PAX AUS 2018

The second weekend in a row, we skipped town to attend PAX AUS. It was Pen's first convention, and she enjoyed most of it. It was just tricky to get her to nap during the day. We were also able to have a short visit with some cousins, and Pen enjoyed meeting everyone and eating a little bit of Philippino food. 

Not surprisingly, Michael and I had to have realistic expectations about how much we would get to do at the convention this year, while juggling a baby. Somehow, he still managed to earn a medal in a Pandemic tournament, I made it to the finals of a Carcassone tournament, and we also made it to a few panels, and I stole a few minutes to myself to try briefly check out some indy and classic games. We also completed PAX XP (a QR code hunt) in our last hour and earn some mugs. 

View from our Airbnb

Michael and Thang (this photo appeared on the PAX AUS Tabletop Twitter feed, I think)

We caught a snorlax!

 Nostalgia

Checkout the 3rd high score :)

You guys see the clown too, right?

Photosynthesis

Good times! And now we are all exhausted.

Voting Day - Nov 6

Election Day is Nov 6! Early voting has already started in some states; we have already mailed in our ballots. I hope all my readers are registered and have a plan. Here is some info about the specifics for different states. Lyft and Uber have offered free rides to the polls as well. 

In Australia, voting is mandatory (there is some small fine if you don't), and they make it very easy for citizens - I believe it's always on the weekend, and your polling place is flexible. Not to mention, there's the tradition of voting and then eating a "Democracy sausage". 

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the election, and I'm a little nervous about what the outcome will be. After the last big election, it seems like nothing is certain when it comes to US politics. I think record numbers of young people will come out to vote, but I really have no idea if that will actually happen. I believe there are record numbers of younger people running for office, as well as record numbers of candidates who come from diverse backgrounds. No matter what you think is going to happen, make sure you vote. Make yourself aware of what you need to do in your state, and bring an official ID just in case. If there is any confusion, remember, you can always fill out a provisional ballot.

Yay, Democracy!

AMUC - Div 2 - 2018

Over the weekend, our little family drove up to Nelson Bay to play in division 2 nationals for frisbee. Penelope was a trooper - she was fabulous for the whole car ride there and back. She had to have almost all her naps in the pram and had to eat on-the-go for 2 1/2 days. She also did great when being entertained by our teammates on the sidelines while Mike and I were on the field. As a team, we stayed in little cabins at a "holiday park" (essentially a trailer park/campground). Even though the cabins were small, it was a luxury to have a tiny separate room for Penelope to sleep in. 

Our team didn't place as high as we would have liked, but it was still a fun tournament, and we saw lots of familiar faces on rival teams. 

Time to Parent

Michael and I both started reading Time to Parent by Julie Morgenstern. It's a good, practical guide at how to balance your time so that you can make the most of the time you have with your kids, whether you work full-time or you're a full-time caregiver. It's good so far.

Same Message, Different Decade

Like many Americans, I'm nervous about election day. The system of checks and balances hasn't been working properly because the government hasn't actually been balanced for the last two years, and the US government currently resembles more of a kleptocracy. It will be interesting to see what happens to the GOP after the current president is no longer in office, whether that ens up being sooner or later. 

It's also unsettling (and unsurprising) to hear about the dire climate change report, and the fact that massive numbers of insects are dying off. This, in turn, affects further up the food chain, obviously. What bothers me more now, when I hear news about the current state of the planet, is that Penelope and her generation will be inheriting a planet that is a mess. The previous generations could and should have done more. It will be her generation's great challenge to adapt to a rapidly-changing planet. 

Anyway... I've been reminded lately of this old video (I tried to embed it, but had problems with it for some reason). It is harder to watch than I remember it being. I feel like someone could very easily make a modern version with footage of everything that has happened in the last few years. From heartbreaking events, to people pulling together to enact positive change. 


I was going to end with this video, but then I realized Robin Williams is in it, which makes it ironically depressing...

So instead, I think I have to end with this...

Ducklings 2 and Michael's Birthday

Penelope just started the "Ducklings 2" swim class this week. Now when she goes underwater at class, something they do about three times in a class, she comes up and says, "Mama! Mama! Mama!" in a pleading/worried tone. After a few seconds, she chills out. and happily starts splashing and smiling again. It's hard not to feel really bad, smiling and dunking your kid, only to have them plead with you with the one word they know. It's so much more personal. Like, "Mama, why are you doing this to me?!". None of the other kids can talk, so they usually frown or cry.

They say it's still pretty normal for the kids to still be getting used to going under and holding their breath. The kids are fine, they just kind of end up holding their breath too long after they've come out, and look panicked because they're holding their breath. Then they start breathing again a second later and remember, " Oh yeah, it's okay". 

