Christmas in Michigan

Here are some pics of our visit to MI to spend Christmas with Myryah's folks. It had been snowing all week but, luckily, it warmed up and the trip was a piece of cake.

Myryah, Patty and Tom worked together to celebrate their parents' 40th wedding anniversary. Congratulations Tom and Vera!

One Clean Customer

Kevin sent me this photo last week while I was in SF for work and he and Viv were here in NY enjoying bath time. I'm so happy to be back in NY where bath time is more enjoyable than ever. It's cold outside!

We're driving to Michigan in the morning and hoping the snow and sleet are kind to us. We've got snow chains in the trunk and plenty of cheerios so we should be A-ok. Happy holidays!

Vivian and her "Bungee Baby Bouncer"

The bungee bouncer has become an integral part of Vivian's daily routine. Although she has not decided to walk yet, this may be the closest thing to it. Plus, it's really great exercise! (Ask her) Double plus: we can get more stuff done when she's strapped to the thing.

The video camera has been shelved for a while for repairs but is now back in commission, so we thought we should throw something up on the blog before she starts walking. And when Vivers does start walking I imagine she'll lose interest in the bungee bouncer and we'll just stow it away until the next one arrives.

Beck seems to be her favorite artist because when he's playing there's more pep and nuance -- and stamina -- in her jumping sessions. So we added one of her favorite tracks to the video.

Happy Birthday, Vivian!

Vivian was born a year ago on the 9th of September and we celebrated a little early this Sunday. Since her birth, she's grown about 9 inches in length, gained about 14 lbs, sprouted 10 teeth (including 2 upper molars) and eats just about everything. She has slightly more hair (so, not as many strangers saying, "hey there lil' fella"), and has developed a wonderful sense of humor (she laughs even when it's not so funny). She's also begun to crawl... still a little late on the walking. She can clap, wave, kiss, high-five, "bark" at dogs, play peek-a-boo, and recite the Preamble of the US Constitution.

We invited some of our friends for cake and ice cream plus, Myryah's parents were in town from Michigan. Thanks to all who could make it and we'll catch up with those who couldn't very soon, I hope.

More Travel...

NY to Detroit...
to San Francisco...
to Tahoe...
to San Francisco...
to Detroit...
to NY.
(Phew).

We had some terrific visits with my peeps and it was wonderful to finally be with my pal, Cindy. She's been shackin' up at Schan's pad (wheelchair accessible) and I stayed there for the first 3 weeks. She is improving quickly and will be out of her wheelchair and back on her feet in a month or so. She's the same lovable, remarkable Cindy. I admire her more than ever.

No room for Kevin and Vivian so they stayed at Aaron and Ashley's for the first week, then switched to Amee's top floor suite in our old house in the Mission (she was on a safari in Africa!). Amee came home during our visit so Kev and Viv moved, again, downstairs to our friend and previous landlord Terry's apartment (which was our old apartment) because he was touring New Guinea. For some time Kevin and Viv were the only ones staying in that big beautiful house so they collected the mail, watered the plants, and faithfully stopped by Schan's place every day to visit and bring snacks and booze.

When Cindy's friend Lindsay got to town she took over as Cindy's nurse and I spent a few glorious days tooling around the city with Kevin and Viv. Coincidentally, Kevin's mom was in town visiting her sister, so she watched Viv for a few days while Kevin and I took our friends' bikes out for a ride to the beach. We took a yoga class together, met friends for brunch and dinner. So fun!

During our last week in SF I worked out of my old office in Foster Shitty :o( then spent the last three days in Tahoe for a work offsite. I met back up with Kevin and Viv at SF Airport and we flew back to Detroit for some family fun, kickin' it Shea Style on the lake where my brother and sister-in-law live. We celebrated my mom and niece's birthdays with cupcakes and BBQ. So yeah, we had a great time catching up with friends and family, but we're glad to be home.

Check out the photos right here!

Sumito!

Robot shirt courtesy of Lucoo.

Return to Sender

Baby boom! In the past few months a whole mess of friends on either coast have had children. Last night we visited our friends Todd and Jill and met their newest, Wyatt. A few nights earlier we met Judith and Jonni's tiny little fella Wolfe. We left SF just before Ralph and Belisa welcomed Galen, and after Amy and Judd said hello to Oscar. At the moment John and Michelle are almost a week overdue with ???

