Scowls, Ruger, and RAW Files

Scowl. That's what Shanna did to me last night. She scowled at me... Why? Galen was getting a shower/bath. We place the little man in a baby tub made by The First Years. I hold & direct the shower extension while Shanna scrubs him down. He enjoys (usually) getting rained upon. He makes funny faces while getting sprayed in the face. And he tries to keep his eyes open. SOOOO cute. Well, last night doused him with a bit too much water and he started coughing - and that's when I got the scowl. Man, did that face get red, Galen's face that is, I didn't notice the color of Shanna's face.

A minute later he was back to enjoying his shower. Afterwards he was a clean happy baby - and that's always a good thing.

Monday I met up with Spooky, and old friend from the Arizona Xterra Club, and his kid Ruger. Yes, just like the firearm. Ruger was born about a week prior to Galen so we had to compare babies. You could tell by the way the kids were watching each other, thrashing out with those tiny fists of death, that Galen was gonna be the bully, and Ruger the geeky computer programmer..... And then we went and enjoyed lunch. That was great, two dads, two babies. The waitresses appeared to see some humor and fun in this. Good. Galen got cranky at the end, it kinda hurried me along sooner than I had wished.

We've since decided to get together on Monday's. Any other new dad's wanna join us?

Do you keep your negatives from that film camera? What about from your digital camera? JPEGs aren't exactly a digital negative. The camera releases the shutter, captures the image, processes the image, and then compresses the image into a JPEG. During the JPEG compression some data are irretrievebly thrown out. This is called "lossy" data compression.

TIFFs are one "lossless" storage scheme - no data are discarded. Both formats, TIFF and JPEG, and after the camera has down it's image processing based upon how the mode switch is set, and how it's been programmed to inteprete the data.

Some cameras can store the image in "RAW" format. Basically it is no more than a TIFF prior to processing for mode setting and alike. The file will contain the mode settings, but these aren't applied to the image. This is as near to a true "negative" as you'll fnd in the digital world. And each manufacturer does it slighly different. And they change over time. And there is no gaurantee that the program they make in 5 years will read last week's RAW file. What a pain in the ass. Not pro-consumer.

There is an organisation trying to change that. Read more here: OpenRAW - Digital Image Preservation Through Open Documentation.

Camping, Big Brother, and Get a CLUE

We took Galen on his first camping trip over my birthday weekend. He was VERY good, much more so than we were. It rained, a gust of wind blew the tent over, it was chilly, there was beer, cigars, and excellent chicken. And through it all little man was great. Packing the truck is an interesting challenge, almost as much as packing his diaper bag. What does a 5 month old need for camping?? As it turns out nothing more than what he needs at home with the addition of bug and sun protection.

On Sundfay morning Galen got breakfast & cuddles in bed (back of the truck) while I was cooking breakfast.

Sunday he was still being a great little trooper. He loves posing with his Mommy...

I must admit to have been more nervous than Shanna, and certainly more so than Galen was about the whole affair. As it turned out he was no different than Natasha & Rocky. We do the packing, the watching; and they eat, shit and play as if we weren't even there... He'll be camping again. I can't wait until he can help set up and then put away the camping gear!!!

Another article on kid's privacy...KRT Wire | 04/20/2005 | Big Brother, meet Mom and Dad. I hope to not be too much of a nosey spy. I want to know, to be aware of Galen's activities, but I don't want to be a snoop. As we both get older it'll be a difficult balancing act. And I will remember; I am a parent, not a buddy to a youngster. How that will guide me? I'll just have to see.

So, you got the credit reports to check for fraud. Ever wonder about your insurance? No, someone probably did not steal your insurance, but those agencies have the same database errors as the credit reporting agencies. As reported in the Arizona Republic - You can get CLUE'd in on your insurance history. The CLUE report will state the basis assumptions that drive your risk and therefore your insurance rates. Check it out at ChoicePoint.

Baby Signing, Rugs, and Political Ranting

Based upon my Mom's suggestion, we are thinking about teaching Galen baby sign language. Mom let me know of the success my sister & brother-in-law have had with their kids. Last night I attended an "Introduction to Baby Signing" class. The class was facilitated by Jenny Hodges, the Arizona District Manager for Baby Signs and derived from the same titled book by Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn. I got to learn some fun songs, see other parents' fumbling hands, and here all the buzz...

Have you ever done something and wondered why it took you so long to do it? We had one of those moments over the weekend. Sunday we purchased a living room rug. Yes, a rug gave me that feeling. Why? I was wanting to leave Galen on the floor, and the living room is tile, kinda hard for his noggin. So now I lay a towel on the rug (to catch drool, etc), lay Galen on the rug, and he gets more room to roll around and try to develop his crawling skills. The crawling is more like plowing, but he's getting there.

Oh, and the rug feels great to the feet...

So, maybe being fat isn't so bad after all. But I still wanna lose some of the extra stuff. CNN.com - Study: Obesity death risk overstated - Apr 20, 2005

Another strange idea from our legislature. Bill would give drivers a summer gas break. I think they are heading the wrong direction. Yes, I appreciate cheap gas. No, I can't afford to pay more. But from a policy & economics standpoint, higher priced gas will encourage conservation, more fuel efficient vehicles and driving. I also think that they are creating a headache for whoever has to review the receipts.

Another House of Representatives ethics investigation has been announced azcentral.com - House ethics panel to probe Tom DeLay. Since they last admonished DeLay, the Republican leadership replaced three of the Ethics' committee members for their role in the outcome. Will the replacements think for themselves? Or will they see what happened last time and avoid the Hammer?

