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Anne

Posted on

2014-04-30

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PAX East with a Baby, and Other Recent Events

I confess to being lax in the blogging department lately. After a solid month or so of health, Little Bear and I both succumbed to a bad cold and conjunctivitis. We’re on the mend, though my sinuses seem to be moving smoothly from cold congestion to allergies. My left ear has been deaf for almost three days now, and it is making me crazy. I’m trying decongestants for now, but the experience has convinced me to finally buy a neti pot. I look forward to an awkward, choking learning period with that.

So while I haven’t been blogging, what have I been up to besides feeling ragged? Well, we went to PAX East again. And we dared to take the baby. To our relief, he had a great time!

PAX East, if you are unaware, is a game convention held yearly in Boston. I’m by no means as experienced in that area as M is, but I have sufficient geek cred to enjoy myself. This year seemed a little lackluster compared to last year’s exciting announcements and many gorgeous games, but we still had a good time. Given that we don’t live in the city anymore, and we had a baby in tow, we drove for the first time. It wasn’t as bad as I expected. And it was very nice to see beautiful Boston again.

PAX East attracts tens of thousands of people each year, and I’m always reminded of this when walking through the cavernous convention hall.

Despite the attendance, the size of the place means you can almost always find a little quiet corner if you need a breather. That was one reason I wasn’t too concerned about bringing Little Bear. He was a great sport about the Expo Hall, and when he got tired, I carried him off and we tucked ourselves away for some peace.

Really, the biggest lingering thought I had was that for a baby, there probably isn’t anything strange about cosplay. LB doesn’t realize yet that people don’t usually dress that way.

The weekend after PAX, we eased back toward home life by spending Easter in Maine with family. It was a lovely short trip, with good food, good conversation, good company, and even a little sleep. Bear was a charmer, adjusting quickly to relatives he hadn’t seen in awhile (and his first cat!). He even delighted his admirers by standing up for the first time that I’ve seen outside of daycare.

The fact that he biffed it shortly after this picture was taken probably explains why I didn’t see him stand up again for over a week. You’ll get there, little man. For now, enjoy your newfound mobility.

Other than those two big weekends, things have been relatively quiet. Since illness is running high in our household lately, that’s been a blessing. And it matches the drizzly, cool grey weather that persists. I’m not complaining, though. Early spring rains bring about that day when everything green suddenly pops, and it is magical, even though it’s the cusp of May.

I hope everyone is healthier than we are, and that your spring is shaping up nicely. Now that I’m slowly emerging from the fog of my cold, I am so excited about all the fun warmer weather will bring. Spring seems like a great time to show a baby how beautiful his little world can be.

Posted by

Anne

Posted on

2013-09-14

Posted under

Interests, Life, Self

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Miscellany

This week’s collection of preoccupations:

Games I can’t play for awhile (Sims 4, The Order: 1886).

Since I can’t play those (or Minecraft, or Skyrim, or most games requiring two hands), Sims 3.

The annoying way my student loan processing keeps bouncing between providers whether I like it or not. (Really, the system is broken. If I could do it all over again, I would seriously consider taking the apprenticeship route into a trade.)

Teaching Little Bear (eventually) how to argue. M, as the resident philosopher, is in charge of this. I first need to improve my ability to be wrong with good grace.

Finding an affordable alternative to custom engraved stationery. Right now, I’m thinking blank cards/envelopes and custom stamps.

After a peculiar late-pregnancy obsession with white nail polish, abruptly finding my perfect shade in Zoya’s Snow White. Now I just have to be patient until I have enough time to actually use it.

Etiquette. Maybe to an old-fashioned degree of formality, probably because I’ve been watching “Jeeves & Wooster” and reading a lot of Agatha Christie. I’m currently reading this book to indulge this interest. (Before anyone asks, yes, I have heard that “Downton Abbey” is a great show. No, I do not watch it.)

The new iPhone 5s. But since my current phone mostly works, and my current laptop works less and less, I’m keeping my eye on the ultimate costly goal.

Posted by

Anne

Posted on

2013-01-01

Posted under

Interests, People, Self

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21st Century Clutter

I think I’m going to leave Facebook.

I’ve been thinking about this for awhile, and though I’ve gone slowly to avoid rash action, I continue to feel compelled to shut down my account. It’s just in the way these days. I don’t interact with my closest friends on Facebook. I barely remember some of the people in my friends list. Sure, it’s the most efficient way to reach family and friends with news or event invitations. But how often do I need to issue blanket announcements? Isn’t it just as easy to send a blast email in those rare instances?

I still use Twitter. And Pinterest. And LinkedIn. And I’ve been trying a smaller social network called Path. But Facebook seems increasingly frustrating. I’m tired of seeing that an acquaintance I met twice just posted eighty-four pictures of their New Year’s Eve party, full of people I don’t know and never will. I’ve been slowly unfriending people on a case-by-case basis, but somehow there are still 371 people I apparently might want to see in my news feed. This seems implausible.

Perhaps it’s the spirit of the New Year: fresh start, clean slate, and all that. I can’t help feeling that I’ve let myself get overwhelmed with the digital life I was so desperate to live. I’ve signed up for too many services, had my email sold by too many unscrupulous retailers. I’ve followed Twitter feeds on a whim, “liked” pages I really don’t care that much about, and posted so many frivolous pictures taken on the spur of the moment, it’s almost embarrassing. I think I want a break, and the symbol of that break has become Facebook.

I feel a sense of relief when I think about it. Little by little, that relief is eroding the irrational panic I initially felt when I considered leaving a network I’d belonged to for nearly a decade. Before, I resigned myself to the fact that I could never go without that connection. But my relatives have email. Many friends use Twitter. We even occasionally talk on the phone! Surely I can find a middle ground between technologically inundated and total Luddite.

Am I alone in this? Are any other Millennials feeling overwhelmed by the ever-present social networking Goliath? I have to believe so. I can’t be the only one.

I’m nearly ready. I have to get my contacts in order, make sure I do know how to reach people outside of that blue-bordered site. But then, oh, I will leap. And how joyful that day will be…

Wow. When I put it like that, it sounds kind of pathetic.

UPDATE: Wait, no, it’s not pathetic. And I’m not alone. This article articulates my feelings perfectly.

UPDATE, 25 August 2013: So it turns out that the easiest way to share updates of our newborn is FB. Guess I won’t leave for awhile after all.