Tucker's Cousin

I thought I'd post a picture of Tucker's younger cousin. My sister is due in June, so they'll only be a few months apart. Look at those tiny little features (compared to Tucker's HUGE nose)!

Nursery Update

My mom sent us a surprise cash gift the other day for baby-or-whatever stuff, so we went to about a million places to buy a crib. Everyone was out, except for WalMart. (We even went to IKEA. Both of the cribs we narrowed it down to were out of stock until next month!)

So here's a picture I felt compelled to take. Scout was not happy:



He also painted an antique piece we got in Germany for a little lamp stand/sock drawer:



Overall, I'm happy with the nursery. Now it just needs a baby.

Not So Girly Interest Meets Girly Craft

Forgive the frumpy appearance of this hunter-fabulous diaper bag; no matter how I positioned it, it looked bloated and irregular. It really looks normal in real life (but this is precisely why I almost never post about my knitting projects - they all take crappy pictures).



It was the first sewing pattern I've worked on since the eighth grade. Considering that, I did pretty well. There were a few emergency phone calls to my mom (the sewing genius), but overall, I did alright.

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Nursery

We've had a dilemma at Chez Scout over the past couple of months: Where in the hell are we going to put a baby?

Both of our spare bedrooms are upstairs, so the idea of putting a nursery up there isn't too appealing. But we have this odd space that was probably just a bad idea on the part of the previous owners - which works to our advantage because it's right off of our bedroom (and too weird of a space to use for anything else - up until recently we used it for our computer area):



Now I'm a huge fan of anything do-it-yourself-ish, and I also love the concept of the show Wasted Spaces. The other day as I was wondering where we would have room to put all of the baby's clothing, considering there will be close to no floor space after the crib is here (and with the nursery not technically being built as a bedroom, there isn't a closet). My first thought? Bathroom towel racks! (Showcased at the front are two of my favorites: the little sweater was something that my mom bought, and the little blue teddy bear cuddly thing was something my step mom bought):



And I guess now is as good a time as any to reveal the baby's name. I hate calling him "the baby". So here you go (my mom joked that the name we chose rhymes with my favorite bad word!) Oh, and I was inspired by my father, the pilot of the family:

Contracts

It seems that today customers are tied to all businesses with contracts.

When we first moved in, I called the electric company to switch service from the seller to us. We had to sign a two year contract. When I called the Internet company, I had a choice between a one year and a two year contract, but if I chose the two year, I wouldn't have to pay the $50 deposit. Our cable wasn't on contract until I had to call and have the satellites adjusted after a typical Texas rainstorm, and just so I wouldn't have to pay the $75, I signed a one year contract. And of course, we don't have prepaid cellphones, so those are on contract as well. Now with our new alarm system, we have a three year contract.

The problem with this I think, is the fact that it relieves companies from having to scramble when a customer like me gets fed up with the horrible service and threatens to cancel. Businesses have taken all power away from customers - and I'm not talking about those crazy customers that are never happy about ANYTHING. I'm talking about me, a fairly rational person who pays her bills on time and expects nothing more than what's promised to me in the service agreement.

With that said, I'm feeling a little helpless in a situation with our alarm system company. Scout has called countless times to have the system fixed because the inside garage door sensor doesn't work (and hasn't since it was installed). Every time we set the alarm, we have to bypass the garage door (meaning of course, that someone could break in through the garage and the alarm wouldn't go off). And the back door isn't hooked up to go off in the "stay" mode, so if we were asleep in the middle of the night, someone could come in through the back door without the alarm going off. So by my count, that's two out of three door sensors that don't work. We're paying full price for 1/3 of the service.

Here's the bigger problem: Scout told them that he just wants it fixed or he wants to cancel the service. He doesn't want to have to call back one more damn time to see if anyone has gotten the work order. The guy on the phone told him he was welcome to do that, but he would still have to pay out the contract.

Are you kidding me? I'm telling you, people in customer service jobs have it made because they can always come back to the contract (that really only benefits the company). And it's horse shit.

Check

1. Take pictures in front of home. Check.

2. Answer uncomfortable questions about my sex life. Check.

3. Take dogs and cat to the vet for vaccines. Check. (Note to self: It's amazing that a few milligrams of Acepromazine can prevent the butt juice defense mechanism. This year I'm not "that lady.")

To Do:

1. Make appointment for dreaded Home Study.

2. Liquidate entire life savings in order to pay for the adoption.

3. Buy crib, new digital camera, changing table, cloth diapers, wipes, formula, baby monitor, high chair, stroller, baby swing, bottles, this, this, and baby mattress in the next four weeks. Note to self: this list is guaranteed to grow exponentially.

4. Find a place to put all baby gear mentioned in number three.

A (Graphic) Christmas Story

Enjoy, via my dad. It happened a few years ago, but I just found out about it recently. And Merry Christmas.

From CBC:

A misunderstanding about firearms legislation may have contributed to the severity of a polar bear attack near Kimmirut on Tuesday.

The Inuit guide who was the victim of the brutal bear attack did not have a gun to defend himself.

Kootoo Shaw says as far as he knew, he wasn't allowed to have a gun while he's working as a guide.

"We Inuit are not supposed to have any guns when we guide people from down south, that's why we didn't have a gun," he says.

However, that's not what the law says. While Nunavut's Wildlife Act says Inuit cannot use guns to hunt while they're guiding, they can carry guns for protection against bears.

Shaw says that isn't how he understood the rules.

The U.S. hunters also seemed to have misinterpreted national rules.

John Clark, one of three hunters with Shaw, says his group was told they could carry guns but that the bullets had to be removed when the gun was idle.

"The reason we left is because we knew there are more bears out there, they've been seen and there's no way of protecting yourself," he says. "Unless you can sleep with a loaded weapon, and even that is a little chancy."

The Canadian Firearms Act governs how firearms are stored, and stipulates when guns should be unloaded.

Hal Major, the district manager of the Canada Firearms Centre in Winnipeg, says hunting trips are one of several exceptions to the rule.

"The firearm does not have to be unloaded, it does not have to be rendered inoperable," he says.

Major says that if confusion exists about Canadian gun laws, it's possible that more public education about the rules and regulations is required.

Meanwhile, Kootoo Shaw remains in hospital, recovering from his injuries.

He required 300 stitches to his head and suffered numerous bites and slashes to his back and feet.