I've Been Waiting...

For nearly two hours now, I've been on "online support" hold.

Initially, it gave me an "approximate" wait time of 27 minutes. Then it began to slowly count down (not in real time, mind you, but downward).

Six was my favorite waiting spot...I can't really tell you why, other than I was there for quite a long time - and more than once, as the approximation went up a couple of times - I'm not so fond of seven.

I'm in the hell known as "MobileMe Support".

They are looking "forward to answering (my) questions", although I'm beginning to doubt the sincerity there.

Tease me with the ever so slowly downward ticks toward the time when I might be "helped".

At the 3 minute mark, I had a personal issue that raised a quandry.

Since it had been 3 minutes for so many more than sixty seconds, and since I'd been drinking tea while sitting anxiously awaiting my 27 minute "line", I was now needing to visit the restroom.

Past often predicts future, so i thought it might actually be more than a 3 minute wait until my turn actually presented itself.

But...

WHAT IF?

What if, in the sixty seconds it'd take me to get to the bathroom and back, time actually accelerated to more closely match reality?

What if, while I was hurrying to empty my bladder, "Josh" or one of his equally happy-named colleagues logged into my window, looked around, saw no one there, and left?

Argh!

(As an aside, since I started this post about 10 minutes ago, it's been "1 minute" until my turn, LOL EDITED TO ADD, it's now been nearly half an hour of my "1 minute" wait - I begin to wonder...AM I EXPERIENCING A TIME WARP? WOULDN'T THAT BE COOL? HEH :))

I took the chance, as the alternative was sufficiently unpleasant as to give me the added conviction that I could make it there and back.

So...I went.

Got back in 45 seconds too (or 1 nanosecond in Apple time).

And guess what?

I had 4 minutes until it was my turn.

If it wasn't so damn funny, I'd cry.

Typically, Apple doesn't have these kind of customer service issues.

Then came (dun, dun, DUN!) the release of the re-tooled .mac, called "MobileMe".

To give Apple its due, the promises of this service are very appealing. Sync your phone, your desktop, your laptop (work or home) into one area so that they all have the same information.

Hell of an idea.

They released it a bit before it was completely formed. Premie by about six months by the feel of it.

This queue online for help is a pretty good indicator that I'm not alone in my frustrations with it.

It does some things well.

Others are pathetic. I have one desktop (windoz), two laptops (both Apple) and an iPhone. So...you'd think I'd have a total of 4 possible calendars to sync.

Then why (oh, WHY?) do i get 21 calendars when I do a sync?

This is the question of the day.

I am being teased mercilessly with the idea that eventually "1 minute" in my world will jibe with "1 minute" in Apple land.

I actually have to leave the house soon...well, in an hour...I wonder if I'll have my turn before I have to leave?

Wishing, and hoping, and praying....that I don't have to pee anytime soon...

Cheerios!

M&G

The Time Warp Conundrum...

Have you ever noticed that while you are waiting for a vacation or special occasion to arrive, time seems to drag on so slowly? And then, as the day approaches, things speed up in direct proportion to how much you have left to do before you leave?

Hrmmmmm

So...we are about two weeks out from Maui (I know...AGAIN...you don't have to say it, I've heard it already).

All spring and summer, we've been working to get the place on Camano ready to put on the market. We ran into delay after delay - from permits and tribes, to nasty neighbors.

And now, we have just this coming weekend to go up and clear out all the extraneous stuff. Argh.

So, with much to do, and not much time to do it in, we'll add one more thing to the ever expanding list that Goofy keeps (mostly with things for me to do, lol).

And, we also have to find time to adore the boy!

Could life get any better? Not really!

Cheers and aloha from the tired twins....

M&G

Some things I've been reading lately

So...I've posted a couple of new blog links for some sites that I've enjoyed of late.

Dad Gone Mad is a fun site written by a guy that has been "downsized" and is trying to make sense of the world. I've been reading this one off and on for about six months, and it's both serious and hilarious. Danny is pretty well known in the blogosphere...check his site and see why.

Cry It Out is a guy that writes for the San Francisco Chronicle (or "The Chron"), while staying at home to be the primary care giver for his now two year old daughter. I like him too...

So, now, you might be wondering what Goofy and I have been up to lately....

Not a lot, unless you consider adoration of a small boy a pass-time. :)

Here's today's pic (I've been on Jessica's 'space, stealin' her pics, lol)




Spence is now nearly three weeks old. Geez...I know it's not much in your worlds, but it's hard to comprehend life without him now, and three weeks is a lifetime (his) and a mere dot on the face of eternity.

It has been so amazing to watch the mother that Jessica is - and the Dad that Billy is too. It's as if they just were meant to be parents to this small boy. Relaxed and happy...that's how I'd describe them all...and us as well....who would have known?

