EASY ED
Highlight of the week: getting invited to coffee with the managing editor (aka big WaPost boss)
Lowlight of the week: the next day, receiving a memo that the managing editor resigned
Latest song favorite: anything from Adele for the late night drive home
Quote of the week: "Is our son trying to come out to us?" After seeing Asher's eccentric choice of snow attire
JEN
Highlight of the week: receiving my first ever job performance bonus
Lowlight of the week: realizing that the US Govt taxes bonuses at 40%
Latest song favorite: Gin & Juice by Snoop Dogg
Quote of the week: "According to iTouch, it is snowing outside" (and then being too lazy to get out of bed and walk the two feet to the window to observe said snowfall. Don't judge, the snowy graphic on the app is quite beautiful to watch).
NOECHIN
Highlight of the week: Eating chocolate frosting for breakfast while the rest of us slept
Lowlight of the week: Waiting for the chronically stinkin' late school bus in the frigid cold without any music to listen to
Latest song favorite: You Know I'm No Good, Amy Winehouse
Quote of the Week: "the letter A" (he is working on letters and now identifies each letter this way....)
ASHERCITO
Highlight of the week: First snowfall of the year (Asher will play in the snow for hours)
Lowlight of the week: Win-less at bingo at Hunter's Woods Elementary Bingo Night (but he was a very fun and polite date)
Latest song favorite: With A Little Help From My Friends (Joe Cocker - Wonder Years title song)
Quote of the Week: "Grown ups know the truth" (Hmm...really?)
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Weekly Update
I am trying a weekly update format for the next little while as I have not been so good at keeping up with the blog. Although I will do a 'Christmas in California' post for posterity. Guaranteed to be a classic.
EASY ED
Highlight of the week: his role in the WaPost Joe Paterno interview exclusive
Lowlight of the week: his role the senseless murder of Asher's pet fish(es)
Current obsession(s): helping Asher reach World Cup stardom, making predictions about the upcoming Mad Men season premier, whether or not his butt looks big in his new skinny jeans
Quote of the week: "Oh &#$%(*G $#*% !!!!" after killing the second batch of pet fish
JEN
Highlight of the week: getting through a potentially difficult work week with minimal stress, catching up on sleep this weekend, Saturday basketball
Lowlight of the week: wrenching back/sciatica after a very typical morning run
Current Obsession(s): Moonstruck Chocolate (thanks, Jeff!), doing hard yoga poses (and yes, I realize that my obsession with the first will make it hard to do the second!)
Quote of the week: "The wrong Mormon is winning!" (not that I would vote for either of them)
NOECHIN
Highlight of the week: Leaving his swim teacher open-mouthed-speechless as he swam around her in circles (he had his first lesson since last spring on Saturday).
Lowlight of the week: losing the beloved iPad after a tantrum
Current obsession(s): all music by Amy Winehouse, iPad games, tackling me from behind or when I am in bed, long showers (he must be the cleanest 9 year old ever).
Quote of the Week: "Do you think Amy Winehouse's death was really accidental?" Ok ...not really....but I imagine he is pondering it as he listens to her music.
ASHERCITO
Highlight of the week: playing the role of David in 'David and Goliath' at church....he was awesomely cute! Losing his first front tooth....now he talkth like thith.
Lowlight of the week: attending multiple fish funerals (see above)
Current obsession(s): adding large numbers in his head (or making me do it), sticking his tongue where his tooth used to be, old Wonder Years reruns on Netflix, and North Korea (long story...but it began on the plane to California when he asked about a magazine article I was reading on the death of Kim Jong-Il.)
Quote of the Week: "I hope the tooth fairy brings me $500!" Keep hoping, buddy.
EASY ED
Highlight of the week: his role in the WaPost Joe Paterno interview exclusive
Lowlight of the week: his role the senseless murder of Asher's pet fish(es)
Current obsession(s): helping Asher reach World Cup stardom, making predictions about the upcoming Mad Men season premier, whether or not his butt looks big in his new skinny jeans
Quote of the week: "Oh &#$%(*G $#*% !!!!" after killing the second batch of pet fish
JEN
Highlight of the week: getting through a potentially difficult work week with minimal stress, catching up on sleep this weekend, Saturday basketball
Lowlight of the week: wrenching back/sciatica after a very typical morning run
Current Obsession(s): Moonstruck Chocolate (thanks, Jeff!), doing hard yoga poses (and yes, I realize that my obsession with the first will make it hard to do the second!)
