when I started this blog five years ago, I was a pet sitter and the name animal-crackers made sense. now I'm a stay-at-home-dad and freelance writer, but rather than confuse everyone by getting a different blog, it's just easier to keep posting things here.


Tuesday, June 26, 2007

warming schwarming

I had a conversation with someone recently about global warming.

"OK, so it gets warmer, the ice caps melt, create clouds, reflect the sun and it gets colder. So global warming makes it colder?" I asked.

The person with whom I was speaking doesn't believe in global warming. Weather goes in cycles. It gets hot, it gets cold.

I can understand why people might think that. How can you believe in something you can't see?

(Now I'm not mocking faith or god, because 100% of the people who study god believe in her. Whereas only 90% of people who study global warming believe in it. That's like reasonable doubt or something.)

Also, there's the human ego factor. Isn't it arrogant to suppose humans are SO important, SO powerful that they can ruin a machine that's been running for hundreds of millions of years?

But here's the thing -- it's raining here. A LOT! We've had record rainfalls in Texas. And in New England it's almost 100-degrees today. More hurricanes. More tornadoes.

(Not to mention there's raging forest fires near Lake Tahoe, but that's California. A lot of people don't think California counts.)

What's it going to take to convince people of global warming? Bloody rivers? Locusts? Luaus in Greenland?

I shouldn't complain. Our yard looks great -- nice and green.

And if Central Texas should become the next Sahara, we can always move to the beach. After all, it'll be just a few miles down the road.
posted by todd at 10:09 AM 0 comments

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Gabriella Marie

I'm an uncle -- again!

My sister-in-law, Lynn, gave birth at 10:01 am to Gabriella Marie. Gabby weighed 5 pounds, 13 ounces and was 20 inches long. Lynn and Gabriella are both well. So is Tim, although he nearly suffered a broken arm from Lynn's mighty grip.

It's been a decade since the last time I was an uncle. The lovely miss Elizabeth Elaine will be 11 in September.

This time, of course, we were all better prepared for the event. Gabby wasn't due for another week and half, but she's healthy -- 10 fingers, 10 toes and all.

Mother and baby might leave the hospital as early as tomorrow! And hopefully we'll have pictures soon.

***update***

Here's a picture!

posted by todd at 1:42 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Mike Bloomberg

You heard it here first. I said in October that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was going to run for president.

Mike is a billionaire who signed up as a Republican because it was the easiest party in town. And it worked -- he won the mayorship. But now he's parting ways and means with Evangeliphants since he never really liked them anyway.

So imagine 1992 all over again. Instead of Clinton, Bush and Perot. It looks like Clinton, Thompson and Bloomberg. That's a shame, of course, because a New York threeway -- Clinton-Giulliani-Bloomberg -- would be awesome.
posted by todd at 9:32 PM 0 comments

Friday, June 15, 2007

you'll pay for that

After 8 pm, we limit Josh's liquid consumption to water. But that doesn't stop him from trying to get milk, juice and Kool-Aid. He tried for half an hour to change my mind. When that failed, he cornered his mother in Dylan's room, so I couldn't overhear them.

"Can I have chocolate milk?" Josh asked. "It's my faaaaaavorite."

"It's my faaaaaavorite," I mimicked from the kitchen.

"You'll pay for that!" Josh yelled.
posted by todd at 5:38 PM 0 comments

Friday, June 08, 2007

Newspaper jobs

The Greensboro (N.C.) News & Record fired on Thursday 41 people including 11 newsroom employees. It's been almost eight years since Andrea worked there. She knew (but hasn't kept in touch with) three or four of those who were fired.

We've read about dwindling newspaper jobs for years now. But this hits close to home and has Andrea worried about her job.

The reason for the Greensboro lay-offs is the standard: The company must keep operating expenses in line with revenue. Revenue sucks, so everyone pays. Well not everyone. Of course, the investors get their dividends and the executives get their bonuses.

The paper Andrea works for maintains a no-layoff policy. But for how long? She worries we could be next. And she worries about what would happen then.

Unfortunately worrying provides more heartburn than answers. Whatever happens will happen irrespective of what we feel.

And if lay-offs find their way to Andrea's newspaper -- and if she's fired -- and if neither of us can find another job -- and if we get close to draining our resources -- we'll still be OK.

I have a grandfather who lives alone in a small town in Pennsylvania. I'm sure he wouldn't mind a few house guests for a little while.

(This, btw, is the same plan we have in the event of the apocalypse or other cataclysmic occurance. :)
posted by todd at 2:45 PM 0 comments

Monday, June 04, 2007

The party and other stuff from the week before last

I really need to get on the ball about posting stuff. The week before last, my parents were in town. Here they are with Josh and Dylan.



It was a great visit. Mom had fun with the boys while my dad and I built a loft for Josh's bed. Actually, he did the most of the measuring, cutting and assembling. I provided the brute labor and did most of the sanding. What was supposed to be a two-day job turned to six. But it looks good.



At the end of the week, we had a belated birthday party for Josh. Eleven kids (plus parents) and a petting zoo came.



Everyone had a great time. There was a chicken, a duck, a rabbit, a goat, a pig, a guinea pig and a tortoise.



The tortoise tried to escape. He made a mad dash across into the yard and a half hour later was almost halfway across it.
posted by todd at 4:14 PM 0 comments