New perch

Clara enjoys her elevated view of family mealtimes from the lofty security of her new high chair. She thinks the chair is pretty awesome for about 10 minutes before she realizes that the chair neither bounces, swings, nor vibrates, and she soon wonders why the back of her legs are sticking to the pleather. Just wait til she starts eating solids and realizes that the chair is a gateway to countless culinary adventures.

A sojourner in a strange land

Meet our pet squirrel, Scooter (not to be confused with Scooter Libby, who is, after all, a scapegoat, not a squirrel). Scooter is not a very loyal pet, as he spends very little time with us on our third floor balcony, but when he does come 'round, he makes his presence felt. He seems to particularly enjoy clinging to our porch screen and carrying enormous chunks of pink insulation from out of the attic (we don't have a picture of that, but trust us: it's alarming).

One day we hope to get a better pet for Clara, like a guppie, but in the meantime, she seems to enjoy her fleeting glances of Scooter (if "fleeting glances" and "enjoy" are the same thing as "not knowing there is a squirrel on our balcony").

Oh, Mexico...

When I woke up last Monday morning, the first day of SU's ironically titled "spring" break, Jeremy surprised me by saying we were going to Mexico--with a stop in Phoenix on the way! I soon found out, of course, that he meant Phoenix and Mexico, New York--two Upstate villages within about 30 miles of Syracuse. Nevertheless, the sun was shining, and with spirits soaring we loaded up the car for a memorable trip to the northern versions of two classic spring break destinations. It was, if nothing else, Clara's first road trip--a type of travel we hope she learns to love as much as her parents.

The always scenic port of Phoenix.


Jeremy's first word when we drove into Phoenix was, "Dam!" Before I could get offended, he gestured to the low-slung dam on the river. Clever boy...


The sun was warm, and we didn't have a window shade for Clara. She managed to get a bit of sleep on the way to Mexico, although her patience did not hold all day...


Welcome to Mexico. (What happened to the water all those other years?)


Clara's first trip to a restaurant was memorable, to say the least. We feasted on the culinary stylings of the famed Mexican eatery, Daddy Ed's (in Mexico, not featuring Mexican food). Nothing could be finer than sitting in a diner eating bland chili cheese fries (ugh).


Our first attempt at a back seat diaper change must've been a bust, as shortly after this Clara really started to unravel. She wouldn't eat, and she cried until we took off her sweatshirt. Maybe she was just too hot, as she didn't seem quite so sad after that...


Clara shows the relief we all felt by the time we got back home. All said, a nice trip to Mexico and Phoenix, and it certainly fits in well with our untold other fake spring break vacations (tent camping in the living room, anyone?). I wonder where next year will take us...

Jeremy Obama?

Not long ago, Jeremy's research design seminar was assigned to take ethnographic fieldnotes at a geography department symposium. The basic idea was for the students to record the behavior, appearance, etc. of the symposium participants. One of Jeremy's classmates reported the following:

"Jeremy B----- and Barack Obama have similar speaking and gesticular patterns. Note to self: pay close attention to Jeremy B----- in the future."

Only the manly need apply

Early last week when our car wouldn't start, Jeremy and I decided the best course of action would be to play ostrich. After all, the day the car didn't start was a bone-chilling 5 below (with a wind chill of 25 below). Perhaps it was just the cold, right? We figured that if we just bided our time, the car would eventually fix itself. No harm, no foul.

When la voiture still wouldn't start five days later, we began to realize that perhaps more sinister forces than a cold snap were at work. As it turns out, our battery had died. Rather than try to jump it (Prevent Blindness America discourages this heavily) we decided to go ahead and replace it. Jeremy, concerned not with the process of battery changing but with the sheer guts needed to do it successfully, enlisted the help of our friend Ryan. A mere three hours later, the car started with no problems! Since then, we've had not one problem starting the car. And luckily, Jeremy is not blind, saving us the challenge of conceiving for him a new career suited to a blind man with a weak back and delicate hands (although we both got pretty excited at the thought of starting our own tuna microcannery).

Since the day of the battery change was a pleasant 40 degrees, Clara and I ventured out to check the progress of our favorite mechanics. Lucky Clara was able to have her first snow experience, lounging in the powder. She was most enthused.