bryce courtenay

i just read that bryce courtenay died.  i really enjoyed reading 'The Power of One'.  

on the boats and on the planes

we're coming to america!

got a dream to take us there!

we're coming to america!

got a dream we're coming to share!

we're coming to america!

i can't do the whispered "today!" because it's actually tomorrow.  but packing has begun!

driving

i drove to work today, because it's getting colder and the commute yesterday was unpleasant and long.

i miss the reading time on public transport, but it's nice to be on my own schedule.

Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende

Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

really enjoyable story! the reading is easy and the characters are compelling.

View all my reviews

teaching

we're teaching new material today (new to everyone!) and it's fun.  figuring it out and working through issues together with the other instructor has been invigorating.

bad parenting

last night i yelled at a toddler i don't know.  

let me set the scene for you: a crowded kid-friendly restaurant on a saturday evening, the kid area has a play house and all ages of kids are playing and getting a bit crazy because they're having so much fun.  my 22-month-old was going in and out through the playhouse door, enjoying the open and close action and not really interacting with any other kids directly.  then one time she opened the door to go back inside the house, and a little girl who was inside (who was only slightly bigger, and probably was very close in age because my daughter is on the small side) was standing there.  and then she punched my daughter with a closed fist in the neck/chest a couple of times. i scooped up my daughter while blurting out "what the hell is wrong with you?!".

i am really embarrassed.  fortunately, i spoke in english and i live in a non-english-speaking country.  i had never been in the situation before, and i honestly don't know what i would have said if i were in an english-speaking environment.  i like to think i would have said "there is no reason for hitting!" or something along those lines.  but i honestly don't know.  i should have prepared myself for that months ago, but i just didn't.  and i feel awful.  thank goodness the little girl couldn't understand me. my temper was a little frayed because i had just cleaned up a crazy amount of shit in the bathroom (in the restaurant we had the first poo-in-pants accident since we started potty training and instead of remaining calm when i was trying to delicately peel off her pants so that the poo would fall nicely into the toilet, she panicked.  poo went all over the toilet seat, on the back of the toilet, on the floor, on her shoe, etc), but that is no excuse. today i have been practicing simply responding with a firm 'no!' in czech and i hope i'm ready to act like an adult next time.

but here is my question: what do i say to my daughter? i don't want her to hit back. i would like her to be comfortable getting out of violent situations even if she is mad. what should i tell her so she will have the appropriate script in her head? 

when a baby is screaming

oh dear god, this is us.

language acquisition

lumi learned the word 'big' earlier this week.  on monday, she was able to repeat "big leaf" back to me when she had a big leaf in her hand.  and then by this morning, she was able to generate that word and assign it as an adjective.  

also, she started using "'s" to denote possession in english, and the "n" for genitive in finnish.  so she says "äiti's phone" but "lumin maito".  

it's amazing to see this progression!

Obama reelected

Great job America! And great job Indiana and Missouri for defeating the women-haters!

florida elections

i know florida is having major problems with this election. part of that is disorganization, yes. but part of that is the ridiculous ballot. there were 12 (!) ballot measures to read carefully and then decide which you think is right.

and many of them were absolutely absurd. fortunately for cynics like myself, some of them had names including words like "freedom" which is a red flag for right-wing BS, so you know you have to read it *very* carefully. sure enough, the "religious freedom" amendment was about giving taxpayer money to churches.

but i have to complement volusia county FL on its election handling.  it was great! they sent me email confirmation of registering as absentee, and then they sent me email confirmation of receiving my ballot. impressive!

how is the hair up there

i love this hair style for lumi:

teradata 12 masters results

i got my td12 masters certification!  i'm quite proud.

beaver tourism

[giggles childishly]

things to do

today is my last 'play' day (where i'm not teaching but i'm at the office) for a while.  i will have 2 weeks of factory, then 2 weeks in the US, then 2 weeks of factory.  then i will have 1 week break, and then we go to asia!

so i'm trying to do a lot of little stuff here to prepare.

time management

i went to a seminar yesterday on time management.  i already am a GTD fan (though i certainly don't follow the program exactly), so it was interesting to hear other perspectives.  the one that was discussed heavily was "18 minutes" by bregman.  it was similar in that there is consistent review of big goals and then relevant plans for more details.  but one element not discussed is the "inbox" that is so crucial to the GTD lifestyle, and i think it would have been good to mention it.

but of course GTD appeals to really detail-oriented people, and this other one appeals to other personality types.  i suggested that kimmo take a look, and i think he's going to put some of the material to use.