Monday, December 7, 2009

You Better Watch Out...

Tis the season for this guy to come a jingling.



and if you like this Christmas card, you can find others from these guys here.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Tukey Lurky Do

Happy Thanksgiving to all of those folks who read this blog. (Yes I'm referring to both of you)

I'm in Vermont with a wonderful conglomerate of extended family, pondering the intricate connections we all share amidst voids. I'm always amazed at how a sense of place comes from not only repetition, but companionship tambien.

On that note, an old memory of a Turkey Day tradition comes via the blogosphere. Thanks to all of you (both).


Alices Restaurant - Arlo Guthrie

Friday, October 9, 2009

New Horizons

This video has some nice sunsets. It also shows new horizons in mountain biking. Enjoy!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Tetris

I'm constantly reminded of the ways in which life is like a game. Today's game: Tetris (original version with background music)

We like our eclectic collection of furniture. Some finely made used pieces from thrift stores, IKEA glue togethers, and the few quality handmades by Emery's dad round out the objects relieving us of much needed space in our home. On the other hand, living on the ground might kinda suck.

We also like to rearrange our furniture often. This poses a problem with our current house situation. We have small rooms with specific functions. Add to this the tubs of gear and memorables stacked in all various hiding spots and I've got a dilemma. Now do you understand the Tetris reference?

Also, we are selling our Fit because we bought a new car. However, while we have two and Colin has to get his in and out of the driveway, we move cars around constantly. Speaking of the Fit, here's a funny ad used to sell it in Europe when it was the Honda Jazz.



My day is complete, now that some of the pieces have fallen into place for a great day.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Sucka MC's

A sucker. Also known as a plug, binky, pacifier, and across the pond as a dummy. That one item of silicone and plastic makes my life easier.

Sure, I use toys, a swing, bouncer, and even various carrying positions to satisfy his desires of happiness and mine of non-screaming babies. However, this one item makes more of a difference than all others, except Mommy of course.

I should build a shrine to the thing, but instead I'm writing this ode to its bountiful brilliance. Soon, when he can crawl, I'll embark on a scientific experiment. I'll place him on the floor directly between the sucker and I. Whichever he crawls to first wins. Of course, if he heads in the direction of the pacifier, I'll have to ensure my victory by picking him up and being the great father who gives him the object of ultimate joy.

Friday, August 21, 2009

It's all downhill from here.



One Epic Goodbye deserves another.

Four years ago, this guy I worked with invited me to go mountain biking. This event changed my mindset about biking through the desert. A few hundred cactus spines can have that effect.

In my humble moments, this guy Adam stuck around, even though he laughed most of the time! So when he and his family decided to move to Alaska, there had to be a final biking trip.

After a perilous query into how we would attend our last service at the International Church of Bicicletas, Adam suggested heading to Sunrise ski area in Northern Arizona. The Dudes: Jeffe, Tony, Adam, and I. Check. Bikes and Gear: big tires, armor, and back up parts gin. Check. Beer, food, and cigars for camping. Check.



It turns out we had a great time riding the gnarly trails downhill all day. We had to pedal up a total of maybe 50 feet, as compared to our nearly 11,000 feet of vertical descent. By the end we had aired jumps, skidded turns, and fallen a few times each. However, we had no major injuries, and a lack of mechanical issues. Now, for the pictures...










So it is with a sadness infused joy I wish my dear friend farewell. And to quote a cantankerous old bastard:

"Benedicto: May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets' towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across the white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you --- beyond that next turning of the canyon walls."
Edward Abbey

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Listing

As the days remain infernally hot, the calendar marches on. Noah grows quickly, inching his way to new feats daily. His growth is exaggerated by the introduction of newer, smaller babies in the lives of friends and family. He shadows the growth of the garden, which has peaked and begins to dwindle with each 100 degree plus day. The sunflowers are listing with their bright faces looking to the ground, as if searching for a landing spot. I think they know my summer vacation is ending.