Quote of the week: "The wrong Mormon is winning!" (not that I would vote for either of them)
NOECHIN
Highlight of the week: Leaving his swim teacher open-mouthed-speechless as he swam around her in circles (he had his first lesson since last spring on Saturday).
Lowlight of the week: losing the beloved iPad after a tantrum
Current obsession(s): all music by Amy Winehouse, iPad games, tackling me from behind or when I am in bed, long showers (he must be the cleanest 9 year old ever).
Quote of the Week: "Do you think Amy Winehouse's death was really accidental?" Ok ...not really....but I imagine he is pondering it as he listens to her music.
ASHERCITO
Highlight of the week: playing the role of David in 'David and Goliath' at church....he was awesomely cute! Losing his first front tooth....now he talkth like thith.
Lowlight of the week: attending multiple fish funerals (see above)
Current obsession(s): adding large numbers in his head (or making me do it), sticking his tongue where his tooth used to be, old Wonder Years reruns on Netflix, and North Korea (long story...but it began on the plane to California when he asked about a magazine article I was reading on the death of Kim Jong-Il.)
Quote of the Week: "I hope the tooth fairy brings me $500!" Keep hoping, buddy.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Happy Birthday, Noe!
Dear Noe,
2011 was truly your year, kid! It feels like a lot of things are finally coming together and you are starting to make the kind of progress that we have hoped and prayed for since your autism diagnosis. We see more and more of your personality and cute smile every day. You no longer avoid us but seek us out. You work hard to use your words every day. You are starting to develop hobbies and interests, such as video games, music, hiking and swimming.
This year you got to…
*spend your birthday at Disneyland!
*surf at Virginia Beach (Surfer's Healing)
*attend your first friend's birthday party without Asher
*swim in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
*attend a pro baseball game (Pittsburgh Pirates) and Steve Miller Band concert (which you loved!)
*hike Ft. Stevens (Oregon Coast), Forest Park (Portland), Appalachian Trail (VA), Reston Trails (VA), Pasadena Heights (CA), and Pacific Palisades (CA).
This year you learned to….
*say and repeat MANY NEW words and request the things you like most without prompts
*recognize numbers, letters, colors and coins
*swim (in your very unique way)
*trace your name
*use your iPAD independently for games and music
*dress yourself without help (finally!)
When we were at Surfers Healing this summer, your pro surfer buddy brought you back to me after your surfing session was over. He looked at me with tears in his eyes said, "I love this kid."
Yeah, I know. I love you, too!
Happy Birthday, Asher!
Dear Asher:
You are 7 years old now! In your “Star of the Week” presentation for school, one of the things you told your class was that Asher means ‘happy’ in Hebrew. If anyone had a name that matched their personality, it is you! I love your can-do attitude, your curiosity, and your smile (doesn’t your mouth ever get tired of smiling?) I am thankful every day that you are a part of our family.
This year, you got to….
*visit your grandma and family in Portland and stay the night in a yurt on the Oregon coast
*train for and complete your first kid’s triathlon
*spend two weeks at outdoor day camp learning about water and bugs
*play two seasons of soccer
*hike part of the Appalachian trail
*ride on the back of a motorcycle!
This year, you learned how to …
*add and subtract numbers
*swim the length of the pool
*make your own breakfast
*boogie board in the warm East Coast waters
*play the piano (at least it is a work in progress)
*say many more things to your abuelos in Spanish
*read chapter books to yourself (versus out loud….phew!)
Happy Birthday, Ashercito! We love you!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Christmas: California Edition
Exactly a year ago, the flu had overtaken our house. We were so very sick. I was sicker than I had ever been in my entire life. All four of us were passed out on our queen bed for days at a time. I cried for my mommy. Looking back, maybe I should have been in the hospital. But we lacked the energy and mental capability to actually get to the hospital.
This year, we are baking, listening to Christmas music (but only when Easy Ed is at work, he is such a grinch), delivering gifts and cookies, looking at giant gingerbread houses, cleaning, and finishing homework and work projects in anticipation of our holiday trip to LA.
