Photo Hunters - Dirty

The first shot I took of this adult movie theater in Seattle had a pretty boring message on the marquee, so when I went back at night, I waited a few minutes until "RELAX it's just SEX" came up. People must have thought I was dying to go in. Plus nothing beats neon at night, I'm like a moth when it comes to neon.

Dear AT&T

Dear AT&T, You can take my arms and legs but not my first born!

Once upon a time in the not so distant past (like June), I had an account with Cingular, now AT&T , through my previous employer for $9/month including free nights and weekend and $0.25/min otherwise. My bills ran $15 per month on average for 3 years. Now that I've gone down the iPhone rathole, I am now sinking under the weight of these new bills. Here's the rundown so far.

1. $49.77
   • 7/3 to 7/8 - nearly $50 for 5 days of service because I was too impatient to wait for my number to be transported from my business account and wanted to try the phone RIGHT NOW on a new number. Most of this was the $36 activation fee.
     
2. $120.34
   • 7/8 to 7/15 - $20 for my current number
   • 7/8 to 7/15 - $20 for the new number that I canceled on 7/8. I had to pay for 2 lines even though I could only use one due to my SIM card debacle, and they wouldn't remove the charge, telling me that accounts are terminated only at the end of the billing cycle and the representative should have informed me that was the case.
     
   • $18 transfer of service fee.
     
   • 7/15 to 8/15 - $60 for my current number
3. -$3.17
   • 7/8 to 7/15 Woo hoo I got a $3 refund for closing my old business account.
     
4. $174.28
   • 8/15 to 9/15 - $60 for my current number
   • $8 for roaming calls I made in Toronto
   • $101 in data charges while I was in Toronto FOR ONLY 3 DAYS!!!
     

Obviously I am not the first person to experience the international iPhone gouging, and $101 is relatively small compared to others (I've heard of a $3000 bill), so when I called they were hardly sympathetic. They informed me that those were completely valid charges. When I pressed the issue, the rep asked me to hold, and then came back and said that he would not be able to reduce the charges. I often wonder when you get put on hold whether it is just a tactic to make you believe that they are checking with their manager, or whether they are just faking it trying to let you cool down. Although sometimes it does actually work (but never with AT&T). I asked how I could avoid these charges in the future, as the phone will automatically check email, etc. He informed me that I could call them and stop the data service and then call back to resume the data service. That is probably the only foolproof way, as I've heard another story where someone put the phone into Airplane mode for an entire trip and still got charged ridiculous amounts when he left the country.

So for the last two months, my services bills have reached more than half the cost of the iPhone. I guess that's what I get for wanting the latest gadget. Refurb models are now available for $100 less if you feel like saving a few bucks from Apple only to get diverted to AT&T.

Where did our genes go wrong?

It is so easy to spot characteristics in Adam that come from his mom and dad. He loves math (mom), cars (dad), organization (mom) and has excellent mechanical abilities (mom and dad). Dova, on the other hand, has characteristics that are totally foreign to us. We should have known when she was born with green (or dark grey) eyes. I couldn't believe that a baby that was half Chinese could have green eyes!



Sure she looks like a mix of mom and dad now and has a few characteristics that we identify in ourselves such as intelligence, well-spoken (dad), and love of classical music (mom - Adam loves jazz like dad). However...

She is not mechanical or spatial at all. It took her well into her 2's to figure out how to turn a doorknob. She would jiggle it back and forth and never get the door open. She still can't figure out how to put on her underwear. She'll show it to me backwards and I'll tell her to turn it around and she'll cross her arms and say "Like this?" When she puts it on, she'll uncross her arms and have it backwards again. And forget it if she gets it sideways and has to turn it a quarter turn. She likes to remove her pants and underwear completely when she uses the potty, so you can imagine how frustrating it has been getting her to redress herself 5 times a day for the LAST 5 MONTHS.

She can't tell cars apart for the life of her. She'll see a Grand Am on the road and call it a Corvette. Of our three cards, a BMW, Corvette and Toyota Echo, her favorite is the Echo.

