Start 'em young

Fact: Jon is a geek about games.

Fact: Jon has two kids.

Reading time

Theory: Jon will be able to get both kids into games.

Research:

This past Saturday certain conditions were achieved to allow for the execution of a test for the geek factor and genetic predisposition to it.

The fabulously cute subject Alya Beckett Schreiber (code named "Squirrel") woke up from her nap before her brother and mother were ready to resume the day. (Naps are pretty popular here at the house.) So it was some alone time for this researcher and the test subject, who was lying on the couch watching "Yo Gabba Gabba" in an I'm-not-tired daze.

Using a method that would allow for independent discovery, I brought out some of my gaming miniatures (see examples below) and started painting. Eventually, the Squirrel came out of her daze to see what her father was doing.

"What you doing, Daddy."

"I'm painting miniatures."

"Oh." Alya moved closer to the tv tray/painting station.

"Would you like to paint some 'guys'?"

"Yeah."

It was a great little moment. Me and the Squirrel sitting side-by-side, each with our own brushes, paints and little dudes.

Result: Possibly that theory of genetic geekness is true.

But things didn't end there.

Research II:

The next day, Marcus and Sasha were out and about somewhere - or sleeping - and it was Alya and I again hanging out. However this time she wasn't moving at that dazed level, so it was time to find an activity for the two of us. I went with Rock Band.

Yeah, it sounds really odd, but the video game Rock Band 2 has a mode where one can play with the drums without music. Perfect for a little girl to play around with drums and not be too loud. (I'm fairly certain the other two were sleeping.)

We started by us both sitting on the ottoman with the Rock Band drums set up in front of us. Alya was hitting the different pads with the drum sticks at first, but eventually it became a game of smacking our hands against the various pads. We went with colors and then incorporated beat counting.

"1 - 2 - 3 - 4. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4."

"1 - 2 - 3 - 4. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 8."

Alya is pretty good at counting.

Another fun twenty minutes of geeky father-daughter time.

Result: More testing needed, but it looks good.

Just how cool are these kids?


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In other Alya news, she is beginning the transition to a diaper-free life. Right now it is simply the ability to tell us when she has to potty, but she did sit on her potty chair and pee this morning. Third time total, but this really feels like we will be saying goodbye to one set of diapers soon.

Be seeing you,

Jon


You can lead a zebra-girl to the potty, but can you make her pee?


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Here are a few pictures of miniatures I painted.

Facebook lists

So there's a thing going around Facebook right now. The idea is that you write a list of 25 "random" things about yourself to share, and then "tag" people who you would want to write the list back.

While I was getting ready to put my list up, I realized there are a lot of people I'd like to share the list with, so I don't want to make a bazillion tags and instead just put it up here to share with everyone. (and write run on sentences, too)

Therefore, you will now get to see 25 semi-random tidbits about myself. Some are obvious, some are silly. But it should be a little fun, right?

Be seeing you,

Jon

25 Random Things - a BSer list

1. I love games of all kinds - board, video, sports, party, casino - but am not a fan of gambling. Stakes might make a game "interesting" but I know that the house always wins. Oh, and my luck really sucks when money's on the line.

2. I love my family more than games. This is an important statement that some people who are gamers don't understand.

3. My children amaze me on a daily basis. They are the best thing I've done with my life.

4. Science was my thing until the end high school when it was revealed to me that was not the case. I'm not the geek people think I am.

5. Movies and television are a shared experience for me. If no one I know watches a show, I probably won't watch it either.

6. In the early 90s a tv was only used for movies and video games. I got cable only to record Babylon 5 when TNT picked up the fifth season. Now the only time I watch a live broadcast is for BBC America World News in the morning. Everything else resides on the DVR.

7. Originally I believed I had a fear of heights, but now I know it's a fear of falling. Huge difference.

8. My desire to learn Japanese began in 1984 when my high school offered it and I was done with Spanish. 25 years later and my skill with both languages is atrocious.

9. Personal goal - visit each continent. I only have three thus far, and Asia is kind of iffy since I only went to Japan.

10. If someone tried to force me to choose between music and games I'd tell them to stuff themselves. Both are a very central part of me.

11. Instruments I have attempted to learn in chronological order: Recorder, Violin, Trombone, Guitar, Flute, Violin, Piano. Never buckled down on any of them. I still have some ability with the guitar, but my best instrument remains my voice.