Thursday I go back to work. The excitement I feel is overshadowed by the idea of leaving Emery and Noah at home. They'll be fine, I'll settle into my work schedule again, and home life will be fun still. Too bad the temperatures make the last days of summer intolerable outdoors.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Another one

I know I'm just posting videos, but this one is not by me. It shows skills on a bike I can only dream of, and the cajones to accomplish such feats.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

New Video

A new mountain bike video I made. Enjoy!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Once upon a Saturday Night

"Noah videos are so hot right now" - Mugatu

On that advice, here's a new one. Bath time. Cuteness. Need I say more?

Monday, July 13, 2009

And so it begins

Tucson summers can be quite relaxing. Either that or the heat sucks all energy from your body and turns your mind to mush, forcing the relaxation that spas advertise.

With Noah in tow, we decide that cabin fever approaches all to easily in the Eaves house. Looking outside we yearn for adventure. Our multiple small rooms leave us feeling boxed in. We need open space, room to walk briskly, and furthermore, good air conditioning.

We pack up our now practiced baby luggage, crank the ac in the car, and head for the place that fulfills all aforementioned requirements, the Mall.

I've come full circle from the pre-teen years during which the mall was my haven. I could walk there, play in the arcade, eat junk food, oogle girls, and harass the occasional store clerk; all without my parents around. Now the pre-teens are just orange cones in my stroller driving test.

We walk and talk, oogle gadgets in store windows, giggle about other people's styles, and then walk some more. It's still an excuse to eat junk food on occasion. It's also the most exercise we get at the moment.

However, I do have one concern. We are raising a kid. He is influenced by our actions every day. Will he just be another pre-teen mall junkie because of our frequent trips? Something must be done to correct this. So yesterday, to escape the house but avoid the mall, we went to Summit Hut, our local outdoor gear shop.

Not the same excercise opportunity as the mall, but a much better atmosphere to influence a child with. Another gear junkie is born, because before we could leave, Noah insisted on buying a new tent for our family travels. What was his reaction when we decided to go ahead with this purchase?

He pooped. Loud and juicy for all to hear.

I guess we need to work on our manners when in public next.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Radar

He has my ears. Poor fella, at least his aren't as big (reference figure 2).


Figure 1



Figure 2







And finally, the real icing on the ear cake... not to mention the inclusion of a creepy floating head shot to top it all off... Chris ears galore!



You're a lucky man Noah, lucky little man.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Four Weeks

Four weeks ago I wrote a post saying that I would be blogging more.

HA!

I eat my words more often than not now days.

I've been amazed at how much stuff fits into a routine; if one could call sporadically doing laundry, diaper changes, and spacing out in random fashion a routine. The amount of effort Emery puts into nursing alone can amaze a workaholic.

We've had the many helpful hands of grandparents in town to aid us in this adventure of parenting. We also own many DVD's. We love how much Noah can sleep or be easily calmed. And most of all, we love the little noises he makes when hanging around.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

A new season of Chasing

Summertime is here. My last contract day of work was today, not that I'm finished grading or anything.

I've also felt a new sense of relaxation with this summer. Noah makes me want to work harder to get things done, but I love holding him, so I get little done that can't happen with a single hand.

I also felt inspired to make a new title for my blog. Emery was outdoing me as usual, and I wanted to document some of the amazing sunsets we've seen together over the years. I also intend to keep putting shots of new sunsets with Noah and family.

(By the way, Emery took all the shots of sunsets I used in the title collage. So much for not being out done!)

Sunday, May 31, 2009

"Honey, how long since the last..."

Newborns require regular maintenance. I knew that would be the case. However; keeping track of the frequent 'pit stops' was unbeknown to me.

Once upon a time I became certified as a Wilderness First Responder. The biggest part I recall is how to monitor the patient's vitals. It allows you to know if they're fading fast or recovering nicely.



Noah Kai's ins and outs are a way of keeping up with his health. Supposedly we can predict what he will be needing in the near future based on what he's had happen in the past. If only there was an easy way...


Introducing the Itz Been, or as we like to call it, the 'How long has it been since we pushed the button on that thing that doesn't keep very good track of everything?"
That's right, it keeps track of last time we pushed a button for diaper, nursing, sleep, or a bonus button we don't know what to use for. It also has a switch for you to keep track of which boob he fed from last, if you can remember to flip that either.