We've enjoyed stopping by with gifts and baked goods. Joyful visits with happy people. It's been great for the spirits -- life! -- and we're delighted that Vivian is acquiring new little friends (or future boyfriends?) so quickly. We stopped by the post office yesterday to mail Cindy a care package and pick up a box the postman wouldn't or couldn't deliver to our apartment. Why? Turns out there were four packages waiting for us. What's the prob, Postman?!?

One of these packages is pictured below. Sorry Ralph and Belisa! Looks like your "Welcome Galen" package will have to be hand delivered when we get to SF. Don't worry, we'll be sure to visit you at your current address. (Whoopsie.)

We're still finalizing our plans, but it looks like we'll be in San Francisco in a week or two, staying through mid-August or however long Cindy wants us there. I plan to bake a lot. Ralph and Belisa, perhaps you'll get a new loaf of chocolate chip banana bread. Amazingly the original 3.5-week-old loaf still looks and smells great... we're not brave enough to eat it though.

Undeliverable? WTF?!?

Banana bread. WANT!

Kevin Can Do Anything!

Today I'm adding "master carpenter" to the list, right under "makes perfect pie crust."

Kevin built a storage room for all of his necessary camera equipment and unnecessary bullsh**. Thank heavens that box of 300 used coffee cups will be stored safely! (He's been saving them for a future art project, the details of which remain foggy...) Regardless, it turned out beautifully.


Kevin and I grieve differently. He began this project the day before Steve died and did most of the work in the following days. It really helped him sort out his head. All the hammering, sawing, heavy lifting. It makes sense, really, coming to terms with loss while creating something -- whether it's a painting, a casserole, or a storage room. I, on the other hand, have been almost useless these past two weeks. Weeping, moping, not sleeping. Thankfully we've been able to understand each other and our different ways of dealing. It's brought us closer, I hope. We miss our friend.

We just returned from a walk around our neighborhood and I'm sad but thankful. Cindy is leaving the hospital today after 16 days. How I wish she and Steve were in our apartment right now as planned. I was so excited to show them our new place, and was hoping they'd give us a tour of some of their old stomping grounds (they lived in Brooklyn before moving in next door to us in SF) while I talked them into moving back east.

We'll be heading back to San Francisco soon to spend time with Cindy. I know Vivian will make her Aunt Cindy smile as usual. I can't wait to give Cindy a giant hug.

Uncle Steve

On June 21st, a drunk driver took the life of our dear friend and neighbor, Steve Wolkoff. We're heartbroken that Viv will not have the opportunity to get to know this incredible person that we loved so much.

We are sending all our love and positive energy to Steve's partner, Cindy, who was seriously injured in the accident.

Steve's family has established a foundation to honor his memory by funding some of the causes that were important to him. For more information, visit SteveandCindy.wordpress.com

These photos were taken by Cindy earlier this year. She and Steve were Vivian's first babysitters.

Mmmm Carrots!

Finally Vivian is eating solid foods.

We've tried feeding her solid foods for months and at most she'd try a nibble of sweet potato here, a bite of avocado there. Not much interest. But in the past week she seems to have decided that a liquid diet is just not cutting the mustard. So far Cheetos and Haagen Dazs are her favorites. Along with carrots and Cheerios. She HATES peas... just like her dad. I wish we had a shot of the face she makes after a spoonful of peas -- a combination of regret, disappointment and repulsion.

Moving is hard work

Ten days in SF was the perfect amount of time to pack our stuff, say our goodbyes and enjoy this beautiful town one last time before moving. The hardest part was leaving Vivian behind, especially during Mother's Day. Myryah's first Mother's Day and no Vivian! But the cool thing was when we took the bikes out to ride through Golden Gate Park to the beach, and on the way we stopped to visit our friends Jules, Christian and their baby, Audren. Jules explained that she was feeling nauseous and Myryah insisted that we buy an EPT. Well, the test came out positive and we were there to witness it... on Mother's Day, no less. Pretty cool.

It took us 3 days to pack the truck with the help of 2 laborers. Fortunately, one of them named Anthony had experience working on the Oakland docks, which gave us piece of mind that everything would be packed properly. The other one, an 80lb Latino wonder named Ceasar Chavez (really!), never spoke a word (I think he was mute), but was as strong as an ox. Both very hard workers and well worth their wages.

