You in the market for a sweet, sweet ride?

photo courtesy of Alecia, snapped via camera-phone earlier this week in Selinsgrove (so choice, I posted it twice!)

A Very Nodin Adventure

So he empties a cylindrical, clear plastic container of blocks - odd shapes, of varying colors, that can interlock - and some time is spent knocking them together and against other toys with halfhearted excitement. (Our protagonist has been going for a few hours so far today, and whether he knows it or not, is tired.) Shortly thereafter, he loses interest in the blocks and turns his attention to the container itself, ripping out the identifying paper label/insert and attempting to eat it. Said insert is taken away before this can happen, and the observer notes that a halfhearted attempt is made to retrieve it. Next, an attempt is made to place the lid on top of the container, an extremely determined and prolonged one, aborted when the need for a diaper change becomes clear.

Scenes from Nodin's Birthday Party, 9/2/07

Just a Buncha Damned Links

According to Brett Hickman, "It's Raymond Cummings day" on Static. So: Kanye West's album sorta sucks (it may grow on me, but I dunno), but not as much this E. Grizzly thing or this DJ Bear Herron "mixtape" does; meanwhile, this Motown comp's better than it has any right to be, ditto this Daniel A.I.U. Higgs album.

Also: this week in 5ingles.

Saturdaze

Hey, remember back when Saturdays were invariably awesome?

No? Me neither. This one? Not so great, for reasons I'm not going to get into here. But hope springs eternal. Maybe, just maybe, the other half of today will be a big ol' bundle of fun and/or harmony and a week from now I won't even remember what I'm typing about right now! (Seriously, and this is an open question, how essential and key is hope in life? It gets us through so much. God, thanks for hope! You the man, God! Well, not really, but you know what I mean. I hope.)

Here's a link to the first big feature ever I wrote for Baltimore City Paper, back when I was an unpaid, star-struck intern, about something called "Atomic TV" that I barely even remember now. Found it while looking for articles to bring along to a job interview Monday (See what I did there? Hope rears its fluffy head again!). Aaaaaaannnnnd a review of Turzi's propulsive debut full-length (a band that that Thom finds "inspiring). Aaaand Bring Back the Guns' "No More Good Songs."

Happy 1st Birthday, Nodin!

Alecia took this really sweet picture of Nodin with his face all smeared with birthday cake and icing (blue and white) that I was totally prepared to post here without a caption; that is until this morning, when I discovered that the frickin' network admin (or whatever title is appropriate) has blocked blogger blogs. One can visit them, sure, but posting or posting comments? Forget about it. Not happening. So please don't think I'm not reading what y'all are writing (about Graduation, new mp3s you made, indie bands, etc. - I simply can't respond to it at work any longer. Thanks a whole heck of a lot, {NAME OF COMPANY I WORK FOR REDACTED}. (I'm typing this on a Pikesville Library PC. Nothing clever to add to that except, like, aren't libraries supposed to be quiet? This one never, ever is. I suppose the muted clamor can be blamed on kids to some extent but adults are just as guilty, if not more so. What happened to having and holding to standards?) Links ahoy: Christy & Emily, Mitch Myers, 5ingles (this week and last week). Also: Fred Thompson's a'comin' (or is he?)!

Nodin's Top Ten Activities, Early September 2007

1. Whacking at processed food-payloaded spoons en route to his waiting, open mouth. (He scores a direct hit roughly 10% of the time, which is higher than we'd like it to be.)

2. Falling asleep in his bed with the aid of this super helpful 2xCD set and a pacifier.

3. Smacking plastic toys together with a sometimes frightening vehemence.

4. Playing with his cousins Sheyanne and Mason, usually giggling and laughing uncontrollably, which makes Dad get all "why doesn't he laugh like that when he's playing with me? What's up with that? Why you gotta do me like that, Cap'n Curious? Damn!"

5. Pounding his palms against whatever surface is available.

6. Making bee-lines for electrical outlets, whether or not they're empty.

7. Shoveling crunchy treats into his mouth and then requesting more, even while still chewing.

8. Crawling! Crawling: still very hip, still very trendy.

9. Pulling/kicking off shoes, pulling/kicking/biting off socks.

10. Face smacking! (Often coupled with forceful attempts to shove the pacifier you frequently foist upon him into your mouth, because, well, doing this makes total sense to him, and why shouldn't it at the age of 1?)