My niece's birthday is coming up, and as Tim looked over the wish list, he read off a gift DJ got for his first birthday, saying, "she doesn't want that." I knew exactly what he meant. It's a gift DJ loves, an Elmo See 'n Say, and can play with for hours, it seems. Our objection is that it's a really loud toy.
We understood, going into this whole parenting thing, that he'd get noisy toys, or want to play the same song over and over. But what surprised us is how loud many of his toys are.
A tool bench toy that he loves has two volume settings, but Tim and I both cringe at the lowest one. What were the toy manufacturers thinking? That they wanted him to be able to hear if he played with it during a Metallica concert?
The tool bench was one of his favorites at day care, though they wisely removed the batteries.
I can't wait until (a) the batteries run out on some of his toys and (b) he gets old enough for toys that don't make noise, such as coloring. Until then, I guess we'll have to get some Excedrin and ear plugs.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
It's been awhile
I have a new job, and that is...looking for a new job. Yes, I landed on the wrong side of This Economy and here we are. With this extra time, I thought it was a good time to resurrect my blog. It keeps me writing and helps my various online profiles. I hoped to change the blog’s name, but can’t think of a new one.
It’s amazing how different this job search is as opposed to the last one, which took place a scant two summers ago. This time I’ve got a Netvibes page collecting RSS feeds from job sites. I’m following job listings on Twitter and finding good leads. LinkedIn has also been a great place, as it instantly answers the question of, “do I know anyone there that can help me get that job?”
The job search is in the early days, and I’m still focusing on the positives this “sabbatical” allows: more time with DJ, more time to take care of some things around the house; the opportunity to take small trips; more time to myself. It also gives me the opportunity to contemplate a tough question: is it time to change careers? So far, the answer changes by the hour.
It’s amazing how different this job search is as opposed to the last one, which took place a scant two summers ago. This time I’ve got a Netvibes page collecting RSS feeds from job sites. I’m following job listings on Twitter and finding good leads. LinkedIn has also been a great place, as it instantly answers the question of, “do I know anyone there that can help me get that job?”
The job search is in the early days, and I’m still focusing on the positives this “sabbatical” allows: more time with DJ, more time to take care of some things around the house; the opportunity to take small trips; more time to myself. It also gives me the opportunity to contemplate a tough question: is it time to change careers? So far, the answer changes by the hour.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
We're in the Finals!
FindingDulcinea is one of the three finalist for Mashable's Open Web Awards I mentioned last week. We really need everyone's help to get through the last round of voting.
Here's what to do: visit Mashable's Open Web Awards page and choose "Search and Social Search" in the first dropdown menu. In the second, choose findingDulcinea, and then enter your email address. Once you've done that, they'll send you an email. Click on the link in the email to be sure your vote has been counted.
You can vote once a day, and voting goes until Dec. 15. The winner will be announced Dec. 16. I really appreciate everyone's help.
Here's what to do: visit Mashable's Open Web Awards page and choose "Search and Social Search" in the first dropdown menu. In the second, choose findingDulcinea, and then enter your email address. Once you've done that, they'll send you an email. Click on the link in the email to be sure your vote has been counted.
You can vote once a day, and voting goes until Dec. 15. The winner will be announced Dec. 16. I really appreciate everyone's help.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Hope You Had A Great Thanksgiving
Today I'm making a brief special plea. The site I work for, www.findingdulcinea.com, has been nominated for Mashable's Open Web Awards, in the search and social search category. We're excited that so many more people might be able to see what a great site we have. These awards celebrate "major innovations in web technology," and we think the Librarian of the Internet is a great example.
Winners last year included Google, Facebook, Twitter and Meetup. Anyone can vote on these awards, and you're allowed to vote once a day through the middle of December.
I planned to install a cool widget that lets you vote right here from my blog, but I'm less computer savvy than I thought. It's a shame, because the directions my co-worker sent seemed very easy.
Anyway, please visit Mashable's Open Web Awards page to vote for us (once a day, ideally). We're in the "search and social search" category, and the company is findingDulcinea. Please note that once you've entered your email address, you have to confirm the vote by clicking on the link Mashable sends.
On a completely different topic, here's new mom lesson #4,257: Don't wear light-colored clothes when feeding a baby carrots or avacado. Especially if he has a cough.
Winners last year included Google, Facebook, Twitter and Meetup. Anyone can vote on these awards, and you're allowed to vote once a day through the middle of December.
I planned to install a cool widget that lets you vote right here from my blog, but I'm less computer savvy than I thought. It's a shame, because the directions my co-worker sent seemed very easy.
