aberrant | undulating | relative

funnier than me

easily!

ok so drama with the chau as always.
this afternoon he was struggling with the runny nose and general congestion. but he felt hot so i took the temp 99.5. called the doc, come on in. went on in took his temp again 101.so the doc checks him and he’s ok. just maybe a sinus infection but we may have caught it.
so we went and got his prescrip and as of 3:30 am his temp is back down to 98.7.
and i think the nose is getting better too.
so the new pic on the right is us at a quarter to 4 this morn.
he acts like he can’t tell time.
i tell him its night time and he says great its time to party.
baby+party=kicking your legs a lot and saying aaaauugggghh!

ok side thought to all new parents-TIVO!
scrubs is funny i would have not have known that or about a million other cool shows or things on tv, (ok mostly west wing), but not for TIVO. i can’t get through a show front to back continuous. but with tivo on my side it don’t matter. i never have to say to ryan ok hold on a second i just wanna see this part. it don’t matter. even if i am not recording it i still got a half hour leeway on 2 channels at once. thats tight.
sorry i know for some y’all are like damn aint he got nothing but tv. and to that i say yes
but i must turn away from the baby every once in a while and dang i’mma (i’mma is my own personal word(yes i am from the yea area)) go blind if i look at the monitor any more each day.

(ok side side thought- sure the tv is a monitor but the tv is crt and my laptop tft. so the way i figure its a wash).

got some new pics on the right, one of ryan sick and sleepy
the second one just to show that even though he is sick he still rocks!
also the back is grey on my blog to show support fer danger mouse.
art is art regardless of its corporate value!

Appetizer dinners. Yum
End of Sex in the City. Boo
Baby Ry still snuffling and snorkeling. Ahhhhh
Good friends to share it all with. Priceless

I know the mastercard device is used to death, but it just works…..

Last night was an impromptu farewell party to SITC. How rockin’ is TiVO and Direct TV that we were able to call Piia and Greg, they drive from SL, I unearth the dining table from the masses of newspaper it was buried under, Bobby grocery shops, P throws assorted appetizers into the oven and Paulie whip up a 7 layer dip all within an hour so that we could all sit down and watch a TiVO’d episode of the East Coast Direct TV feed at 5:45 pm.

We watch both pre-shows, the final Sex episode, the SNL where Christina Aguilera plays Samantha, got Piia pretty buzzed, wiped down Ryan’s little nose at least half dozen times all before 8:30. With drink breaks and a refill of Soy Chorizo taquitos. Yeuuuuummmmm.

Now that is good times.

My opinion on the episode?? Pretty formulaic and expected, nothing really outstanding. It seemed a bit rushed and closer to network tv sitcom plots than SITC writing, but then again what do you want. I’m just a sadling that it’s over. The big payoff for me? Big’s name is John. Cute, very cute ….. Better episode shared with friends than watched alone.

Piia and I agree that it’s better that Carrie and Big don’t end up necessarily living happily together, with a picket fence and 2.5 children. Cuz let’s face it, that would be too much of a fairy tale and anyone whose in a relationship knows that’s a farce. Relationships are messy, and weird and you gotta work at them and make compromises (like living on opposite coasts) everyday. But when you and your SO are willing to work it out, it’s a great place to be.

Hey Bob, I love ya.

Happy Monday

this is a portion of a speech given by John Shelby Spong(Retired Episcopal Bishop) at the commonwealth club. this speech helped focus alot of my thoughts about christianity and a god that loves all he has created. It was given post 911 and really touched and taught me. I put a link to the whole speech transcipt at the bottom.

