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birthday

Vacation, Day VIII

Jul 20th, 2009
by Jim Reverend.
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Celeste poses near flowers

Celeste poses near flowers

Both Celeste and I slept in a bit. I woke up to her looking in my face and saying “da da”. Strange, because I’m usually the first one up. The weather was BEAUTIFUL so, after a quick breakfast we went for a walk to play at the park. Warm sun, cool breezes, morning light, my daughter’s smile — there really wasn’t much else that could make the morning more perfect.

Eventually, we went home, reluctantly, had an orange to get back some of what the sun sapped from us, and jumped in the car to head for Celeste’s mom’s place.

I’d only seen my father-in-law for a week when he helped Jess move out. And I hadn’t seen nor spoken to my mother-in-law. So I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I dropped Celeste off. They were nice though. My mother-in-law made the same joke she always does when she sees my hair trimed and indicated that I had done it on her account. My father-in-law got up to shake my hand. My mother-in-law even compared our tans. We laughed a bit, and joked a bit, and all-in-all a stayed about 30 minutes before deciding that Celeste was going to be okay if I left. And so I did.

what's left after you

what's left after you

I went to my Dad’s place for an hour or so, and then headed to a friend’s daughter’s birthday party. Had a good time meeting new people, throwing around water baloons and just goofing off. However, nothing makes me feel sadder and more awkward than being at an event geared for children without my child there. I was very glad the my brother, David, and his son, Liam, came, because I coulc sort of claim him as my own here and there.

I had to leave a bit earlier than I wanted in order to book it all the way to McKinney for the Annual Photowalk Day. There were about 50 of us, 7 (counting me) of whom I already knew. My friend Kim came as well, which was awesome. And afterwards she and I had a few beers, and nice dinner, and just talked for a long while. I got a little nervous, and the beer hit my empty stomach pretty quickly, so I’m not sure how awkward I came across as. But, I had fun anyway. Kim is awesome.

Then I headed home, tied up a few loose ends and hit the sack.

why I love my brother

Jul 10th, 2009
by Jim Reverend.
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Despite his faults, I love my oldest brother. One of his greatest qualities is that he doesn’t bother with bullshit. He tells it just like it is, even if that means taking the blame.

I hope he doesn’t get too upset with me for sharing this with you. This is a voicemail he left me today, 2 days after my birthday.

You really should listen to it… but, in case you can’t, here’s a transcript:

hey little brother i’m sorry i missed your birthday. happy birthday and please forgive me. i knew it, i just was too lazy and i didn’t call you. it’s my fault no excuses. sorry. but hope you had a good birthday. give the little one a kiss for me. bye.

I’m older than I’ve ever been

Jul 8th, 2009
by Jim Reverend.
8 comments

Today is my birthday.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. I have for the 31st time in my life successfully circumnavigated the sun. Quite an accomplishment, I know. It wouldn’t have been possible without my mom, my dad, gravity, and inertia, all of whom I’d like to thank on this momentous occassion.

Ha.

In reality, there’s nothing more significant about today than there was yesterday or will be tomorrow. We could just as easily celebrate birth months, birth weeks, or births at 500 day intervals. In fact, I once threw myself a 10,000th day alive party, just because.

Really, life should be celebrated every single day and at every possible opportunity, because, despite being abundant here, it is so very precious.

But, there is a tradition in our society to celebrate a person on the day of their birth. And it is that tradition, not the actual event, that makes today special for me. The day is only 10 hours old and already so many friends and family have texted, called, emailed, and sent photographs wishing me a happy birthday. It is so very appreciated. Thank you all for helping to make this day special.

I spent my 30th birthday alone in Syracuse, NY. My wife and 7 month old daughter had left for Canada the day before to visit her parents and I was to follow 3 days later. I’d wanted so badly to spend the time together but it just didn’t happen. And even though, just like today, that particular day was not really any more important than any other day, the tradition placed on it made it feel more important. And the round number of “30″ made it seem more important too. Therefore, it made me feel very sad to not have those I loved dearest close to me then.

