Katie & Scott & Simon & Cecily.
I’m in New York! I’m pretty tired.
I was on a plane and a train today. Then, a bus. Then, I walked.
There was a baby on the train and bus. He waved at me on the bus. He put the top of an unopened coke bottle in his mouth on the train. Babies are great.
I realize that I may appear to be posting this after midnight (local time) but I’m giving myself a free pass today because I crossed over time zones.
Time to make the dymplijgd! That was supposed to say dumplings.
Happy mother’s day to all the mom’s out there!
For the rest of you ladies, what are you waiting for? Have a baby already.
For all you guys, what are you waiting for? Have a sex change operation and adopt a baby already.
It doesn’t feel like a Friday today. Maybe it’s because I started work on Tuesday this week. Maybe it’s because the excitement of the draft tonight has given me an overabundance of blood in my brain. Or a dearth?
My mom called me today. She’s still in a bit of pain, but she’s well loved by her friends, who continue to come over and cook her an overabundance of food. She has a follow-up appointment on Monday where I predict the doctor will tell her nothing but good news.
She also said that she was proud of me and really happy that I had turned out the way I had. Well, not in so many words. It was really nice. I’ve always lived, as most Chinese children do, in a somewhat constant state of wondering whether I’ve disappointed my parents. While certainly rather harrowing at times, I’m sure it’s also made me stronger in many ways.
Either way, it’s nice to hear something so direct and confidence-boosting.
What a task it is – rearing a child. Several of my co-workers have kids or are about to have kids or just had a kid. It’s really quite amazing. Each of us was once a baby, our entire lives consisting of our parents and bodily functions. And now? Now, we’re working members of society, living on our own (or with some other grown baby that we really like), blogging independent thoughts, and considering the latest stem cell research announcement.
That’s awesome. Isn’t it?
So that’s why I want to have children (eventually). Because there’s nothing better or more powerful I could do with my life.
Today, however, the best and most powerful thing I can do is pick a perfect baseball team.
I had a small post-birthday celebratory day yesterday. Katie made me a delicious maple cake, and people came over and played Halo and Rock Band (3 and 2, to be precise). I also bought a beginner’s acoustic guitar, then promptly proceeded to snap the first string by tuning it too tightly. Sigh. All in all, a good day.
Since about high school, I’ve always thought that if nothing else, I’d make a good father. I know, pretty arrogant, right? It’s because I love the idea of babies and of children and of being one of very few people that another human being trusts and learns from so completely. Also, I like to think I’m kind and caring and patient and all that generic good stuff.
That is, I thought I’d be a good dad until we got cats. You’re supposed to clean the litter box for cats every day and it’s sometimes hard to believe just how much a cat can excrete. I don’t clean it every day. Perhaps when we first got cats, we did so daily for a few weeks. Now, in Sims terms, I only clean it out when it starts affecting my environment – not, ideally, when it’s affecting our cats’ hygiene.
Translated into baby terms, this means that I’d let a baby sit in a stinky diaper for several days before changing it because the smell actually started to bother me. Now I know what you’re saying: “Babies and cats aren’t the same!” To which I reply: yes! You’re right! Babies are even harder to take care of!
I have no doubt that if and when I have a child, I will love it more than I love our cats. Still, there’s a nagging doubt that perhaps my behavior toward our cats is a harbinger. I can only imagine a scene where we have two kids: a big fat one that licks everything and a small crazy one that sprints around the house for no good reason. And we just sit there, taking pictures of them and chuckling.
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