Rice, Idiots, and Dads

Galen the boy wonder is starting on solids. It's just rice cereal, but he goes at it with gusto. He chases the spoon with his mouth, very cute. Once in his mouth he often gets these funny faces, not sure what to do. The amount staying inside & getting swallowed is slowly increasing, but a huge anount still comes back out. His fingers are often used to mop up the mess and then get sucked clean.

Arizona's illustrious Republican leadership has fumbled again. Idiots. They were pushing for mandating 65% classroom spending. They had press conferences, during one it was mentioned how one of the committee chairmen was a roadblock, nevermind the fact that the bill wasn't even in that committee. They released a TV commercial with the statement to call your Republican representatives for more information. And the calls came: and none of the elected Republicans new what the calls were about. The House Speaker and Senate President were bombarded with calls from their fellow Republicans wandering what's up.

It's time to find some Republican leadership that does more than attack spending, does more than identify problems without providing viable solutions. They also have a bad case of "not invented here" syndrome. Get over it.

Various Dad Blogs...
An 18 month old lying? Yep, that what is discussed in DadTalk. He links to some decent articles.

I learned about the next story from Rebel Dad. Rebel Dad finds interesting media stories about stay at home Dads...Stay-at-home dad tackles parenting duties

Words for the Future, Words To Watch, and a Long Line

Phil's blog A Family Runs Through It, the section Fun With Words is about his kids' choice of words. I'm waiting for this day...

I wanna see the movie, but not this bad. Some people have wayyy too much time on their hands... CNN.com - 'Star Wars' fans wait at wrong theater - Apr 6, 2005

Nice site to see your federal elected officials at work. GovTrack.us: Track Federal Legislation. I wish the Arizona legislative site was as easy and informative.

Last Night I picked up the phone and called an old and dear friend. The conversation drifted through the past, the future, and even some of the present. Talking with friends, something we should all do more often.

Simplistic way Az republican leadership is trying to increase school funding. Plan asks 65 cents of $1 to fund classrooms. If we legislate it, they will come. Yea, right. It sounds good, more for the classroom, less for "non-classroom" expenses. Some districts may be forced to cut librarians, guidance counselors, and speech therapists - especially the smaller & inner city districts . At the same time the leadership is pushing for a voucher program that will remove public education funding and redirect it to private education programs.

I am all for choice, I am all for increase funding, but these leaders need to find a better way. Public education, by federal law, is the school of last resort - they must take students. Inner city students don't always have the resources to attend a charter school in Gilbert. Instead of diluting the public pool go back and find alternatives. Give us options, don't just bully districts, don't cut funding.

What Does a Foot and Cottage Cheese Have In Common?

Foot found, or in Galen's case, foot aware. He's working up from grasping his calf to holding the foot, mostly the right one. The walking appendage is becoming a thing to behold. It has yet to become a suckling replacement for the fingers.

Try this. Open the fridge and find a container of cottage cheese, large curd would be best. Or maybe yogurt. Now go to the bathroom, open the container and smear this all over your face - now look in the mirror. See that face? This is how I found Galen yesterday. He seemed so happy about it too... Go figure. Did you enjoy it?

Pigeons. Did I mention I hate pigeons? I didn't mind them in Trafalgar Square, but that was about 20 years ago when I last visited. They don't bother me in downtown Phoenix. But they do in my own yard. They frolic at the pool edge and leave dropping. So over the weekend I installed two scarecrows. They are nothing more than a motion detector with a water sprinkler attached. I tried this earlier with some success, but the water hoses kept bursting in the Arizona sun, we would find water running into the street. Bad form. Sunday I trenched and placed irrigation hose underground. The location is more fixed than I would like, but the rocks are now defended. Time to do something for the roof.

We rented two movies over the weekend, Johnny English and Collateral. Johnny English was very silly, almost like watching a modern Mr. Bean. Humerous, but I am glad it was a rental and not at a full-priced theater. Collateral was good, how many ways can a hit man get a taxi driver to cooperate? And Vincent (Tom Cruise) was likeable at times, like when Max's (Jamie Foxx) boss get to be a pain and Vincent sets him straight.

It's Your Decision

It's over. Don't let DeLay, the Bush family, and the rest right-wing kooks politicize and decide how your life should, or should not, end. Me, if I ever get to a "persistent vegetative state" do not even think about a feeding tube. Let me end my days with peace and dignity. Galen needs a dad & father, not a shell, not a beating heart with an empty gaze stashed away in a hospice.

If you haven't done so, visit Aging With Dignity, review the Five Wishes, think about how your time will come. And don't just stick it in the safe or a box in the closet, it needs to be shared with your family. Arizona has established the Arizona Advance Directive Registry, and to quote:

"In order to honor an advance directive, your physician, hospital or nursing home must be aware of it and what is says. Arizona’s Advance Directive Registry is a way for your advance directive to be available where and when it is needed."

Shanna & I have been redoing our estate & will planning for several months, almost complete. We will record our wishes at the web site; we will also share with our family.

And now time for something completely different... No, not Monty Python and the Flying Circus. I'm talking of the screech machine. Galen's vocalizing more each day. It's mostly schreeches, but he's also trying to purse his lips and blow bubbles (I think that's what he's doing.) He will converse with screeches, back n forth. It's fun and quite the stress reliever.

What does a baby think in these months & years before language & words get established?

We went to the Tempe Festival of the Arts today. Again, Galen with those Baby Banz, gets attention. Lots of junk I wouldn't buy with free money, a few things interesting, an even fewer number that I might buy. The one thing I was ready to shell over cash for, beer, was nowhere to be found. Bummer...