Homebrewing a Baby is Awesome

Hey all,
I got to catch Judevine Elijah Morgan-Weintraub on Saturday night as he came shooting out of my wife. It was awesome. We have been building towards a homebirth throughout the pregnancy, but the little guy was bumping up against two weeks overdue, which was starting to limit our options.

On Friday morning when we visited the midwife, she told us that the baby was higher up than our last visit. It was pretty discouraging. So we ate mexican food. And Kristen's water broke. Just like that.

I won't go all daddy blogger on you here, but it was a pretty amazing experience. I got to be in the birth pool, catch the little guy when he came out, and cut the chord. No long drive home from the hospital, no intrusive nurses, just me, Kristen, our daughter, my mother, and Judevine. Amazing.

More later. I'm tired.

But seriously, be careful about eating mexican food.

Dispatch from China: The Wall

Written by Andyfatherfolk

Andy blogs at http://herenow-nowhere.blogspot.com/

A week or so I got the opportunity to hike along the great wall. I met up with 4 other couchsurfers, we arranged the driver through the website and met up early in the morning to hit the wall. We did the Jinshanling section all the way through to Simatai. Simatai is currently undergoing construction and we did try to hike a bit but it got dodgy and not everyone was up for the challenge.

We were told it was an 8km walk in whole. The reason we chose this part of the tour was because we were told it was less touristy. This was beneficial in some ways and not so in others. What was nice was that the wall was essentially empty, except for other foreigners. What sort of was not so great is that there was no slide down. Apparently some portions have bungee jumps of sorts and big slides to go down. To me, that sounds pretty fun. But I'm not complaining, we got a good walk in and had a fun time. I didn't end up taking too many photos as they all sort of end up looking the same.

Dispatch from Japan: Climbing Mount Fuji

Written by Andrew Rosenstock

Before leaving Tokyo I was fortunate to find a group on couchsurfing.com that was climbing up to Mt Fuji overnight to catch the sunrise. There was about 50 of us in total, some of us from the organizer of the trips company and the rest were couchsurfers. One of the things that was really nice about going up with a group is the sense of community that we had from the beginning. I originally thought about going this alone and am so grateful that I had the people I had to summit with.

Horrible Parents - The Booger Hookah

crosspost from The Soy Bean

written by Casey

I’m of two minds at the moment.  When I first conceived this post a week or so ago it was intended to be light-hearted.  Now that I have finally taken, uploaded, and viewed the pictures, I feel slightly horrible about what my wife (I’m just the photographer) has been putting our son through.

Ray has had a perpetual hacking cough/endlessly snot-oozing nose since about a week after he started going to daycare.  He doesn’t seem put out in the least about coughing hysterically and spontaneously ejecting copious amounts of snot from both nostrils.  I suppose anticipating this turn of events months ago, my wife was moved to make a preemptive purchase.

Despite decades of simple yet effective use provided by the squeezable booger bulb that everyone, whether you have a child or not, can easily identify, someone in Japan thought they could improve upon the idea by making a booger removal system more complicated, more difficult to use, and most of all far more traumatic for the child. At least it’s cute.  I give you the booger hookah:

The Story of a Shitter

Cross posted from A Boy, A Man, and a Father
written by Judgebrix

One of your less cool and interesting experiences through life, and its weird little u-turns, is visiting the worldwide facility for assisting you with number 1 and 2 – The Cubicle Toilet adventure.  Cubicles have been around for centuries and they are one of the less amazing inventions left by the ancient Roman and Greek civilizations.  I’m sure every great ancient civilisation across the Globe have had their take on cubicle toilets – and neither of them has managed to make this a glamorous event.  Sitting next to somebody pooping, while talking, is not my idea of a friendly conversation.  It’s beyond me, but some public toilets in ancient Rome were designed as a giant bench of stone, with holes that was used by the public.

Black Widows

courtesy Steve Ryan

When my husband and I decided that our future did not lie in Cincinnati, we debated between moving to Vermont and Asheville. There was no other part of North Carolina where I would have agreed to live, but would have settled nearly anywhere in the great state of Vermont. We took into account several factors, not least among them the cost of living. Both places are beautiful and provide plenty of things to do both indoors and out. Both places have good food and strong local economies. In the end, it came down to a coin toss and Asheville won. If I knew then what I know now, I'd have a lovely home somewhere near Burlington right now.