I am pretty excited to get away. The tickets back West were insanely expensive, so Easy Ed and I are not exchanging presents and we are only buying a couple of small airplane gifts for the kids. But I did purchase this to read in anticipation of the long flight. I am also bringing along hiking shoes, running shoes, and flip flops. Can't wait to get out into the warm air (I would say "fresh" but we will be in LA, after all). We are surprising Noe with a day at Disneyland for his birthday. He will be so happy!
Ready for another California Adventure!
This year, we are baking, listening to Christmas music (but only when Easy Ed is at work, he is such a grinch), delivering gifts and cookies, looking at giant gingerbread houses, cleaning, and finishing homework and work projects in anticipation of our holiday trip to LA.
I am pretty excited to get away. The tickets back West were insanely expensive, so Easy Ed and I are not exchanging presents and we are only buying a couple of small airplane gifts for the kids. But I did purchase this to read in anticipation of the long flight. I am also bringing along hiking shoes, running shoes, and flip flops. Can't wait to get out into the warm air (I would say "fresh" but we will be in LA, after all). We are surprising Noe with a day at Disneyland for his birthday. He will be so happy!
Ready for another California Adventure!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Revenge of the (journalism) nerd
A few months back on this blog, I wrote about what it was like to work at The Washington Post the night Osama bin Laden was killed. I wrote how exciting it was just to be in the vicinity of such a historic moment and the thrill of being in a newsroom on a big news night.
Six months later, it happened again. Only this time, I played a larger leadership role.
It was the night of November 9, 2011. Most sports fans will remember it as the night Penn State fired longtime coach Joe Paterno in the wake of the horrific child sex abuse scandal involving one of his former assistants. But I'll also remember it for what I called at the time one of the all-time curveballs in terms of breaking news: the kidnapping of Washington Nationals baseball player Wilson Ramos. And oh yeah, NBA officials and players were having intense labor negotiations, so a settlement of the league's lockout could have happened at any point.
Wednesdays are usually the end of my work week (I'm generally off on Thursdays and Fridays) and this particular night, I was slated to work as the night sports editor (our regular night sports editor, my direct boss, had taken a vacation day). By the time I arrived at work, Paterno had announced he would resign at the end of the season, adding rather arrogantly that the school's trustees shouldn't waste time on his fate. On its own, that was going to make for a busy night, with two columnists writing on Paterno and one reporter at Penn State writing the news story.
On his way out about 7:30 p.m., the Head Sports Editor stopped by my desk to go over the rest of the night in case things escalated with Paterno (the Penn State trustees had announced by then that they would have an emergency meeting) or the NBA lockout. Offhandedly, almost dismissively, he mentioned rumors of a kidnapping involving a Nationals player.
I'm listening and nodding as he went through the list. Paterno, right... NBA lockout, OK... wait, what??
After he left, I started looking around the Internet and sure enough, news was starting to trickle out about a baseball player getting kidnapped in Venezuela. A lot of the details online were in Spanish, and it was all frightening. Ramos, a promising player for the Nationals, was taken away from his family home at gunpoint and put in a vehicle and driven away.
For once, my language skills came in handy, and I was translating as much stuff as I could for our Nationals beat reporter as we tried to make sense of the story. By 8:30, we knew we had a story and we posted something short online. Our next deadline for the newspaper was 11:30.
Then the night news editor, who is in charge of what goes on the front page of the whole newspaper (A1), approached me about this story and was very enthusiastic about it. He wanted it for the front page. Considering we already had one front-page sports story (Paterno), I was surprised they wanted a second one. The sports section is somewhat derisively nicknamed "the toy department" and for sports to tread on the sacred ground of the front page of a newspaper rankles some journalists.
But this was quickly becoming far from a typical night at work.
I passed along the word to our Nationals reporter to piece a story together as quickly as he could. Meantime, our South American correspondent sprung into action and was trying to find out as much as he could about this kidnapping.
By this point, it was after 9 p.m. and rumors were starting to swirl that there would be a press conference at Penn State at 10 p.m. and that Paterno was likely going to be fired. Which for us, meant wholesale rewriting of the stories we already had published, including the one on the front page.
Remember, we had an 11:30 deadline to meet.
