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Life Without a Helmet

Sara 2 Comments

Same smiling face without the white cue ball head. It has now been a month since Thomas was freed from the headgear he wore for over seven months. For the first couple weeks after the helmet came off, every time I dressed him I glanced around looking for the helmet to put back on. The first day back at daycare the kids all wondered who the new kid was. I really don’t miss it at all. Now I can snuggle up to him without a plastic barrier.

For those that don’t know, Thomas wore the helmet because he had a flat head. When he was young, he like to sleep on one side. This became typical after parents were encouraged to place their infants on their backs to sleep due to SIDS. Although the Back-To-Sleep campaign helped decrease the number of infants dying from SIDS, there was a rise of kids with flat heads.

We attempted to avoid the helmet by doing the suggested physical therapy, trying to train him to sleep on the other side to even things out. Because we went the route of physical therapy first, we lost valuable growth time. His friend was diagnosed at the same time but was immediately placed in the helmet. Three months later, he was done. In terms of the progress made on guiding Thomas’s head back to normal, he went from 8% out of shape to about 3.5%. I believe we were aiming for 3%. It is still a little misshapen, but really, whose head is perfectly round and maybe it will be enough to convince him that shaving his head is a bad idea. A mother can only hope.

Oh, yes… his hair is definitely red with a slight curl to it. I’m hoping the prophecy of the recent MIA video doesn’t come true and that Kick-a-ginger Day never amounts to much when he grows up. The hair recently needed cutting, which I chose to do myself. Although I feel I slipped up a few times due to Thomas continually trying to look back at what I was doing, I received confirmation from my stylist that she could really do much better. Glad I saved money on that.

Word Progression

Sara 1 Comment

It has been a while since I have posted anything about Thomas. So here goes. The boy is, well just that, a boy. He really has grown, a lot! Currently, he is a little over 14 months old, but thinks he’s a 2 year old. At daycare, he sits with the big kids at the table and *tries* to bring his dishes to the sink when he is done, while the other kids his age are still in their high chairs.

His walking is now running and if you don’t give him what he wants, you will receive a meltdown. The tantrums are daily and a bit hilarious, but sometimes frustrating. At least we haven’t had him breakdown in public, as he loves being out of the house and around other people. Here he is at Queen Bee, dancing and rocking out with his drum sticks to School of Rock’s house band.

The other night I sat down to color with him, and thought I would write down all of the words he knows, aside from ma-ma, da-da and Tee (aka Thomas), and was impressed to find that he has a 25-word vocabulary, at least. These are words he is able to vocalize, he understands the meaning and I can distinguish what he is saying. There are other things he is saying that I don’t understand and other things he understands (like nose, eye, head) that he hasn’t said but points to them as they are said.

Last night Roger was playing with Thomas and he started to imitate the barn animal sounds from one of his toys. This was a first. I might have to add quack-quack to the above list.
After recording, we played back the video and he was following along, imitating the sounds. Learning a bit more about how an owl sounds. Whoo-hoooo!

1024 bits of you and me

Sara 2 Comments

I love to share awesome when I find it. About a week ago I stumbled across double-, nay, triple-awesome. It all started with a tweet about the members of Polyphonic Spree along with Yeasayer and one other band raising funds to produce a documentary in Uganda. The bands will learn about the many affects the 24-year-long war has had on the area and its inhabitants, and what’s being done to stop it. During their stay, each of the bands will play a show interacting with the locals and using the surroundings and the scenery to enhance the experience for all. Oh yeah, and by donating $50 I get a copy of the documentary. Awesome, right?

Well, in typical internet browsing curiosity and my personal interest in fundraising, I was curious about the platform that they were raising money on… thus finding Kickstarter. Kickstarter is just that… a kick in the pants that you need to help do that awesome project that you have always wanted to start. They are focused on creative projects with a very broad definition of creativity. Many bands and filmmakers are using the site to raise money to make the CD or film that they have had on their mind for years.

Unique features of the platform:

  • Funding is always all-or-nothing. A project must reach or exceed its funding goal or no money changes hands.
  • Rewards to backers with various levels of giving. If I had only given $25 to the above I would have only received a digital copy of the video so I stepped up and gave $50 to get the DVD. Oh and you as the creator set the levels. 
  • Project creators keep 100% ownership.
  • Kickstarter collects 5% from the project creator if a project is successfully funded.
  • Engage with backers through email/blog style updates.

Pretty cool stuff. I know I’ve got a few things that I could use a kick into action. And you?

While exploring the Kickstarter site looking for examples of how various people developed their project levels, I stumbled across this artist, Pesi Pop from Grand Rapids, MI and his project, 1024 bits of you and me. Backers have the chance to participate in this project by submitting words or phrases that he then turns into art. From the art, he will develop a book with each of the pieces as a part. Coolest part? You, as a backer get to keep the art. Love!

To further tout Pesi… his love for doing awesome is up there with the folks of Holiday Matinee, Sezio, Good, Legit Radio and EcoPop. His passion shines through in his frequent updates and personalized thank you emails to each backer. In his latest update, he shares his successes of this project through his experience using Kickstarter. He has faith that he will succeed and charges forward showing his commitment to both the project and the people who back it. My thanks to him comes in the form of a donation and spreading the word and I hope you are able to do the same. Share the awesome. Someday your moment of awesome will come too, but only if you bring it. 