She has a warped sense of organization. She loves to use anything and everything as a container. She'll put toy food in her princess purse, my knitting into a stuffed animal pocket, clothes into a paper folder, etc. It is nearly impossible to imagine and find where she stashes stuff.

She loses stuff and doesn't care. Adam, like us, becomes obsessed with anything he loses until he finds it. Dova loses stuff at an alarming rate and she'll just shrug her shoulders and say "I lost it!" We tell her that she needs to care for and keep track of her things so now she'll say "I'm sorry I lost it." Hardly an improvement.

She can be very mean when she gets mad or tired. She'll hit, kick and push people away, tell them to leave, and say that she doesn't love them. It has been really hard to change this behavior.

Well despite her differences, she is extremely lovable. When she is sweet, there is no sweeter girl in the world. She loves to snuggle all the time, unlike Adam, who squirmed away even when he was a baby. It could be that Doug, Adam and I are all first borns (first and only in my case, which is supposedly an extreme first born) so we have no idea how these later siblings work. I guess we just need to learn her quirks and unfamiliar ways and stop wondering where these foreign genes came from.

TT #15 - My Kid's Favorite TV shows

I don't watch enough TV to make a list thirteen items long, so I'll defer to my kids for this one (i.e. hopefully this doesn't reflect on me in any way)

1. Spongebob Squarepants - Still a favorite even after the huge Spongebob birthday last year. On Nickelodeon of course.


2. Martin Mystery - Sort of an anime version of Scooby Doo on NickToons. Adam and Dova love to take on the personas of Martin and his sister Diana.


3. Crash! Bang! Splat! - A cool science show from Australia on Discovery Kids.


4. Grossology - A slimy cartoon with hip animation and science stuff from Discovery Kids.


5. Time Warp Trio - Free history lessons while watching this fun cartoon from Discovery Kids.


6. Flight 29 Down - Looks like Lost for kids, although I've never seen Lost myself. On Discovery Kids.


7. Jimmy Neutron - The adventures of a boy genius can be educational right? On Nickelodeon.


8. Cyberchase - Mystery plus math is a combination Adam loves! This is the very last show they will watch on PBS as they've already outgrown the rest.


9. Lilo & Stitch - The TV series based on the movies on the Disney Channel. Adam loves the surfing.
   


10. Yin Yang Yo! - This Jetix series on Toon Disney is barely tolerated by us because it is a bit violent, but the characters are cute and not scary. I think Adam wants to relate to his Chinese side by watching this and Pucca.
    


11. Pucca - Another Jetix series on Toon Disney with a cute Korean girl in love with a boy.
    


12. Little Bear - The last show on Noggin' that Dova still watches. Adam also loved it at her age. Based on the books by Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak.
    


13. Peep and the Big Wide World - Another "preschool" show that they both still watch. It's silly mixed with nature and science and is on PBS and Discovery Kids.
    

It's amazing how these kids have already outgrown all the great preschool shows on PBS (Sesame Street, Clifford, Caillou, Teletubbies) and Noggin' (Dora the Explorer, Blue's Clues, Oswald). Back when I had my first day of 1st grade, I distinctly remember coming home and settling down to a comforting show of Sesame Street. Adam hasn't watched Sesame Street in years!

Review of Blog Directories - Part 2

In the age of web 2.0, the best blog directory sites are ones that create community, where you can befriend bloggers and communicate with them directly. The older directory listing sites don't work as well. Here are two of these sites where I have gotten no referrals from (or that I've ever seen).

Blogarama

The Good: This directory has been around forever. Easy to change your blog URL.

The Bad: It told me that I've been visited 57 times since I joined probably a year ago. Not sure whether these are out clicks or referrals to their site. Still the number is way to small to keep this extra chicklet during my housekeeping.

The Verdict: See ya!

Blogs By Women

The Good: Run by women who approve blogs by hand to keep out the riff raff and the men. Easy to change your blog URL.

The Bad: No referrals. Their blog is a bit too serious for me. Not that I don't care about serious issues, I'm just not that serious a person.