By 10 p.m., the Head Sports Editor had been in touch and was gracious enough to help me edit/update all the stories that were coming. At about 10:25, when I heard John Surma, the vice chair of the Penn State board of trustees, say "Joe Paterno is no longer the head football coach, effective immediately," I was on the phone with the editors who run our Web site going over who would send out text and email alerts about Paterno's firing. And I was in touch over email with a couple other editors and our South American correspondent about the Ramos kidnapping story.
I was a little preoccupied at this moment.
The next hour was a blur, but as I've said before, I work with some of the best in the business when it comes to producing great journalism under immense deadline pressure. Our reporter at Penn State filed his report about 30 minutes after the press conference ended. Our Nationals beat reporter pieced together a good story, with a huge assist from our South American correspondent.
All while making deadline. I couldn't have been prouder of my sports department colleagues. And for the record, this and this were the fruits of our labor.
The nightcap came when the NBA officials and players stopped negotiating at 1 a.m. after more than 12 hours and came away with no deal. It was too late to get anything in the newspaper, but our reporter filed a story as quickly as she could that we would post on our Web site. Print deadlines may come and go, but the news cycle never stops online.
I finally walked out of the newsroom at about 3 a.m. -- drained, exhilarated, proud. At the very top of John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" is competitive greatness, the notion of being at your best when your best is required. That night certainly fit the bill, for me and the rest of those involved with putting it all together. Of course, in daily journalism, there is little time to savor it and soon enough, we would be back to more routine news.
But for one brief moment, it was an incredible feeling knowing what we could accomplish when the moment presented itself. I was fresh off a weekend in Indianapolis for this fellowship I'm taking part in, and leadership was a major theme that we covered.
I did not expect to be tested that soon. But I was so glad I was.
Six months later, it happened again. Only this time, I played a larger leadership role.
It was the night of November 9, 2011. Most sports fans will remember it as the night Penn State fired longtime coach Joe Paterno in the wake of the horrific child sex abuse scandal involving one of his former assistants. But I'll also remember it for what I called at the time one of the all-time curveballs in terms of breaking news: the kidnapping of Washington Nationals baseball player Wilson Ramos. And oh yeah, NBA officials and players were having intense labor negotiations, so a settlement of the league's lockout could have happened at any point.
Wednesdays are usually the end of my work week (I'm generally off on Thursdays and Fridays) and this particular night, I was slated to work as the night sports editor (our regular night sports editor, my direct boss, had taken a vacation day). By the time I arrived at work, Paterno had announced he would resign at the end of the season, adding rather arrogantly that the school's trustees shouldn't waste time on his fate. On its own, that was going to make for a busy night, with two columnists writing on Paterno and one reporter at Penn State writing the news story.
On his way out about 7:30 p.m., the Head Sports Editor stopped by my desk to go over the rest of the night in case things escalated with Paterno (the Penn State trustees had announced by then that they would have an emergency meeting) or the NBA lockout. Offhandedly, almost dismissively, he mentioned rumors of a kidnapping involving a Nationals player.
I'm listening and nodding as he went through the list. Paterno, right... NBA lockout, OK... wait, what??
After he left, I started looking around the Internet and sure enough, news was starting to trickle out about a baseball player getting kidnapped in Venezuela. A lot of the details online were in Spanish, and it was all frightening. Ramos, a promising player for the Nationals, was taken away from his family home at gunpoint and put in a vehicle and driven away.
For once, my language skills came in handy, and I was translating as much stuff as I could for our Nationals beat reporter as we tried to make sense of the story. By 8:30, we knew we had a story and we posted something short online. Our next deadline for the newspaper was 11:30.
Then the night news editor, who is in charge of what goes on the front page of the whole newspaper (A1), approached me about this story and was very enthusiastic about it. He wanted it for the front page. Considering we already had one front-page sports story (Paterno), I was surprised they wanted a second one. The sports section is somewhat derisively nicknamed "the toy department" and for sports to tread on the sacred ground of the front page of a newspaper rankles some journalists.
But this was quickly becoming far from a typical night at work.
I passed along the word to our Nationals reporter to piece a story together as quickly as he could. Meantime, our South American correspondent sprung into action and was trying to find out as much as he could about this kidnapping.
By this point, it was after 9 p.m. and rumors were starting to swirl that there would be a press conference at Penn State at 10 p.m. and that Paterno was likely going to be fired. Which for us, meant wholesale rewriting of the stories we already had published, including the one on the front page.
