It's crunch time!

Baby stuff just sat up on his own for the very first time!!!

I promise video, maybe later today. Oh and the clapping too...

Glorious & Terrible

He's close... so close.

Python in, Matlab out

My research has lived in Matlab, an exceptionally powerful but proprietary computing language designed for scientific and engineering tasks. Despite my continued affection for Matlab, however, I have decided to transition entirely into Python. A free and powerful language, Python has a real-world legitimacy that Matlab just can't quite muster. Both Google and the NYSE run on Python. Now my research will as well.

Of course, this means that I'm learning an entirely new language (object-oriented to boot) in the midst of the busiest, most stressful time in my life. I prefer to think of it as ambitious.

I guess this hasn't been quite as cute as previous posts. Perhaps a picture with Thumper and his toy snake would be in order.

Long Time Gone

Following a recent existential freakout, I decided to start jogging again. So, for a while, my days started at 5am with a few "laps" around my over-sized block (~3 miles). Recently though, I've been more ambitious. Instead of staying down in the flats of Berkeley, my runs have wandered up into the hills, pounding up slopes that I honestly feel uncomfortable ascending in my car. But suddenly, even this was not enough. The jogging stroller arrived -- a gift from my mom. What else could I do but accept the challenge?

The first day I ran a slow lap around my neighborhood, completing a mile in just under 11 minutes. Yesterday, I push 25 lbs of Thumper up... and up ... and up. Every cross street leading further up the hill was irresistible. It was a fast paced expedition into the unknown wilds of the Berkeley Hills, a tour of beautiful (and hideous) homes and their $10 million views.

One park in particular has a spectacular view for Oakland, San Francisco, the Golden Gate and Marin.I was surprised by all of the "hidden" parks, seemingly reserved for the wealthy locals. One in Absolutely gorgeous. As I got a very late start on my exercise yesterday, the setting sun washed out the picture I took (left), making the Golden Gate the source of light to the Bay Area.

About 4 miles up, Thumper went on strike. No more stroller! People watched me pass decked out in my jogging gear, pushing an empty stroller and carrying a baby. Fortunately, Berkeley facilitates quick getaways with numerous hidden walkways winding between houses. We quickly descended, banging down stairway were necessary, finally arriving home 2.5 hours after we left. Fortunately, this was my "day off" (Mondays with just Thumper and Vivienne). Unfortunately, despite my near total exhaustion, it was time to cook dinner. Mom's are always on the job.

Tomorrow I'll relax with a few papers on HMM-based vocoder modeling for speech processing. I have a clever idea to advance the field.

Pear, Pear Everywhere

Imagine a food of such supreme flavor, such gustatory gravitas, that it overwhelms not just the tongue but the entire body. What could possibly satisfy such a fantasy? Surely not the simple pear, or so I would have thought this morning. In my life up to this morning I had never seen someone lunging at spoonfuls of pureed pear. I had never seen a practice of diminutive self-flagellation in the absence of continued pear supply. I had not seen a very little boy overwhelmed not just in his sense of taste but in physical body.

Today was pear tasting #2. I pureed four red anjou pears and froze most of the resulting mush in ice cube trays for the future. With about a 1/2 cup left, the feeding frenzy began. Half of it went down Thumper's throat; half was smeared in an irregular but complete covering over his body. He loved it, possibly to much. The scene evoked images of Roman gluttony (and more). Perhaps he will be a emperor (ceasar?) some day.

Big smiles all around

Thumper snored contentedly in D's lap, his first four hours of day care coming to an end. All my fears of tears and misery have lessened, run off to hide in the bushes of another day. D and I chatted for a bit, and then Thumper opened his eyes. The dimples dimpled. Cheeks puffed. Lips curled. All slow and brilliant as a sunrise. A smile just for me (but inevitably shared with everyone else; Thumper loves schmooze).

Day care appears to be a big success. We'll do half days again tomorrow and Friday to work out the kinks.

I feel rescued. Now for the next 108,283,472 items oon my "task' list.

Day Care Tomorrow

Thumper's first day without his moms comes tomorrow. Daycare, one of many right things that don't feel right. He will cry. I will cry. He will stop after a few minutes (I hope!). I will spend the day claiming to have just chopped onions. Please, please, please go well.

More tomorrow.

P.S., We did sneak over to the park today for swing #2. He still loves it: kicking, squirming, giggling. What was strange, though, was the rather pronounced tribalism at the playground. Three clusters segregated to different corners of the toddler pen: Chinese nannies, Latina nannies and moms (mostly but not exclusively Caucasian). Most interesting was the apparent segregation, though to a lesser extent, of their various charges. The psychologist in me is intrigued by the posible implications.