Wednesday 31 December 2008
Happy New Year!
We only just made it out of Seattle before the whole city got snowed under. A few hours after we took off, Seatac airport ran out of deicer. For a city with mountains all around it, it's not very well prepared at all.
We spend a couple of days in the Valley of the Sun with Grandpa Mac who looks a bit like Father Christmas and had lots of toys for Owain just to fool us even more. Then it was up to Prescott to see Grandpa Jim and Uncle Daniel. Guess what... lots more toys!
Heather was ill in bed on Christmas day (no, not a hangover actually) which meant that Jim had to do the dinner but it turned out great. So great in fact that we're leaving Heather behind next year.
Anyway, as those of you east of the meridian continue to ferment your hangovers, Heather and I prepare to go out and party. Lots of pictures to follow. Promise!
Monday 8 December 2008
Captain Owain
Here's an epic home movie of Capt. Owie shot in dingyvision...
Thursday 27 November 2008
Grandma and Granddad
The boy and his grand-paternals have been getting on like a house on fire. Here, Ian passes down a ritual form of torture that I myself remember being subjected to as a child.
We're going to the parade in town tomorrow. It reminded me that it has been a year since we moved in to our flat in Ballard. A year ago tomorrow, we were late meeting with our landlord to sign the contract because we were stuck in traffic in down-town Seattle which in turn was because some bloody parade was going on. Tsk!
Friday 7 November 2008
Stats
Tuesday 4 November 2008
Sunday 2 November 2008
Cheeky Monkey!
Owie was a monkey this Halloween and what an appropriate costume it was. I gave him the banana as a prop and he gnawed right through the peel and ended up making a slimy mess. I was laughing too hard to do anything about it.
Here is the rest of the Halloween photoshoot.
Friday 31 October 2008
Pumpkins
From jack o'lanterns |
- Traditional Pumpkin by Heather
- Baby Pumpkin also by Heather (look familiar?)
- Boo Pumpkin by me (Heather's favorite game character)
By the way, don't try this at home. Pumpkins smell disgusting and you have to scoop out the squelchy scrapings with your hands. The candles are scented but it didn't help. Yuck! ><
On a different note, here are the photos from the last post including a mass baby humiliation ritual.
Wednesday 29 October 2008
Fall In Seattle
Saturday 18 October 2008
Old Man Owain
From owain's birthday |
From owain's birthday |
We shall see how long before he a) gets bored of it or b) drives his mother potty with the clicky-clacky noise it makes.
Friday 17 October 2008
AZ Trip/Rush Cab/Jeff and Bev Visit
First things first, here's a video of Owain walking. He's been taking steps for nearly a month but lately he tries more often and makes it farther.
We have fallen way behind in blogging and missed some big stuff. Sept 30th through Oct 7th I was back in Arizona visiting my Dad and Stepdad and brother. It was great to see the family but WOW Owain would not sleep for naps or at night so by the end of the week I was a very grumpy zombie. On Sat the 4th I got to meet Jamie's baby Maysen for the first time. She's adorable and very sweet natured. That evening all the girls, and Anthony, got to go out on the town. It was fabulous! I will forever be grateful to Grandpa Jim for babysitting. On the cab ride back to the house I got to experience a heavy dose of Rush mixed with really long mullet hair, this situation compounded with all the red wine/white wine/crown and sevens/beam and cokes I had became unbearably funny. Somehow the driver didn't catch all my nasty sarcasm and allowed me to take his picture. Just imagine Getty Lee screeching in the background.
Jeff and Bev arrived shortly after I got back from AZ. They came all the way from their new home in Edinburgh. We had a great time while they were here. I think John got his fill of playing Rock Star (maybe) and we did some the the requisite touristy stuff and showed them all around our little nook of Seattle. They went on by train and rental car to San Francisco to spend the last few days of their holiday.
All of the photos from the trip and from Jeff and Bev's visit can be viewed here.