Here's the big thing I hadn't considered - black widow spiders. I had no idea we had them here. Not only are they here in this state, but they're here IN MY YARD. To give you an idea of how seriously I take these things, I'm scared of daddy longlegs and those things are pathetically easy to avoid in life. I had a vacuuming incident involving a spider not long ago that scared me so bad I cried and came frighteningly close to peeing in my pants. When I saw my first black widow a few weeks ago, the first thing that came to mind was not "Hey look, a big cute black spider!" It was "MOVE TO ALASKA."

Dispatch from China: Hot and Sour Soup

Written by AndyFatherfolk

When I move to new area one thing I always look for is a chinese food place that has two items in a style I like. It's very important that I can get these comfort foods quick and easy. The first, an americanized dish which is far from healthy but super tasty, (depending on the style) egg foo young. It's a dish I used to order frequently from Dragon Chef, the low brow take away chinese food spot in my hometown of Needham, MA. The second dish is hot and sour soup. I love chinese style hot and sour soup but as anyone who's ordered a lot of hot and sour soups can tell you, there are many different styles and versions of this soup. Some too spicy, some too vinegary, some with too much msg and some that just plain suck.

When I lived in NYC, my budget survived on eating a lot of either wonton or hot and sour soup for dinners. for $2.50 I could buy a quart of either soup and it had flavor and nutrition. (moderately) Hot and sour soup will have lots of veggies, mushrooms, tofu and sometimes a meat or two. So there was protein and vitamins mixed in with other oddities that only chinese cooking can bring.

Weekday Quickie - Mexican Casserole

Making a weekday quickie taste like an all day affair.

Today we've got a quick and easy casserole full of Mexican inspired goodness. This is one of those throw it all in and see what comes out deals, whatever semi-Mexican style ingredients you have around will do fine.

My Ingredients:

• 2 - 3 Chicken Breasts - Bone in or not (optional and greatly reduces prep time if removed)
• 1 Green Pepper
• 1 Tomato
• 1 can Corn
• 1 can Black Beans
• 1 can Refried Beans
• 2 kinds of Salsa (sub Enchilada Sauce if you've got it)
• Corn tortillas (NOT Flour)
• Shredded Cheese
• 6" or so round Pyrex dish (roughly the same diameter as your tortillas is perfect)

Board Games: Fast Track to Family Conflict

Cross Posted from ironicmom.com

Board games are an activity steeped in nostalgia.
I remember playing marathon Cribbage games with my mom at the age of 6,  running to my dad every hand so he could tell me what to discard. I remember playing Rumoli with my whole family during two-day rural power outages. I remember playing Scrabble with my mom while drinking a Caesar (for non-Canadians, a Caesar is the lesser-known but more likeable cousin of the Bloody Mary).
This summer has been the time when I’ve tried to create some board game memories with my 6-year-old twins. Here are a few examples:

Dispatch From China: Bringing Home the Bacon

Written By Andyfatherfolk

Andy blogs at http://herenow-nowhere.blogspot.com/

My first week in Beijing found me staying at Andrew's apt. Andrew is a friend of Greg, and Greg worked with Jocelyn in Mongolia where I met him (and drove a tank with him).
One day while talking about food Andrew told me how easy bacon was to make, so we decided to make some.

Semper-Fi, Last Boy Scout

Cross posted from A Boy, A Man, and a Father

written by Judgebrix

At 8 years old you are at an age where you have to learn the hard way. I don’t mean that you have to get bruised, but that some experiences can only be taught by actually trying them.

Basically, every boy have to attempt certain Dirty Sanchez /Jackass stunts, just to prove that they are older and braver than the rest … or perhaps just brainless.

What am I talking about?  I’m talking about joining the boy scouts.

What Is Going On In This Photo?

