Client and Server

Seat backs in upright and locked position

We consulted with the midwives this week about the current baby status. Susan's BP has been low -- almost back to start-of-pregnancy levels -- so the midwife was considering NOT inducing this week. So, yay for Susan for proving Dr. Tom "Worst Case Scenario" Easterling wrong. After an examination, though, the midwife went ahead and scheduled us for an induction this weekend. It's not that Susan's not healthy, it's more that they want to get the baby out in order to beat the boost in blood pressure that will come in week 40 (that would be Friday after next). There's a caveat, though. Since Susan is at risk but not at high risk, she could be bumped off this weekend and into next week should there be a gaggle of eclamptic women descending on UWMC Friday morning. Also, if the induction fails, there's a good chance they'll send Susan home and we'll try again midweek.

So, to summarize: We may have a baby by Sunday night, but the key word there is "may." The pregnancy is about to come to an end and the Player shall be Named.

I'm considering blogging from the hospital, but I'm not sure if Susan will approve. Maybe if I promise no pictures....

What to know when the Player is Named?

Then subscribe to the mailing list. I'll send the announcement to the list first (well, after the grandmas know.)

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I forget your name

I've ripped most of my CD collection to music files (WHICH I DO NOT SHARE). So, it was a shock tonight when I discovered that I'd never, ever turned my copy of "Carry On Up The Charts: The Best of the Beautiful South" to MP3s. I've had it for five years now, and I never once ripped it? How did it slip through?

It came to my attention tonight because, well, it has to do with the Player. See if you can figure it out. I'll give you a hint: You'll need the CD insert. Good luck.

(Any of you listen[ed] to the Beautiful South?)

Grazie for the painting advice

The nursery is done, or as close to done as I'm going to be able to get it. I ran out of blue paint -- after three coats I still couldn't get good coverage. However, I think it turned out OK.

(Click on the thumbnails to see the full-sized images -- new window will open)

It's a Goodnight Moon sort of look -- saturated blue and green with yellow stars.

F5

If you...
1. ...owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?
French-Italian-Mexican-Asian-American fusion. It'd be like a restaurant Ben once worked at in Boulder, only the food would be edible.

2. ...owned a small store, what kind of merchandise would you sell?
Nostalgic ephemera, and pickling supplies.

3. ...wrote a book, what genre would it be?
It'd be a parody of something. I don't know.

4. ...ran a school, what would you teach?
Geography. And how to pickle.

5. ...recorded an album, what kind of music would be on it?
Alt-country. Hank Sr meets Uncle Tupelo and they cover a bunch of Gram Parsons and Louvin Brothers songs. Oh, and there's a duet with Alison Krauss.

Painting question (all play)

So, I've now put two coats of paint on the walls of the nursery/computer room, but it's just not going on thick enough. You can see brush strokes, and it's looking less navy and more blue-green. I'm using a roller, 3" brush, and a little roller to cut in. It's a gallon, so it's supposed to cover 600 sq ft, but I'm already down 1/3 of the can on 100 sq ft.

Ideas?

You shop, we decide

Went to Home Depot to (finally) buy paint 'n' supplies for the nursery. Cart I grabbed pulled hard to the right.

After Home Depot, I did a grocery run at Larry's. I grabbed a cart... and it had a hard pull to the right.

So, is Rupert Murdoch in the shopping cart business now?

A musical John Kerry

From an article in today's Seattle P-I:

Groundbreaking research has found that a person's record collection may help predict which of five personality categories he or she belongs to.

Music preference also may reveal individual traits such as political ideology, intelligence and physical attractiveness.

Similarly, how that music is organized -- alphabetized on shelves, separated by genre or scattered on the floor -- is a reflection of personality, another study shows.

So the question becomes, when you bring your date home and he or she inspects your music collection, what's that person really seeing?

The studies indicate a music collection and how it's organized may tell where an owner fits in a group of personality categories called the "Big Five": extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness.

The article makes a bunch of generalizations -- disorganized collections are a sign of an "artistic" bent, while alphabetized and categorized CDs mean a person is OCD. So, if 70% of my CDs are organized, 20% of them are piled up in random fashion waiting to be organized, and the other 10% are somewhere among my stuff... what does that make me?

Then there's this chart:

MUSIC PREFERENCE AND PERSONALITY

Classical, jazz, blues, folk -- Reflective and complex (open, politically liberal, intelligent, not athletic, with verbal cognitive ability)
Alternative, rock, heavy metal -- Intense and rebellious (open, athletic, intelligent, with verbal cognitive ability)
Country, pop, religious, soundtracks -- Upbeat and conventional (extroverted, agreeable, conscientious, politically conservative, physically attractive, wealthy, athletic, low on verbal cognitive ability)
Rap/hip-hop, soul/funk, electronica/dance -- Energetic and rhythmic (extroverted, politically liberal, physically attractive, athletic, "blirtatious")

I own ALL these genres of music. What am I? Conservative? Liberal? Conventional? Unconventional? Extroverted? Introverted? All of it? None of it? John Kerry?

Bad journalism all around. Excuse me while I turn up Neko Case.

Booked

I got my check from Oxford University Press yesterday, so it's official -- "1001 Computer Words You Need To Know" will include a 700 word piece I wrote for them. I will be listed as a contributor.

This was a total accident of a project. An editor from OUP mentioned on a board they needed a small piece on computer games, and Susan forwarded me for consideration. Editor loved what I wrote, had me make a few changes (and I'm sure it morphed even more once I handed it in), and that was that. I received a check from them yesterday, so it's in the book. (By the way, their kill fee was an Oxford American Dictionary. I wouldn't have minded that, either, since we don't have a paper dictionary in the house.)

So, I'm a published freelance writer. With the forthcoming racheting down of income maybe I should consider infringing on the wife's turf.

iPod!

Finally got an iPod. It's my Last Electronic Toy Before The Baby Poops And Cries Away All My Expendable Income. It's only a 15GB iPod, so I can only put about ~3700 songs on it. 3700 is still a LOT of music, though -- 8 days worth.

My name is Dylan, and I am a music addict. Now, I have a device which can satisfy my addiction no matter where I am. It will also give Susan something to listen while in labor besides me. I know she'll like that.

Thanks for the encouragement

Susan's condition has stablized somewhat. The risks are still there, but things are looking more positive that baby girl won't debut until at least the last third of March. Everything is still a little touch and go.

So, to everyone that's offered help or sent their regards, thanks.

Five wishes for the baseball season

• Fewer dingers but more offense.
• The steroid cloud hanging over baseball clears up, implicates only a couple of obvious cheaters, and leads to testing and vigorous enforcement.
• My baby girl's first words (after "Daddy") to be "Yankees suck."
• The Yankees and Red Sox both missing the playoffs.
• One last batting title -- and a Series ring -- for Edgar Martinez.

Yes, they are more dreams than wishes, and if wishes were .300/.400/.500 slick-fielding 25 year olds the Mariners would have traded them away by now.