Saturday 20 September 2008
Don't Blink, You'll Miss a Milestone
Wednesday 10 September 2008
Bad, bad birthday cake
Sunday 31 August 2008
PAX
This is Vegas wasn't actually on display at the show but there was a Midway booth showing games like Wheelman, a high-octane driving game that is most notable for enlisting the help of A-list mega-star Joe Borthwick Vin Diesel.
In general, I found the show every bit as impressive as the European Computer Trade Show that used to take place in London. But now, I'm just an ageing, jaded programmer whose life (and blog) has been stolen by a bald, tubby mute with no social skills or bowel control (yet somehow twice as much charm as me). He, on the other hand, had his eyes popping out of his head: everywhere bright lights and strange sounds and slightly funky-smelling people passing by in a continuous procession. Pity he won't remember any of it in a few days. I suppose we'll have to go back next year.
Sunday 24 August 2008
Not Much News
He was absolutely FILTHY DIRTY after the PEPS bbq we went to yesterday. It was at Carkeek Park which was a surprisingly lush forest only a 10 minute drive from our place. Owain crawled all over without even caring where we were. I'm pretty sure he ate his fair share of dandelions and grass/bark/sticks/dead leaves. It was a good time. Too bad I didn't bring my camera. I'm sure I will get some pics from the other moms.
Thursday 7 August 2008
Mmmmm Avocado
Its been a fun-filled week already and its only Thursday. Monday my Dad and Leroy arrived. They are on their annual motorcycle road trip. This year they'll be on the road for five weeks or more. While they were here they checked out our local bars the Viking and the Copper Gate and spent time watching Owain be his cute self. Speaking of the young sir he is doing something new. Dancing!! As soon as I can capture it on video I'll post it. My Dad left yesterday, they are off to Northern Washington, then Idaho, and Montana where they plan on attending the Testicle Festival. Those guys know how to have a fun. As Leroy says,"Its all good!"
Thursday 31 July 2008
Long Awaited Restaurant Review
Sunday 20 July 2008
Splish Splash
Saturday 19 July 2008
9 Months Old! Yesterday.
What a mess! In other news, my tryout for Wheel of Fortune did not go well. My name was never called so I didn't even get a chance to wow the judges with my sparkling personality:) We did get a lovely photo of the WheelMobile.
Tonight our babysitter is back from a 3 week hiatus so we will be hitting the town with friends Anne and Mike. We are going to a new restaurant called How to Cook a Wolf. Stay tuned for a review.
Saturday 12 July 2008
Baby Triathlon
As I speak, he's wandering 'round the living room looking for things to climb on.
He can sort-of stand up for an instant.
He can also feed himself although this also is somewhat of a hit-and-miss affair.
Later today, we're going to Sequim near Olympic National Park so that Heather can audition for her favouritest TV show, Wheel of Fortune. Wheel of Fortune is hosted by mighty quiz-show overlord Pat Sajax. If you don't believe me, check out his no-nonsense website.
Saturday 5 July 2008
Victoria
We took the ferry from Seattle to Victoria early on Friday morning, passing right by the spot where the fireworks are set off each year in Elliot Bay. The baby was very good for most of the way but he often gets tired and emotional so...
Presenting for the first time anywhere in the world, evidence of Owain being a miserable git.
The area's premier tourist attraction is Butchart Gardens, described by one of Heather's friends as "Disney Land... but Flowers".
On Saturday evening, Heather an I ate seafood and I smoked a sneaky Cuban cigar. Owain managed to get some food in his gob, but not much. Tidy.
On Saturday, Owain had his first swim. Actually, he didn't really swim at all. I suggested we let him go and see if he would float. Heather vetoed that idea.
Later, we visited Miniature World. There's not a lot I can say about Miniature World that isn't covered in the name.
Then, we went Whale watching and saw a Minke.
And that's what I did on my 4th of July holiday weekend.
The End
*
Saturday 28 June 2008
Whirly-champ!
In other news, I invested in a new bike last weekend.
It's a Giant FCR 2 and it's sort of half-racer, half-mountain bike. I've ridden in to work on it three times so far. I'm going to try for the whole four days this week. I don't feel any fitter yet but my legs ache all the time. So that's good.
