Jen's Blog

Collision detection

Gary's article on collision detection has been published! It is part of "Game Programming Gems 7", a collection of articles on various aspects of computer game programming. I helped proofread it, but I can't say I understand it well.

His website, XenoCollide.com, is up now, too.

Mid-February offspring update

This past month has been pretty busy for Lexi. She's gotten in all 4 of her upper incisors (and let everyone know about it, too!) About two weeks ago she started waving. She does the sort of wave that Queen Elizabeth does, just twisting her wrist. Elliot waved the same way when he started. She always waves with her left hand, never her right. Last week I gave her Cheerios for the first time; she really likes being able to pick up her food and eat it. And yesterday Lexi started clapping! Before she would bang her hands together, but yesterday at lunch she actually had her hands flat and made a clapping sound. Hurray!

Most of Elliot's advances recently have been with language. He says "probably" a lot, as in "Daddy's probably downstairs," or "My sunglasses are probably in the car." He's also a big fan of the expression "Some X have Y, some X have no Y." For example, "Some gas stations have car washes, some gas stations have no car washes." He is still scared of going through a car wash, but they fascinate him. We have conversations about the different types of brushes they have, the sounds they make, the fact that no, we're not going to go through one right now, and so on. He also points out each gas station he sees and comments on whether it has a car wash or not; so far he's always right.

Elliot's other interest lately while in the car has been contrails, although he usually just calls them lines. He tries to attract their attention and get them to come to him. "Come here line! Please come here! I want you to come to me, line!" He knows they come from airplanes, and since we dropped Gary off at the airport for a business trip last week, that might explain his interest in them. Flags are big, too, although I've noticed they are dropping out in favor of traffic lights.

It's all about presentation

Sweet Potato & Chicken Dinner with a touch of Green Beans & Brown Rice

Apparently I am the Early Morning

You're the time of day right around sunrise, when the sky is still a pale bluish gray. The streets are empty, and the grass and leaves are a little bit sparkly with dew. You are the sound of a few chirpy birds outside the window. You are quiet, peaceful, and contemplative. If you move slowly, it's not because you're lazy – it's because you know there's no reason to rush. You move like a relaxed cat, pausing for deep stretches that make your muscles feel alive. You are long sips of tea or coffee (out of a mug that's held with both hands) that slowly warm your insides just as the sun is brightening the sky.

While I like the early morning, I can't say that this really describes me. Relaxed? Moving slowly? Maybe in the early morning I'm like that; I love being up at 6 (provided I've gotten enough sleep, that is), when it's quiet and every else is still asleep. I do some dishes or laundry, check email while drinking some tea, maybe knit or make a to-do list for the day. But after the family wakes up and the day starts for the rest of the world, I'm a lot more like a twitchy cat, wanting to get things done and being generally peripatetic.

Lexi update

Lexi doesn't do as many funny things as Elliot, but she still has her charm. She's gotten 3 teeth (all upper incisors) in the past 2 weeks, so her charm has recently been, well, at a minimum. She started signing "more" last week, much to our delight! She does this when I'm feeding her at the table and she wants more food. I had been signing (and saying) it to her pretty much since she started eating solid food. She sometimes makes the sign for milk, too, but often that just means she wants her pacifier (I guess she interprets the sign as "I want something to suck on!")

She's not sleeping through the night yet, but at least now she has a real crib to sleep in. Gary converted Elliot's toddler bed back to a crib and put it in the guest room (Elliot insists on sleeping on the futon in his room until we go shopping for a bed for him). We thought maybe the reason Lexi wakes up at night, or at least has a hard time getting to sleep early in the evening, is because she was cold; the crib mattress is much thicker than the portable crib mattress and should insulate against the cold better.

eat one nice, green leaf and call me in the morning

(Both kids have been sick on and off for the past 2 weeks. Nothing serious, just one cold after another. Or maybe it's the same one dragging on. Either way, it sucks.)

At dinner a few nights ago, Elliot told me he needed some medicine. When I asked why, he replied in a very serious tone, "Because I'm so very sick, Mama, so very, very sick."

On another night I had a headache, and told Elliot while we were getting him ready for bed. He recommended I eat a nice, green leaf, and after that I would feel much better. I asked him where I could get one, and he said outside. "Oh," I said, "should I go outside to eat it?" "No, Mama, you eat it at the table!"
(For those not in the know, a "nice, green leaf" is what the Very Hungry Caterpillar eats after gorging himself and getting a stomachache, and after that he feels much better.)

The following afternoon we spent some time before dinner pretending to eat nice, green leaves. Elliot would find them, usually on a blanket in the den, and bring them to me. I would be instructed to put one on my plate, take off the stem ("Don't eat the stem!" he would warn), and eat it with my hands. We took turns eating the leaves, although Elliot was always the one to bring them to the table. Lexi didn't get any, as she is "too young" too eat nice, green leaves.