This weekend, a bbq where those that haven't yet had the honor of seeing our boy in person get the opportunity to see him.

It'll be fun. Just about anything and everything he does is awesome, so we'll be entertained - either by him or his parents...lol.

Funny how perspective changes when the baby is just for spoiling & adoring, not for getting up in the middle of the night or changing stinky diapers...

And so it goes...

M&G

Awwwww

So, I got this picture forwarded to me by a couple of friends...I don't know why, but it's pretty funny to me.

So....

I thought I'd share.

Hopefully, none of us has a day as bad as this Alfa driver looks to be in for.

Sometimes, you just gotta laugh.

Happy Tuesday!

M&G

Spence is 9!!!

...days old in this picture...lol.

Today, he's two weeks old...time is flying!

Love this little angel!

M&G

Drawing Lines

It's unfortunate, but some people are just plain mean. Mean of heart, mean of spirit...mean. There are other words to describe these sad souls, but I won't belittle myself by invoking them here. The reality is that these folks have been this way for as long as I can recall, and they've passed along this bullying soul to their progeny. A vicious circle indeed.

We have finally decided to put the Camano property on the market. It's been a long time coming, and not an easy decision to make. Once made, however, it's been re-inforced on more occasions than i can count.

This property has been in the family for more years than I've been around...passed down from generation to generation. Most of the property on this particular beach is like that. Folks just keep it in the family. So, the fact that we are selling is a bit of a novelty there.

It's a nice place with a lot of fond memories from the past. Lazy summer days spent running around the beach looking at tide pools and climbing on rocks. Swimming in Puget Sound (only a kid would do that, lol, and we did). Mom stayed on the beach or in the boat - watching us, but wondering whether or not our brains were freezing along with the rest of us. You see, on a good day, it's only about 50 degrees in Puget Sound...now, I don't even enjoy going in that water in full wetsuit and mask...

Now, however, the meanness seems to overtake the place. Many of the older folks that are there - and were old when we were kids, lol - just don't have the fight in them any more to protest it. I guess it's our turn when it comes to the nasty folk of the beach. We are doing it - regretfully, as we don't think that neighbors (or anyone, for that matter) should spend so much time being so incredibly nasty - but it's not our call.

Our attorney thinks that things will turn out our way just fine. It's just a matter of time and money...isn't it always?

For now, though, we'll battle the big meanie, and get her to behave (for a bit), and then we'll be gone from there.

Hopefully, the next people there will be able to find the happiness we had those long ago summer days...

M&G

Camano Update

For those of you that are out of the loop with what has been going on up at Camano Island..well...count yourself lucky.

It's been one pain in the neck after the other (and when I say "neck", I mean "ass", really).

Between the county folk (doing their jobs, but geez, there are many places where interpretation is appropriate), and the engineers, and the archeologists, and the tribes....it's been a wild ride the last few months (which, not coincidentally feel more like years, but i digress (again)).

So...now we've found a great lawyer, and are working to get everything in black and white (the favorite colors of the legal world), and are nearly ready to list the property.

And to think...it all started with a deck that needed replacement and the thought that a paint job might be nice...

Here's some new pics of the progress...think happy thoughts for a swift resolution to the niggling little problems with the niggling little neighbors (it would be more appropriate to think of them as retarded step-children...not the brightest bulbs in the sign, but still a huge pain in the neck...and when I say neck....LOL).







The six million dollar wall....lol

Spencer Mostly Sleeps Through Our First Visit..

...but he is totally AMAZING! :)



Here, Spencer is somewhat annoyed that his staff isn't keeping up with him and his needs.
He just woke up and has not yet been changed, fed or amused.



Goofy takes the time to give Peanutt some attention.
It's funny, as until this moment, Peanutt did nothing other than bark and nip at her.
Spencer enjoys the time to relax and get to know his Graunty.
So far, he notes that she gives him a cozy spot to nap and amuses his dog so that he isn't disturbed.



Magic holds up the boy for a close up shot. Isn't he amazing?

So far, he has been able to keep us all entertained with:

baby dreaming...much REM stuff going on behind those closed little eyelids
baby yawns...
baby sneezes....
baby hiccups...
baby stretching, but then going back to sleep..
and...baby scowling when his picture is taken (with or without flash) while he is doing any of the above.

He's got his work cut out for him...we are expecting even more exciting days spent watching him grow.

And he'll expect us to be properly trained to do his bidding by then...

One of us is going to be disappointed...lol.

Tomorrow, he is one week old...wow...time flies...

Cheers and happiness...we are loving our new little boy!

M&G

Introducing, Mr. Spencer Lee Yarbrough as...

The most amazing boy in the world!