To our surprise, Heather managed to sell Jim's old street racer on Craig's List for quiet a few notes. I'm glad it's gone to a good home; the frame was too big for me and it was starting to seize up.
"Wait a minute, Whirlyjohn. Did you say four days?" That's right. Friday July 4th is a holiday and to feel better about not splurging out on a bicycle, Heather has splurged out on a holiday to Victoria on Vancouver Island. Activities involve whale watching and teaching Owain to swim in the hotel pool. Can't wait!
Finally, Owain started crawling on Thursday afternoon. I tried to film him at it yesterday but he wasn't in the mood. So far, the best way to get him to crawl in any particular direction is to place something dangerous or delicate/expensive there. Better still, encourage him to move in the opposite direction.
Heather is now all concerned that the flat isn't baby-proofed which it certainly isn't. We've started putting down obstacles between him and electrical outlets, easily tippable furniture and glowing hobs supporting rusty iron pots painted with lead and full of boiling bathroom bleach, under-ripe fruits and vegetables (which aren't properly liquidized) and sharpened bamboo shoots. This only seems to encourage him.
Thursday 26 June 2008
A Friendly Visit
She is a lovely baby and it was a lot of fun having them visit. We went to Volunteer Park in Capitol Hill near the bed and breakfast they stayed at.
On Tuesday night we ate at the Fisherman's restaurant down on the end of pier 57 and then Wednesday we checked out Pike Place Market. It's hard to believe that I've lived here for 7 months and haven't been to the top tourist attraction in Seattle, well maybe 2nd to the top, let's not forget the fabulous space needle. Here are the rest of the photies.
Sunday 22 June 2008
Walkies! Phase II
The weather has finally warmed up here, to a measely 68 degrees, but I won't complain since the clouds have finally given way to the sun and 68 feels quite balmy to where we were a week ago. All of our walks in the sun during the past week have produced Owain's first freckle, a small dot on his right forearm. I slather him in sun cream but there's no denying the freckly genetics. His perfect complexion lasted 8 whole months!
Monday 9 June 2008
Father's Day
It was my first Father's Day on Sunday. I got a top and a framed picture of Owain and Me and a card of a donkey with bug eyes that Owain picked out himself. Heather bought a picnic hamper and we took it to the park. Here are our most recent photos.
I've started riding in to work. Last week it was sunny enough that I rode in twice. I'm still using Jim's old bike, yet I've managed to spend a small fortune in the bike shop down the road. Here are some pics from a week or so ago including my BMX Bandit Mad Skillz in a local supermarket car park.
Not enough snaps for you? Try this post on Bethany's blog which have a few pictures of the party. Turned out nice they did.
Finally, the latest, greatest version of my favorite web browser comes out today. Firefox 3.0 is released at 10am Pacific time and aims to set a world record for most downloads in one day. (This seems a little late as most of Tuesday has already happened in most of the world!)
Sunday 25 May 2008
Catch-up
There's the trip to Wales:
Then we spent the Friday in Chepstow catching up with Jen and Emma and family.
Next there's the party itself. These didn't all come out so well. Do cameras have a special 'tent mode' these days? I should have checked.
And we've started modeling Owain in his new clothes so people can see whether they're any good at buying baby clothes...
Finally, here's a movie of your favorite diminutive slap-head...
Tuesday 20 May 2008
Jack-in-the-box
I need to get the photos together from all of that very soon... but it's already ten o'clock on a school night. Before I head to bed to sleep off some more jet-lag, a big thank-you to everyone who turned up on Saturday. Owain says thank-you for all the clothes and toys. We're going to take pictures and movies of him modeling it all.
In the meantime, can anyone remember who game him this Jack-in-the-box?
Wednesday 7 May 2008
Jake's Visit
On Saturday, we took a trip to Mount Rainier. It's the 21st most prominent mountain on Earth... but only on a clear day. On an average, cloudy Washington day, it's a lot of trees disappearing into the clouds.
