30 April 2008
iPod
Did you ever have one of those projects that started simple and small, but somehow grew more and more complex? And very expensive?
I had an iPod Dock that I no longer use (it was replaced by one that came packaged with my iPhone), and I thought it would be fun to use it to watch video from the iPod and iPhone on the small TV in the kitchen. A quick five minutes of research found the cable I thought I would need to buy, for about $20.
Five more minutes of research, however, indicated that for the late-model iPod I had I'd need a different cable entirely — for $50. A review expressed concern that the connectors seemed somewhat delicate, so to avoid having to constantly plug and unplug the cables, I'd have to get an inexpensive switch — another $20.
But that seemed like a reasonable solution, so off I went to the Apple Store.
An hour or so later, all cables connected, and I'm trying to sort out why this is not working as planned.
Five more minutes of research reveals an important detail I'd missed: the older model of iPod Dock (iPod Universal Dock) is incompatible with both the iPod and iPhone for this purpose. It had since been superseded by another model (Apple Universal Dock), and that's what I'd need — for another $50.
So now everything works — only it ended up costing five or six times what I had expected it would. And I still have that unused iPod Dock, sitting in my closet. (Perhaps my five-year-old might have use for it in a few years, when he's old enough to have inherited his own iPod.)
I had an iPod Dock that I no longer use (it was replaced by one that came packaged with my iPhone), and I thought it would be fun to use it to watch video from the iPod and iPhone on the small TV in the kitchen. A quick five minutes of research found the cable I thought I would need to buy, for about $20.
Five more minutes of research, however, indicated that for the late-model iPod I had I'd need a different cable entirely — for $50. A review expressed concern that the connectors seemed somewhat delicate, so to avoid having to constantly plug and unplug the cables, I'd have to get an inexpensive switch — another $20.
But that seemed like a reasonable solution, so off I went to the Apple Store.
An hour or so later, all cables connected, and I'm trying to sort out why this is not working as planned.
Five more minutes of research reveals an important detail I'd missed: the older model of iPod Dock (iPod Universal Dock) is incompatible with both the iPod and iPhone for this purpose. It had since been superseded by another model (Apple Universal Dock), and that's what I'd need — for another $50.
So now everything works — only it ended up costing five or six times what I had expected it would. And I still have that unused iPod Dock, sitting in my closet. (Perhaps my five-year-old might have use for it in a few years, when he's old enough to have inherited his own iPod.)
28 April 2008
24 April 2008
Mars Sand
In the gift shop of a local museum, I found something I've been curious about for a long time: Mars Sand (also known as "Space Sand"). It's sand that has been specially treated to be hydrophobic — unbondable with water.
Submerged in water, it resembles, well, wet sand. (Sort of.) It forms clumps, and can be molded into rudimentary forms. But the moment you lift it out of the water it's instantly dry. You really have to see this stuff to get the full effect!
Submerged in water, it resembles, well, wet sand. (Sort of.) It forms clumps, and can be molded into rudimentary forms. But the moment you lift it out of the water it's instantly dry. You really have to see this stuff to get the full effect!
22 April 2008
Lost
I often act on impulse. It's a habit that has not always served me well, but occasionally it leads me to surprising adventures.
Today, I took the long way home, lost my way, and discovered an uneven and unpaved road behind an open gate. I had no idea where it might lead (a sign said the road was officially closed from December through April, so I thought it must lead somewhere), or how far I would have to travel, but the urge to explore was irresistable.
I wondered what the road had once been used for. I found the broken ruins of a dam, so it was clear that some sort of industrial activity must have taken place there, long ago. (There's a park on the site of a former quarry, not far from my house.)
I had missed the sign on the way in, but noticed the name "Sunken Mine Road" on the way out, and I had followed it through part of what I later discovered was Fahnestock State Park. (I haven't been able to determine what was mined on the site.)
It was a thrill to think that I had no idea where I was going, to be miles away from anyone. (Seemed an appropriate way to celebrate Earth Day, somehow.)
18 April 2008
Bonus
My fulfillment company, intending to send me a check for $106.35, sent a check for $10,635.00, instead.
So very tempting!
So very tempting!
Vexed
I rarely lose my temper when it comes to my son's behavior — despite being given ample opportunity to do so — but it happened this morning. I apologized before he went to school, and he seemed more settled, but I spent the morning worrying — something else I rarely do — that I've set the tone for his day. I hope he's having a pleasant one.
11 April 2008
Solitude
If all goes as planned, I'll have the house all to myself for the weekend. I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to the peace and quiet.
I'll admit, the title of the post might be considered slightly misleading.
I'll admit, the title of the post might be considered slightly misleading.
Remember
I spent the afternoon in a difficult part of my personal past, remembering words and events I'd prefer to be long forgotten. It has left me, both then and now, shaken and dejected.
I lost a friendship, something I still regret, though there was no way it could continue.
I've been reminded that a good friend, someone I thought I knew better, could be duplicitous and deceitful. And that the truth, for her, was considerably short of absolute. My task today was to gather evidence to document just how far her accusations had strayed from truth.
That having been said, I didn't distinguish myself with my actions, either — but I was never anything but honest about what I had done, and I took full responsibility. Today was one of the consequences of my actions.
