At the Computer with Mommy

Yes, he knows what the computer is for: watching dogs on youtube. It started back in November when I was so sick; I couldn't read to him and he couldn't understand why I wouldn't play with him, and I had to come up with some way to keep him entertained. Now we can't sit down at the computer when he's up without him running up signing "dog" over and over again. He's starting to realize that we usually aren't doing anything nearly so interesting. But at least it's commercial-free, which is a big advantage over tv.

I had a great birthday. We went to the Cite des Sciences, only to discover that it's closed on Monday. We ended up wandering around the Parc de la Villette instead. It's a gorgeous little park--they are so much better designed here!--and we wouldn't have made it out there had the building been open. Tristram got to run around, we found the French National Center for Circus Arts, we walked by the canal and saw the coolest dragon play structure ever...

I also got ipod speakers (the old ones somehow got too rattled up in transit coming over here), so we have been listening to lots of music ever since Monday. That, and applying for lots of jobs (which is not related to the speakers). My eyes are sore. I must say, all this actual work to do what with the translating and job applications really eats into sewing and blogging time. I do miss blogging daily; it was more fun and I think a better read too. But priorities are priorities, and getting living money and ideally some benefits for the lot of us when we get back comes ahead of computer fun.

Lisa gets here tomorrow morning! We've got the small bed set up for her in the living room, all clean, and we are not going to let Tristram smear food on it tonight. I am excited to hear all about the inauguration firsthand. We watched, of course, but it's hard to get caught up in the moment when a one-year old is running around asking to be read to and needing diaper changes during the festivities and the big speech. I was very excited to hear Obama's clear signals of intending a more liberal administration, such as his specific inclusion of "non-believers" (though I wish he'd chosen a less pejorative-sounding term, like "agnostics and atheists." I believe lots of them; that the biblical God exists just doesn't happen to be one of them). A question for presidential-speech nerds: Is that a first in a major presidential address? I did appreciate, though, the Daily Show's pointed notice that a lot of his rhetoric sounded quite familiar--national pride, standing firm, etc. Most of the foreign commentators I've been translating are also taking note of signals on his part that change won't be quite so dramatically forthcoming as we might hope.

Finally, we liked Jill Biden's knees just fine. Inaugurations are like weddings; they are meant to be fully enjoyed and that means everyone attending should wear whatever pleases them best.

Tristram got so overwrought from being bombarded by TV that he started shouting, "Bawah Obawa!" at the top of his lungs. He will be talking very soon.