Anna had a grand old time. She got to see lots of gliders up close which she thought was very exciting. Plus, she got to have a little picnic lunch at the airfield. Here’s a picture of her eating her latest favorite – grapes.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Gliding in the English Countryside
On Sunday we all went for a drive in the English countryside – to Essex (northeast of London) to be exact. It was a gorgeous day for a drive, and we had fun until we got off the main motorways and onto the country roads. Boy, the lack of signage makes finding your way around rather difficult. Carlos and I have had a number of experiences of the crazy road signs here – we can’t get over the signs on the motorways that just say “The North” or “The West” as an indicator of which way to go. To me, that isn’t really helpful. Anyway, after making our way through a number of windy roads, we made it to our destination – Ridgewell Airfield. We each went for a glider ride. Pretty cool, huh? Carlos had gotten a gift certificate that he could redeem for the glider ride, and I got to tag along. We each did what is called a wire launch rather than being pulled into the air by another plane. The glider is attached to a wire winch (I think that’s the right term), and it pulls the glider up into the air at about a 70 degree angle really fast. Let’s just say that I’ve had moments in my life where I’ve felt less queasy. Once you reach about 1000 feet, the wire is released, and you just glide around. The gliding bit was fun, and it was a beautiful, cloudless day – a great way to see the surrounding countryside. Overall, though, I wouldn’t do it again. I think Carlos came to the same conclusion. We both thought it was a cool experience, but we definitely don’t feel a burning desire to do it again.
Anna had a grand old time. She got to see lots of gliders up close which she thought was very exciting. Plus, she got to have a little picnic lunch at the airfield. Here’s a picture of her eating her latest favorite – grapes.
Anna had a grand old time. She got to see lots of gliders up close which she thought was very exciting. Plus, she got to have a little picnic lunch at the airfield. Here’s a picture of her eating her latest favorite – grapes.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Good books
I've read a few fantastic books recently. If anyone is looking for a good book to read, I highly recommend the following:
The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.
Saturday by Ian McEwan. I just started this book, but it is already so good, so well written that I know I can recommend it.
Confession of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. A very fun read (fictionalized account of where the fairy tale Cinderella may have come from).
The Other Boleyn Girl Philippa Gregory. Great historical fiction.
The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.
Saturday by Ian McEwan. I just started this book, but it is already so good, so well written that I know I can recommend it.
Confession of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. A very fun read (fictionalized account of where the fairy tale Cinderella may have come from).
The Other Boleyn Girl Philippa Gregory. Great historical fiction.
Got milk? . . . or sushi? . . . or olives?
Anna’s tastebuds continue to surprise me. Thankfully, she has finally started drinking milk. It has been a long time coming. After she was weaned, she would not drink formula or milk unless it was poured over cereal. That was it, nothing else. I tried a number of different types of formula and milk (soy milk, flavored milk, etc.). Nada. She just didn’t want any of it. Then, when we were in Iceland last month, she started to ask for milk and then actually drinking it when I gave it to her. Ever since we came back to London, she’s been drinking milk constantly!! At last!
I think Anna’s tastebuds are taking more after Carlos than me. She is constantly surprising me by the things she wants to eat. For instance, she eats sushi – the vegetable or shrimp variety. I haven’t given her the raw fish ones yet, but if she is anything like Carlos, she’ll eat those up lickety split once she gets a taste of them. Anna also loves olives. She would eat an entire jar if I’d let her. As soon as she sees the jar in the fridge, she starts asking for “Oleees Oleeeees” very insistently. Anna has also started eating the Spanish cured meats like jamon and fuet (a salami-like cured sausage that is delicious). She can’t get enough of it. I’m just glad that Anna doesn’t seem to have inherited my huge sweet-tooth.
I think Anna’s tastebuds are taking more after Carlos than me. She is constantly surprising me by the things she wants to eat. For instance, she eats sushi – the vegetable or shrimp variety. I haven’t given her the raw fish ones yet, but if she is anything like Carlos, she’ll eat those up lickety split once she gets a taste of them. Anna also loves olives. She would eat an entire jar if I’d let her. As soon as she sees the jar in the fridge, she starts asking for “Oleees Oleeeees” very insistently. Anna has also started eating the Spanish cured meats like jamon and fuet (a salami-like cured sausage that is delicious). She can’t get enough of it. I’m just glad that Anna doesn’t seem to have inherited my huge sweet-tooth.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Snip Snip
Anna had her first haircut on Saturday (that is, if you don’t count my minor trim of her bangs over Easter). Carlos and I decided to make an outing of the event, and we took Anna to Harrods to have her hair cut. I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous to take your child to Harrods to have her hair cut, but it is the only place I know of in London that has a children’s hair salon. I thought it would be fun for her first haircut to go there. So, Anna’s mullet is now gone. I kind of miss it because it was a rather cute mullet with curls, but a mullet no less.