After several days of visiting folks we made it back to Brooklyn in time to receive the truck. It was a day late. But that was okay because it gave us a chance to clean the empty apartment and deal with the hook-ups. The moving company gave us 4 hours to unload the truck, but it took us 6. I had 3 guys helping me, and Myryah directed them as they entered the apartment while tending to Vivian. We saved the 9-foot solid oak table for last. It was too big to fit in the elevator so all four of us pushed it up 4 flights of stairs. The thing must weigh around 300 lbs! We actually lost track of what floor we were on, passed our level and hit the door to the roof... which tripped the alarm! We were hot, tired and exhausted and yelling at each other as we stumbled back down to the 5th floor. Despite a few minor rub marks and scratches, everything made it in one piece, including one 5 ft round mirror.

Tour de Midwest

We made a mad dash from Maryland to Indiana and Michigan to visit my family before heading to Brooklyn to meet up with the trailer filled with our worldly possessions. It was our first road trip in our new ride -- a 2001 Prius we bought from our dear friend B. I'm not sure what was more exciting, our MPG or seeing MJV (Maggie, Joe and Veronica). Probably the latter, but I sure was stoked about getting close to 50 miles per gallon...

Our first stop was the Karbans in South Bend, IN to check out their splendid new house. We're so happy for them! It's a spacious brick beauty with a large backyard featuring an enormous oak tree. The house has a great warmth to it. I know my sis and her family will be very happy there.

M, J and V are wonderful, thoughtful cousins to Viv. Always wanting to hold her, hug her, and help out. Maggie was a little jealous -- on more than one occasion she said: "I'm littler than Vivian." Maybe she was referring to the size of their heads?

Next stop Tom and Jo's in MI. We had some beers and BBQ on the back deck and John read to us while Tommy charmed us with that Shea wit. I can't imagine trying to do schoolwork in such a resort-like setting -- I'm sure the post-schoolwork sundaes helped. We spent a day and a half with my Mom and Dad, but unfortunately didn't take any photos. Vivian came down with a 102 temp and was not her charming, flirtatious self. I guess that's why the camera never came out. Sorry Mom and Dad!

On our way back to SF...

...we stopped by Mom's (a.k.a. Nay-Nay) and Frank's house in Maryland. To update: we signed a lease for a large loft apartment on Taaffe Place in Clinton Hill, Bklyn (our 2nd choice). We're making our way back to SF to collect our stuff that's waiting in storage.

Saturday, we took the canoe out with Vivian's aunt, Kay. She wanted some fresh snaps of herself so we brought the camera. It was fun until we capsized. I was in back and Myryah (in front) turned to me in the middle of one of her funny stories, Kay turned the same way to catch my reaction... it was too much weight for one side of the canoe and we rolled. Sorry, no pictures of that!

Tuesday, Myryah and I are flying to SF, but Lil Viv will stay here with Nay-Nay and Co. We'll miss her while we pack, work and party West-coast style.

Patty visits NYC with her friends and we steal her for a day

Myryah's sister, Patty, came to spend the weekend in New York with some of her girlfriends and was able to break away and spend a little time with us. We walked through Prospect Park and ate brunch in Park Slope, did a little shopping in Carroll Gardens, and took the G train to Fort Greene and walked around in our favorite hood.

After seeing close to 40 apartments we narrowed our choice down to 2 places, both around Fort Greene. We got a call from our number one pick to find out that it went to an applicant who came before us, so it's on to our second choice. It's a little further off the beaten path but has a lot space. We'll put down a deposit and see if we get approved. Cross your fingers everyone!

For several weeks, Vivian has been testing the range of her voice. When she's content she kinda sings, "da da da da da da..." in a sweet falsetto; and when she's bored or hungry she'll go, "ma ma ma ma ma..." which can get pretty annoying. Every now and then she'll throw out a string of sounds that could easily be a sentence in another language, from another planet. And sometimes during her babbling, she'll belt out a SHRIEK(!) like one of those squeaky toys. Strategically, she'll do this several times until you look her way, and when you do you'll notice a big grin of satisfaction. It's pretty hilarious!


This weekend Vivian started showing off her tongue. As with most babies she gets grumpy when she's hungry, and after her bottle she's all smiles and giggles. But now her tongue is getting in on the act. I guess it's the way her 2 tiny teeth feel below her tongue. Myryah is crazy giddy with this new development (see picture).

Look, it's Springtime!

Photographic evidence, taken on a stroll through Prospect Park. I don't know what these trees are called but they're freakin' everywhere. Cindy? B? (Help us with the name, please).