The best part we've found is an alarm that goes off every few hours you set it to. Oh, and it has a flashlight that will come in handy in a few years when he and I go on ghost hunts in our pillow forts.



I just threw this in as an example of some of the faces he'll make when pooping!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Antsy no more...


Kablow! He arrives...and reminds me what a precious thing sleep is.

These are pictures Emery took this morning. She also has them on her blog here.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Getting Antsy

Think about the last time you had a job interview. It goes well; you smile, leave, and begin to wait.

You wait a few hours, then evening comes and you figure, "Maybe tomorrow they'll call". Then you wake up, going about your day, but still in the back of your mind waiting. Finally, they call back. When you answer the phone and hear the person on the other end, for that first instant, you could care less if you got the job or not, you're just ecstatic the wait is over.

I feel this longing.

Saturday was the due date, or as many consider it, modern medicines best guess at what should be normal gestation. I've been thinking about the 'job' of being a parent for some time now, and even though the position requires 24 hour shifts for the rest of my life with a decrease in pay, I'm ready. I just hope it starts sooner than later.

Ants have shown up in our house during the last few days. As it gets hotter outside, they move indoors. They build condos in our walls and sub-floor. I even installed a pool (jar lid filled with water) for them, right next to the poison buffet. Their determination to eat, drink, and walk aimlessly around our house is a quality I envy. I look forward to summer vacation at the house with Emery, Sesame, and myself. Maybe without the ants.

So whatever scenario you choose, waiting for a call back for a job, from a date, or for a package to arrive, the intensity has never been this severe. At least I know I won't get a call saying, "I'm sorry sir, but the position has been filled".

Sunday, May 10, 2009

For those about to roll, mucha salud para ti!




It started with a bike.



Then there was a destination.



Now a passion burns inside, influencing my commute daily. I've been missing this stress relieving, fitness enhancing, community building activity for a while now. I get such a thrill from a short ride between home and work. I see animals like lizards, roadrunners, and coyotes in this urban landscape. Other cyclist share the pathways and bike lanes with the occasional 'ding ding' of bells. Cars, however, often receive the ominous 'ding ding DING' of my bell, accompanied by a scowling skinny guy of course.



I'm looking forward to a future in which the family commutes about Tucson, though I know that is some time distant from now. The world is a great place when we look at the overall big picture. Too bad cars shut out so much of that image behind metal, glass, and annoying morning show DJ's.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

A Memory Relived

I just spent a few minutes reading a great essay from Steve about our Grand Canyon trip this last winter. An interesting part of the essay comes when he describes the seemingly mechanical process our bodies and minds adopted when hiking out of the massive void. He shares the anxiety he could no longer ignore when standing hip deep in snow drifts, saturated to the core, with a fleeting sunset dramatically dipping into the Earth.

As I read this, it hit me. I've been experiencing a situation of some anxiety, but running on auto-pilot for the past few days. My life is about to change completely, the sun is setting on an old chapter in the book of Chris. But rather than mechanically functioning due to an act of survival, similar to what Steve and I experienced in January, I have been coasting effortlessly on a cloud of bliss. I know a new day is coming, and I rejoice in anticipation of its arrival.

Peers and co-workers alike have asked if I'm nervous yet. Am I supposed to be? Maybe reality will come out of a uterus and smack me in the head, or better yet firehose my face. Yet I still believe that the anxiety is a product of impatience, and reality is what I long for.

Nights of sleeplessness may come, but so will the days of joy. Firsts for Sesame, firsts for the family. New memories and smiles that last a lifetime.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

If you build it, you will be payed with beer

Like a prison escape, it started from scratch. Many scratches of pencil lead on paper, shovels in dirt, and saw blades on beams.





Next came the bracing. Metal brackets holding it together, bracing myself to lift the sides into place with Adam's helping hands. Spare wood and a pregnant wife holding the structure in place long enough to repeat the process on the other side, and brace with a top rail. Add more top rails.