New words:
mooksick = music
eebah = zebra
doubleshoe = double u (the letter)
Friday, July 22, 2005
I'm a big dork
I just realized that I posted almost the same post twice. I thought I had lost the first version of “it’s been a long time”, so I tried to recreate it, and I didn’t think to actually check the blog to see if the first post had been published. I’m a big goof.
It's been a long time
It’s been a long time since I’ve posted. I don’t know why that is. I kept trying to write something after the July 7th bombings, but I couldn’t come up with anything sufficiently eloquent or appropriate. Just a knot in my stomach – which got a bit tighter today when I heard the news that there had been more bombings. So, now, here I am posting (finally) because I have terrible insomnia, and I cannot get to sleep.
Anna and I just got back from Iceland. We spent a bit over a week at the cottage with my parents and brother. Anna had the time of her life. I planned this trip so that it would coincide with a mini family reunion that my mom and uncles planned to commemorate what would have been my grandmother’s 100th birthday. The reunion was wonderful – I got to see a lot of cousins that I haven’t seen in ages. Also, I found out that my grandmother had written stories about her life and poetry. Who knew??? (It turns out that a lot of people knew, just not me) My mom read one of her stories, and it was amazing. For me, it shed a new light on my grandmother’s perspective on life and her personality. I’m hoping to get photocopies of the stories and poetry that she left behind. I can’t wait to read it.
I think it is going to be tough for Anna to return to reality after this trip. She got way too much attention while we were in Iceland. Her grandparents, uncle, great-uncles, friends all played lots of games with her and let her be the center of their attention. She’s going to think life in London is really boring after all that. Even more so after we start back with our regular bedtime routine tomorrow (that all went out the window while we were away).
Anna and I just got back from Iceland. We spent a bit over a week at the cottage with my parents and brother. Anna had the time of her life. I planned this trip so that it would coincide with a mini family reunion that my mom and uncles planned to commemorate what would have been my grandmother’s 100th birthday. The reunion was wonderful – I got to see a lot of cousins that I haven’t seen in ages. Also, I found out that my grandmother had written stories about her life and poetry. Who knew??? (It turns out that a lot of people knew, just not me) My mom read one of her stories, and it was amazing. For me, it shed a new light on my grandmother’s perspective on life and her personality. I’m hoping to get photocopies of the stories and poetry that she left behind. I can’t wait to read it.
I think it is going to be tough for Anna to return to reality after this trip. She got way too much attention while we were in Iceland. Her grandparents, uncle, great-uncles, friends all played lots of games with her and let her be the center of their attention. She’s going to think life in London is really boring after all that. Even more so after we start back with our regular bedtime routine tomorrow (that all went out the window while we were away).
It's been a long time
Wow, I really haven't posted anything in a long long time. I don't really have any good reason why. I wanted to write something really eloquent and moving after the July 7th bombings, but I could think of anything to say. I just had a big bit in my stomach (which got bigger today when I heard about another round of bombings).
It is now almost 1:30 AM, and I have terrible insomnia. Anna and I got back from Iceland today. We had a really great time at the cottage, visiting with Amma, Afi, Kiddi and a host of other relatives. I had planned this trip so that we could be in Iceland when my mom's family celebrated my grandmother's 100th birthday. She would have been 100 this past May, and my mom and her brothers decided to have a sort of mini-reunion in her honor. It was fantastic to see my extended family. There were a lot of cousins at the reunion that I hadn't seen in ages. The other fun thing that came out of this reunion is that I found out that my grandmother wrote some stories and poetry -- wow, I had no idea! My mom read one of her stories (more like memoir-like stories) at the reunion, and it was amazing to gain a whole new insight into my grandmother's life and personality. My mom said she'd photocopy the stories and poetry for me -- I can't wait to read it.