Today, on her due date no less, our darling Jessica Marie and her husband Billy (who is darling as well, I suppose) became the proud parents of Spencer Lee.

He weighed in at 8 pounds 10 ounces, and is an amazing 22 inches long.



Here he is on his first ride home...Daddy dressed him in his "going home" outfit.

As you might have surmised, we are all beside ourselves in love with our little boy.

He's healthy and happy, and Mom came through it all well too!

Grandma is crazy about him, and M&G are too - although we'll be waiting a day or two to meet him in person - his Mom and Dad want to spend some time resting up and getting to know him a bit on their own first.

Our sweet little girl is a mommy! How amazing is that?!!!

Happy Birthday Little Man! We are SO HAPPY you are here!

Love you tons!

M&G

4th of July, 2008

Jess and Billy June 28, 2008

Happy Fourth of July!

Last year at this time, Goofy and I were in Maui enjoying the sun and doing a lot of scuba diving.

It was awesome!

This year, however, is going to be even more awesome...

We aren't in Maui

We aren't doing anything particularly spectacular

But, this year, on this day, Mr. Spencer Lee Yarbrough is making his entrance to the world.

His Mom is working hard (they call it labor for a reason) and his Dad is there to support her...and we are all going nuts trying to let them be alone with all of this. Argh! It's hard, but we get it. (still really, really hard though...lol).

We

Can

Hardly

Wait!

He's the first of his generation in the family, and is destined to be very spoiled by his grammy and magic and goofy...among others. :) LOL

Leave it to Jess to have her baby on his due date. How organized is that?

We'll be spending most of the day, wringing our hands and waiting for the high sign that we can all come and see our new boy!

What a great way to spend the day!

Hope your holiday is even half as exciting!

Happy Birthday America, and now, for the first time, Happy Birthday Spencer!

Party On!

M&G

The Strange Case of Seattlites and the Sun

We are a funny breed, we Seattlites.

We stoically exist in a kind of rolling grey universe most of the time. It rains, it mists, it is just overcast. Grey.

Or gray...whichever you prefer, I guess.

We soldier on when it's cold and grey. We don our down and polar fleece and our gortex, and head out into our world.

We look hopefully skyward mornings when we are greeted with a marine layer, thinking it'll burn off and bring the warming sun. We call it a marine layer when we are still hopeful that it's not a big thick layer of clouds that just will NOT burn off.

It works for us.

We live in the grey and rainy environment, happy but loudly proclaiming how miserable it is - and we are - so that others will not come here for fear of developing a personal case of mold or fungus somewhere. It is a strategy that we teach our young in grammar school. They get this indoctrination along with calling Mt. Rainier "the mountain" as in: "Hey look! The mountain is out today!", and being taught the correct pronunciation of Yakima and Puyallup.

It works for us.

Where else do you hear the term "sun breaks" in the local weather report? Haha! It's all about the grey/rain image.

So, when the sun actually does come out, we go nuts - for awhile anyway.

See, in Seattle, we will wear shorts and sandals starting at about 55 degrees fahrenheit. With no jacket. A sweatshirt maybe, but definitely no jacket. The other day, I even saw a guy with shorts, sandals and a down vest. it was below 55 degrees though, so the vest was OK, per the handbook on such things.

When we get a run of sunshine and hot weather...we just don't know what the hell to do. We buy sunglasses - more sunglasses are sold here than anywhere else in the country, because we lose them between sunbreaks. We run to the store for sunscreen. We bring out the kiddie pools and the fans and turn on the A/C if we have it (which most of us do NOT). We also go to costco looking to buy one of those portable air conditioners that we laughed at last week. they will sell out in one day. As will most of the fans - for some reason, we lose those too, and need to replace them annually.

The first day of sunshine and hot weather, we go around blinking and saying things like "Today is our summer..." and "Isn't the sunny weather beautiful?". This is followed later in the afternoon by "Hot enough for ya?", and "Where the hell is the fan?".

The next day, the whining begins in earnest.

You see, Seattlites like the IDEA of hot weather in the summer, but they DO NOT like the actuality. We do not like temperatures over about 78 degrees. We whine, and bitch, and go to air conditioned restaurants and movies.

We close all the blinds and windows in the house during the heat of the day in order to preserve what coolness seeped in over night through the open windows. Our houses are well insulated, so it can stay cool if you work it right.

We sit languishing (sweating and bitching) under umbrellas in our backyards, sipping beer and lemonade and putting our feet in the kiddie pool while the fan we finally found in the attic is hooked up with an extension cord and is now outside blowing directly on us. We need several fans if there are more than one of us outside. With our sunglasses, and flip flops, and sunscreen.

We have a style.

It works for us.

Happy Summer! Hope you've enjoyed it!

M&G