The Verdict: I definitely want to promote women's sites, so I will keep it.

Previously reviewed on Part 1: Top Blog List and Blog Top Sites (Blog Flux)

Wordless Wednesday - Petting Mr. Ray

At Atlantis Marine World Aquarium in Riverhead, NY.

Get with the program - MySpace to Facebook

Everyone knows that MySpace is total crap, but to be a good internet doobie, I spent a minimal amount time setting up an account under Moonfever0 and collected podcasters, musicians and a few real people (and fake people) as friends. It has proven useful in keeping in touch with my cousin Daniel Wang and his girlfriend Ingrid or rather Ingridible in Belgium, as well as my old piano teacher Adolovni Acosta (who sought me out after finding this post I wrote about her). Recently I got this "complimentary" email from a fan:

Angela, are you an empowered Asian woman?

You have a very pretty picture, and from your resume, I can tell you are very smart. I also see that you like shows that empower women.

I also like show that empower women, especially Asian women. I am sick and tired of stereotypes of Asian women as submissive.

I am a very submissive guy and I love Asian women. I am looking for an Asian women that will allow me to clean up her house, be VERY dominating, and make me be faithful while she has the right to date other men.

I would love to have an Asian women make me clean her house, and give me a 6 foot by 6 foot square where I can sleep at night. Feed me rice, water, and a vitamin pill. I am very cheap.

Nice, hold on while I get my whip. Oh wait, I threw it in the donations pile after having kids just in case they thought it would be a good toy to play with. Darn! (I kid you not ). Unfortunately Frappr also got quickly polluted with those ugly free-for-all messages and overly forward admirers (don't worry D, I don't mean you!). I tried Orkut briefly, but didn't find anyone I knew.


Finally, Facebook got it right, by limiting the look and feel of its pages to something that is always presentable. Face it, you should leave user interface design to the professionals! (Umm, I am a professional UI developer, but for Windows applications controlling real time instrumentation, not the web, so don't judge me by my blog ).

I almost set up a Facebook account months ago, but I had a hard time with the "Real Name" it kept asking for. Although it is doubtful that my last name is totally private since I am everywhere on the internet, I prefer the sites that I have direct control over to be private. So I put it off. Then the good Fr. Roderick got on, and apparently put me over the edge. This man has amazing powers over me, except in the area of religion, where I won't be becoming a Catholic. So finally I came up with a goofy name, Angela Moonfever, and created an account. I can already tell that it will be a huge timesink, so good thing it is blocked from work (did I actually say that?). So please come befriend me, write on my wall, etc. Thanks! See you on Facebook!

Another cat joke

Our local cat shelter printed another joke recently. When I first read it, I thought it said "In retrospect, I could have done with more lives." Either way, it is funny!

Here is the first joke I had posted.

Photo Hunters - Happy

Here are my two happy kids - footloose and fancy free!

Wordless Wednesday - Sifting Sand

Another Wii map - Do you travel?

Another map from the Wii Everybody Votes channel. The question was:

How many states have you visited?
Pink = 10 or more
Green = Less than 10

I think many people from the Western states are transplants from other areas, where transplants tend to travel more. The gray states including Massachusetts are too close to call. This map doesn't follow any political divide but rather how apt people are to travel (you Midwesterners stay put, OK?). It doesn't even coincide with household income maps. Our family was split 50/50 sheerly due to the fact that the kids are too young to travel that extensively.

Falling asleep to Mozart

The other night, the kids had the idea to sleep in the living room in their sleeping bags. So instead of reading stories, I played the piano until they fell asleep. Adam fell asleep during the second movement from Mozart Piano Sonata K. 332:

(Image from Merci beaucoup, monsieur Mozart. When I was younger, I had actually drawn this portion of the sheet music in color because I loved it so much, but now I can't find it ). Dova finally fell asleep about 3 selections later, during the 3rd mvt. of Mozart Sonata in F K.533, arguably the best sonata Mozart wrote, which I wouldn't have known about if it weren't for Baby Mozart. It was a wonderful change of routine as they had never fallen asleep to the piano at nighttime (I remember Adam may have for naps but more out of sheer exhaustion). They were quiet while I played for a change and drifted peacefully off to sleep with the music. I was so lucky to be part of that experience.

