Wednesday, 09 November 2011
Today, a co-worker asked me if Jennifer and I were planning on having a third child. I don’t think that sort of question is rude, but it’s my understanding that many people do think it’s rude, so while I refrain from asking others, I don’t mind it being asked of me.
I gotta say, though, I think it’s funny to ask of someone who has a 15 month old child at home. To me, it’s too soon for another kid (remember: there are over five years between kids #1 and 2). Before I could concoct any sort of response, though, the co-worker added: “I suppose you already have one of each.”
Presuming she was referring to my children’s gender, she is correct: I do have one of each.
So now I am left to wonder: are third children more prevalent in families with two children of the same gender? My parents, for example, had ‘one of each,’ and then stopped there. This might be due more to their complete disgust for one another rather than due to their kids’ genders, though. My wife’s parents, on the other hand, had ‘one of each’ and then proceeded to go ahead and have two more anyway. I have two sets of uncles and aunts who went on to have more than two kids after having the complete set as well.
I was trying to think about the children of some of my peers, but family sizes have shrunk to the point that it’s tough to tell what people are planning. Maybe their lives are too busy for more than two kids, or even more than one. Or maybe economics comes into play. Actually, I hope economics comes into play.
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Hidden behind the radiator in (what will be) Isla’s bedroom was a box of over-the-counter anti-flatulence medicine. Why anyone would want to forgo the pleasure of a good fart is beyond me but, nevertheless, the package has now become the latest in a continuing list of oddball items the prior owner left behind.
Here’s the list, in order of when we discovered the quirky item:
-Fireplace utensils
-A bottle of wine
-About two dozen cans of Diet Coke
-A statue of St. Anthony holding a child
-A ladder
-A fancy candle holder with candle
-The book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Managing Stress
-A bunch of accessories for a model train set
-About 10 bars of soap
-A douche bag (seriously)
-A pair of women’s underwear
-A bandana
-An antique hook for lacing up boots
-An unopened box of dryer sheets
-Prescription headache medication
-A lap desk
-The aforementioned GasX
I’m not sure why someone would leave these things behind. They are of varying value, but they all have some value (well, except for the used nether regions wash). Most of this stuff we’ve either thrown out (such as the panties) or given away (such as the bandana and the train supplies). We sold the statue. I’m using the lap desk as I write this. It’s about the most hideous piece lap desk you could imagine, and the cheap plastic top bows under the weight of my laptop. If you want it, let me know, otherwise it’s taking a one-way trip to the Goodwill next time I go.
I will post if I find anything else of note. I hope there’s more…this is quite fun.
Friday, 11 November 2011
The big news today is that the date is 11/11/11. This sort of thing has happened every 13 months since the millennium began, but judging from the Facebook time today’s date is getting, this one is REALLLY special. It must be because all six digits are the same, unlike, say, last year in October when the date was ‘merely’ 10/10/10.
In fact, there are frequent notable dates like this one. This year alone, there has already been 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11. Then there’s also been 09/10/11and even 07/09/11, and soon there will be 11/22/11.
Another interesting fact about today’s date (assuming, of course that the other facts were interesting, which they were not), is that it’s the first time the six digits have all been odd numbers since way back on November 19, 1999. Of course, back then, all EIGHT digits were odd: 11/19/1999, whereas today, only six of them were odd. Still, it’s been a long string of even numbers creeping in – ever since February 02, 2000, when all eight digits were even numbers. The next time all eight digits will be even is on February 02, 2020, about eight years from now.
We’ll have to wait considerably longer for all eight digits to be odd. One thousand one hundred days from today, in fact.