Dorkdom

Sara 2 Comments

Straight from the Urban Dictionary:

Dorkdom (Not to be confused with geekdom, or nerdocracy)comes from achieving a mere fraction of the coolness that one believes they are emmulating.*

I believe that everyone has a bit of dorkdom — i.e. Knows way too much about something in particular, be it a movie, TV series, author, game, toy, location, time period, etc.

Lately I have been pondering my own geekiness while listening to The Dork Forest with comedienne, Jackie Kashian. This show focuses on the dorkdoms of various guests on her program. Most are comedians but some come from the comic and gaming industry while others have science and engineering backgrounds. The past few shows have included a cat dork and a food dork.

Here are a few of my dorkdoms, the proud and the lame:

Music: specifically local San Diego music. I have been known to be the wiz kid in answering music trivia on our local music artists. My husband and I own about 200 albums of local music. (Note: I don’t count my CD’s so I really have no idea how many we actually have. 200 sounded reasonably correct). Compared to the likes of Rosey of SD Dialed In, Tim Pyles from the Local 94.9 and Bart Mendoza, I can’t compare. But it is a subject and an art that I love and know a little too much about. And I don’t mind sharing.

Local San Diego History: One of my collections (of which I have very few), is a library of books focused on the history of San Diego. I love the city I live in and it’s history, although short is very rich of interesting tales. From the Spanish to the Mormons to the Navy, cultures shaped the ideals. From Wyatt Earp to Ulysses S. Grant to Dr. Seuss, individuals shaped the landscape and identity. My favorite of all of my collection is San Diego Legends: Events, People, and Places That Made History by Jack Scheffler Innis. Although, not a comprehensive history, it is a good read.

Disney: I worked for Walt Disney World for a month at the end of 2000. I was already a bit of a Disney dork before working there, but they really do brainwash you. I was always interested in the behind the scenes stories, but never a collector of Disney stuff. I feel anyone who likes Disney is a bit of a Disney dork. Walt hides so much in the magic that people are compelled to know what is behind the curtain.

Ray Bradbury: This man is my hero and really should be at the top of my list for dorkdoms. I have read nearly all of his works (except for the newest stuff). Last September, I shared about my inspiration from his writing genius. He is connected to San Diego through his design of Horton Plaza and connected to Disney through his animatronics creations. He is the reason that I am a dork.

Semi-Dorkness: Muppets, Roller Derby, Beer

I am aware that I am not an extremist or an expert on any of the above. There are many more individuals in this world that take dorkdom to new heights including the collection of random crap, interrupting conversations with random facts, and sometimes stalking others to “understand them more”.

I am one of those people that retain various little factoids about a variety of topics so as to remain somewhat aware and knowledgeable in various discussions. This sometimes gets me in trouble with true dorks, where they truly believe I care about their collection of comic book action figurines. Sorry, really, no offense.

*Note: Emulating is spelled incorrectly. What does that say about me?

Watching the Wheels

Sara 2 Comments

I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round. I really love to watch them roll…

Driving back down from LA this past week, I was listening to John Lennon’s “Watching the Wheels” on the radio. I believe it was KPRI but that doesn’t really matter. The song sent me into a spiral of memories of when I was 16 years old living in San Diego and many of the people who made impact on me. It is amazing that a song can throw you back in this way.

People say I’m lazy dreaming my life away…

Hearing that song, made me think of the great rock writer, Paul Williams and his experience being a part of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Bed-in”. I had the honor of meeting Paul when I was 16, prior to his bicycle accident and hearing many of his great stories of interviewing Bob Dylan and Brian Wilson. I remember sitting on the floor of my friend’s apartment stapling copies of Crawdaddy! to get ready for mailing at a time when the magazine’s budget was near it’s lowest. I remember feeling that I was a part of something greater but also the normalcy of the occasion.

Emma Dennis, a budding rock journalist for the current incarnation of Crawdaddy! who also just happens to be Patrick Dennis’s daughter, wrote an amazing piece on her blog, Whimsy in Dive Bars, about her first meeting with Paul which brought me to tears.

People asking questions lost in confusion. Well I tell them there’s no problems, only solutions…

Thinking about Paul prompted me to think about the other individuals who helped shape me into the music-loving, community oriented being that I am today. I thought about Jackie Starr, a spunky musician who lived here in North Park, who I can directly pinpoint as the reason that I love the Pixies and Elvis Costello. Listening to Frank Black while petting her cat on the floor of her living room (I guess I spent a lot of time sitting on the floor as a teenager), I could only imagine the doors that were opening regarding musical influence. After I ran away from home (a story for another time), I continued writing Jackie. Yes, the handwritten letter type of writing. I am not sure if she realizes the impact that she had on me, but I still want to thank her.

When I returned home in the wee hours of the morning, I searched online for my past. Finding Jackie on facebook it made me smile to see her happily married in Massachusetts.

Surely you’re not happy now you no longer play the game…

I also thought about Veronica Boyer who assisted in my escape plan and was a true friend. It was her floor that I sat on while stapling Crawdaddy! magazines. She introduced me to Guinness and the close knit community that is the San Diego Music Scene. I remember going to shows and walking through shops downtown with her. She always made me feel like I belonged and never treated me like I was just a kid.

I remember her telling me that she was moving to Washington state, where I never heard from her again. I tried to look her up but have been unsuccessful. I hope that one day I will get the chance to tell her

No longer riding on the merry-go-round. I just had to let it go. I just had to let it go.