The Occasional Solipsist

Been hard to get a chance lately to collect my thoughts, let alone write them down, mostly due to the fact that I have been laptop-less for going on 6 weeks. That and when I do get a chance to do anything I feel obligated to write reviews for the DVD site I get free Blu-Rays from. (Tip of the hat goes to Eyecravedvd.com.)

I am currently plugging away right now on a loaner machine that I have to give back tomorrow so I am trying to get as much done tonight as I can. But no more reviews tonight. Three in a week is my limit.

I am desperately awaiting the arrival of not one, but two laptops, as HP is finally (fucking finally!) going to replace the one that I have had to send back twice to them for motherboard failures. And I am also eagerly awaiting my new eee pc, so that I have something to always take with me and a backup in case my new HP turns out to be as reliable as the last one.

Listening to the free instrumental album off the new Nine Inch Nails release, Ghosts and its really good. And free, as in the band is offering it for download and has upped it to every torrent site in the cloud at no cost in the hopes that downloaders might then buy the whole 4 album package. Which I won't be, thanks. Although I might just download the whole thing for nothing (snicker).

Been working on my resume tonight too. Unfortunately for me, there are some postings at my job for the job I currently have to make it a full time gig. Bummer for me because I like working on contract; better money. And now I have to compete for a job I currently have, and might lose, which is teh sucks. But such is life.

And now that I take the time to update the blog, I find I have relatively little else to say. An old friend of mine recently was written up in an article for a St. Catharines newspaper and it is worth a read. He is a motivational speaker, and aside from being a bit of a religious nutter, he is one of the coolest guys I have ever met. Awesome attitude, and I was really happy for him when I came across the article. One of these guys that, were he to be handed lemons by life, would likely build a lemonade stand and donate the whole thing to a passing homeless guy.

Labels: everything else, work

I was all set tonight to write about how morose I have been of late, how off kilter I have been feeling ever since the time off part of my swing shift started. How Superwife and I have been bumping heads a bit, how because I work such fucked up hours that half the time when I am home, I feel like a stranger in my own house.

And then tonight, the stars aligned, Trin went to sleep early enough and Superwife wasn't totally exhausted, and we had the opportunity to get some much needed private time in. And amazingly, all that other nonsense seemed to just disappear like the bs that it is.

So nevermind. I was just being a whiny jerk.

That's clarity for you.

Labels: everything else, superwife

Dear Trinity,

You and I continue watching old Trek series together and have this month moved to the all-important watching Star Trek: The Next Generation portion of our Daddy/Daughter relationship. Much to Mom's dismay, you really get off on yelling around the room when its time to watch a new episode. Obviously a series that can sometimes show adult themes or violence can only be seen in a very abbreviated state by a 2 year old, but this is where the luck of having a Dad that has seen every episode at least a dozen times comes in. I just skip past the offensive bits and you and I have a blast together.

You continue to amaze with both your vocabulary and your ability to hold conversations with it. You can carry on a conversation now on some level about almost anything, and you have integrated talking so much into your imaginative play that its awesome to just sit back and listen as you tell stories, make up scenarios, have conversations. The books you like to read have also been affected by your growing vocabulary. You now want to read stories that have lots of text and sometimes you like to flip through them and repeat the words you know are associated with each page, as if you were reading them on your own.

The longest part of the winter is almost over now, and I for one am just fine with it. Your Mom and I have spent the last month with you taking advantage of whatever we could think to do in the sometimes ridiculously cold Northern Ontario winter, and we're pretty much ready to start doing things outdoors with you in nicer weather now.



Yesterday, you and I went ice fishing together, (no Mom allowed this time) and hung out with your Uncle Dave and a friend of his and his little girl. You did what we do out there; ate hot dogs, jigged for fish and were generally the highlight of everyone's afternoon. On the way back you honked the horn the entire way across the lake to your grandparents house, and it was funny all the way there.



Today we went out to a local Maple Tapping operation to expose you to probably the last winter outdoor thing we could think of that we hadn't already done or rejected. We went on a horse sleigh ride, saw some part of the 5,000 or so tapped trees, ate taffy and hot dogs, and had an all around awesome time. We also went out for dinner tonight, and you opted to wear a princess dress-up outfit. There was a live band and you again entertained everyone as you ran around the restaurant between our table and the band's setup dancing your little heart out.



The past few months has seen a quantum leap in your ability to draw, a fact that I have gone around telling, showing and blogging about already. Here is the latest from the growing pile of your artwork we are putting away. You actually told us it was Baby Jack Jack from The Incredibles. Awesome.



You also have been really enjoying using the computer lately. You haven't quite got the mouse down yet but your Mom and you discovered interactive flash games on the Sesame Street site and you have been using the keyboard a little when prompted. You love Youtube too, and can't get enough of being able to ask for something and finding a video clip of it a few seconds later. Until you surpass me as the resident computer geek of the family, I will continue to find it both cute and a point of pride.

See you next month,

Love Daddy

Labels: family, trinity