In Anna news, she spent her time in Iceland charming all her relatives. Boy, that little lady got way too much attention while we were there. But, she had a fabulous time -- imagine, being the center of attention all the time, not having to have a bath every day (because the cottage only has a shower, and she hated the shower), and getting to stay up late every night!! It is going to be really tough to get her back into her normal routine.
It is now almost 1:30 AM, and I have terrible insomnia. Anna and I got back from Iceland today. We had a really great time at the cottage, visiting with Amma, Afi, Kiddi and a host of other relatives. I had planned this trip so that we could be in Iceland when my mom's family celebrated my grandmother's 100th birthday. She would have been 100 this past May, and my mom and her brothers decided to have a sort of mini-reunion in her honor. It was fantastic to see my extended family. There were a lot of cousins at the reunion that I hadn't seen in ages. The other fun thing that came out of this reunion is that I found out that my grandmother wrote some stories and poetry -- wow, I had no idea! My mom read one of her stories (more like memoir-like stories) at the reunion, and it was amazing to gain a whole new insight into my grandmother's life and personality. My mom said she'd photocopy the stories and poetry for me -- I can't wait to read it.
In Anna news, she spent her time in Iceland charming all her relatives. Boy, that little lady got way too much attention while we were there. But, she had a fabulous time -- imagine, being the center of attention all the time, not having to have a bath every day (because the cottage only has a shower, and she hated the shower), and getting to stay up late every night!! It is going to be really tough to get her back into her normal routine.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Shiny, not so happy person
It is hot. Really hot. Hot weather makes me very shiny. As Carlos puts it (while the Spaniard looks cool and non-shiny), “In the summer, you are from a family of shiny people.” It’s true – I think my entire family is not genetically engineered to deal with hot weather. We all take on a rather red, shiny appearance as soon as the mercury rises above 75 F.
We’re experiencing a bit of a heat wave in London right now, and we don’t have A/C. Frankly, it would seem a little wasteful to have air conditioning here since it is this hot for such a short period of the year. Still, this heat is killing me. I’ve been trying to work from home all day today, and I can’t seem to get anything done other than sweat profusely.
It remains to be seen if Anna will join the shiny people or if the Spanish side will win out. For her sake, I hope she’ll be a non-shiny person in the summer. It is already clear that she won’t have her mother’s freckly, sunburn prone skin – lucky girl. But, she doesn’t seem to be dealing well with this heat.
We’re experiencing a bit of a heat wave in London right now, and we don’t have A/C. Frankly, it would seem a little wasteful to have air conditioning here since it is this hot for such a short period of the year. Still, this heat is killing me. I’ve been trying to work from home all day today, and I can’t seem to get anything done other than sweat profusely.
It remains to be seen if Anna will join the shiny people or if the Spanish side will win out. For her sake, I hope she’ll be a non-shiny person in the summer. It is already clear that she won’t have her mother’s freckly, sunburn prone skin – lucky girl. But, she doesn’t seem to be dealing well with this heat.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
A Day, A Decade -- No big diff
Yesterday Anna and I met up with some friends from McGill – Tiff and Ben and their daughter Clara (who is two months older than Anna). It was fantastic to see them and to finally meet little Clara in the flesh (you can follow her exploits at http://littlemissc.blogspot.com). Before I met them at the train station, I was thinking about the fact that I hadn’t seen Tiff and Ben for about 10 years. Who knew that 10 years could go by so quickly! Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate with us yesterday, and we ended up exploring my neck of the woods in the rain. The good thing about miserable, rainy days is that they are ideal for sitting in cozy English pubs and catching up with old friends.
When did I reach a point in my life where not seeing friends for a decade is (a) possible, and (b) not such a big deal. I guess with friends living all over the world, it is hard to meet up with everyone on a regular basis. The funny thing is that when I saw Tiff and Ben, I didn’t feel like much time had passed since I saw them last.
Anna continues to chat away. New words are:
Tingka = toothbrush, I want to brush my teeth
Opsuh = octopus
When did I reach a point in my life where not seeing friends for a decade is (a) possible, and (b) not such a big deal. I guess with friends living all over the world, it is hard to meet up with everyone on a regular basis. The funny thing is that when I saw Tiff and Ben, I didn’t feel like much time had passed since I saw them last.
Anna continues to chat away. New words are:
Tingka = toothbrush, I want to brush my teeth
Opsuh = octopus
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Slick Baby
I think I need to have Anna eat wearing a showercap. She has become increasingly fond of rubbing her hands in her hair when they are covered with food. This morning was especially bad because she decided to rub her buttered toast (and buttery hands) all over hair. So, out Anna went this morning with Angelika looking like she just stepped off the set for West Side Story. I was half expecting her to launch into "When you're a Jet . . . ".