A Day in Fort Greene

This is one of our favorite Brooklyn neighborhoods. We've seen a handful of apartments here, but none have been quite right.

We started the day at the farmer's market, had brunch at Maggie Brown's, strolled though the park (which is where I took these photos) went to a wine tasting at Thirst Wine Merchants, and basically combed the whole neighborhood. Vivian charmed everyone she met.

While waiting for the broker to show us a few apartments on Washington Park we came across a game of Boggle with a post-it on it that said FREE. Score! We ended the day at an outdoor table at the Red Bamboo, where we split an order of vegan buffalo wings while enjoying a few beers and some Boggle (I won).

My wife is so sexy when she cleans

During our moving frenzy last week I found out that this is how Myryah protects her precious lungs from airborne dust and bacteria. (Ever see the movie, Safe, by Todd Haynes?) I think that thing over her head is either one of Vivian's onesies or a pair of my tighty whiteys.

Myryah and I had really underestimated the amount of work we had in store for us during our last few days in San Francisco. We had to change our flight and extend the truck rental another 3 days so that we could finish packing. The plan is to keep our beloved belongings in storage until we find an apartment that we can settle in, and we'll stay in a furnished sublet until we do. Then fly back to SF to move our stuff back to NY.

Myryah thinks I'm a packrat. I have so much crap — and I was able to keep most of it! By the end of the last day we just shoved all the remaining dregs in several boxes labeled MISC; and then we spent the remaining hours before our flight cleaning the apartment. We literally boarded our flight smelling of cleanser. We were soooo tired. Each day we discover something new that we wished we packed. And then we wonder where the hell we packed it away. Maybe one of those "misc" boxes?

Hangin' with Dad

Vivian's body is getting so long. She used to fit in this chair beside my desk. Normally she will sit there for about a half hour and gaze out the window while I work. But lately she pushes off the back of the chair so that her head hangs over the edge of the seat. She seems to really like the feeling, so, whatever, go ahead Viv.

Vivian kicks it with Cooper Hamlett

"I do appreciate the design and you're right, the 5-point safety harness is a nice touch, but bottom line: the Bloom Coco baby bouncer is made of sustainable hardwood, and the Svan bouncer is bent Birch."

Girl's Weekend

Kevin was in NY for the weekend so Vivian and I had some girl time. On Saturday afternoon she was being so adorable -- I couldn't resist taking a few photos. In the first shot you can see her tiny little choppers. No other teeth yet, just these two loners for the past few months. The second image is an action shot -- she's in the middle of performing her newest trick: the raspberry. Thhbbbt!

Recent snaps of Mammy and the Vivers

Yes,
they're
like

two peas
in
a
pod.

Tummy time

Finally! It looks like we've found a way for Vivian to practice spending time on her tummy. Usually, she throws a fit within a minute of being positioned on her stomach, then rolls on her back. Our friend and mother of two, Amy, suggested placing a pillow below her upper body so that she's lying more on an upward incline. This puts less stress on her neck.

Now she hangs out like this for 5 minutes or so. Sweet! Eventually, we'll work our way up to a flat surface. Then comes sitting up and crawling, I guess. That's when we buy a cute, fuzzy straight jacket for Viv to wear when Daddy has to work.

Rollerskating with the Karbans

Here's a vid that I wanted to post as soon as we returned from our trip over the holidays, but didn't have time until now. I cannot rollerskate to save my life, so I was designated the videographer.

Weekends with Viv

Vivian's two bottom teeth came in about a month ago (see photo) and it feels like her top teeth are just about ready to make the scene. She loves to chew on the stuffed pea pod Nay-Nay bought her,
and is just starting to roll over (with help).

She likes to grab my hair and watch Dad's funny dances. She's not even close to sleeping through the night, but thankfully is learning to entertain herself more. We occasionally wake up to hear her laughing at her new favorite toy -- her feet.

The Sheas (Tom, Jo, Johnny and Tommy) visit us in San Francisco

Myryah's brother Tom and Family came to San Francisco for their first time for a long weekend.

We tried to take them to all the sites we thought might be the most memorable to them. Places like The Wharf (mainly, to see the sea lions), Ghiradelli Square, The Exploratorium, Lombard Street, Land's End (the place where we got married), the Marin Headlands, the giant redwoods of Muir Woods Nat'l Park [ says Tommy: "For God's sake, Dad, it's just a tree!" ]...