Photo Hunters - Two

Two photos of two kids forming the number two.

Happy 400th post

I never imagined that I could ramble on for 400 posts! Here are some happy random thoughts for the occasion:

• 
  For some reason, I've always been attracted to the retro flower look as you may have noticed from my header background and favicon. Doug says it looks very "Dating Game" (image from Rock Riddle). When I saw these cool retro magnets on Popgadget, I immediately wanted them! Well, I guess it really wouldn't look right on my charcoal grey BMW wagon. Maybe I could put them on my fridge at work (the fridge at home is of course adorned with the kid's artwork and schedules). Well, maybe that wouldn't be appropriate for a software engineering manager. How did I get to be SO OLD!?!?!
• 100 pounds of kids. Adam just hit the 60 pound mark and Dova is hovering around 38 pounds, so we are rapidly approaching 100 pounds of kids! It wasn't long ago that Adam was 40 pounds and Dova was 20 pounds and we had 60 pounds of kids. My guess is that was 3 years ago when Adam was around Dova's age (makes sense) and Dova was about 9 months old. Wait, that's just after I started this blog, 40 pounds of kids ago.
  
• Summer is nearing the end, which means Adam will be off to first grade on the school bus. I will miss this particular moment in the day when I pick them both up from preschool. After Adam flies headfirst off the tricycle when he catches a curb, and Dova puts all the princess dress-up clothes away, and Adam shows me the flags that he drew, and Dova takes the play coins out of the register, and Adam builds a really tall log cabin before he can put the pieces away, and Dova has to go the bathroom again, and I finally get them out of the school, into the car and buckle Dova into her seat... After all that, I shut the car door and walk around the back of the car to driver's door. This moment in time is total bliss. They are both safe in the car and I am completely free for 5 seconds. Ahh, no more corralling, persuading, directing, pleading for 5 whole seconds. As soon as I open the door, the spell is broken and I'm back to being mom trying not to lose my cool for the 6 minute ride home.
• I usually part Dova's hair for her ponytails using a comb with a pointy end. One morning, I had left the comb downstairs, so instead, I grabbed a knitting needle to part her hair. It worked wonderfully, and now she always wants me to "knit her hair".
  

Apparently, I'm quite good at rambling on and never have a lack of things to say! Here's to another 400 posts!

Taming Widgetmania

In efforts to do some blog housekeeping, I'm taking down some of my beloved widgets and am trying to get a grip on the widgetoholic in me. At least they will all have a home in this post!

I love Frappr and all my friends, but alas this is one map too many. Now it will live here large!


The NeoFlags display from NeoWorx is super cool, but alas it is NOT FREE!! I'll leave it up until those beautiful flags go away.


The twins at 5 Minutes for Mom do a fantastic service, but they didn't have a picture of a mom with straight dark hair and the best I could do is a curly redhead!


I'm all for finding missing children but the fact that the script from MissingAlert.com would not concede to my left align drove me bonkers.


Bye bye reading lists. It was just too pathetic to watch how slowly I read books.
Note to self: When editing this post, you gotta use IE7 because these darn Amazon iFrames eat up the post in Firefox. And while you're in IE7 don't swear too much when it crashes right in the middle of editing.



Since my podcasts are already listed on my blogroll these are going as well. I even resurrected some oldies but goodies (animated Ancester gif). Once upon a time, those podcast bricks were the only adornment to my blog, but alas, it is time for them to go.

OK, who am I kidding? I love Giant Microbes for myself, but not a soul has clicked on this to buy any (at least I get a few cents, and I mean CENTS from Amazon and Google). For now, I'll be getting some for the holidays for the kids (and myself) because they haven't yet discovered Webkinz .

Update August 18: This post has taken over my life! As soon as I get one widget right, another one goes bad, and then podcasts bricks mysteriously disappear. This will be the last time I edit it I swear!