Finally, pop a top on there for shade. Pop the top off a cold beer for prosperity and gratitude. Sip coolly with friends. Relax.



Sunday, April 12, 2009

You know what they say about rabbits...

Quick like bunny.

After long thoughts led to lengthy discussion and planning, we built a ramada in the backyard. It's a skeletal frame as of this moment, but Adam helped me put together and lift up the 4x4 frame and place a few 2x4 cross pieces to make it sound. Pictures to follow tomorrow or later than that if I get too tired.

On a side note: I think I worked faster today than ever on a project around the house. Oh, and Emery is the best grilled cheese maker in the West!

Friday, April 3, 2009

Options

Ever notice that being a house guest opens a whole new world? People's homes are arranged in so many different ways; some are tidily kept just 'in case' guests are to arrive, whereas others fall into a category between 'neat but lived in' and plain old 'clusterf#cked'.

All these intimate sanctuaries of living space are new worlds to a wayfaring friend or stranger. The homes contain such oddities you've never conjured, or selections of shampoo you wanted to buy but never could bring yourself to justify. Either way, I always enjoy being welcomed into these adventurous places, especially when food is served! I also like to invite others to my home for the same little reasons I visit theirs.

Anyone for a sleepover? Being grown up is still all about having your friends over for the night sometimes.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Spring Energy

I'm extra energetic today. Not sure why, possibly has to do with all of the stuff happening in life around me right now. Grades are turned in, Sesame's stuff is starting to look organized in our room, and spring is here!

Amongst the flowers, wind, and buzzing bees I've accomplished very little in my garden. As it wistfully waits to be tended, much less planted, the weeds are thriving. This could be a metaphor for how my classes have gone until recently.

This week is AIMS testing.

This joke of an assessment is the cumbersome elephant in my cozy basement classroom. Today I spent a few hours playing quiz games with students as a review for tomorrow's doldrums. When I asked questions about simple machines, some kids forgot that by 'spring' I was referencing the object rather than the season. I almost 'sprang' a leak of annoyance.

They are after all middle-schoolers.

Now I am reflecting on the grading process I finally completed last night, writing narratives about each student's progress this trimester. Our alternative method of sending parents and students feedback on their performance does so much more than a few letters or percentages. However, it is becoming little more than an experiment in copy and pasting words on a document. The authenticity of my expression for each student is lost in the desire to finish quickly and enjoy a beer. Maybe I'll wrap my head around another idea soon, but for now I'll bask in the delight that my time spent on report cards is getting ever so shorter.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Gearing up for the Recycle Revolution

I've played with bikes for a large part of my adult life. Sometimes I like to create things, like the suicide brake lever I once mounted under the seat of my old townie! This newest creation is a continuation of the Projecto Mysterioso that began before our wedding. I vowed to make bottle openers as groomsmen gifts. However, if you ask any of said groomsmen, they would have no clue what you were talking about. This is in part because I don't own a welder, something that should change in the next year or two. I also wasn't completely satisfied with the final product, which can now be bought in most stores or online anyway.
(the original design)


So, it is now February (though it feels like May outside) and I have completed three new test models for your special viewing. Yes, you are one of the lucky few million that are able to view not one, not two, not four, but three cool models available to you exclusively if you have the initiative to make one yourself. Without any further adou...

(Quite the selection)


( New Favorite!)

Monday, February 2, 2009

Update: 2 down the hatch, 2 to go

Stone Levitation Ale: Tasty ale with pleasantly bitter aftertaste. I've been trying to sample different brews from Stone since the last few have been great. I'm still more a fan of their stouts, but this one was a nice Sunday evening treat. However, I think any company that claims to have brewed their beer using only water, barley, hops, and yeast might be feeding me a line.