...and Ocean Beach. The best part of their visit for me was to watch the boys play in the cold water at Ocean Beach. They literally got soaked head to toe with their clothes on. They helped me remember how it was to be a boy their age, with no thought of how cold the water was. Just that it was new and crazy and fun.


I think that the highlight of the trip for them was playing Wii video games at Cindy & Steve's apartment next door. Before starting, Johnny spent a lot of time creating his avatar, some dude named Michael whom he claims to be a friend of his and bears a striking resemblance to John C. Riley. It was hilarious watching the boys duke it out with their Wii controllers, never mind what was happening on the screen. While frantically swinging the controllers Tommy got a stomach cramp and had to take a quick break. This made him cry with frustration (just a little). I wish I had my video camera.

Panasonic ARC IV Nano Shaver (PA880)

Panasonic ARC IV Nano Shaver (PA880)

When it comes to shavers, this is the latest slickest creation from Panasonic and well...it is really good! In the past I have tried a number of conventional razors like Gillette Mach 3 and a generic electric rotary shaver from Norelco but was never happy with any of them. They did a mediocre job shaving my face and a good job irritating it and looked ugly doing so. If any of this sounds familiar then look no further than Panasonic ARC IV Nano Shaver! Now this is one good looking shaver - slick and very refined. It is very well built from high quality materials. The front of the handle looks as if it is made of black anodized brushed aluminum and it houses a fancy multifunction backlit LCD display and a shiny single button - the only button needed to operate this sophisticated machine. A couple hours of charge will last you a couple of weeks of average intensity use. Cleaning is as easy as it gets; just pour some liquid soap on top of the foil and press and hold the main button for about 10 seconds which will enable the cleaning mode. Immediately rinse with tap water for about 20 second or until the shaver turns off by itself. Now just squeeze the sides of the floating head to pop it off and let it all dry. Floating head could be locked into position if so desired but otherwise offers up-and-down as well as left-to-right swivel motion. Four independent floating foils quickly adapt to contours of the face. The informative LCD display indicates the duration of the current shave and the battery level is presented both graphically and numerically as a % value. The shaver will also flash the "clean now" icon when it is time to clean it. Now with this shaver you get what you pay for. According to Panasonic this shaver sports stainless steel blades honed with the latest nanotechnology to prolong the sharpness. All this nano goodness is hiding under world's thinnest three dimensional hole pattern stainless steel foil, which is why you get the closest possible shave. And of course you can shave wet or dry, with or without foam, in the shower or out! The charger is dual voltage for international travel and it even comes with a travel pouch. Now it is worth mentioning that this shaver is sold exclusively by Sharper Image and can be purchased from Amazon where it is also sold by Sharper Image. Did I mention this thing is cordless? :)

3 year update:
Amazing product! It has been a little over 3 years since we acquired this shaver. We have been using it pretty much every other day ever since and we are happy to report that it still runs like new. Still using the original blade and battery and while the blade is not nearly as sharp now as the day we got it the battery seems to hold the charge just as well. All in all this one great product that just keeps working!

Vivian in a dress

This entry is for you, Dad. See, we don't always dress our daughter like a boy!

We're back in San Francisco after more than a month of traveling. New York, Detroit, Maryland... Vivian's getting a lot of mileage, so to speak, out of her middle name (Faer = traveler in old English).

Happy New Year!

After a fun visit with the Sheas for Christmas, we are now subletting a beautiful apartment in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.

Christmas at The Sheas was just right. Vivian had another chance to visit with her mom's side of the family — continual entertainment for her and her cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. We shared the juiciest turkey I ever sunk my teeth into. My sister Pamela's sweet potato casserole recipe was a big hit and rumor has it that the dish has made it as an official mainstay of holiday meals to come, chez Shea.

Myryah and I were hoping for more snow but as least there was ice. Da boyz: Joey, Johnny and Tommy showed us around the frozen golf course behind the Shea house. Veronica had a chance to practice her hair styling chops on us. There was rollerskating. Plus, Myryah's bro Tommy and his wife Jo threw an 80's theme party. No pictures of Tommy and Jo's family (sorry), but we did get some video and we plan on posting some of that soon.

On the down side, almost everybody caught a nasty 24 hour bug that left us blowing chunks of Yule. And we weren't the only victims; Myryah heard this thing is floating around the whole of Michigan. (You can run, but you can't hide). It was kind of a drag... no one likes to get sick like that, but I was with good company and, in an odd way, I feel closer to the Sheas than I did before.