But this birthday will not be that way. Despite the fact that Celeste’s grandparents are in town for the next two weeks to visit her, I’m seeing her tonight. I don’t have anything planned, but spending time with my daughter will be more than enough. No matter how amazing my life was before her, with her in it, everything is bigger and better and more important than it ever was before.

So today, on my birthday, I am grateful for Jess and all the family and friends that have played a role in bringing her into this world and shaping her life and making her who she is. I can say, without a doubt, that Celeste has the best chosen family on the face of the planet.

Of course, as always, I welcome and appreciate spending time with people I care about. If you’re without plans this evening (or Thursday, or Friday), or have plans worth cancelling, and would like to join us to go swimming, go for a walk, have a nice dinner, watch a movie at home, have a beer or two, or just stand out on the front porch and talk as the sun sets, I’d love that. You know how to reach me.

Celeste’s Birthday

Jun 20th, 2009
by Jim Reverend.
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Today is the day of Celeste’s 18 month birthday party. I am so excited for so many reasons.

I love kids in general. But I especially love these kids. Each of these families is close to me in one way or another and being able to see them interact and play together is very special. Especially when Celeste can be there too.

I am also excited to have so many of the people that I care so much about and respect so deeply getting together. Many of the friends I have live scattered about DFW. They all have busy lives, hectic schedules, jobs and obligations. Getting them all in one place at one time is not something that happens too often. Some of them are parents with very different philosophies about raising children but all with the same goal in mind: to raise happy, healthy, well behaved kids with the freedom to be themselves and the respect to let others to do the same. Some of them are not parents but have played a close role in Celeste’s life, nuturing her, loving her, spending time with her, and caring for her as though she were their own.

Today a big piece of my village will come together, even if just for a little while, and I’m proud that Celeste’s birth is the cause for that ocassion.

these things

Jun 16th, 2009
by Jim Reverend.
11 comments

Fixing Things

My camera is back from Nikon Repair. In case you’re wondering how long it takes, it took 10 days from when I approved the cost to the camera arriving on my doorstep. It took about 4 days from the time I shipped it to their estimate. So, all-in-all, about 2 weeks. Not bad, really.

My media center PC is currently at the Acer repair center. We’ll see how well that goes. I mailed it on June 11th. I got notification that they received it on June 13th. I’m pretty sure it’s just a bad power supply. It’s sad thought that it took 15 email exchanges for them to agree to repair it and only after they suggested I charge the battery which, being a desktop and not a notebook, it doesn’t have. Whatever.

Buying Things

I still want a new bag. A “murse”, if you will. Something that’ll hold diapers and wipes, a sippy cup, a water bottle, a dSLR and a lens, some important papers, a changes of clothes, a book to read, a handful of personal items, and a laptop. Rarely will it need to hold all of that at once. But, it should be able to once in a while. It should be interesting to look at, have lots of pockets, have a durable base, and come in a color other than black. Ideally it would be made out of a more natural material that could then be waterproofed. Ideally it’d also cost less than $100. If you know where to find such an item, please leave a comment. I’ve looked everywhere.

I’ve spent enough time at the pool so far this year that I’m thinking an underwater point-and-shoot digital camera would be a good idea. I have a waterproof bag that I can stuff my dSLR in to. But, all told, it doesn’t work very well. It keeps the camera quite dry, which is the most important part. But the lens port constantly gets in the way of the shot making it very difficult to use and often resulting in bad images. I wish I could attach the lens port to the front of the lens in use. Then it would take care of itself. You hear that, DiCAPac?!

If I get a underwater point-and-shoot I’ll actually just buy a regular, pocket sized camera and then a hard-case underwater housing for it. That way I’ll have one of each for only a little more than what I’d pay for just an underwater camera. See, I’m smart that way. I’m considering the Canon SD1200 because it’s small, inexpensive, and the underwater housing for it is less than $200. But I’d really prefer to have manual exposure available, just in case. Any ideas/suggestions?

To round up the list of things I want to buy, I’m also considering an iPod Touch and a Mac Mini. The original iPhone and Touch could not do what I wanted them to do because they couldn’t do more than one thing at a time. The new iPhone OS 3.0 makes this possible with the Notification API. So, there are quite a few apps I’d like to write and see how well they do. With these two things I should be able to get started.