Dogfish Head 90 minute Imperial IPA: Grading math tests can make a teacher crazy. This beer can cure all. I find India Pale Ales to be too hoppy most of the time, and many say this is because I'm not a true beer connoisseur. Maybe so, or its possible that I tend to enjoy stouts and porters more. Thick and dark however this beer is not. It makes a bold statement with its rich flavors and smooth aftertaste. The hops are subtle, possibly because they are constantly added over a 90 minute period. I can't wait to try the 120 minute IPA. Thank you Dogfish Head for introducing me to the beauty of a good IPA!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Four of a Kind



I have the greatest wife on this planet!

Last night, after a lovely hike in the Tucson Mountains, our friends Steve and Tasha made a wonderful suggestion to head to Yoshimatsu. After a fine meal and many laughs, we wished them a good evening and headed to the car. Looking past the car though, I saw the sign of Plaza Liquors just meters aways. Mmmmmm, Plaza has the best beer selection in Tucson, at least 600 different brews lining the cooler shelves.

Here she is, 25 weeks pregnant, meaning 25 weeks sin cerveza. Yet, she not only complies with my request to get a few good beers for the week, she encourages me. I got four of the finer brews I could pick. Each is different for the different beer moods I will surely be in this week.

I just have to try and not boast too much about the wonderful flavors as she drinks tea or water in the seat next to me!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Comments about Tidbits

I may have taken it too far with the skin ink note. Sorry to everyone I know with tattoos, which is pretty much everyone but Emery, that I said I am "too punk for tattoos". However, I still think I might be too punk to go against the wishes of my wife.

Also, I left out a nickname: Dilly Dally Sally (no explanation required for most)

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

25 quick tidbits about me

1. I still hate being alone in the dark.
2. My past list of nicknames from kindergarten to now: Curious George, Kissifer, Christopher Robin, Ice Man (self chosen), Fish Face (not appreciated, til now), Spaz, Christafari, Redneck, Christopher Robin (again?), and Mr. Chris
3. I have always had a problem estimating time, especially when deadlines are involved.
4. I took 7 years to earn my undergraduate degree in Anthropology.
5. My wife Emery is pregnant but still gives me foot massages, how wonderful is that!
6. Cars are the focal point of many of my frustrations.
7. I make cool things with nothing more than an idea and a grinder with old bike parts.
8. Cats. I was always allergic to them as a kid. I grew up with dogs. Now I have a hard time dealing with anything but cats. They just aren't as annoying.
9. My middle name is five letters, starts with S and ends with N. I used to tell other kids it was SATAN, but really it is just an odd spelling of SHAUN.
10. (not even halfway with these notes, gosh) I am an Eagle Scout.
11. I've gone camping twice in the last two years without remembering any source of fire.
12. The Grand Canyon is beautiful from the rim, but unbelievably amazing from the bottom.
13. My guilty pleasure at Epic Cafe is a Triple Dirty Chai, so good it needs capitals!
14. I like board games with friends more than roller coasters.
15. My mother, sister, and I are all educators.
16. I still have a goal to brew my own beer.
17. My footwear choices almost outnumber those of my wife.
18. Chevy Chase as Ty Webb sums up my ideas on life all too often.
19. I'm too punk for tattoos.
20. I'm too sissy for piercings.
21. Emery thinks I look cute in my work outfits. She should, she bought most of the clothes at Savers for me. But I do love them and make them look DAMN good.
22. I'm humble. (probably the most humble person I know)
23. I tire easily with tasks, and leave many of them unfinished.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Bike vid project

I'm trying my hand at video production with all the bike rides I've done recently. Check it out on you tube by clicking here.

And thanks to Amy for posting this link as well. After all, it is her gnarly hubby doing all the big stuff.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

LBA not so Anonymous

Hello, my name is Chris and I've been a Last Bite Save for about 27 years now.

I can't begin to explain how many times I've saved a particular bite of dinner, dessert, or other food items til the very last. The promise of a sweet or savory perfect ending to a well thought out meal. The joyous triumph of selecting a bite with all of the greatest flavor combination wrapped into one final package. The nearly orgasmic sensation when you slowly roll the food over all the taste buds on your tongue, almost as if the two are participating in a comic saliva wrestling match. (Okay, maybe that image was a little too much, but that's what the imagination is for.)