12. People tell me I have a good radio voice. So now I'm working on a podcast to see if it's true.

13. Lactose intolerance kicked in late for me. Which means I know the joys of an unfettered Special from the Pig N' Whistle - three scoops of custard, hot fudge, bananas and chopped peanuts.

14. Growing up I wanted to be six feet tall. I stopped growing at five feet, eleven and a half inches. Go figure.

15. While in college performed in a children's theater production of Babar. I was the waiter, the priest, and the salesman. No spoken lines, but I did get paid.

16. I have always been into video games, but did not own the first Nintendo system (NES) until much later in life. And I don't own a single NES cartridge.

17. One of the best things my mom pushed on me was learning to swim. While I don't have any swimming "accomplishments", getting into the water is not a problem for me. Just don't try to make me dive.

18. Jethro Tull is one of my favorite bands, but when I saw them in concert I didn't know their biggest hits like Aqualung, Locomotive Breath, or even Too Old to Rock N' Roll. I just loved the album Songs from the Wood. Yes, it's slightly more obscure.

19. In 15 years of car ownership, I only had two cars that were "mine". The first car, which was a Ford Escort. And a Honda CRV. The rest have been "family" cars.

20. Roller coasters are awesome. I miss the G-Force that was at Six Flags Great America back in the day. My favorite at the park now is Raging Bull.

21. In 3rd grade I was a wimp and started getting bullied by a kid in another class. When the kids in my class found out, the girls all comforted me while the boys went over to deal with the bully. That is what happens when you are not Hispanic and mess with a Hispanic class. The bully was no longer a problem for me, and I learned a lot about the Hispanic concept of family.

22. I have pulled all-nighters for various reasons, but in the past few years it's only been when I have a book that I just can't put down. For me, the last 100 pages is "I'm near the end. I will finish this before going to sleep."

23. I still have no idea how I'll handle video games with the kids. Since they are so prominent, it will be hard to maintain a good schedule. At least I don't get into the morally questionable games.

24. Urban over rural every time. Tokyo and Paris both gave me a thrill that I've never felt outside a city. Don't know if I would be able to live in either place though.

25. Sometimes I have to flip a coin to make a decision. I don't always abide by the result of the flip, but it brings into focus what I really want.

I got naked butt!

Actually, it wasn't me but Alya with the bare bottom. Tonight the girl was determined to run around the house naked yelling, "I got naked butt!" She is such a silly little squirrel.

But it could have been the sugar talking.

Today was a day that could live in their memories forever. But they're only 2 and 1, so it's going to stick in ours instead. Today was sugar cookie day. Sasha made the dough and all three of them (with a little bit of daddy's help) rolled, cut and decorated the cookies.

Alya was way into it. She had received a mini-baking set as a present from her Great-Aunt Dawn, so Alya had her own rolling pin and baking tray. The cookies themselves were cut using a set of number cookie cutters from her Great-Aunt Mae.

So that's where you could find Alya this afternoon. Rolling, cutting and eating cookie dough.

Once that was complete, Sasha sat both Marcus and Alya that the table, with a stack of cookies, frosting and sprinkles. The image Sasha had was "fun times decorating cookies." The reality for the kids was, "yum." Yes, the two of them ate was too many cookies - which they coated with frosting themselves. Quite amusing, and a joy to watch.



Neither of them will remember the occasion, but twenty plus years from now, when they start talking about marrying that special person, we'll bust out the pictures and show their cookie extravaganza.

And maybe give a warning about how much they enjoyed running around starkers too.



Be seeing you,

Jon
- Who never ran around starkers... I think.

Long time, No blog

Yeah, yeah, it's been over a week. Holy cats, occasionally time puts the pedal down and I completely get caught up in the rest of life to blog about it.

This time, there hasn't been anything really momentous to mark the time. We had our first real weekend where not much was going on.

I had a big Rock Band night Saturday evening over at my friends Scott and Sara's place. Nice to (pretend) rock out without worries of waking the kids. The two liter of Diet Coke with Lime and the single liter of Bacardi Rum helped to loosen up the drumming skills hiding under this 38 year old skin. Lots of fun.

Sunday, my mom came by to spend time with the kids. We're always very grateful when she comes by. Alya and Marcus love her so much and Sasha and I get a break as well. Fun times.

