Babies in Stereo

The past couple of days have been a bit hectic for me. Friday I took Alex on his first major grocery shopping trip (as in spending an hour in the store, not just picking up a few things). He was awake but calm, which is good. I was also glad that he's not at the stage where he asks for junk food.

Yesterday Eugene and I took Alex to visit a couple we met in childbirth class. They had their baby, a girl named Anna, a week after we did. It was cute seeing them side by side in their car seats. During dinner, Alex and Anna were both cooing, and we joked that they were exchanging tips on how to drive their parents crazy. ("So, what's this colic thing about?") Unfortunately, Anna was overtired to the point where she couldn't fall asleep, and she showed it. Alex had a couple of crying spells too, though I've heard worse. But since we and the other couple were going through the same thing, we were all understanding.

Today we stayed at home. While Eugene tending Alex, I caught up on domestic duties: I did the laundry, baked bread, and made sorbet. Now if I can finish the latest review I'm currently working on, maybe I can get back to my own stuff.

Secret Squirrel?

We have a very friendly squirrel visiting our patio. He comes up to the screen door and looks into the kitchen as if he expects me to let him in for a cup of tea. Today I caught him digging in our flowerboxes, rooting around and rolling in the dirt as if he was a dog. It's probably a good thing I didn't bother planting flowers this year, as they wouldn't have lasted. (Maybe he was a dog in another life, who knows?) One of these days I'll have to take a picture of him.

Weekend Recap

Saturday was Harry Potter Day. I spent most of it (besides caring for Alex and doing laundry) either waiting for UPS to deliver my book or reading. I didn't get the book until about 3:00 p.m., and yes, I was impatient. It would have been quicker to drive to Walmart and pick up a copy, but I'd preordered because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to take Alex to the store (depending on how he was behaving). Anyway, I finished the book and the Sunday morning. Without giving anything away, it was an enjoyable read. I foresaw a couple of things but not the main plot points. That's one of the things I respect Rowling for, her plotting. She does a great job of using minor details to great effect.

Anyway, Sunday the three of us drove to Evanston and met with the priest at the church where Alex will be baptized. Afterwards, we stopped by the Evanston Ethnic Arts Festival. The weather was perfect for it. I bought a couple of silk purses (one for a friend) and a pair of earrings. Afterwards, we stopped at Babies R Us before heading home.

Out and About

Would you believe I haven't filled up my car since May? I wasn't able to drive last month while I was recovering from surgery. But last week I was cleared by my doctor. Now I can take Alex to the doctor or run errands; I just need to time things so that he's sleeping. Last week I even got to go to the bookstore with him. We also managed to visit the Chicago Botantic Garden on Sunday with him. Although he kept us up during the night, he was quiet in his stroller. I didn't bring my camera because we had enough to haul around as it was. Eugene, of course, took his camera, so he may post some pictures when he has the chance.

Writing: Sigh, I haven't had a chance to do anything for a while, and two of my OWW critters have new chapters up. Do I work on that or my own stuff? And what project should I work on? It's too much for my sleep-deprived, post-partum brain.

Get Your Geek On

As you can imagine, I've been a bit busy since Alex arrived. It seems like as soon as I finish feeding him and putting him down to sleep he wakes up again. Plus I haven't been anywhere exciting; the last time I even drove my car was the day Alex was born. So that explains why I haven't blogged in a while.

Tonight on CNN's homepage, though, I saw something worth blogging about. There was an article about surprising things you can get for free. Among them was coursework at MIT. I guess this isn't really new -- other colleges are also offering noncredit online courses -- but I still found it cool. This would also be a good resource for science fiction writers looking to learn more about basic science or about something more advanced, like quantum physics or genetics. (They have biophysics as well, but that doesn't turn me on; I took it for my major, and it was a tough class.) There are also anthropology, language, literature, and even writing courses. I bookmarked the site, though I do have to wonder when I think I'll find time to do any of these courses. I suppose it would help if I stopped playing games and got to work. Even I can't convince myself learning about science is as relaxing as a game of Zuma, though.