Life with Baby (7 Months and Counting)

Posted on August 25, 2008 by Heather

Baby C is now 7 months old.  On one hand, the time has passed very slowly, and on the other hand, I am blown away by how much he has changed in such a short time.

Life with a baby is different, it put it mildly.  I went from working at a downtown office of a large company, to spending all my time with a crying, laughing, amazing ball of energy.  Life is much slower, almost like time is standing still.  I find that my movements are restricted–no more heading out to the bookstore when the mood strikes.  And yet, outings with the baby, even to the post office, are full of so much more wonder than I could have ever imagined.  Everything is new to Baby C, and he is at the age where he watches and watches, soaking in all of his experiences.

Sometimes I wish quanta and I could just pop across the street for some sushi, or that I could take an afternoon nap when I’m tired.  But the reality is that life is all about Baby C.  Not that I am suffering, mind you.  I still find some time for myself, especially since he is sleeping for longer stretches at night (although I do miss the 2+ hour naps in the afternoon).  And, one day not to far away, when he has gone off to pre-school or a play group, I know I’ll find myself missing him, and wondering what to do with all the quiet time.

Comments Off on Life with Baby (7 Months and Counting) | Posted in Baby, My Life |

Olympic Stitching

Posted on August 16, 2008 by Heather

China Daily has an interesting article about Chinese Olympic athletes who find cross stitch and other forms of embroidery just as satisfying as completing in sports: A stitch in time wins gold for China.  While it may seem like cross stitch is dying a slow death in North America and Europe, but it is nice to know that it is thriving in Asia.

Chang-Er Moon Goddess

Chang-Er Moon Goddess

I totally agree with weightlifter Liu Chunhong, who says “You probably spend four or five days finishing it, then you look at it and you feel you are the best in the world.”  Although my projects can last as long as four or five months (or years), it is very true that the feeling of accomplishment when the project is finished is amazing.  I go from a pile of thread and a blank piece of material to a beautiful picture that I made.  And while I may not have designed the image, after putting in 10, or 50, or 300 hours of work on it, I feel like it is mine.

We live in a world of instant gratification.  We want everything now!  No waiting, no hard work.  Cross stitch is the opposite.  You slow down, you have time to think and dream, and you end up with a beautiful hand-made project.  And that is one of the best things there is.

And, in reality, I guess that taking some quiet time to cross stitch is a bit better than participating in the bacchanalia that is taking place at the Olympic village.

Comments Off on Olympic Stitching | Posted in Cross Stitch, The Outside World |

Review – Click by Bill Tancer

Posted on August 14, 2008 by Heather

Click: What Millions of People are Doing Online and Why it Matters by Bill Tancer is another one of those fun to read business books like Paco Underhill’s Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, and Levitt and Dubner’s Freakonomics.  It is the kind of book that shows you just how much information there is out there, if you know where to look for it and have the resources to gather it.  And, as is common for these books, the author (Bill Tancer in this case), shows you what his company can do with that data.

The data in question in Click is the terms that users enter into Internet search engines. (Didn’t realize anyone was keeping track, eh?)  By analyzing the trends of specific search terms, in some cases correlated with Claritas PRIZM segmentation, Tancer has been able to figure out that prom dress buying season actually starts in January for some teens, and even predict the winners of some celebrity reality TV shows, among other fascinating tidbits.

In some respects I find it hard to describe this book.  It is about data: how Tancer traces and uses it to discover things about American society.  What I really like about the book is that it is clear that Tancer loves data, and I can respect that.  I love data myself, and I love reading books about it.  Especially when they are lively and full of antidotes, just like Click is.  But if you are hoping that you will discover a way for your business to do what Tancer is doing at Hitwise, Click won’t tell you that.  Read it, and just celebrate the beauty of data.

Author’s Web Site: BillTancer.com
Publishers Web Site: HyperionBooks.com

I was given the change to review this book thanks to the Mini Book Expo for Bloggers.

Comments Off on Review – Click by Bill Tancer | Posted in Book Reviews |

A New Look

Posted on August 13, 2008 by Heather

Welcome to the new Reflections in the Pond!

I’ve just switched from MovableType (a great platform for many years, but recently causing too many problems) to WordPress.  I’ve also switched my web host as well.  So, both Reflections and the main site, The Lotus Pond, are in the process of being rebuilt.

Please be patient.  Things will be back to normal(ish) soon.

Comments Off on A New Look | Posted in Site News |

Review – Confident Parents, Remarkable Kids

Posted on July 23, 2008 by Heather

Being a new parent, I’ve fallen for the trap of parenting books. I have quickly learned that the best they can do for you is make you feel like you are a bad parent and suggest parenting methods that just don’t seem like they would work anywhere outside of a book. A refreshing change to that trend is Confident Parents, Remarkable Kids by Bonnie Harris, M.S.Ed. Not only do Ms. Harris’ “8 Principles for Raising Kids You’ll Love to Live With” make sense to me, the way she suggests applying seems like they will work in a real situation.

