Musings and more

Back when I started this whole blog thing, I had many reasons to put up a post once or twice a day. Now, I have too many.

I've always struggled with my own space time continuum boundaries not aligning with others'. However, when it is the family time that you delve into and lose yourself, very few send me complaints. As participant in the various iterations of family I tend to do just that; lose my self. This blog was once an announcement that I am present in the world. An attention getting tool with built in networks and positive reinforcement for my individual accomplishments, and not just those of my family as a whole. Then it clicked...

I will never again be just my individual self again.

(Before I go further with this thought, I must clarify that the above statement truly became my realization at one point many years ago, but I kept hold of the notion that I could remain independent whilst deeply connected to another amazing soul. What was I thinking?)

I reflect on all of this personal material here only because this blog no longer serves the same purpose as before. Hence the lack of posting for the past few years. At last I am clearly defining for my own intents and purposes what this blog can and should be. My journal, thought piggybank, and raw mental deluge target. I may never make this public, but if it is you may dismiss it as a lost thought on its way home. Keep it safe but don't hassle it with details. I spew forth with creative thoughts daily, but have lacked the time or effort to act upon or record them. Here are just a few examples from the past two weeks:

Jewlery- tons of ideas and several prototypes of recycled bicycle jewels sprinkled with a few finished pieces.

Song lyrics- mostly raps about school or society created while upon my bike seat during the commute.

2-D art- drawings and paintings, graffiti styles and old t-shirts on canvas

Problem solving- such as deciding how to shape young minds with a 1 hour lesson that took 5 minutes to plan. Yes I'm proud of my procrastination abilities.

Furniture and Home designs- moving things around has caused me to incessantly imagine blueprints for multiple could be projects.


I'll leave it at that for now. As for the space time continuum, I love it as it is. However nervous I may be for it to change throughout my life, I rest assured that the transition will be smoother than any that preceded it.

On that note, I celebrate my personal successes and those of my family and friends on Facebook. The like button is much easier than these long, drawn-out, random, thought meanderings.

Car Free Tucson

Today was Car Free Tucson, a time to put the car keys down and pick up a bike, bus fare, or your walking shoes.



I chose my bike, which is easy because it is my everyday commuter. But I also had one of my students commute to school alongside me today. It was fun to have a cloudy day for once, and celebrate by taking a few quick shots with the camera phone.




I also decided to reward myself with a bit of coffee and sweets before going downstairs to work.





Finally, I wanted to show a quick picture of the mural students completed last year for Global Youth Service Day. It has MLK, Ghandi, and Cesar Chavez standing in the desert next to two faceless students. Their faces are actually mirrors so any of the current students can be a part of the mural! Life is good on days like today.

What goes up

It's been a long day. Hell, its been a long semester. But even all that craziness must wind down at some point. Today I blog for a second night in a row, which feels like a triumph in and of itself.

Now that I have all this free time in the evenings, I should be working on the house or making the next few weeks teaching incredible. Instead I'm spending free time using my right brain. (See figure 1)

Figure 1-



I've stolen ideas from a few recycled goods folks around the web. However, the end product is a Christophe original. (Note the fancy artistic spelling of my name, or just the common spelling used by computer generated junk mail)

Good Morning

Most of the time the alarm clock gets slapped first thing in the morning. A general reaction of all humans to loud noises next to their ear while sleeping.
However, my alarm clock calls me DaDa. He slaps my face, then smiles. He's also quite punctual. 6:30am everyday, even weekends.

What a great summer this is gonna be!

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.

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

New Horizons

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

New Video

A new mountain bike video I made. Enjoy!

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?

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.

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.

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.

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!)

"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!

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.