Thwarted by Simple

I got an Airport Express recently. One of the best gifts ever. 

And in my rush to set it up I guess I didn't really read the instructions or look around online. 

I figured: power source + cable from it to tuner = music

Things that are wrong with this little equation:

X=that equation up there sums up just about everything I know about stereos

y= apparently turntables have a very low signal so the RCA plugs associated with your turntable automatically boost the signal by like a million % (actually probably by 40 times).

So my music was coming out SUPER LOUD!!

So I went by Moog Audio where the nice man managed to contain his ridicule and told me "move it to anything but the phono jacks"... 

I came home, did so, and 5 seconds later Lucas and I were "dancing" to K'naan. 

Fun times for all. 

A Champion

I don't think that most sports figures make good role models, especiallly not millionaire pros. But there are a few exceptions, Clara Hughes is one.

An Olypmic medal winner in both the Summer (road bike) and Winter Olympics (long track speed skating), Hughes, who is in her 30s and just won Olympic gold in the 5000 meters today, is a testiment to a good attitude and hard hard hard work.

When I think of what I would like Lucas to become, when I think of the attitudes and personality traits I'd like him to have, I can think of almost no better model than Clara Hughes.


The fact that she is a team mate to Cindy Klassen, who is now Canada's most decorated Olympic athelete, another woman who is an amazing role model, is just icing on the damn cake.

Today Was A Good Day

So, today is the rectors holiday, basically a bone thrown to those of us on staff/faculty at Concordia at the end of reading week.

So Chris was home, Lucas was at the daycare. We were going to finish the table we're building for her room, but we needed to get a friend a birthday present. 

So we went out for a walk, had coffee together, got the present, poked around at stores, ate lunch, poked some more, bought bagels, talked and talked and talked, and meandered home. 

It was lovely. 

When we got home I checked my email, my thesis/internship report advisor had emailed to tell me that, with few changes, my report is good to go. Also waiting was an email from one of the profs I'd contacted looking for readers, saying yes. 

Then we tidied the house, she had a nap and our buddy Léa came over. Chris and she went to meet another friend to play pool and go to dinner. I went groccery shopping, and then picked up Lucas. 

For the first time in a long time he was in a really good mood (he's been sick and he's two). We walked over to Euro Deli and ate yummy pasta there and then we went a looked at all sorts of stores. Finally we came home, he had desert and he fell asleep in 5 seconds flat. 

Whee!

Test  a roo

This is from the blogger dashboard widget for Tiger... how does it work Iwonder? 

All is as it should be

I have engaged in my religion.

I have communed with my gods.

And it was good.

Cute

Right now I'm working on finishing up my thesis/internship report for my MA, but Lucas and Christine are cuddled together on the sofa napping.

He's sick with a fever and a cold and he's all blocked up all over (the great joy of diahria in a kid is that you often go too far the other way to stop it) which is the only way he'd put up with this sort of foolishness.

So while it's happening for a not so good reason, it is deeply sweet.

For some reason, at this very momment, I am quite content.

Now if that order of thesis writing elves I placed would just show up, everything would be great.

Olympic Hockey

The Canadian Men's team just lost to the Swiss. Second Olympics in a row. This is not good, not the end of the world, but not good.

Now that that is out of the way I have only one thing to say about the Hockey.

NHL refs need to be brought to the next Olympics. For all the games. Period.

We be illing

So, let's review:
I've got a sore throat and some kind of cold.
Christine has the same thing.
Lucas has some gastro bug he picked up from the daycare, puking (that's over thank god), poop like muddy water (there is no polite way to put that) and a cold.

So last night the poor little bugger couldn't sleep. He kept waking up, plugged up and crying. Which meant we kept waking up. This went on from about 1am to when the alarm started up the CD. The opening notes of the CD brought a wry, ironic, bitter as fuck giggle from Christine and I.

Anyway, Lucas is on his second nap. I haven't had one. And I would like to die now.

Things we MUST stop doing

So, I'm watching the Canadian Women's Hockey team play Sweden's right now. The goalie for the Swedish team is really good. At least third best in the women's game, I was looking at her helmet and something about it looked familiar.

If you're a Canadian college sports fan, or a Concordia student/alum, you recognize that logo. That's the Concordia University Stingers logo.

WHY ARE WE TRAINING PLAYERS WHO WILL COME BACK AND GET IN OUR WAY TO THE ORDAINED DOUBLE HOCKEY GOLD?

I wish I could say this was the first time, but it's not. There are players on the the US team who have been part of the Con U program.

This. Must. Stop.

Oh, sure it's "good for the game". And it is, better players makes our eventual destruction of their teams that much the better. But come on.

UPDATE***
Ok, so we won 8-1.... so I was panicking.

Customer Service

For his second birthday we got Lucas one of these, it fits with his obsession with buses and such, and seemed like a great toy.

It has met and exceeded our expectations. It's rated for older than him, but because all the small parts either have to be put on during assembly, or can be removed, we've edited the dangerous bits out and are storing them in a ZipLoc.

Anyway, if you look at this picture you can see that there is a male figure near the front of the bus.

One day I was in a rush, I'd dropped Lucas off to daycare and I had a meeting downtown, so I was running around the house in my hiking boots. The bus driver was on the floor. An accidental double amputation of his feet via my hiking boots ensued.

We hid the man, lost one foot and told Lucas that the man had gone on vacation. He bought this, but kept asking when the man would be back.

A couple of weeks ago I realized that Playmobile has a service that offers replacement parts for all their toys. So I emailed them, asking if we could order a replacement driver, how much it would cost etc.

I got a cryptic email back from their rep, saying, basically, "yes". So I emailed him back and said "fine, how? and how much?" and he emailed back and said "what was your address again?" and I replied "Here is is, but how much will it cost?"

Silence.

Until yesterday.

The doorbell rang and it was Canada Post with a box.

In the box was a replacement driver.

So, to review: they replaced something that I broke for free.

So, M. Lamoureux of Playmobil Canada, thank you very much for making a little boy (and his parents) very very happy.

Here's the victim and his replacement.