Well… we have a pronoun

MonkiRasa and I have a mixed household. Aside from coming from two different generations and two different cultures with two different languages, we also have mixed views on social media. For myself, I’m fairly active on Facebook and Instagram and Goodreads among others. I have no problem with letting the world know where I am or what I think of that place. Rasa, on the other hand, has no social media footprint at all. In the technological world of our AI Overlords, she doesn’t exist (outside of this blog where, for all you know, she might just be a matrix-like construction of my imagination). Continue reading “Well… we have a pronoun”

Schrödingers Child

Stock Photo – Actual item may be significantly different

Don’t know if I’ve mentioned it, but we’re gonna have a baby soon. I know, big surprise, right? What’s been surprising to me is my own reaction to this whole baby thing. Right now, like that infamous cat, the child exists in a quantum state. It is neither here, nor non-existent. But more importantly, the possibilities for Speck are endless at this moment. Or at least, my thoughts on the possibilities. At this point, Speck can still be a rock and roll star (despite neither of its parents having any noticeable musical skills).  Continue reading “Schrödingers Child”

Reimagining London 2016

DSC04765 (1) 6.13.04 PMOne of the great things about living centrally located in Europe is that nothing is very far away – and generally not that expensive to get to. If you’re like Monika, you can find amazing deals (she boasts about a roundtrip from Sweden to Italy, via Frankfurt, for little more than a euro each way). But even if you don’t have her luck, you can get some pretty amazing deals which allow you to see new countries or revisit old ones. Continue reading “Reimagining London 2016”

Review: Nim’s Island

Nim's Island
Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

To be perfectly honest, I bought this book when we found out we were pregnant. The baby was no more than a speck at that point but I figured I should start getting books for the little one. And I’d seen the movie so this seemed like a safe bet. Continue reading “Review: Nim’s Island”

Dolphin Spotting

BumpWeek 23 and things are heating up, literally. Speck is about 29cm long and growing daily. Rasa is experiencing a textbook pregnancy, meaning if the book (we’re using the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, which we like better than the super scary What to Expect When You’re Expecting) says you might experience this, she’s experiencing it. Weird cravings (eating potato chips which she hates), muscle cramps, nausea earlier, low blood pressure, all of it.  Continue reading “Dolphin Spotting”

Naming Rites

hello-my-name-isSo, we’re having a baby, right?

We’re in week 20, half way along, and it’s pretty spectacular. Rasa is showing, has been for a few weeks now, and the baby is kicking its little heart out. We figure Speck is going to be either a ninja, kung fu master or drummer at this rate. We also expect it to come out with perfect muscle tone and prepared to run a 100 meter dash.  Continue reading “Naming Rites”

David Bowie 1947-2016

From the “Heroes” photo session by Masayoshi Sukita

David Bowie died.

He was probably my first rock and roll hero. I remember seeing him sing Space Oddity on some early 70s TV show, then seeking out the song, finding it on cassette on ChangesOneBowie. From there it wasn’t hard to pick up the albums which had come before and stick with the man through permutations and variations. I identified with him. He was the ultimate shapeshifter, able to morph into whatever guise was required at the time. I knew I wasn’t alone in this, but it wasn’t until yesterday, when news of his death was made known that I realized just how many people identified with him. Continue reading “David Bowie 1947-2016”

Speck

Speck

Yup.

That’s an ultrasound image.

Yup.

That’s the start of my baby, scheduled to enter this world next July (which, yes, makes it, barring unforeseen circumstances, a member of the class of 2034, which is the most terrifying thought of all of this).

Yup… gonna be a dad.

At this point we’re calling it Speck and I guarantee there will be a bit more blogging about this particular life event for the next… well… ever.

 

Sharing passions and Star Wars Machete Order

Star-Wars-Dad_o_132957I’m thinking about kids. My own specifically. No, I’m not pregnant (nor is anyone I know in a biblical sense) but it’s come up recently and it’s something on my mind. I’m thinking about how we, as parents, share our passions with kids. I wrote about it recently for David Magazine and how I thought it was missing from modern society. Continue reading “Sharing passions and Star Wars Machete Order”