I lost a friendship, something I still regret, though there was no way it could continue.
I've been reminded that a good friend, someone I thought I knew better, could be duplicitous and deceitful. And that the truth, for her, was considerably short of absolute. My task today was to gather evidence to document just how far her accusations had strayed from truth.
That having been said, I didn't distinguish myself with my actions, either — but I was never anything but honest about what I had done, and I took full responsibility. Today was one of the consequences of my actions.
09 April 2008
Autism
We had a meeting with my son's Kindergarten teacher today, to discuss his progress. It felt almost surreal to discuss facets of the behavior and personality of a five-year-old and knowing that some of these descriptions could just as easily be applied to me, at 43.
It was when my son was diagnosed as mildly Autistic, at about a year old, that I began to discover the key to my own behavior and personality, when it became apparent that I almost certainly had the same condition, as well. Questions were answered for me, questions I had never even thought to ask. This has been a profound experience for me — one that, in many ways, has changed my life almost as much as becoming a parent.
We are very much alike, my son and I, in ways that I continue to find surprising. I'd like to think he has inherited many of his best attributes from me — his humor, his creativity. But it's obvious he has also inherited many of my worst, and I know how this might shape the course of his life.
I feel as though I know him better than anyone because he is — to a great degree — me.
My wife worries altogether too much about how his Autism will make life difficult for him, while I'm much more at ease, much less concerned. I feel confident that my son will be okay, because I've been through all of it already. I know he'll be okay because I'm okay.
It was when my son was diagnosed as mildly Autistic, at about a year old, that I began to discover the key to my own behavior and personality, when it became apparent that I almost certainly had the same condition, as well. Questions were answered for me, questions I had never even thought to ask. This has been a profound experience for me — one that, in many ways, has changed my life almost as much as becoming a parent.
We are very much alike, my son and I, in ways that I continue to find surprising. I'd like to think he has inherited many of his best attributes from me — his humor, his creativity. But it's obvious he has also inherited many of my worst, and I know how this might shape the course of his life.
I feel as though I know him better than anyone because he is — to a great degree — me.
My wife worries altogether too much about how his Autism will make life difficult for him, while I'm much more at ease, much less concerned. I feel confident that my son will be okay, because I've been through all of it already. I know he'll be okay because I'm okay.
03 April 2008
Fool
I was once the recipient of a very well-targeted, but mostly harmless April Fool's prank. I'm not naive, not by any means, but I tend to be very protective of the people I'm closest to — and she knew just what to say to arouse my concern, to take full advantage of me. (If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have been so surprised.)
This year was relatively quiet by comparison, with only my son's repeated insistence that there was a monkey on the ceiling.
This year was relatively quiet by comparison, with only my son's repeated insistence that there was a monkey on the ceiling.
02 April 2008
School
My son, who started the year off in a smaller Kindergarten class, is slowly being "mainstreamed," participating in more advanced activities with a larger class. Beginning this week, he'll be working with a group on his reading and writing skills. When school started, I was anxious for him to join his peers in a larger class, but I have come to feel confident that this is the approach that will work best for him.
There have been remarkable changes in him in the months since he started Kindergarten. I've watched him come from struggling to write his own name to writing other words. And he's started to read — I can sense the wheels turning in his head as he follows the letters and they begin to form words. (He's understandably proud, and eager to share his accomplishments with just about anyone who will listen.)
Today, entirely on his own, he built a system of rudimentary gears out of Tinkertoys, the movement of one causing several others to turn. He'll be six years old in August.
There have been remarkable changes in him in the months since he started Kindergarten. I've watched him come from struggling to write his own name to writing other words. And he's started to read — I can sense the wheels turning in his head as he follows the letters and they begin to form words. (He's understandably proud, and eager to share his accomplishments with just about anyone who will listen.)
Today, entirely on his own, he built a system of rudimentary gears out of Tinkertoys, the movement of one causing several others to turn. He'll be six years old in August.
01 April 2008
Goo
About two years ago, I bought a plastic bottle of Nickelodeon Splat, a sort of polymer compound — goo — that slowly oozes and drips and makes most adults queasy at the sight of it. (That's why kids adore it.) The first bottle I bought was a brilliant, almost radioactive green, to be followed in time by somewhat less impressive shades of orange, purple, and dark blue. (I passed on the red.) My son and I loved playing with it.
(We had something similar when I was a kid — remember Slime and Slime with Worms?)
I brought it out today for the first time in six months, perhaps longer. It turns out this substance does not age well — apparently, the older it becomes, the less viscous and more adhesive it becomes! We quickly discovered that there was no way to get it all back into the plastic bottle, much less off of our hands! We had to give up and wash it off in the sink (and even that took no small effort).
Sadly, I don't think Splat is sold any longer — I haven't seen it in a toy store in ages. The adults have won.
(We had something similar when I was a kid — remember Slime and Slime with Worms?)
I brought it out today for the first time in six months, perhaps longer. It turns out this substance does not age well — apparently, the older it becomes, the less viscous and more adhesive it becomes! We quickly discovered that there was no way to get it all back into the plastic bottle, much less off of our hands! We had to give up and wash it off in the sink (and even that took no small effort).
Sadly, I don't think Splat is sold any longer — I haven't seen it in a toy store in ages. The adults have won.