Ms. Harris main points are essentially that kids want to be successful, and that their behaviour provides the clues we need to discover and work through the problems that are holding them back. She talks about listening and asking questions, rather than just jumping in with a solution when your child has a problem to solve. She advocates focusing on what is good about a child’s behaviour, even when they are driving you crazy. (I’m trying to practise this now with Baby C. He is teething and is impossible to comfort. But his behaviour is letting me know what is wrong, and I know that he isn’t being bad, he is just in pain.)

In the first section of the book the eight principles are clearly laid out and explained, each in their own chapter. The second section shows several different scenarios where families have solved difficult behaviours problems by applying the principles. In many books like this, this second application section seems tacked on and unnecessary, but in this case, it really does help to make all the principles gel together. Sometimes I think what she presents is a little too permissive and touchy-feely, but that may have something to do with how I was raised. (Not a strict household by any means, but I didn’t get away with much.) I think the key though, as with all books of this type, is to take out of it what is useful to you and add it to your parenting toolbox. I know that I will definitely be reading this book again when Baby C gets a little older and starts talking back and doing and other annoying things. Using Ms. Harris’ principles, I feel that I will be able to be like a detective and ferret out exactly what the root of his problem is.

As a side note, some of these principles can also be applied to your relationship with other close family members, like spouses.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. And, as I said before, I know I will be turning to it again. I don’t think it has converted me to a parenting book junkie though. But it nice to have at least one book on the bookshelf that presents sane ideas that fit with the type of parent I hope I become.

Author’s Website: “http://www.bonnieharris.com/”:http://www.bonnieharris.com/
Publisher’s Website: “http://www.adamsmedia.com/”:http://www.adamsmedia.com/

Comments Off on Review – Confident Parents, Remarkable Kids | Posted in Book Reviews |

Money for This, or That?

Posted on July 22, 2008 by Heather

Sometimes a person really needs to think about what their priorities are. In terms of money, one can get very moral and say that any extra money (beyond what is required to a normal, comfortable lifestyle and savings for retirement) should be donated to charities. Or, one can be greedy and say “I made it, I get to spend it on ME!!” *cough* I’m somewhere in the middle. Although, right now, quanta can rightly claim that he is actually the one making the money…

Anyway, as I said, priorities. As a Taurus, I’m a born collector. I love being surrounded by things that make me happy. But I don’t like to be crowded out of my home, so I try to find a balance, and I purge things once in a while, sometimes donating to charity and sometimes selling things to raise money to… uh… buy more things. I also go in cycles. For a few months I’m fixated on video games, then books, then Tarot decks, then cross stitch. Right now it is a big cross stitch wave that I am riding, partially financed by selling off several Tarot decks and some old cross stitch items I no longer need or want.

If I had all the money I wanted, I would probably buy more Tarot decks, in all honesty. (Yes, and support charities, and build hospitals for the sick. That stuff goes without say.) So, if it is Tarot decks that I really want, why do I buy cross stitch things? Well, I don’t have all the money in the world, so I need to be wise(ish) about where I spend my money. There is a better chance of me finishing up the cross stitch kit I bought last week than there is of me ever really using my newest Tarot deck until it wastes away to nothing. But, if I had lots of money, I could afford to be a collector and not worry about using ever deck I bought. Wonderful logic, eh?

On a related note, a big FU to the person who stole my credit card number to buy a ticket on Norwegian Airlines. Sure hope you went somewhere nice first class, as it sure cost enough.

Comments Off on Money for This, or That? | Posted in My Life |

Ovulation Gene Found

Posted on July 18, 2008 by Heather

Researchers in Montreal have apparently found the gene responsible for a woman’s ovulation. Lrh1 affects the ovaries and ovulation, and could possibly lead to new types of birth control and fertility treatment.

I’m pretty excited by this news. I would love to see medicinal birth control methods that move away from steroid use. And I’m sure there are many women who are desperate for new forms of fertility treatments.

But, when there are announcements like this about being able to control our bodies (and especially women’s bodies), debates are likely to rage about how ethical or moral it is. There are women who are horrified at the thought of not being fertile all the time, because it is what makes them a woman. On the other hand, now that I have had my child, I would gladly give up my period and I’m pretty certain I’m not alone in feeling that way. There is more to being a woman than having the ability to give birth (or rather, get pregnant).

If Lrh1 is able to be developed into new birth control methods, I think it will be a wonderful thing. The more options a woman has for control her fertility, the more freedom she has to live her life the way that best suits her. Personally, though, I am more interested in seeing the day where there is no debate about birth control, where it is accessible to all women who want it, and the use of it is a non-issue. Just as welcome will be the day when all women who desire children will be able to get pregnant.

There is some more information here:

* “Edmonton Journal”:http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=7c145590-8b2f-4511-b696-cb02588650db

* “Medical News Today”:http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115399.php

Comments Off on Ovulation Gene Found | Posted in Media & Politics |