Twitter Machine Tuesday

When I first started working at my new job almost a year ago, I would constantly hear from people that working with your spouse is tough.  I was told that you never get a break from your significant other, and it can wear on your relationship.

I have to admit that I'm not seeing what they meant.  I love working with Erin.  I get to see her all the time.  We can go to lunches together.  I can just swing by her office to say "Hello" whenever I want.  I think it just tells me that everyone that warned me didn't really have a healthy relationship with their spouse because I've been enjoying every minute of it.

It's just been on my mind as I'm coming up on my one-year anniversary that I've thoroughly enjoyed every moment of my new job.

On to some fake tweets.

-Apparently Bret Easton Ellis was being considered to adapt 50 Shades of Gray for the screen. #huh #theguywhowroteamericanpyscho #really
-I guess they wanted to get someone that actually knows how to write to adapt it #makessense
-Curiousity might be the worst name for a NASA mission/rover ever. The Peekaboo was taken #obviously
-I see the picture of Loughner and think "Yeah that guy shouldn't be walking around outside of concrete walls for the rest of his life"
-Gaming addiction is now a thing. Prescription: Get an effing job.
-Remember that two week period when everyone was addicted to draw something then it just went away?
-Ana constantly sticks her fingers in her diapers to feel out her work.
-Real Horror: My kid comes up to me and says "Yucky" with feces on her fingers #eww
-Although I think what she really thought was yucky was the dog hair that also stuck to her fingers
-I always tell myself to write these on Monday nights and then post them the next day.  I never do. #lazy
-I love what some people deem an appropriate time and location to argue.
-Now that track and field has started in the Olympics, I still don't care #notapologetic
-Although I think Usain Bolt is an incredible talent and also a dickhead
-How did we determine that the 100-meter dash was what determined fastest man alive status? Was there a vote?
-Sure they run fast for 100 meters, but dudes who run 200 meters also run pretty damn fast.
-I'm sure there is a snarky wife somewhere who refers to her husband as the fastest man alive #inbed
-What is it about chow mein that makes me want to come back for seconds, thirds and more? I can't help it.
-I think it might have the same chemicals as beer because I come back for seconds, thirds and more with that too.
-Saw the trailer for This Is 40, I just love Paul Rudd so much.
-Although is there anyone that hates Paul Rudd? He's just so damn likable.
-Our children are obsessed with Finding Nemo. They saw a clown fish in the tank at Nordstroms and started saying "Nemo" repeatedly.
-I'm glad it's Pixar. Hopefully we can just keep them locked in on those and distract them from the princesses.
-Grace has acclimated very well to the cast so far. She spends every bedtime kicking the side of her crib with it. #noisemaker
-Erin got tickets to Giants-Dodgers on Sept 9th #bestwifeever #babysitterwanted
-This will be only her second ever Giants-Dodgers game and they'll both actually be playing for something this time.
-Nothing better than a Giants-Dodgers game that means something.
-I should probably post this before midnight on the East Coast. #twittermachinewednesday

Have a great week.  See you next Tuesday.

Gold Medal in Parenting

Erin has been all over the Olympics.  She watches every night (unless the Giants are playing then she switches between the two).  And she is enthralled.  Like edge of her seat, sobbing like a baby after every event, won't walk into the other room enthralled.  She knows the results of many of the events and is still watching with bated breath.

I've never been all about the Olympics for a number of reasons, so it is just background noise for me for a couple of weeks.  I came to the realization that it is a perfect storm of women's entertainment.  You have incredibly athletic, shirtless dudes.  You have women's gymnastics.  And you have NBC tugging on your heartstrings by constantly going to the human interest well and showing all the parents' emotional reactions.

Because when you really think about it, you are watching children compete.  Sure many of them are teenagers, but they are still children nonetheless.  This is especially true in women's gymnastics and some of the swimming events.

This has led me to think about how much of their childhood many of this kids have given up.  I'm all for my kids doing things they love and doing whatever I can to cultivate a true talent or knack for something.  I want them to push to be the best, but part of me can't comprehend dedicating their young lives entirely to the pursuit Olympic glory.  And really unless they're Nadia Comaneci or Mary Lou Retton (i.e. truly legendary performers) that glory is really fleeting.

And this is part of the thin line that I think every parent walks with their kids.  Do I want to push my kids so much that they'll miss out on all life has to offer them?  Am I doing them a disservice if I don't push them harder and they don't realize the potential to do something great?  Will pushing them too hard or not pushing them hard enough lead to missed opportunities or unrealized potential?  Will they resent me either way?