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Cahlohs
Carlos had a bit of a surprise yesterday when we were playing with Anna. She started looking at him and saying: “Cahlohs, Cahlohs”. What????? Poor Carlos looked at her and said, “No no no, Papa Papa” (pointing emphatically at himself). Wow, where did this come from? I don’t think she understands that she’s saying Papa’s name, but it really threw us for a loop.
We went to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew today and saw the most fantastic glass art exhibition. Kew Gardens are one of the most extensive botanical gardens in the UK and are close to where we live. We bought season passes to the gardens and go there a lot. Generally, we go just to amble around (not paying much attention to all the plants) and to let Anna run around (the gardens also have a great play area for kids). Now, the gardens are exhibiting glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly in the most amazing way. If anyone has been to the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, he is the artist who made those incredible glass flowers on the ceiling of the hotel’s lobby. His glass sculptures are placed throughout the gardens, amongst the plants. It is really incredible. I’m going to try and go back this coming week and take some pictures to post here. I was totally blown away. I haven’t figured out yet if the sculptures that are in the gardens existed prior to this exhibit or if there were created solely for exhibiting in the gardens. I think it is the latter. It is very difficult to describe without pictures, but his work has been placed in such a way that it looks almost like it is part of the plantscape. Very amazing.
New words
Teekuhl = Mr. Tickle (thank you Maya Key); this generally means please read the book Mr. Tickle for me
Cumpee = crab (not as out of this world as it seems because she has a book called Clumsy Crab that she loves; seems to have combined the two words)
Mango = just emerged yesterday; I don’t know where she learned this word because I don’t think either Carlos or I have taught it to her, but it does in fact seem to refer to the fruit
Laybuh = ladybug
We went to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew today and saw the most fantastic glass art exhibition. Kew Gardens are one of the most extensive botanical gardens in the UK and are close to where we live. We bought season passes to the gardens and go there a lot. Generally, we go just to amble around (not paying much attention to all the plants) and to let Anna run around (the gardens also have a great play area for kids). Now, the gardens are exhibiting glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly in the most amazing way. If anyone has been to the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, he is the artist who made those incredible glass flowers on the ceiling of the hotel’s lobby. His glass sculptures are placed throughout the gardens, amongst the plants. It is really incredible. I’m going to try and go back this coming week and take some pictures to post here. I was totally blown away. I haven’t figured out yet if the sculptures that are in the gardens existed prior to this exhibit or if there were created solely for exhibiting in the gardens. I think it is the latter. It is very difficult to describe without pictures, but his work has been placed in such a way that it looks almost like it is part of the plantscape. Very amazing.
New words
Teekuhl = Mr. Tickle (thank you Maya Key); this generally means please read the book Mr. Tickle for me
Cumpee = crab (not as out of this world as it seems because she has a book called Clumsy Crab that she loves; seems to have combined the two words)
Mango = just emerged yesterday; I don’t know where she learned this word because I don’t think either Carlos or I have taught it to her, but it does in fact seem to refer to the fruit
Laybuh = ladybug
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Ohlee! 18 Months Today
Today Anna is 18 months. What a milestone. As I’m sure I’ve already written, time moves super fast these days.
I’m at the computer writing while listening to the most lovely rendition of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Anna is in bed for her nap, and we’ve read a number of books already. I put her in her crib with Piglet and her doll and a few books for her to read to them. She done reading and is now singing (in a tiny, very high pitched voice) “Kinkull kinkull lil tar” – the words fade out a bit after that first line, but amazingly she’s got the tune spot on.
It was been so much fun watching her recently. She’s really turning into a funny little person. The crazy thing is to see her traits that she gets from Carlos and her traits that she gets from me, but the craziest thing is to see her traits that are all her own. One thing that is a little disturbing is her temper. The majority of the time Anna is a very good natured and happy child. But, when she’s tired and something frustrates her, look out! When she gets mad, she makes me think of the Incredible Hulk. Remember on the TV show when someone made the scientist mad (I can’t remember his name), he would look at them and say through clenched teeth: “You don’t want to make me angry.” Well, Anna gets look and then turns into the Hulk – except for she doesn’t turn green, she doesn't triple in size and she doesn’t turn into Lou Ferrigno. Yesterday she got mad at her play stroller (a toddler-sized stroller for dolls, etc. that she just got yesterday – it seems to be a de rigeur toy here and Anna loves it) because it wouldn’t cooperate with her plans to place three teddy bears in at the same time. So she clenched her fists, yelled and bit the stroller. Yikes. Hopefully, this temper will ease up once her coordination develops more and her stroller plans don’t get thwarted quite so often.