On Sunday, we went to the Space Needle. The Space Needle is tall enough that the top and bottom have phone numbers with different area codes. Ironically, it gave us a good view of Mt Rainier.
Only two more days of work and then we fly to the UK. Woohoo!
Wednesday 30 April 2008
Sometimes its sunny in Seattle
Not sure if I have mentioned it in previous posts but I belong to a first time moms group called PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support). We have been meeting for 12 weeks. Yesterday was our last official meeting but we all love it so much that we've decided to continue meeting indefinitely. These ladies have come to mean a lot to me over the past three months. I honestly don't know how I would have muddled through moving to a new city with a new baby without our weekly talks. I tried to take a lot of pics during the meeting but I am a LAME photographer. Luckily our leader, Monique, took some group shots with my camera.
I know what your thinking, "What a bunch of hot moms!" And cute babies of course:) Two of the resident hotties aren't featured in this photo but I'm sure they'll get their moment of blog fame in the future.
Friday 18 April 2008
6 Months Old Today
Sunday 6 April 2008
Eaty Photos Finally
Yesterday, we left the house planning to check out our nearest Denny's over five miles away. (No, I don't know how we survive.) We got a little carried away and ended up taking a ferry ride to a place called Kingston. It's very picturesque with lots of coastline and moldy trees.
I don't normally bring my camera to Denny's so you'll just have to make do with this map of the ferry route:
View Larger Map
I only just convinced Heather that Kingston isn't on an island. The ferry crossing is 6½ miles but the drive would be 109 miles and over 170 without even crossing bridges. Google should never have given us Google Maps. Then I'd be sleeping right now.
Wednesday 2 April 2008
Awww Mom, Not That Picture!!!!
And finally, the most recent picture of Owain. He's a "maniac", looking for "fame" in his awesome baby legwarmers
Tuesday 25 March 2008
Tuesday 18 March 2008
5 Months Old
Actually, that's Heather's. It replaces the one she lost last week containing her driver's license and passport. Now with her identity lost, she lives on the outskirts of society, keeping to the shadows and paying mostly in cash. It's her birthday on Friday and as a special treat, I'm getting her a fake ID from some guy who hangs out at the local community college.
In case you've been living under rock, Wales won the Grand Slam! It appears that I can still listen to matches live on the radio without jinxing the team. However, I am never to watch another match on the telly in case that is what makes them lose.
Sunday 9 March 2008
Beddy-Byes
Here are some more pictures. (I've added a bunch of links to my pictures page to make it easier to find all the baby pics. The rest of this posting is about sports and computers now so goodbye matriarchal hoards.)
On Saturday morning, I happened to be awake at 4.30; they haven't invented the And Stay Cried Out method yet. I put Radio Wales on to catch the last half hour of Rhod Gilbert and realised they were covering the Wales v Ireland Rugby match instead. So we got up, had breakfast and listened to the match. Wales are now proud winners of the Triple Crown and favourites to win the tournament and are tantalisingly close to winning the Grand Slam - about the best season I can remember. Just my luck it's all but impossible to watch the games here.
Later in the afternoon, I wandered to the supermarket with Owain and decided to venture in to the local computer shop. Everybody knows about their local warehouse-sized outlet like PC World or Fry's Electronics. People rarely spare a thought for the shabby premises just a few streets away from where they live. Drive past it and you'll probably miss it. There are no flashy signs, no shops fronts and certainly no customers going in or out.
ComProSof is a text-book example of the local computer shop. Check out the web site but remember where your back button is because this site was designed before hyper-links were invented. The owner sells consignments (which means you bring your old stuff in and they try and sell it for you). As a result, it's like an museum of obsolete computer parts. There's a shelf with about a dozen randomly assorted four and five-way parallel printer switchers. The hard-drives start at 4 gigabytes (which I think will set you back $5+tax) and I wouldn't be at all surprised if some of the software pre-dates Windows.
I feel that I'm going to have to build a new PC now just for the excuse to hang out there. I bought a hard-drive just for starters and spent a few hours yesterday and today converting the old Dell into a file and web server.