Random Traffic Through Nick's Brain http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic What happens on Earth, stays on Earth. Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:10:56 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Words http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-29-words-2.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-29-words-2.htm#comments Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:29:43 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3207 Arianna’s reasonably expressive, is constantly vocalizing, but her actual vocabulary has plateaued for the last few months.

  • Mama/mamie, Dada/dadie, Aleh
  • Nein/nöd/no
  • Hello (including wave)
  • Hot (including sign)
  • That/das, this/diese
  • Dog (intermittent), woof (ditto)
  • Come (signed)
  • Help (signed) + vocalized
]]> http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-29-words-2.htm/feed 1 Oh… something http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-28-oh-something.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-28-oh-something.htm#comments Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:32:47 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3205 Alex: [lying in his bed] Oh <muffled>shoot</muffled>.
Dina: Did he just say, “Oh shit”?
Nick: No, “Oh shoot”.
Dina: Oh crap.
[Nick looks askance at Dina]
Dina: Fine… blog about it.

]]> http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-28-oh-something.htm/feed 0 You Know You’re a Manager When… http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-25-you-know-youre-a-manager-when.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-25-you-know-youre-a-manager-when.htm#comments Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:31:25 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3203 … you utter the phrase:

Hope is not actionable.
]]> http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-25-you-know-youre-a-manager-when.htm/feed 1 Facing Fears http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-24-facing-fears.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-24-facing-fears.htm#comments Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:55:57 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3201 I’m afraid (possibly phobic) of needles, sharp things, and blood. That said, hopefully today was the first and last time that I’ll undergo surgery under local anaesthetic.

]]> http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-24-facing-fears.htm/feed 0 Snip http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-24-snip-2.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-24-snip-2.htm#comments Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:54:33 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3199 Time for another haircut.

<snip />

]]> http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-24-snip-2.htm/feed 0 Jet Lag, Day 2 http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-10-jet-lag-day-2.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-10-jet-lag-day-2.htm#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 08:43:20 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3194 I was up at 03:00 today. :-(

]]> http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-10-jet-lag-day-2.htm/feed 0 Saturday http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-10-saturday.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-10-saturday.htm#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 08:41:32 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3185 Went to see Toy Story 3 with Alex on Saturday, (leaving Dina and Arianna at home). First theatre wouldn’t let us in… apparently the minimum age in Switzerland for the movie is 6. At the second theatre we had better luck… though they did charge us ~$40 to see the movie. Once our tickets were purchased, we visited the Freitag shop. I was very tempted to get a bag… but I need to make sure that it fits my laptop. Overall, a nice relaxing afternoon with Alex.

From Varacalli Kids 2010
]]> http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-10-saturday.htm/feed 1 Not a Morning Person http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-09-not-a-morning-person.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-09-not-a-morning-person.htm#comments Mon, 09 Aug 2010 09:55:15 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3188 I know I’m in Lexington again when I wake up at 03:30 and am lucid, productive, and rarin’ to g… zzz…..

]]> http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-09-not-a-morning-person.htm/feed 0 Wheee http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-08-wheee.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-08-wheee.htm#comments Sun, 08 Aug 2010 06:43:25 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3186 Arianna now purposely walks around in place to make herself dizzy.

]]> http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-08-wheee.htm/feed 0 Immersion http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-06-immersion.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-06-immersion.htm#comments Fri, 06 Aug 2010 08:03:14 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3180 I’ve switched the language on my phone to German. Let’s see how well this works.

]]> http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-06-immersion.htm/feed 2 Mental Health http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-05-mental-health.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-05-mental-health.htm#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:02:32 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3178 It’s interesting to me that my definition of a mental health day is now approximately “I’m going to code”. Combination of being management and having kids at home will do that to you apparently.

]]> http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-05-mental-health.htm/feed 0 Only One of Two Time-Wasters http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-02-only-one-of-two-time-wasters.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-02-only-one-of-two-time-wasters.htm#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:12:05 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3176
  • iPhone 4: Check.
  • Star Craft 2: Nope.
    • ]]>     http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-02-only-one-of-two-time-wasters.htm/feed 0     You Know You’re in Switzerland When http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-01-you-know-youre-in-switzerland-when.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-01-you-know-youre-in-switzerland-when.htm#comments Sun, 01 Aug 2010 09:33:48 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3174 The ATM has a 1,000 CHF (~ 950 USD) quick cash with receipt option.