We went to Barcelona last weekend, for an extra long weekend (it was a Bank Holiday weekend here). It was great to see the abuelos (español for grandparents for you gringos out there), and they went nuts for Anna. The weather was wonderful, lots of sun and the perfect temperature. We flew with Swiss International Airlines (I think it replaced Swiss Air), and they get a huge thumbs up in my book. Wow, they were really great. Excellent customer service (not something that is a defining characteristic of Iberia Airlines), and the best thing was on the way back we flew through Zurich and the Zurich Airport has a gorgeous playroom/nursery for kids. Anna was on cloud nine! During our layover, there was a huge room filled with toys for her to play in. Just a service that the airport offers. Wow.
On the job front, I’ve got training scheduled for Thursday next week. I think the scope of my work will become clearer after this. For now, I think I’ll be adding information to the organization’s website about cases in the US involving the Alien Tort Claims Act (a law that has been used to sue for human rights violations in US courts). Oh, in case I haven’t mentioned, the organization is a small non-profit that acts as a resource center for information on human rights and business. In particular, they monitor activities (both positive and negative) of companies as they relate to international human rights. It should be really interesting.
New words:
Ohlee = hola
Tannkoo = thank you
Gassjass = gracias
Umblela = umbrella
I’m at the computer writing while listening to the most lovely rendition of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Anna is in bed for her nap, and we’ve read a number of books already. I put her in her crib with Piglet and her doll and a few books for her to read to them. She done reading and is now singing (in a tiny, very high pitched voice) “Kinkull kinkull lil tar” – the words fade out a bit after that first line, but amazingly she’s got the tune spot on.
It was been so much fun watching her recently. She’s really turning into a funny little person. The crazy thing is to see her traits that she gets from Carlos and her traits that she gets from me, but the craziest thing is to see her traits that are all her own. One thing that is a little disturbing is her temper. The majority of the time Anna is a very good natured and happy child. But, when she’s tired and something frustrates her, look out! When she gets mad, she makes me think of the Incredible Hulk. Remember on the TV show when someone made the scientist mad (I can’t remember his name), he would look at them and say through clenched teeth: “You don’t want to make me angry.” Well, Anna gets look and then turns into the Hulk – except for she doesn’t turn green, she doesn't triple in size and she doesn’t turn into Lou Ferrigno. Yesterday she got mad at her play stroller (a toddler-sized stroller for dolls, etc. that she just got yesterday – it seems to be a de rigeur toy here and Anna loves it) because it wouldn’t cooperate with her plans to place three teddy bears in at the same time. So she clenched her fists, yelled and bit the stroller. Yikes. Hopefully, this temper will ease up once her coordination develops more and her stroller plans don’t get thwarted quite so often.
We went to Barcelona last weekend, for an extra long weekend (it was a Bank Holiday weekend here). It was great to see the abuelos (español for grandparents for you gringos out there), and they went nuts for Anna. The weather was wonderful, lots of sun and the perfect temperature. We flew with Swiss International Airlines (I think it replaced Swiss Air), and they get a huge thumbs up in my book. Wow, they were really great. Excellent customer service (not something that is a defining characteristic of Iberia Airlines), and the best thing was on the way back we flew through Zurich and the Zurich Airport has a gorgeous playroom/nursery for kids. Anna was on cloud nine! During our layover, there was a huge room filled with toys for her to play in. Just a service that the airport offers. Wow.
On the job front, I’ve got training scheduled for Thursday next week. I think the scope of my work will become clearer after this. For now, I think I’ll be adding information to the organization’s website about cases in the US involving the Alien Tort Claims Act (a law that has been used to sue for human rights violations in US courts). Oh, in case I haven’t mentioned, the organization is a small non-profit that acts as a resource center for information on human rights and business. In particular, they monitor activities (both positive and negative) of companies as they relate to international human rights. It should be really interesting.
New words:
Ohlee = hola
Tannkoo = thank you
Gassjass = gracias
Umblela = umbrella
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