Remember, we had an 11:30 deadline to meet.
By 10 p.m., the Head Sports Editor had been in touch and was gracious enough to help me edit/update all the stories that were coming. At about 10:25, when I heard John Surma, the vice chair of the Penn State board of trustees, say "Joe Paterno is no longer the head football coach, effective immediately," I was on the phone with the editors who run our Web site going over who would send out text and email alerts about Paterno's firing. And I was in touch over email with a couple other editors and our South American correspondent about the Ramos kidnapping story.
I was a little preoccupied at this moment.
The next hour was a blur, but as I've said before, I work with some of the best in the business when it comes to producing great journalism under immense deadline pressure. Our reporter at Penn State filed his report about 30 minutes after the press conference ended. Our Nationals beat reporter pieced together a good story, with a huge assist from our South American correspondent.
All while making deadline. I couldn't have been prouder of my sports department colleagues. And for the record, this and this were the fruits of our labor.
The nightcap came when the NBA officials and players stopped negotiating at 1 a.m. after more than 12 hours and came away with no deal. It was too late to get anything in the newspaper, but our reporter filed a story as quickly as she could that we would post on our Web site. Print deadlines may come and go, but the news cycle never stops online.
I finally walked out of the newsroom at about 3 a.m. -- drained, exhilarated, proud. At the very top of John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" is competitive greatness, the notion of being at your best when your best is required. That night certainly fit the bill, for me and the rest of those involved with putting it all together. Of course, in daily journalism, there is little time to savor it and soon enough, we would be back to more routine news.
But for one brief moment, it was an incredible feeling knowing what we could accomplish when the moment presented itself. I was fresh off a weekend in Indianapolis for this fellowship I'm taking part in, and leadership was a major theme that we covered.
I did not expect to be tested that soon. But I was so glad I was.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Fav Blogs
I cycle through blogs a lot. Right now, these are my favorites: Coincidently (or not so much) all three bloggers are from Portland. Easy Ed calls it my Portland p*rn stash:
Get Rich Slowly: I love this blog because J.D.'s personal finance advice is practical and honest, he has a nice writing voice, and his motto is "Do what is best for you." It has really helped me find a balanced approach to saving and spending money (my tendency is to live as cheaply as possible, which can create problems).
Portlandize: Portland biking blog, 'nuff said.
Made By Joel: I'm not very crafty, but I like to admire his projects. I have done a couple with the boys, but mostly I leer at his work, think what an awesome stay-at-home dad he is, and how fun it would be to be Portland neighbors with him.
a non-Portland mention:
Design Mom: I've read this blog off and on for years. Design Mom's family is spending a year in the French countryside and I am captivated. In fact, I wish she would blog more about her adventure in France and less on the cutesy, crafty stuff or on yet another high-end children's clothing boutique. Design Mom sends her kids to French schools and they do an amazing amount of traveling for a family of eight. She glosses over the challenges (I'm sure there are many), but I'm sure this year will set the tone for the rest of her children's lives, plus give them a foreign language under their belt. I don't see this jet-setting lifestyle in our realistic future, but I wish it could be.
Get Rich Slowly: I love this blog because J.D.'s personal finance advice is practical and honest, he has a nice writing voice, and his motto is "Do what is best for you." It has really helped me find a balanced approach to saving and spending money (my tendency is to live as cheaply as possible, which can create problems).
Portlandize: Portland biking blog, 'nuff said.
Made By Joel: I'm not very crafty, but I like to admire his projects. I have done a couple with the boys, but mostly I leer at his work, think what an awesome stay-at-home dad he is, and how fun it would be to be Portland neighbors with him.
a non-Portland mention:
Design Mom: I've read this blog off and on for years. Design Mom's family is spending a year in the French countryside and I am captivated. In fact, I wish she would blog more about her adventure in France and less on the cutesy, crafty stuff or on yet another high-end children's clothing boutique. Design Mom sends her kids to French schools and they do an amazing amount of traveling for a family of eight. She glosses over the challenges (I'm sure there are many), but I'm sure this year will set the tone for the rest of her children's lives, plus give them a foreign language under their belt. I don't see this jet-setting lifestyle in our realistic future, but I wish it could be.
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