    ]]>     http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-08-01-you-know-youre-in-switzerland-when.htm/feed 0     Morning Start http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-30-morning-start.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-30-morning-start.htm#comments Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:56:43 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3169
  • Iron Maiden on the car stereo.
  • Having to understand a meeting in Dutch (and succeeding). It’s interesting to me how much can be gleaned from the meeting structure and process.
    • ]]>     http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-30-morning-start.htm/feed 2     1 in 500,000 http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-23-1-in-500000.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-23-1-in-500000.htm#comments Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:58:58 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3167 One dead and 40 injured as Swiss train derails in Alps

    This is the same Glacier Express that we took last year. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to convince Dina to take a train over a bridge or beside a ravine ever again.

    ]]>     http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-23-1-in-500000.htm/feed 0     Vacation Kid Notes http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-20-vacation-kid-notes.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-20-vacation-kid-notes.htm#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:09:51 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3165 Just returned from a two week vacation… vacation notes will follow later… Arianna notes for now…

    • OK… I lied… the first one is travel-related. Dividing by 7.5ish to convert from Swedish Kroner to US Dollars or Swiss Francs is oddly hard.
    • Arianna is extremely stubborn in wanting to be like her parents and brother. Feeding her is a challenge as she insists on feeding herself with utensils and isn’t yet that good at it.
    • When she’s done with her grab cup of food she just throws it out of her stroller. Watching it get ejected from the stroller is amusing.
    • She knocks over her sippy cup, says “Uh oh” (like Alex did) and blows on it (to clean it, also like Alex did).
    • In general, she’s very good at pointing at what she wants, and patiently saying no/nei/nöd/nein while shaking her head until we hand her the right thing.
    • Milk and Cookies: Yesterday while nursing, she tried to eat a cookie that she had in her hand at the same time. She also blows on Dina’s nipple when it falls out of her mouth before resuming nursing.
    • OK… somewhat kid related… but more related to the book I read on vacation. In Terry Brooks’s “The Sword of Shannara”, Shea is the last descendant of the Shannara line, the only person remaining that can use the eponymous Sword of Shannara. The near-immortal antagonist can only be stopped by a descendant of Shannara. Shea has a multi-week layover between learning this news and embarking on his quest. So… during this time, why not copulate with as many nubile females as possible as insurance (or at least a sequel)?
    ]]>     http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-20-vacation-kid-notes.htm/feed 3     Silver Lining http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-19-silver-lining.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-19-silver-lining.htm#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:10:32 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3163 I’m not allergic to wasp stings.

    ]]>     http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-19-silver-lining.htm/feed 0     Parenthood and Language http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-06-parenthood-and-language.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-06-parenthood-and-language.htm#comments Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:02:01 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3159
  • I guess that as we’re preparing to take a plane ride is not the time to teach Alex to call his play dough “plastique” or “C4″.
  • Dina: Alessandro is your long name, Alex is your short name.
    Nick: Arianna is your sister’s long name, what should we use as her short name? Ari? Aria? Anna?
    Alex: Let’s call her… Pepperoni-head!
    • ]]>     http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-06-parenthood-and-language.htm/feed 2     A Tale Of Two Vacations http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-04-a-tale-of-two-vacations.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-04-a-tale-of-two-vacations.htm#comments Sun, 04 Jul 2010 20:30:35 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3155
  • Today, we booked a two-week vacation in the Jura mountains (yes, the namesake of the Jurassic period of geology but no, not Jura, Scotland, Scottish island, in the Inner Hebrides where Isle of Jura Single Malt Whiskey is distilled, sadly). We booked it for next July. I have a whole year to figure out how I’m going to survive without internet for that long.
  • Today, just cause, we hopped in the car, left the country, and visited Liechtenstein. Planning time / horizon: 5 minutes. Total trip time: 4 hours.
    • ]]>     http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-07-04-a-tale-of-two-vacations.htm/feed 2     9h9d http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-06-26-9h9d.htm http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-06-26-9h9d.htm#comments Sat, 26 Jun 2010 18:51:28 +0000 Nick http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/?p=3151 It took us a while to realize that Arianna is saying “Nein, nein” when shaking her head no at us…

    ]]>     http://www.varacalli.com/random-traffic/2010-06-26-9h9d.htm/feed 0