Chez Baxblog imposes cloth diapers on the Fuss part-time, combining a feel-good nod to 'green' parenting with the kind of old timey frugality that makes Capitalism gnash its teeth in frustration.
Cloth diapers are super cheap & work fine, disposable diapers are not only expensive but an environmental disaster. But nobody wants to deal with a poopy cloth diaper, so plastic won that war.
Our hybrid approach works great when the Fuss is being predictable. Cloth most of the time, plastic when the POOP WARNING flag is snapping in the breeze. Of course sometimes you miss, which is why God invented Oxyclean.
The cloth diapering experience has been greatly improved by another of God's super ideas, the diaper cover. It's the convenience of plastic (Velcro! Waterproof!) minus the problematic disposability.
So, he's started growing out of his old diaper covers & we ordered a new stack. From Amazon, just because I didn't feel like making a whole new account on some baby supply site (why hasn't someone invented a thingie that lets you just buy stuff from wherever you want without creating a whole new account for every web page in the universe?) The Wife had a specific fashion profile in mind, so the order was filled by three separate vendors- Diapers.com, babyearth.com and Target.com (yes, Virginia, Target.com sells through Amazon.com- the corporate Oroboros at work).
Target gets a prize as the most responsible shipper- their package was shipped in a simple plastic envelope, which was plenty of protection for an essentially indestructible product.
Second prize went to Babyearth, who shipped a single cover in small but oddly shaped box padded with the type of paper they make grocery bags out of.
The big loser was, strangely, Diapers.com. You'd expect a company named DIAPERS.COM to be out in front of the challenges of efficiently shipping diapers and diaper related products. And you'd be DEAD WRONG!
Our two diaper covers arrived in a gargantuan oblong box more suited to shipping something like a big toaster oven, or a desktop computer. The mammoth box was stuffed with yards of inflated plastic packing material, presumably protecting the covers from a rogue meteor strike or bullet impact.
As comedy it was a huge success.
As efficient business practice, not so much.
1.30.2010
two movies
A while ago we checked out Julie & Julia, an impulse 'rental' from one of those grocery store dvd kiosks inspired by a brief dry spell in the Netflix pipeline.
I wouldn't call it a good movie, but parts were excellent- the ones about Julia Child.
Merl was fantastic, Stanly Tucci was splendid as ever and they nailed the period perfectly. Great character, great story, fascinating movie.
Unfortunately someone in the pipeline felt the need for modern 'balance', which got us a horribly mis-cast Amy Adams struggling to make us care about a frumpy blogger with a job she hates & a boring, unappealing boyfriend we kept hoping she would dump.
Free advice for Hollywood:
if you need a human stand in for post-9/11 enuii, don't cast Amy Adams. She wears 'glum & frumpy' about as well as Judy Holliday.
I'd recommend it with the caveat that you skip over the contemporary bits, TIVO style.
I added Edward Norton's take on the Hulk to my Netflix a million years ago and forgot all about it until it showed up in the mail.
The best thing about it was the setting of the first reel, a favela in Rio. Great idea, they should have stayed there so the audience would have something interesting to look at.
The main failure was that someone in the production pipeline was SO determined not to fuck things up like Ang Lee they overcorrected. The whole backstory was set up during the credits and reminded me of nothing so much as those (Famous Movie) in 30 Seconds with Bunnies things.
Okay, you probably don't want to drag it out over two hours like Ang, but treating it as a throwaway didn't do them any favors. There was no sense of plight or tragedy, which should drive any decent Hulk project. And aside from Norton himself the casting was execrable. William Hurt as the blood and guts general Thunderbolt Ross? Not even Nietzsche-esque prosthetic eyebrows could save that performance.
Not recommended, even as a low bar hangover rental.
I wouldn't call it a good movie, but parts were excellent- the ones about Julia Child.
Merl was fantastic, Stanly Tucci was splendid as ever and they nailed the period perfectly. Great character, great story, fascinating movie.
Unfortunately someone in the pipeline felt the need for modern 'balance', which got us a horribly mis-cast Amy Adams struggling to make us care about a frumpy blogger with a job she hates & a boring, unappealing boyfriend we kept hoping she would dump.
Free advice for Hollywood:
if you need a human stand in for post-9/11 enuii, don't cast Amy Adams. She wears 'glum & frumpy' about as well as Judy Holliday.