Speaking of fun times, Saturday also had Marcus come down with a case of Pink Eye! Fortunately, we caught it really early so he didn't suffer much discomfort. In fact, it's pretty much gone. Shame Alya had it come on strong this morning. My poor little squirrel. We finally found a medicine that she doesn't enjoy taking. Eye drops and kids are a rough combination.

Just a quick little update, as things are quiet right now. Except for Axel Rose singing Paradise City on the tv behind me. It's on the PS3, which is calling me for reckless driving in a fictional city named Paradise City. Shame the mute button didn't work at that moment. Silly television.

Earlier I did watch about 20 minutes of an odd Japanese movie called Zebraman. While I won't go into the story, one thing I noticed about stopping a movie and returning to it later, my mind begins working on the plot and sees where things are going. Kind of a bummer, since it slightly spoils watching the movie.

Unless I'm wrong. In which case it's really cool.

Be seeing you,

Jon

The kids have a busy weekend - and so do the parents

Big News Update: Alya had decided to push her bedtime back to 8 PM. Parents not amused. Nor do they agree.

Yepppers, last night Alya told us that she is not tired and wanted to play. All the time she was rubbing her eyes and moving with very little pep in the step. So she got to snuggle up with Daddy and watch a bit of the Star Wars: Clone Wars cartoon last night. Then she snuggled up with Mommy to watch some of the Super Bowl. And then at 8:15, the Daddy-hammer came down and took his baby girl to her room.

You would think after such a busy weekend, there would be a greater desire to rest.

Friday, Sasha brought the kids into work for a little while to enjoy a dip food day that her department was having. And then latter on, the little ones got to enjoy playing at the Bayshore kids area.

That night, Kanisha came by with her kids and her niece to babysit Alya and Marcus while Sasha and I went out for a movie. Lots of running around the house, playing kitchen with little Alan, and going to bed late.

Saturday had a trip to the Zoo with Daddy. A short trip, but the weather was good and it was the first time going in the bird house there. Alya liked the smaller rooms, but had absolutely no desire to go into the large room where the birds flew around freely. Still, we got to see the lions hanging out. And the penguins were in full effect, strutting around looking good.

We also ran into Sue Gauger nee DiFonzo, who was there with her two little ones. That was fun to see what Alya and Marcus might be doing in a few years. The zoo is a great place for kids to stretch their legs in the winter. And the zoo membership that my Mom got us makes it that much easier to do.

Sunday was slow going at first. Sasha had a nice night out and I was up late doing a mini-podcast with John Mack. So when my Mom came by, we kind of left the kids with her while we napped/took-it-easy. So the kids had fun playing with Grandma. Alya called her "Grammy" at one point. Don't know where it came from but very cute.

Alya's other new phrase is "Not yet." As in:

"Time for dinner, Alya."

"No, Daddy. Not yet."

I think she got that one from us.

Finally, Sunday afternoon had an hour in the snow sledding. We bundled them up into snow suits and took them over to Brown Deer Park for some playtime outside.

When I pulled the two of them along in the sled, Alya squealed with delight. She loved sliding along the snow, holding her brother.

Marcus, on the other hand, just never relaxed to get into it. So eventually he had to be carried while I pull Alya up the hill.


Small Marcus in big snow field

At the top, I had little flash-backs to the water park adventure, but I loaded her up, sat down behind her, and gave us a push.


Alya laughed all the way down.




We ended up taking another trip and then Sasha took Alya down three more times.

Here's the second trip:



And I have to admit I took a couple of trips on my own as well.) Fun times for everyone except Marcus - and he was held the entire time, so it was a win for him too.

And my daughter, after all that, still managed to stay up until 8:30 PM last night. She definitely takes after her father.

* * *

For date night this past Friday, Sasha and I went to the iPic over in the Bayshore Towne Center. Big, comfy seats. Free bag of popcorn. And we ate dinner there in the theater. Great place to see a movie.

While dinner was okay (once they got the order right) the movie was really good. "The Mysterious Case of Benjamin Button" was the film of choice that night. The film is most certainly an Oscar runner and worth seeing at some point, if not on the big screen.

The best way I can describe it is a re-visioning of Forrest Gump. In have an innocent (Gump) telling a story of his life and how he was a good person through it all. Button's story of a life that is different from everyone else, and how he maintained a positive outlook and remained a good person.

Happy and funny at times, sad and tear producing at others. A fine movie that I recommend people view, even if on DVD.

Now hopefully Alya will go to bed on time tonight.

Be seeing you,

Jon