Anyway, please visit Mashable's Open Web Awards page to vote for us (once a day, ideally). We're in the "search and social search" category, and the company is findingDulcinea. Please note that once you've entered your email address, you have to confirm the vote by clicking on the link Mashable sends.
On a completely different topic, here's new mom lesson #4,257: Don't wear light-colored clothes when feeding a baby carrots or avacado. Especially if he has a cough.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Election Day Approaches
We're getting ready for Election Day 2008 at work, and it should be interesting. We've written several stories about all sorts of election-related stories, including individual races, trends and voting registration issues. We'll keep up our coverage through and past Election Day. Check out our site throughout the day and evening Tuesday (and every day, really) for the latest news.
I've included a picture of DJ's first Halloween costume. This year he went as a monkey. Well, we didn't do any trick-or-treating, and we were all under the weather for the family Halloween party. I did dress him up for his cousins' Halloween parade, though. It was surprising that he didn't mind being in the costume or wearing the hat. He isn't always a huge fan of hats.
I've included a picture of DJ's first Halloween costume. This year he went as a monkey. Well, we didn't do any trick-or-treating, and we were all under the weather for the family Halloween party. I did dress him up for his cousins' Halloween parade, though. It was surprising that he didn't mind being in the costume or wearing the hat. He isn't always a huge fan of hats.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Today is a strange milestone: I’m spending an entire day at home all alone. My work schedule has changed (at my request) so I work on Sundays, and Tim took DJ to Pennsylvania for our niece’s Baptism. The house is strangely quiet, but I’m looking forward to taking a nap later.
It never ceases to amaze me how fast time passes. We’re nearly at Halloween, and I’m still trying to figure out what happened to September.
For DJ’s first Halloween, we thought about having a family costume. I probably should have used our feature on finding Halloween costumes on the Web to get what we needed, but after visiting several stores, I gave up and bought DJ a monkey costume. Our Monty Python and the Holy Grail-themed costumes will have to wait another year.
Speaking of Halloween, findingDulcinea has created a whole site devoted to the holiday. Read about planning a party, finding the right candy, and learn about spooky sites in Boston, Chicago and New York.
It never ceases to amaze me how fast time passes. We’re nearly at Halloween, and I’m still trying to figure out what happened to September.
For DJ’s first Halloween, we thought about having a family costume. I probably should have used our feature on finding Halloween costumes on the Web to get what we needed, but after visiting several stores, I gave up and bought DJ a monkey costume. Our Monty Python and the Holy Grail-themed costumes will have to wait another year.
Speaking of Halloween, findingDulcinea has created a whole site devoted to the holiday. Read about planning a party, finding the right candy, and learn about spooky sites in Boston, Chicago and New York.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Welcome to the working week
This week I went back to work and the world kept turning.
To make things easier, numerous sources suggested starting work in the middle of the week, and having Tim drop DJ off at the day care center. So I worked from home on Tuesday, and went into the office for the first time on Wednesday.
After weeks of discussion, we got our commute down, with one car, two different commutes and a day care stop.
Saying good-bye to him in the car that morning made me a little teary, but then it was better. But by the time I got on the train that afternoon, I was antsy to see him. At the day care, he was fast asleep in the swing. He didn’t cry very much, the ladies watching him said.
It was strange to be back in the office, but everyone at work was extremely welcoming. They made a point to tell me they were happy I was back. It’s great to work with such wonderful people.
And speaking of findingDulcinea, have they ever been busy this summer. They have created an entire site devoted to the Olympics and another for this year’s election. Our election site features stories from key races around the country, profiles of battleground states, and guides to politics, this year’s presidential election, political parties and more.
They’ve also launched Encontrando Dulcinea, a Spanish version of our site. So far, guides include supporting military families, the New York City Survival Guide and baseball, with more to come.
To make things easier, numerous sources suggested starting work in the middle of the week, and having Tim drop DJ off at the day care center. So I worked from home on Tuesday, and went into the office for the first time on Wednesday.
After weeks of discussion, we got our commute down, with one car, two different commutes and a day care stop.
Saying good-bye to him in the car that morning made me a little teary, but then it was better. But by the time I got on the train that afternoon, I was antsy to see him. At the day care, he was fast asleep in the swing. He didn’t cry very much, the ladies watching him said.
It was strange to be back in the office, but everyone at work was extremely welcoming. They made a point to tell me they were happy I was back. It’s great to work with such wonderful people.
And speaking of findingDulcinea, have they ever been busy this summer. They have created an entire site devoted to the Olympics and another for this year’s election. Our election site features stories from key races around the country, profiles of battleground states, and guides to politics, this year’s presidential election, political parties and more.
They’ve also launched Encontrando Dulcinea, a Spanish version of our site. So far, guides include supporting military families, the New York City Survival Guide and baseball, with more to come.
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