I'd recommend it with the caveat that you skip over the contemporary bits, TIVO style.
I added Edward Norton's take on the Hulk to my Netflix a million years ago and forgot all about it until it showed up in the mail.
The best thing about it was the setting of the first reel, a favela in Rio. Great idea, they should have stayed there so the audience would have something interesting to look at.
The main failure was that someone in the production pipeline was SO determined not to fuck things up like Ang Lee they overcorrected. The whole backstory was set up during the credits and reminded me of nothing so much as those (Famous Movie) in 30 Seconds with Bunnies things.
Okay, you probably don't want to drag it out over two hours like Ang, but treating it as a throwaway didn't do them any favors. There was no sense of plight or tragedy, which should drive any decent Hulk project. And aside from Norton himself the casting was execrable. William Hurt as the blood and guts general Thunderbolt Ross? Not even Nietzsche-esque prosthetic eyebrows could save that performance.
Not recommended, even as a low bar hangover rental.
1.26.2010
Title of the Day (for Sally)
Dick & Jane As Victims: Sex Stereotyping in Children's Readers
Random selection:
Random selection:
Wives and mothers are not only dull; sometimes they are actually unpleasant!
1.25.2010
revelations
I absolutely hate it when people ask me for suggestions, which I realize is an occupational hazard. I just figured out why- the majority of customers want you to tell them what they would like. Which I'm comfortable doing for people I know fairly well, but not for total strangers.
And when I solicit suggestions, say from Miko next door at the record shop, I ask what they are into right now. I'm not asking them to read my mind, just give me a window into theirs.
It's the advertising culture of TELL ME WHAT I LIKE I can't stand.
And when I solicit suggestions, say from Miko next door at the record shop, I ask what they are into right now. I'm not asking them to read my mind, just give me a window into theirs.
It's the advertising culture of TELL ME WHAT I LIKE I can't stand.
things that are like things
Babies and NYC.
Before we visited friends in Manhattan my California brain thought of the boroughs in West Coast scale, everything spread out over miles. In reality, they're stuffed together like books on a shelf - crossing the street takes you from Soho to Greenwich Village, and exotic, far off destinations like the Lower East Side are a short walk from anywhere.
Babies exhibit the same disparity in scale.
Pre-Fuss, the stage where they're tiny and helpless and you had to feed them and carry them everywhere seemed like it would be eternal. In reality, it's gone in the gritty blink of a sleep-deprived eye. And you think when they start walking they'll just sort of toddle around slowly exploring their space with caution and wonderment- and perhaps some do. But compared to Fuss those babies are classic Romero zombies, shambling and groaning, whereas he's more of a Zack Snyder remake for Generation ADD.
It all zips by much faster than you expected.
Before we visited friends in Manhattan my California brain thought of the boroughs in West Coast scale, everything spread out over miles. In reality, they're stuffed together like books on a shelf - crossing the street takes you from Soho to Greenwich Village, and exotic, far off destinations like the Lower East Side are a short walk from anywhere.
Babies exhibit the same disparity in scale.
Pre-Fuss, the stage where they're tiny and helpless and you had to feed them and carry them everywhere seemed like it would be eternal. In reality, it's gone in the gritty blink of a sleep-deprived eye. And you think when they start walking they'll just sort of toddle around slowly exploring their space with caution and wonderment- and perhaps some do. But compared to Fuss those babies are classic Romero zombies, shambling and groaning, whereas he's more of a Zack Snyder remake for Generation ADD.
It all zips by much faster than you expected.
1.23.2010
culinary adventures
Not only is soup good food, it's so ridiculously easy to make I'm not sure how Campbells stays in business. Oh wait, I live in a country where blankets with sleeves, squeezable mayonnaise and pots with holes in the lid are big hits.
Nevermind.
I've boiled up a couple of batches recently, inspired by the inclement weather and a recent acquisition.
First up was a quick take on Tortilla Soup. My gold standard recipe is from Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless, but it's not a casual undertaking (prepping dried chilis always pays off, but it's a PITA).
This version wasn't much more involved than chopping some stuff up and dumping it in the pot, and it turned out pretty good. You do need to approach Mexican recipes from Cook's Illustrated with care- they have a decidedly East Coast sensibility which makes for occasionally boneheaded suggestions. Bayless says to fry up some thinly sliced corn torillas and put a handful in the bowl before ladling the soup in, which works fantastically well both aesthetically and flavor wise.