I just know that I don't want to be like Aly Raisman's parents.  She's one of the girls on the American Gymnastics team that just won Gold.  If you're watching, you've probably seen her parents' reactions throughout her performances.  I'd link to the video but the IOC has blocked it on Youtube.  Just to give you a blow-by-blow, they writhe, squirm and contort their faces like they're watching the latest Saw movie.  I find it incredibly hard to watch.  I understand you want to see your kid succeed, but this is extreme.  Their reactions, to me, go beyond cheering your kid on.  These are people that are living through their kid.

I want the best for my girls, but that is also a cop out, generic statement.  What is the best for them really?  I can't really determine what it is right now.  I guess more than anything the best is to give them as many opportunities as possible.  The best is to love them for who they are and not what they can do.  The best is to be in their corner no matter what.  The best is to give them a variety of options instead of shoehorning them into a particular activity.

For now I just want them to be kids and to enjoy everything that goes along with it.  For now they'll get the Gold Medal in being adorable.

Twitter Machine Tuesday

We wanted to let Grace heal on her own after her slide injury.  This was especially true after we saw two separate x-rays with no signs of a break.

She seemed to be progressing.  She started crawling.  Then tried her hand at standing.  She even got to the point of trying to take a few steps.  She still had a limp and wasn't moving or acting the same, so we had another appointment scheduled for this morning.

And we decided on this...


Grace rocking a cast and Ana consoling her

 Erin and I have never had a cast in our combined 60 years of life, and Grace is in a cast before she even turned two.  Bad luck kiddo.  Better safe than sorry.

Onto the Twitter Machine's triumphant return.

-Having a kid in a cast is going to be a pain. No baths and we'll have to wrap in plastic before showers.
-I really want to sign it with inappropriate stuff to get sideways looks from other parents.
-That or a heart with Justin Beiber written in it
-We hung out with Kim and Janelle this weekend. It. Was. Awesome.
-If you think they're cool in blog form, you don't even know how rad they are in person #seriously #timesathousand
-We even have inside jokes now. I'd have no problem scheduling a monthly get together. #baconwrapped
-Janelle's kid Ava is going to make a mint babysitting. Seriously this kid is beyond her years and fantastic with little ones.
-Giants trade for Hunter Pence #yesplease #sfgiants
-It's just great for Giants and Dodgers fans when both teams are good because they'll do whatever they can to beat the other.
-I liken it to an arms race between nations except without the fear of nuclear winter
-The Olympics are on every night in our house. Or as I like to call it "Time to catch up on my reading"
-I've started the Harry Potter series for the first time. Amazon Prime Lending Library #FTW
-Seriously as if free shipping to Amazon Prime members wasn't cool enough, you get a free book from their lending library once a month
-Great gift for a new parent would actually be an Amazon Prime membership. Bought so much baby crap in that first year without paying shipping.
-This is by no means an advert for Amazon. I just like the service. #gratisadvice
-I'm not an Olympic fan. I just don't understand why we hand out medals for basic survival skills like running and swimming.
-The Girls both say "Limpics" though. I blame their mother.
-How would you like to be a high schooler competing against Missy Franklin? Chick wins gold medals. Seems unfair.
-I wanted to post parts of this Twitter Machine on tape delay, but NBC wouldn't release their superior technology to let this happen
-I'd comment on the Opening Ceremony, but I refused to watch.
-Is there any event more self-congratulatory than the Olympic Opening Ceremony? Maybe the Oscars.
-I don't agree with Chick-Fil-A's politics. They just make a damn delicious chicken sandwich.
-How come you always want Chick-Fil-A on a Sunday when they're closed? #hangoverfood #murphyslaw
-We cancelled our Netflix streaming some time back, but I think we're going to need to reinstate to finally watch Breaking Bad
-Had someone tell me that I provided them with the best car-buying experience in 30 years. #winning
-I love me some Tolkien, but did we really need to make The Hobbit into three movies? #overkill #moneygrab
-Snoop Dogg is now Snoop Lion after travelling to Jamaica. This is actually a thing.
-What took Snoop so long to travel to the pot capital of the universe? I'm thinking they may not have had enough pot until now.
-No I will not confirm you as my family or allow you to post my info on your MyCalendar app #facebooksucks
-I really don't care who you're voting for nor does anyone else on Facebook. I'm here to see clever status updates and comedy videos #justsayin

That's all for this week.  See you next Tuesday!