Where Did the Weekend Go?

Well, a large portion of mine went into FORT BUILDING! Check out Cakerocket to view the photos. And, just in case more of you are going to inquire (as some already have) no (illegal) drugs were involved in either the building nor the motivational process that led to said fort.

"It's not your cooking, it's your genes!"

I have long believed that children's relationship with food was pretty much ingrained and not at all a product of environment or upbringing. Finally there is a research study out that proves me right. The cover article in yesterday's NY Times Dining In section is titled Picky Eaters? They Get it from You and it details the research done by Dr. Lucy Cooke at the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in August.

I love reading studies that took time and a great deal of money to prove things that a lot of mothers just instinctively know. For example the article relates that:

"Most children eat a wide variety of foods until they are around 2, when they suddenly stop. The phase can last until the child is 4 or 5. It’s an evolutionary response, researchers believe. Toddlers’ taste buds shut down at about the time they start walking, giving them more control over what they eat. “If we just went running out of the cave as little cave babies and stuck anything in our mouths, that would have been potentially very dangerous,” Dr. Cooke said."

But for kids who don't really come out of this phase, there really isn't much that can be done other than accept that mealtimes are going to be a headache until they go off to college. You can't just decide that you'll only feed them noodles, because I'm pretty sure that developing scurvy is pretty good grounds for the state to take your child away, so you just have to keep pressing new things on them (within reason) and listen to the moaning and bitching. That's just your job as a parent (or nanny, in my case) and it's somehow supposed to be a reward unto itself.

Romantic Hand Knits: Some Like It Hot

I recently bought Annie Modesitt's fabulous book Romantic Hand Knits and this weekend I began my first project. I bought the book for the Silk Stockings pattern, but I thought I'd begin with a project marked "Easy", so I chose lace opera-length gloves. (I know what you're thinking: that doesn't sound easy . . . you would be correct.)

I have this sinking feeling about the whole thing, I'm ashamed to say, I haven't done much knitted lace and I'm very worried that the gloves are really not headed in the right direction. However, I'm committed to seeing the project through to completion, even if the completion is unwearable. And who knows, perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised. Stranger things have happened.

I think once I struggle through the first glove things will be easier, and perhaps I'll just end up making three gloves and save the first (read: flawed) one as a souvenir.


I'm using Sirdar's Snuggly Baby Bamboo, which really may be a mistake. It's so soft and warm, but I'm beginning to suspect that it just doesn't have the memory necessary for a project like gloves. I think that as I become a more experienced knitter I will learn to listen to what the salespeople in the knitting stores tell me. What is it about people (read: me) that makes them want to learn things the hard way as opposed to profiting from the wisdom of others?


So, wish me luck. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

The iPhone: Two Weeks In

How long does a honeymoon last when it's between you and a major piece of daily-use technology? For myself and The iPhone, the answer is about two weeks. Don't worry, though, the honeymoon maybe through, but I feel as if the marriage in general will be a long and happy one.

Here are a few things that I'd love to change about my new partner-in-crime:

CUT-AND-PASTE for F**K's SAKE!!!
Really, what more is there to say than that? For the record, I did know about this little quirk before I went ahead and purchased the phone, so I suppose I shouldn't complain too much. But it's such a normal part of regular computer use it seems absolutely asinine that they left it out. I'd gladly trade some of the cool, but basically useless, features for this simple, but rather important, one.

ADAPTIVE PREDICTIVE TEXT
Maybe this is a bit much to wish for, but since The iPhone has clearly appropriated names from my contacts list into the predictive text feature, I don't see why it can't learn that I frequently use the shorthand "w/" for "with" and stop trying to change it to "a". Everyone has their own personal slang and if the iPhone could just accept you for that and stop trying to make you conform to it's idea of how you should write then I think we'd all be happier.

ZOOM FEATURE FOR THE CAMERA
I don't think I need to elaborate on this one other than to say that when I want to take pics of John Stewart on the street I should be able to get as close up as possible without violating the restraining order.

Oddly, the camera feature's failings have led to some pretty cool pictures, like this one from my favorite cuties' 3rd Birthday party:



If I wanted to create an effect like this on purpose I'd be completely inept, but The iPhone has a mind of it's own, which is sometimes a good thing.