The Cooks crew decided, for reasons obscure, to go with sliced raw flour tortillas, which just sounds gross, texturally and flavor wise. I don't think it's an idea that would even occur to anyone who 'lived' with Mexican food as we do here in Cali.
Their other terrible suggestion was to sprinkle the top with Monterey Jack. I went with the traditional Queso Fresco, which along with the fried corn tortilla strips makes the dish IMHO.
It didn't have tremendous depth of flavor, but was easy and tasty and I'll be making it again.
But they salvaged their reputations with my second choice, Minestrone.
For such a visually appealing & delicious soup it is comically easy to make.
Step one: chop up a bunch of stuff.
Step two: bring it to a boil then simmer it for an hour or so.
Of course, that might sound tedious to someone who doesn't enjoy chopping, but for me that was its sexiest feature. It is also a tremendously cheap soup, aside from the requested Parmesan rind. A potato, a zucchini, a couple carrots & celery stalks, spinach, an onion & some garlic.
I made things more complicated by frying up the onion first, then sweating down the veggies a bit, another nod to the tiny Gordon Ramsey who rides my shoulder ranting about building flavor.
But even with that bonus step, the excited response of my diners was wildly out of proportion to the amount of work I'd invested. You'd think I pulled off some complex kitchen legerdemain....which is what earns this one a spot in the heavy rotation.
I expect it to be even better tonight, after some time to rest....
Nevermind.
I've boiled up a couple of batches recently, inspired by the inclement weather and a recent acquisition.
First up was a quick take on Tortilla Soup. My gold standard recipe is from Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless, but it's not a casual undertaking (prepping dried chilis always pays off, but it's a PITA).
This version wasn't much more involved than chopping some stuff up and dumping it in the pot, and it turned out pretty good. You do need to approach Mexican recipes from Cook's Illustrated with care- they have a decidedly East Coast sensibility which makes for occasionally boneheaded suggestions. Bayless says to fry up some thinly sliced corn torillas and put a handful in the bowl before ladling the soup in, which works fantastically well both aesthetically and flavor wise.
The Cooks crew decided, for reasons obscure, to go with sliced raw flour tortillas, which just sounds gross, texturally and flavor wise. I don't think it's an idea that would even occur to anyone who 'lived' with Mexican food as we do here in Cali.
Their other terrible suggestion was to sprinkle the top with Monterey Jack. I went with the traditional Queso Fresco, which along with the fried corn tortilla strips makes the dish IMHO.
It didn't have tremendous depth of flavor, but was easy and tasty and I'll be making it again.
But they salvaged their reputations with my second choice, Minestrone.
For such a visually appealing & delicious soup it is comically easy to make.
Step one: chop up a bunch of stuff.
Step two: bring it to a boil then simmer it for an hour or so.
Of course, that might sound tedious to someone who doesn't enjoy chopping, but for me that was its sexiest feature. It is also a tremendously cheap soup, aside from the requested Parmesan rind. A potato, a zucchini, a couple carrots & celery stalks, spinach, an onion & some garlic.
I made things more complicated by frying up the onion first, then sweating down the veggies a bit, another nod to the tiny Gordon Ramsey who rides my shoulder ranting about building flavor.
But even with that bonus step, the excited response of my diners was wildly out of proportion to the amount of work I'd invested. You'd think I pulled off some complex kitchen legerdemain....which is what earns this one a spot in the heavy rotation.
I expect it to be even better tonight, after some time to rest....
1.19.2010
Weather: Bane of the Landed Gentry
So this morning its raining sideways, which really is my favorite type of weather. Well, since it doesn't snow here.
Up with the Fuss (and the sun), I put the kettle on while cobbling together a morning meal he'll accept. It's a bit like playing Tetris blindfolded, trying to find the right pieces with no idea how what shape hole you're trying to fill- this morning's winning combination was banana, apple, cheddar cheese and just a whiff of oatmeal.
As I shuttle around the kitchen I notice that the gutter of the window by the fridge is full of water. Alarmed, I stuff it with a towel.
And check the other windows.
Which are similarly flooded.
Great.
Okay, maybe you can't expect much from what were probably the cheapest windows on offer in 1975...but shouldn't they at least not POUR WATER during a storm?