But now that I am older and spending time reflecting on personal habits, I find that my Last Bite Addiction permeates other behaviors. Just yesterday, I was shopping for pants. Completely unrelated to eating, or so I thought. Yet, the moment I entered the dressing room, I found myself sorting through the four or five options I had plucked from the clearance rack. I sorted them based on whether I just happened to like them, or had fallen in love with them at first sight. Guess which ones went to the back of the rack. I didn't notice until I tried on all the other pairs of pants, but the pair I saved for last was that pair of charcoal grey trousers that sparked a natural desire upon first sight. "Holy shit.", I exclaimed to myself, having realized that this Last Bite Addiction was becoming a way of life.

At least when I tried on the pants, they fit like a charm and I didn't have to face my fear of placing them on the merchandise restocking rack. Instead I marched toward the register in that joyous state of triumph similar to saving a final bite of cheesecake to finish a four course meal.

So tonight I write my story in hopes that I may provoke others to limit themselves in the dangerous habit of Last Bites and the possible life altering addiction it may lead to. I know I'm not the only one out there like this, but I also won't name names. If you suffer, or savor at times, this terrible way of life, please leave more insight to those naysayers out there.

However, Emery brought up the point that her grandmother who lived in California would offer up these words of advice: "Don't save the best bite for last, you never know when an earthquake will come."

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Walking through the sandstones of time




"You think you could make a trip to the canyon this winter?", Steve asked sometime last fall, an intonation in his voice almost knowing the inevitable negative answer to follow. But rather than rejection for another year of trying to lure me away from the so-called real world obligations, I said yes.



A few months and some planning down the road, we started our descent into the canyon. Not just any canyon mind you, but the big one, the Grand Canyon.


We were waving goodbye to Emery and my mother-in-law Glo as we sloshed through the remnants of the previous weeks snowfall. Those fluffy steps down were also the retreat from society, obligations to others, and another calendar year.



The Tanner trail from Lipan Point is a mere 7.8miles from rim to river. But throw in the fact that the rim is a mile in elevation above that ol' Colorado River, and many of the geologic layers are sheer cliffs where exposed, and the Tanner trail no longer seems so simple to the body. That first day was difficult, I won't lie. It made every muscle in my legs twitch from time to time, and usually at times when balancing was necessary for survival. Steve, a.k.a. SuperHiker, noticed my flailing steps and felt his massive heel blisters nip at his nervous system. We stopped for dinner on a flat spot in the sun with every intention to finish our meal and hike down further to camp. However, our sedated stomaches and withered muscles were unprovoked by this idea and kept us in place, setting up the tent and enjoying the coming new year with a shot of whiskey and a failed attempt to hum/sing the traditional Auld Lang Syne.





The next few days in the canyon were plenty eventful, but rather than droning on and on about the natural wonders of such an amazing place I'll try and keep this trip log to the point. We ate well, hiked a lot, gawked at each spectacular view around every bend, worried about slipping off the occasional narrow section of trail, and felt triumphant when anxiously emerging from the snow drifts on the New Hance Trail to reach the top again just before sunset.



Another point of this post is to share the quiet and solitude felt when in the canyon. Other than a pair of hikers and a small crew of rafters, we saw no one for five days. Yet all along, cars were zipping up and down the road along the rim, visiting the many overlooks, taking a few pictures, then driving away content on having gazed at the massive hole in the ground before them.



We saw none of that while in the canyon; we focused on the details and intricacies of the trail. Studied for hours the flow of the mighty Colorado through the home it created and is now enslaved in. We followed the paths of clouds, exposing new views with every wind gust. We walked through layers of time, much as Colin Fletcher did so many years ago, but we were also removing ourselves from time's grasp until all but those last few hours climbing out.



So thank you Steve for tirelessly asking me to go on this trip, and leading me through the amazing canyon that truly exists below the rim. Thank you Emery for supporting me in all my adventures, especially ones like this that bring me closer to your beutiful world past, present, and future. And finally, thanks to Glo and Ron for lending Steve and I trekking poles for physical support, a warm bed to stay in during our travels to and from the area, and the morale boosting food along the way.