Anyway, Penelope still does enjoy all the other parts of swimming. The splashing. The songs. Interacting with the other kids. And even afterwards when she's cold, when I'm changing her, she doesn't get grumpy. 

It's been pretty on-and-off rainy in the last few days. Magically, whenever I'm leaving wherever I am, that's when the rain starts to pick up. Between that and Penelope having a cold, we've just been taking it easy this weekend. 

Michael's birthday was this week. We just had a game night with a few friends, and tomorrow we are doing dinner and an escape room in his honor. It will be Penelope's first - we will see how well she does. I don't think too many other people bring babies to escape rooms, since they can only take away from your attention on a timed task, but we figure, why not. 

Since I got an Uncle Tetsu's cheesecake for Mike, and a friend brought one over, we have had a delicious surplus and have eaten some the last three days. Too much cheesecake is a good way to start a new year, I think.

Gift Ideas

I just want to give a little plug for two great literary gifts for any little children you might know this holiday season: Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls and the Little People, Big Dreams series. They give great biographical info about women from so many backgrounds, and are great for boys and girls. 

If there is any hope to be had, it's in the young people who are going to change this world for the better. I know every generation says that, but I still believe it.

Nope

As I have previously mentioned, I am against Kavanaugh's nomination for several reasons. One of many reasons it's quite bothersome is that he was voted for by states that represent less than half of the country, and the majority of Americans do not want him there, including thousands of judges and law experts. The whole point of the Supreme Court is that it's supposed to be less partisan than the other branches of government, and this appointment makes a mockery of that. Not only has Kavanaugh shown himself to be incredibly partisan, he has said vengeful things about the opposing side. I think this quote sums it up best (I don't know who said it, since it's been going around the internet from different sources):

"I never get hired at the job interviews where I cry and tell the how much I love drinking beer".

That hearing was a job interview, and nobody else would have gotten a job acting like that. The GOP has shown over and over in the last two years that they don't care about the views and rights of women, and this was just one more big obvious way of doing that.

Anyway, I could talk endlessly about my problems with the whole hearing and sham FBI investigation, but I won't bother. All I will do now is remind people to vote. And if you claim to care about the women in your life, but you continue to vote for the GOP candidates who continuously and consistently ignore and debase women, then your actions speak louder than your words. 

Maniac

We just watched Maniac on Netflix (spoiler alert - skip to the next paragraph if you don't want spoilers). I really loved it at the beginning; it's different and strange, and it has an unreliable main character. It also has some really great actors in it, including Sally Field and Justin Theroux. It doesn't have as strong of an end, unless you take the stance that it's possible that the end doesn't really happen (and it's either all in Owen's head, or they're both still stuck in the computer). 

Anyway, it's worth checking out. Netflix and other platforms have put out some great content lately.

Creepy, Creeping, Sleeping In, and Vegging Out

Like many Americans, I have been watching this whole Kavanaugh ordeal on the news, curious how it will play out. John Oliver's breakdown of the hearing was my favorite of what I've heard and read (the link it just an excerpt, but the whole episode was great). Like many, it seems obvious to me that no matter what happened between Kavanaugh and any women in the 1980's, his recent behavior should disqualify him from sitting on the highest court in the land. That's all I'll say about that for now.

In more fun and interesting news, Penelope is now creeping around. I hesitate to say crawling, just because she kind of can only commando crawl short distances. She has also said her first word, "Mom" or "Mum", depending on which country you're from. I know she's saying my name as opposed to just babbling, because she specifically uses it in instances where either someone is holding her or she has been put down, and she is reaching out for me. Mike still insists that she is babbling, and that her first word is going to be Dad. Sometimes he lives in an alternate universe.

I was sick for part of the long weekend, so Mike took Penelope to brunch at our friends' while I slept in and puttered around at home. Somehow, they were gone for seven hours. Since Penelope has been born, that has happened exactly one other time, another time when I was sick and exhausted several months ago. When you're used to taking care of a baby nearly 24/7, with occasional time away here or there for a workout/grocery shopping/appointments, it's weird to spend a large chunk of time at home without her. It's too quiet. You're able to do too much of anything you choose, uninterrupted. You have privacy. It's strange. 

Now is the time of year that a ton of TV shows start up again. It always surprises me because it doesn't correspond to any particular thing that is happening here in Australia, whereas in the states it kind of corresponds to the start of the school year. So far, I'm getting back into The Good Place, This Is Us, Drunk History, and just watched the first episode of Maniac, which intrigues me and I can't wait to watch more. I'm also looking forward to The Walking Dead coming back, knowing what is theoretically coming up (from reading the comics). I don't care if the show already jumped the shark, I've invested enough time and emotion that I'm going to see it through. 

That's the latest. I'm just finishing at the same second Penelope is waking from her nap.