Consulting with my friend the Internet I note that modern cousins of our leaky, horrendously energy inefficient 1975'ers are relatively cheap. Of course, we've already got the cheap, crummy window angle well covered.
Oh well, at least this'll give me an excuse to buy some tools!
Up with the Fuss (and the sun), I put the kettle on while cobbling together a morning meal he'll accept. It's a bit like playing Tetris blindfolded, trying to find the right pieces with no idea how what shape hole you're trying to fill- this morning's winning combination was banana, apple, cheddar cheese and just a whiff of oatmeal.
As I shuttle around the kitchen I notice that the gutter of the window by the fridge is full of water. Alarmed, I stuff it with a towel.
And check the other windows.
Which are similarly flooded.
Great.
Okay, maybe you can't expect much from what were probably the cheapest windows on offer in 1975...but shouldn't they at least not POUR WATER during a storm?
Consulting with my friend the Internet I note that modern cousins of our leaky, horrendously energy inefficient 1975'ers are relatively cheap. Of course, we've already got the cheap, crummy window angle well covered.
Oh well, at least this'll give me an excuse to buy some tools!
1.18.2010
blurb of the week
from DRAGON MOUNTAIN by Daniel Reid.
Bit of an extremist, isn't he?
Captain Jack Robertson faces an impossible choice: Can he learn to love his violent, drug fueled jungle prison- or will he die trying to escape?
Bit of an extremist, isn't he?
one thing that sucks
Doing anything with a baby or toddler is much harder & more stressful than otherwise. They act like a degree of difficulty in Olympic diving. If going to the store alone is a baseline activity, taking one with you multiplies your final score by 5.
When other multipliers hit things can spiral rapidly out of control. Let's say you get sick, with some kind of nausea/fever deal, and you're not fit for much besides staring dully at some generic Hollywood offering and passing out at 7:30.
Fuss could give two squirts. He still wants to climb up on the dining room table and gnaw on the candles, he still wants you to make him 4 different dinners looking for the one that meets his protean standards, he still wants to climb inside the dishwasher when you're trying to tidy up afterwards, and he will still shriek like a banshee when you try to put him to bed.
Even when you're lucky enough to have a traditional helpmeet (as I do) it throws everything off. I usually take the reigns when I get home from work and get up with him in the morning. When I can't, the wife ends up having him all day, and all night, and then again in the morning. Which gives me a better appreciation of the unrelenting rigors of single parenthood, but doesn't help the Wife when she starts passing out in the living room at 8am.
Of course, on cue, the Fuss had one of those wretched nights where he wakes up shrieking every hour. I rose at 2am, pouring sweat, and retreated to the living room to perform arcane rights aimed at luring a worried Morpheus back in from the rain.
He's such a relentless, full contact experience it's easy to forget that a mere handful of months ago every night was last night. Hard as he is, he's so improved it seems downright churlish to complain.
When other multipliers hit things can spiral rapidly out of control. Let's say you get sick, with some kind of nausea/fever deal, and you're not fit for much besides staring dully at some generic Hollywood offering and passing out at 7:30.
Fuss could give two squirts. He still wants to climb up on the dining room table and gnaw on the candles, he still wants you to make him 4 different dinners looking for the one that meets his protean standards, he still wants to climb inside the dishwasher when you're trying to tidy up afterwards, and he will still shriek like a banshee when you try to put him to bed.
Even when you're lucky enough to have a traditional helpmeet (as I do) it throws everything off. I usually take the reigns when I get home from work and get up with him in the morning. When I can't, the wife ends up having him all day, and all night, and then again in the morning. Which gives me a better appreciation of the unrelenting rigors of single parenthood, but doesn't help the Wife when she starts passing out in the living room at 8am.
Of course, on cue, the Fuss had one of those wretched nights where he wakes up shrieking every hour. I rose at 2am, pouring sweat, and retreated to the living room to perform arcane rights aimed at luring a worried Morpheus back in from the rain.
He's such a relentless, full contact experience it's easy to forget that a mere handful of months ago every night was last night. Hard as he is, he's so improved it seems downright churlish to complain.
1.10.2010
Free Customer Advice
Hey there, Lady Looking For a Calendar of Antique Nautical Maps!
In future, do not bitch about the selection when you wait until the second week in January to begin your search, mmmmk?
In future, do not bitch about the selection when you wait until the second week in January to begin your search, mmmmk?