I’d get an iPhone 3Gs, but AT&T offers bad service, is slow to implement new features, and regularly indicates that they don’t put their customers first. I’d really rather not tie myself to paying them $100/mo for the next two years. That’s just silly. So, iPod Touch it is.

Plans

This weekend is Celeste’s birthday party. There will be roughly 15 kids and 15 adults there. I’m actually a little scared at how it’s all going to turn out but I’m trying to let someone else (my mom in this case) handle something for once and just not worry about it. With my personality, that’s a lot harder than it should be.

Other than that, this week is pretty low key. I’ll probably take Celeste swimming on Wednesday night and again on Friday night because why not? She loves it and so do I. I hope to spend Tuesday catching up on housework and chores and such and maybe spend some time out with friends or at a coffee house reading and writing on Thursday.

An Important Message

According to recent messages that somehow made it into my Inbox, not only is “Enlarging my male tool the best revenge for my ex” but also “my life will be worthwhile if my penis grows a little”. It’s good to know. Such thoughtful strangers to provide me with such valuable information.

the state of the daniel

Mar 12th, 2009
by Jim Reverend.
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I can’t even remember *WHERE* I’m supposed to write any more, so I’m just writing here because I can. I’m not really all that happy with LiveJournal right now and I’m thinking I will find some other place to share my “locked” entries. Not really sure where.

So anyway… this will be sort of freeform stream of consciousness. Welcome to my mind.

Celeste and I are going to Mike and Lisa’s house for dinner and a playdate tonight. Should be fun. I really enjoy my friends and love that they feel personally invested in my child. It’s that whole village thing. And I’m meeting my friend Mario for lunch today since he’s in town for training, which is awesome.

Jess said she wants to stay home with Celeste Friday night and I’m torn about what I should do. I feel like I should take the opportunity for a small break and go out and do something once she goes to bed. Even if it’s just a cup of coffee alone or with a friend or two. Yet, at the same time I know I have a ton of housework and chores that I could get gone if I stayed home. And this second option has the added bonus of letting me be there for Celeste if she wakes up in the night. Not that Jess can’t take care of her — that’s not it at all — it’s just that I really enjoy being there for my daughter. Maybe I could create the best of both worlds by having a few people over for a coffee or drinks and a movie. Anyone interested?

Saturday morning Jess is also staying with Celeste. Maybe I’ll run out early that morning and photograph a bit, which I haven’t done in ages. Other than that, I’m sure I’ll stick around the house, do some cleaning, and enjoy Celeste until 11am or so. Jess is taking her on a lunch date with a few friends until about 2:30pm.

I try to invite Jess to any event that I’ll be taking the baby to. Jess is very important in Celeste’s life and I would never want to limit the time the two of them can spend together as long as I can be included too. I’m sad that Jess doesn’t share this same value. However, at the same time I fully realize that I can not dictate the choices Jess makes and have to start getting used to living in the world where I can’t see my daughter whenever I want. It’s a sad, sad world, but it is, unfortunately, my new reality. Even with that, though, I don’t think I’ll ever get to the point where I stop inviting Jess. It’s just too important to me.

After her lunch date, Celeste and I will be headed to a birthday party for Joel and Emily’s daughter which ends at 5pm. After that, I’m really not sure what Celeste and  are doing. Maybe I’ll head out to Keller and spend the night at my mom’s? Or maybe head home and have a quiet evening in? I usually like to pack the weekends with fun stuff because so much of the week is spent with just Celeste and I at home. Anyone want to have some sort of kid friendly gathering Saturday night? I can host if desired, or travel.

Sunday we’ll probably spend at my mom’s as usual. I’m not sure if Jess is coming or not. Even though it’s such a long drive to do every single week, I really like Sunday’s because my mom’s house ends up being full of people that love me and my daughter and that just makes me so happy. Again… that village thing.

And that’s it. The state of the Daniel… or at least, the future of the Daniel for the next few days. Gotta run.