vermont

We just got back from a great weekend in Vermont. It was nice to see mountains again and to get away from urban New Haven for a little while.

It's still a little strange to us how small the states are in the Northeast. We only drove for four hours and we made it through three states and almost to Canada!

I'll get on the ball tomorrow and post some pictures from our trip. The Ben and Jerry's Factory was fun, but the highlight for me was my first speeding ticket in almost five years. Let's just say Vermont police are very bored and very clever with their evil speed traps....

videos

Click here for some more Juma videos.


If they don't work, click here to download Quicktime for free.

30 wpm

Juma's finally bringing in some money with his medical transcription work.

taking risks

Just a quick shout-out to my sister Andria and my brother-in-law Matt: Good luck this summer! Matt's band is going on tour in Alaska and the West Coast. Unfortunately they won't be making it up to Connecticut--maybe next summer.

Anyway, I'm proud of them for following a dream. It takes guts to sacrifice comfort and predictability to really go after your passion in life.

"Art that teaches us, moves us, challenges us to think about the human condition in new ways, is often shocking and disturbing. It is intended to be."
--Philip D. Harvey

Go out and do some shocking.

the wet grasshopper

Juma: "Once upon a time there was a little grasshopper. His name was...what his name was?"

Dad: "Um...maybe...Juma?"

Juma: "Yeah! That's his name was. Juma. The grasshopper loved to play baseball. It was raining. His Mama said, 'it's raining, dear.' He runned inside his hole."

As you can tell from Juma's story, we've had a lot of rain lately. And there's more to come--in fact, the 10-day forecast is very depressing; rain clouds EVERY SINGLE DAY. Growing up in Central California and going to school in Utah, rain was just not a common summer thing. Oh well, I guess I'll get used to it....

a few videos

I'll be putting up video clips from time to time. Most of them will be of Juma because, let's face it, we're not as cute. Click here for the first few.

revelation

Juma this morning:

"I have a bum!"

spring at last

what's up with Sarah these days?

Howdy. Just thought I'd catch up everybody on what's going on with me. Besides enjoying being a parent to cutie-patootie Juma, I'm working part time at an AIDS research center at the university. I study all sorts of social issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, especially very high risk groups both here in CT and in India (long distance only for me). In the fall, I'll be starting a double masters program in Public Health and African Studies. So until then, I'm taking advantage of some free time: read as much as possible, watch a bunch of movies, hang out and enjoy the feeling of having no homework looming over my head. Everything will change in the fall...

why do kids get up so early?

It's 6:50 am and, believe it or not, this is sleeping in for Juma.

Yes, we have a somehow spawned a morning person. To deal with it, we take turns getting up with him. Usually I pass out on the couch while Juma watches some inane babble like "Dora the Explorer," but today I'm trying to concentrate enough to post something.

Juma's mostly potty-trained now. He's even staying dry through the night. This morning on the potty:

"I peed like four hours!"
[I have to admit, it was quite an impressive stream.]

"Two and two and two and two; two bubbles in the potty I made."
[I think this last sentence was a particularly brilliant, reversed-grammar Yoda tribute anticipating tomorrow's big opening.]

"Look I'm big! Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, I need clothes on."

That's about my limit for 7 am. Time to hit the couch.

terror on wheels

Click here or click on the picture above to see a video of Juma's new skill.

(warning: large file, ~2 mb. If it doesn't work, click here to download Quicktime for free.)

self-portrait on a perfect Connecticut day

Juma's riding a tricycle!

chillin' with Dr. Phil

I promise, this picture was not a set-up.

He really was hanging out on the couch checking out Reader's Digest. I mean, really, with parents like us did you expect him to do anything else but read all day long?

fun site

I found a cool site today called The Dialectizer.

The site takes any web address you put in and translates the website into "Redneck," "Jive," "Cockney," "Elmer Fudd," etc.

Click here to see this website translated into "Redneck."

No, I don't have anything against rednecks. In fact some of my favorite relatives were/are rednecks (you know who you are, be proud!) I even have redneck tendencies myself--ask Aunt Bobbie about the old VW bus I left rusting at her house for years. I was going to restore it, I promise.

my turn

This blog is supposed to be about the whole family, so today I'll let you know a little about what's going on with me.

Right now I'm hanging out at home writing some papers. This summer I'll be finishing up some classes and trying to define my dissertation project. I need to write what's called a "dissertation prospectus" where I define my topic, put it in context, explain resources available and set out a timeline for research. I'll also try to get started on my reading for orals, where I have to read an insane number of books and articles on three topics and then go get grilled by a few professors about those topics. Many Ph.D. students have to do a written exam as well, but History students here only have to do orals (thank goodness).

Well, better get back to those papers....

[Juma looking out the window into our courtyard.]

"Where's the Q-tip?"

[What is he talking about?]

"The what?"

"The Q-tip."

"The barbeque?"

"Yeah."

"That was last night. Everyone went home."

"Oh."

NO!

For those of you who secretly cursed me when I was a child by whispering, "someday, you'll have a baby that's just as stubborn," well, your wish has been granted.

Juma's first response to any and every question is "no."

"Do you want to take a bath?"

"NO!"

"Should we eat some ice cream?"

"NO!"

"Do you want your very own pony, a full-sized dump truck, Spiderman powers and a Bob the Builder theme park?"

"NO!"

Only after screaming "NO!" does he think about what was asked and change his mind if it's anything sweet, forbidden or televised.

"Be patient, be patient, be patient," I whisper. Oh, and "I curse you with a future child just as stubborn." Can't forget that!

Bouldering at West Rock

Juma's wearing chupis! (Chupi is the Swahili word for underwear.)

Actually, he's just trying on his chupis. Mostly he's running around the house with only a shirt on so he can practice going on the potty. He's getting pretty good--he hasn't made any puddles for a few days now.

A couple of days ago I decided to go outside with Juma to play on the slide. So I took a chance and only put on his Sponge Bob undies and some pants. Of course, minutes after we got outside I saw him pause with the intense look of concentration on his face that signals "Watch out world, HERE IT COMES!"

I grabbed him, squeezed his butt cheeks closed and sprinted for the house.

"Don't poop, don't poop, don't poop, don't poop, don't poop...."

I got him inside, stripped down and on the toilet in no time flat. And, wonder of wonders, he did it! I always laughed at the parents who called Grandma and Grandpa to report a particularly good defecation, but I have to admit a surge of pride when his first little log splashed down. Yeah, Juma!

Howdy

just trying out the blog