Pictured in this photo we have a baby squirrel being held by a coworker of mine. Let me set the record straight by saying that pet squirrels are not common here in Asheville, despite the fact that it's a mountain town and mountain folk do some strange things. Nor is my hospital a squirrel hospital. Squirrel hospitals are exceedingly rare in America because squirrel vet programs have exceedingly high admission standards and because squirrels bite hard and often.

Dear Ones. A letter to Tyler, Seth, Asher, and Billy

Guest Post by Casey Berna

A letter to the four angels just lost, Tyler, Seth, Asher and Billy, and all of the others up in heaven.

             

My dear ones, my only comfort in hearing of your too soon departure from this world is that you are up in Heaven, now wrapped in our loving God’s embrace. You are in a place, now, where love is rampant, acceptance for who you are and how God made you is given without thought, where you finally will feel comforted, at ease and at home. But it is a small comfort to me, and I imagine even less of a comfort to your family and loved ones.  You should still be here.  I feel your loss, and I have never even met you. The loss your parents and other family and friends must be feeling right now is unimaginable.

             

My dear ones, our society let you down. We gave you messages daily that being gay was not acceptable. We allowed the words “you’re so gay” or “that’s so gay” to continue to have a negative connotation.  We allowed the word “fag” to be thrown around as something terrible to be called.  While you were growing up, we didn’t allow positive gay characters on your television or cartoon programming to provide you support.  When you knew you were gay at a young age, we called it disturbing, unhealthy and looked at your parents to blame for your self-awareness.  We provide very little in the way of showing you that being gay is a social norm and completely acceptable.  I am so very sorry for this.

          

Our government has let you down.  They say you can serve in our military, risk your life, but you can’t admit to being gay?  That certainly implies there is something terribly wrong with being gay.  Our government also says that gay people cannot get married.  That is sending a clear message, is it not?  I can only imagine how oppressive it is for a young person to have your government having a hand in whom you can and cannot love or be with, legally.  The state of Mississippi states that gay couples cannot adopt children.  What a burden for you to carry.  These laws make me deeply sad; I can only imagine how they make you feel.

Your community has let you down.  From when you were young we hid examples of openly gay role models from you.  What happens to openly gay youth leaders, school teachers, coaches and administrators?  They are often treated like pedophiles and not accepted in the community.  Some community leaders are even asked to step down from their duties after coming out or being outed.  Parents say they don’t want their children affiliated with “such people.” They are scared of what could happen.  Don’t ask, don’t tell seems not only to be a guideline in the military, but encouraged in some of the communities in this country.  Parents who are not understanding and accepting of gay people are at risk to raise children who are not accepting; children who bully.  What messages are they sending you, dear ones?

Your school, a place that should be a safe environment for you to flourish and grow, let you down.  Intolerant communities throughout our country keep faculty, staff and administrators of schools closeted and in fear of losing their jobs.  Teachers who either are too burnt out, ignorant themselves or overwhelmed do not step in when kids who are gay or who are perceived to be gay are bullied time and time again.  Bullies are written-off as “kids being kids.”  But what about your rights, my dear ones, to be kids and to be a part of a learning community without fear or harassment?  What about your rights to be who you are, to love who you love, and to take whomever you love to your prom?

Our religions let you down.  Some religions are very open and accepting of all people, gay people included.  There are some groups out there, though, who think gay people are “sick” or “sinful.” My dear ones, I am not certain what religion you or your family practiced, but I am certain that no matter what it was, you have heard all of these hurtful, hateful views people voice in the name of our loving God. 

Adolescence is so hard to begin with, a confusing and awkward time in everyone’s life.  When your society, government, community, school and religion are giving you messages that you shouldn’t exist, you are sick, you are a pedophile, you are worthless and sinful, the difficulties of adolescence are only compounded.  As a mother, I find it painful to think that anyone would feel that way about my child.

My dear ones, I feel like I have let you down.  I wish I could have been there to tell you it will all be okay.  I wish I could have advocated for you at your school.  I wish I could have imparted on you the wisdom that this too shall pass and that one day you will be far from this environment and far from the ignorant people that tormented you.  I wish I could have been there the moment before you took your life, to hold you and tell you that you are perfect just the way God made you.  I know that it would have been a lot to have asked you to continue in your environment of fear and torment and I would have felt guilty asking you to do so, but I would have known that ten years from now, you would be okay.