1.05.2010
Title of the Day
Diseases of the Genital Organs of Domestic Animals by W.L. Williams
I'm afraid to crack the cover.
I'm afraid to crack the cover.
1.04.2010
true customer tales
subtitle
Why This Country is a Train Wreck
Large fellow wearing a dirty tee shirt with cut-off sleeves and an American flag graphic:
where are your religious books?
Me:
Eastern or Western?
guy:
long pause
Uhrr.......UNITED STATES.
Guh.
Why This Country is a Train Wreck
Large fellow wearing a dirty tee shirt with cut-off sleeves and an American flag graphic:
where are your religious books?
Me:
Eastern or Western?
guy:
long pause
Uhrr.......UNITED STATES.
Guh.
12.29.2009
12.26.2009
true customer tales!
On a positive note, for a change.
There's a girl in the loft, looks like six or seven years old, dancing like crazy to Arcade Fire.
There's a girl in the loft, looks like six or seven years old, dancing like crazy to Arcade Fire.
true customer tales!
Crazy dude carrying an unrolled sleeping bag under one arm staggers up to the counter.
"Will you guys cash a GOVERNMENT CHECK if I buy some books?"
me:
Nope! Sorry.
"Will you guys cash a GOVERNMENT CHECK if I buy some books?"
me:
Nope! Sorry.
true customer tales!
*Loud, annoying cell phone ring that goes on for quite a while*
Guy browsing books, startled: Oh! That's ME!
Guy browsing books, startled: Oh! That's ME!
12.24.2009
Merry Christmas Mosaic
Something for all my peeps.
the rockers
the swingers
the bears
the fans of stop motion animation
and the faux-80's butt rockers
(NSFW? Probably!)
the rockers
the swingers
the bears
the fans of stop motion animation
and the faux-80's butt rockers
(NSFW? Probably!)
12.21.2009
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12.19.2009
hey neat
found this sweet pic our new turntable- well, not this exact one, but same model.
(click pic for full size image)
The excitement at Chez Baxblog is palpable!
(click pic for full size image)
The excitement at Chez Baxblog is palpable!
quick vent on health care "reform"
Giving away piles of taxpaper dollars to abusive, rapacious private companies by forcing everyone to buy coverage is a pile of shit.
I haven't seen any meaningful restraints on premiums or bad faith behavior by insurers, other than not allowing them to deny applicants based on preexisting conditions. Which of course doesn't prevent them from kicking folk to the curb later if it turns out they have some sort of expensive problem.
I'm thinking this whole thing is a big anchor being handed to the Dems. The pressure to pass ANYTHING because ANYTHING is better than 'losing' is obviously intense, but they would be well advised to sit back and dispassionately consider the electoral ramifications of forcing people to buy a shitty product offered by companies ruled by the profit motive.
Digby offers a more measured response. This quote resonates strongly:
If this monstrosity isn't vastly more public-friendly by the time they birth it, the Dem national ticket can kiss my ass when voting time comes around.
I haven't seen any meaningful restraints on premiums or bad faith behavior by insurers, other than not allowing them to deny applicants based on preexisting conditions. Which of course doesn't prevent them from kicking folk to the curb later if it turns out they have some sort of expensive problem.
I'm thinking this whole thing is a big anchor being handed to the Dems. The pressure to pass ANYTHING because ANYTHING is better than 'losing' is obviously intense, but they would be well advised to sit back and dispassionately consider the electoral ramifications of forcing people to buy a shitty product offered by companies ruled by the profit motive.
Digby offers a more measured response. This quote resonates strongly:
ROBERT KUTTNER: Think about it, the difference between social insurance and an individual mandate is this. Social insurance everybody pays for it through their taxes, so you don't think of Social Security as a compulsory individual mandate. You think of it as a benefit, as a protection that your government provides. But an individual mandate is an order to you to go out and buy some product from some private profit-making company, that in the case of a lot of moderate income people, you can't afford to buy. And the shell game here is that the affordable policies are either very high deductibles and co-pays, so you can afford the monthly premiums but then when you get sick, you have to pay a small fortune out of pocket before the coverage kicks in. Or if the coverage is decent, the premiums are unaffordable. And so here's the government doing the bidding of the private industry coercing people to buy profit-making products that maybe they can't afford and they call it health reform.
If this monstrosity isn't vastly more public-friendly by the time they birth it, the Dem national ticket can kiss my ass when voting time comes around.
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