It’s funny how the rhythms of our little family unit morph organically over time. Lately, Finn has been sleeping later in the mornings (thank GOD), usually stirring between 6:30 and 7:30. For the last couple of weeks, she’s been opening the door to our bedroom around 7 or so, clutching an armful of her stuffed animals. I usually scoot over to the center of the bed, lift the covers, and she climbs up to lay next to me. Mama touches my back and I nestle my nose into the tangle of her hair, and we doze like that for as long as possible before we have to get up to start the day. I try not to sleep, enjoying the nearness of my family, but usually it’s too peaceful to resist falling back asleep, knowing everything is right in the world with my girls.

Date posted: July 28, 2011 | Filed under family | Leave a Comment »

And just in time, too. Mr. Scout is dropping off a load of bottles he got second-hand, so I can start brewing this batch as soon as I get some free time. This one is a pale ale, and should be perfect for late summer/early fall.

Date posted: July 26, 2011 | Filed under brewing | Leave a Comment »

The Chart That Should Accompany All Discussions of the Debt Ceiling. Perfect, timely, and to the point. Fuck the GOP.

Date posted: July 25, 2011 | Filed under politics, shortlinks | Leave a Comment »

I wish I had something more to post here other than a picture of crabs, but I didn’t take a whole lot of pictures other than with Jen’s camera. There was much travel, visits with many friends, and the re-arrangement of Finn’s bedroom, which I will let Mama detail elsewhere (being her brainchild).

I don’t know where the weekend went.

Date posted: July 25, 2011 | Filed under friends | Leave a Comment »

I drove the Scout into work this morning, during the worst heatwave in Baltimore history (or so the news would have you believe) because the A/C in the Saturn has crapped out. Normally, I’d choose the Saturn anyway because the kindly engineers at GM put heat insulation in between the little DOHC 4-banger and the passenger compartment, while the good folks at IH decided some horsehair carpeting and 1/16″ of foam padding would suffice to keep the blistering heat away from my body. Driving home in the Saturn last night was so hot, however, I decided that if I was going to sweat my balls off in a car, I might as well have the top down.

Going through my Moleskine last night, I made two discoveries: first, I’ve officially been using it for a year as of yesterday. Second, I’ve put a total of 937 miles on the Scout since November 17 of last year (the first record of date and mileage I can find).

Also, I’ve entered all of August and September of 2002 into WordPress, and the post count (including this one) is currently at 2,996.

Daddy Likes: A ’52 Metro Delivery van. This is exactly the kind of industrial design I dream about.

→ This is a syndicated post from my Scout weblog. More info here.

Date posted: July 22, 2011 | Filed under housekeeping, Scout | Leave a Comment »

Finn and I took our neighbors up on their kind offer to use the pool next door last night. At first, she was more interested in running around the edge and telling me what to do, but after 20 minutes I got her to join me in the water. As the sun set behind the trees and the mosquitoes came out, I had to basically drag her out of the water. In this photo, she’s asking me to put the camera down, take off my glasses, and come back in the water.

Date posted: July 21, 2011 | Filed under finn, photo | Leave a Comment »

It’s about four hundred THOUSAND degrees outside, and everyone on the teevees is screaming that it’s only going to get hotter. I don’t know if I’ve ever actually experienced a heat index of 120° but it looks like we’re about to find out what that means on Saturday. One thing is for sure: my BG&E bill made me weep this month. It would be great if the amount I pay them was commensurate with the uptime we actually get from the transformer out behind the house—we’re on our third outage in a month’s span.

I had to back up Jen last night on a deadline, so I missed drawing class at MICA, but I did get to spend a couple of great hours with Finn at the playground. I think I hosed about a gallon’s worth of sand off of her before putting her to bed.

Date posted: July 20, 2011 | Filed under general | Leave a Comment »

I got to spend two very special hours with Finn at the playground this evening, and while the light was right, I shot about 200 photos. And then, I put the camera down and got on the slide with my girl.

Date posted: July 19, 2011 | Filed under finn, photo | Leave a Comment »

I cracked open the first bottle of hefeweizen this weekend and sampled the brew; the verdict is that it’s pretty heavy. The recipe I had didn’t come with the extract kit, so the taste comes off like the extract was in the pot and cooking for about 15 minutes too long. It’s heavy up front and finishes off pretty light but there’s a definite extract tang in the taste that’s going to take some getting used to. Tonight I’m going to pour some in a clear glass to look at the color, but I suspect it’s going to be dark and muddy.

Meanwhile, we hit the IKEA on Saturday to look for some furniture for Finn’s room. The bookshelf we wanted was out of stock. The bench we bought for the new bathroom was too wide and too long. But the lamp we bought for her room was just right… oh, well. Later in the day we met up with Jen’s family to get fitted for seersucker suits at Jos. A Bank in Columbia; All went swimmingly until we learned that their tan seersucker suits don’t come without pleated pants—no matter what size they are.

We chose some hardware for the new bathroom on Sunday and I spent some time installing a towel bar, TP holder, and toilet pull, which makes the room look better. We’re waiting on a special-order sink faucet which should arrive sometime this week.

Date posted: July 18, 2011 | Filed under family, house | Leave a Comment »

Pat Metheny on Kenny G:

“By disrespecting Louis [Armstrong], his legacy and by default, everyone who has ever tried to do something positive with improvised music and what it can be, Kenny G has created a new low point in modern culture – something that we all should be totally embarrassed about – and afraid of.”

Date posted: July 18, 2011 | Filed under music, shortlinks | Leave a Comment »