournament, without really having any real worries (except maybe for Fiji, but that didn't last for too long) and they stood up for their anthem with looks of determination. The argies were typically fired up, with tears flowing so fast and far that it really moved you to see such big men in such a sorry state. End result was a bok win, but for a few mistakes I think that the argentines could well have won the game. Actually, now that I type this out I think my theory is still quite valid. The argies had the intensity at the beginning of the game and were looking much the better side until a few costly giveaways. The south africans then had the mental fortitude to use that points advantage as leverage to negate the intensity of their opponents and put in a very professional display of rugby. I think the argentines could have won this world cup with a little bit more control and discipline.

Key lessons here:
1. Have an inspiring national anthem full of crescendos.
2. Make sure a good few members of the team cry at the start. One player ala John Hayes for Ireland won't produce the required effect. You need at least 3 criers.
3. Convert the crying into anger.
4. Don't concede silly penalties and don't give away interception tries.

I think I'm gonna go apply for the (soon to be) vacant new zealand post now after that inspiring set of sentences.

Madrid, América y chistes élficos

Aquí estoy en España llevando una vida de estudiante golfo a mi edad.
Sin responsabilidades, saliendo mucho (muchísimo) y acostándome a eso de las 6 de la mañana, eso si no salgo. Ni que decir tiene que levantándome a las mil también.
Sin saber que será de mí dentro de un mes o una semana...
De momento me lo estoy pasando muy bien y viendo a mucha gente que tengo que ver y haciendo muchas cosas que se pueden hacer en una ciudad grande como Madrid.

Si el nuevo curro de Freelance Translator cuaja me veo recorriéndome España durante unos mesecitos antes de poner mi culo en un avión hacia América.

De momento un chiste élfico que le contó Légolas a un amigo mió que a su vez me lo contó a mi:

¿Cómo dice “camarero” en idioma élfico?
...
...
Éldelbar


Patético, lo sé...

my Saturday

Lest I let days like this go by without remembering how fun they are, I will blog today's events for posterity...

Sam wakes up and as usual, mine is the first face he sees in the morning. Happy Sam. I wish I had a video of his facial expression, though, when we enter the kitchen and he sees Lena smiling up at us from her seat on the kitchen table. You can just read "What is THIS doing in MY house!" all over him. Later, I'm goo-gooing to Lena and she's smiling and we're having a happy aunt-niece bonding moment, when Sam taps me on the arm. I turn and say, "Yes, Sam?" and he plants a big kiss right on my face. And some people think babies have a hard time communicating without language!

Enter Ava, a few minutes later. She is greeted by Sam with his favorite all-purpose name for people, "Mama!" and she says very seriously, "I am not a mama." Take that, Sam-I-am!

We make blueberry pancakes with pink food coloring (lately Alex is really into colored pancakes) and the girls help stir the batter. While the pancakes are cooking the kids eat frozen blueberries. Soon I have 3 happy kids with blueberry faces and fingers, and spots of squashed blueberries on my recently-mopped kitchen floor.

Soon it's time to go to Calvin's birthday party (he's 3). Alex throws a tantrum over having to wear clothes instead of pajamas, and refuses to go potty (it's 10:30 a.m. and she woke up dry and hasn't gone since last night). I realize I have not had a shower and now I don't have time, so I put on more eye makeup and hope it will detract attention from my greasy hair.

The birthday party is well attended, chaotic, and a big hit with the kids. I enjoy talking with friends I rarely see, and we all say we should get together more but no one has time. Sam pushes trucks around and makes truck noises while Calvin opens his presents. Sam cries when he can't have Calvin's new trains. Alex starts whining that her tummy hurts, which means she REALLY has to go to the bathroom now. I take her to the bathroom but Sam sees us go, which causes his face to crumple and he stands at the door and wails until I let him in, while Alex pees about a gallon and instantly her tummy is better. Later she wants to be "baby Lena" and eats chocolate cake with her hands instead of a fork, and then gets into smearing the cake all over her tray and hands, laughing hysterically. (At least she didn't smear it into her hair, though it would be easier to remove than A&D ointment.) Sam grabs another kid's cake and runs off with it in his mouth, a huge grin on his face. He then climbs up on me, smearing chocolate onto my pants and shirt. He falls asleep in the car on the way home.

We all take naps. Afterwards, the kids get baths and I dress Sam in a cute outfit he could wear to church tomorrow. I make spaghetti for dinner. After picking a thousand strands of red-stained angel hair pasta out of Sam's clothes, high chair, table and surrounding area, I vow to make only "shell" pasta from now on. Sam is whining about something and I hear Alex say to him, "Sam, where is your sunshine?" I smile. My sunshine is right here, all around me.

If It Be Your Will de Leonard cohen cantada por Antony de Antony and the Johnsons

Es dificil superar esto.
Una canción de Leonard Cohen "If it be your will" cantada por Antony de Antony and the Johnsons.
Candelita...