It is not good enough to ask our gay youth to just “survive” their adolescence! Kids are dying on our watch. We, as a society, have to change and encourage our government to do the right thing for the gay community.  Gay people are not going anywhere.  They are a part of communities everywhere.  It is time they are accepted.  It is not okay to keep gay people in the closet.  It is not okay that gay people fear losing their livelihoods if they disclose who they are.  It is not okay to hide behind God while condemning and discriminating against our gay brothers and sisters.  This is not a political or religious debate.  These are rules, attitudes and judgments that are daring children to take their own lives.

My dear ones, we all have failed you.  Every single one of us.  I am so very sorry. My hope is that you have not died in vain. My hope is that this country will realize the hurt and pain it has caused you.  My hope is that dialogue and discussion will open up so that we will not lose any more of you.  My hope is that you are all angels and will serve as a light to the rest of those in the gay community who are struggling.  I pray for you and your families. My love is with you.  I know you are finally safe and at peace, but I am so sorry your journeys have ended in this tragic way.  With all the love in my heart, your sister in community, Casey Berna. 

             

             

             

             

The Great Walrus Migration

You can only imagine my alarm when I turned on NPR and saw this story about "tens of thousands" of walruses moving inland toward populated areas because of climate change. The guy posing as a Walrus in this photo is Anthony Fischbach, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. "I'm surprised by one thing," he says. "Essentially all the animals here are adult females. You'd expect to see about one in three with newborn yearling calves." Apparently, either there is some sort of catastrophic changes in the Walrus population due to global warming or there is the Walrus version of an Indigo Girls concert.

More from the NRP story:

Fischbach has been attaching satellite radio tags on the walruses to try to figure out how the animals are coping.

The tag, which he deploys with a crossbow, is a hockey puck-sized transmitter that embeds into the thick walrus skin. Back in his Anchorage office, Fischbach can download hourly updates on the animals, which he calls "walrus diaries."

"It's a simple diary: I rested; I got in the water; I fed. And then it all gets repeated in various combinations," he says.

Wait wait. Lets unpack this a little bit at a time. First of all, this guys name is pronounced fishback. Unresolved issues? Second, he shoots them with a cross bow? That's kind of awesome. Finally, he writes a walrus diary. In a walrus voice. Coo-coo-ca-choo.

Music I Missed: Dokken!

I think this is the first Dokken song I've ever heard. I'm really glad that I got to see this video for my first exposure because man oh man does it add something. That thing, by the way, is a literal representation of the lyrics; watching this video made me think that the director had no concept of metaphor. The song is called "Breaking The Chains," and much of the video depicts chains being broken by one or another member of the band. Excellent use of imagery, boys. I will give them credit for their slightly innovative use of chain in the video. For example, there's a close-up of George Lynch's guitar strings, which are tiny chains; the bass guitarist also uses chain for a strap. Clever! The literal depiction of lyrics continues when Dokken is reading a letter from his ex-lady-friend as she is shown in the background mouthing all the words that he is saying she said. Does that make sense? No. Why? Because it's a retarded idea that only made sense in whatever coke-addled moment inspired this video.

Coconut Water

posted by Aaron

So coconut water is a thing that, in my life is getting harder to ignore despite my best efforts. Lately I find myself searching it out in grocery stores and buying cases of the stuff on Amazon. My wife loves to drink it after a yoga or swimming workout and swears by it as a recovery drink.
Here are the basics...

Nutrition:                             
Calories: 46
Calories from fat: 4
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 09g
Sodium: 256 mg

Production: As best I can tell by the price, before being juice these coconuts are massaged every day like Kobe beef and watered with unicorn tears.

Purchase: The best coconut water brands are One and Vita Coconut. Do not be fooled into buying the Goya brand that Walmart carries. Your wife will be angry and you will literally vomit when you try to drink it. You can find cases of the good stuff here: (Vita Coco 100% Pure Coconut Water, 11.2-Ounce Containers (Pack of 12).)