A New Ethics

I’ve tried to develop a vocabulary to enable us to begin to conceive of and talk about a god beyond the theism/atheism debate – a Christ beyond incarnation, a concept of prayer that is something more than an adult letter to Santa Claus, which is what most prayer seems to be. I propose a basis for ethics not based upon an ancient code like the Ten Commandments, which is sexist to its core, the tenth commandment suggesting that you cannot covet your neighbor’s wife. Nowhere in the Bible is there a prohibition against coveting your neighbor’s husband. You just can’t covet your neighbor’s wife. The reason: When the commandments were given, only males were considered human enough to be part of the covenant community. The woman came into the covenant as the child of a father or the spouse of a husband, but she was property: “You shalt not covet your neighbor’s wife…nor his ox.” At least the woman was above the ox. That same theme is present in the seventh commandment, the one that says you shalt not commit adultery, that seems so straightforward and so clear. Yet, you need to recognize that when the commandment, “You shalt not commit adultery” was put into the Ten Commandments, polygamy was the style of marriage, and a man could have as many wives as he could afford, because women were property. Three hundred years after Moses was supposed to have given the Ten Commandments, King Solomon had a thousand wives. I don’t know what adultery means when a man has a thousand wives. If you have a thousand wives and still have some need to commit adultery, you’ve got a problem – and may I suggest it’s not just a moral problem.

A man having a sexual liaison with an unmarried woman was not guilty of adultery; he was guilty of a crime against that woman’s father, for she was the property of her father. I don’t believe we can base ethics on an ancient code written on tablets of stone, or even on a sacred page. Ethics must be grounded in life. Christian ethics must be based on whether or not this action, corporate or individual, enhances life or diminishes life, increases love or diminishes love, enhances being or denies being. A basis for ethics can be found in the midst of life without this supernatural appeal. I also tried to develop a concept of life after death that is not based upon reward and punishment. What I am proposing is a total revision of an ancient faith that I still dearly love: a new Christianity for a new world.

I cannot tell you who God is or what God is. I am not concerned about that, for neither can anyone else. It’s the height of human folly to think that anyone can tell any other person who God is or what God is. All I can tell you is how I believe I have experienced God, and even there, I must be open to the possibility that I am deluded. But I don’t think so. I experience God as the source of life, not a supernatural being up in the sky, but as that vital force of life that flows through the universe. And if God is the source of life, the only way I can worship God is by living fully. I experience God as the source of love, and if God is the source of love, the only way I can worship God is by loving wastefully, not stopping to say whether or not this person deserves that love. And I experience God in the words of theologian Paul Tillich, who did much to shape my thinking. I experience God as the “ground of all being,” and if God is the ground of all being, then I worship God by having the courage to be all that I am capable of being.

And I’m a Christian. When I look at the life of Jesus of Nazareth, I see a life so fully lived that I believe I sense the presence of the source of life in him. I see a love so wastefully shared that I believe I see the source of love in him. I see one who has the courage to be all that he is, under every set of circumstances. So I believe I perceive the ground of being in him. And I want to be a disciple of this Jesus, but a disciple of this Jesus does not mean that it is my compulsion to go out and convert everybody so that they will look like me and act like me. I would love for the church to get out of the conversion business and out of the evangelical business, out of the missionary business. Most missionary efforts are imperialistic, imposing one religious and cultural system upon another.

I do think that I have a responsibility as a disciple of this Jesus to live my life in such a way that I can help to build a world in which every human being has an opportunity to live more fully and love more wastefully and to be all that human being has the possibility of achieving, in the infinite variety of God’s humanity, whether our skin is black, brown, yellow or white, whether our gender is male or female, whether our sexual orientation is gay or straight, bisexual or transgendered, to call all people in the world into the fullness of life, the fullness of love, the fullness of being. If we can begin to address the Christian faith to those issues, and to find those conclusions, then I think there will be a reformation and a renaissance, perhaps not of the kind of Christianity that we knew in our childhood, but a Christianity that will call us to a new humanity. For if anything is obvious after September 11, it is that if we do not find a new way to be human, we will finally annihilate one another.

jss speech post 911

Today is my best friend in the world’s birthday.
Happy birthday Renee!
We laughed and cringed over her birthday gift and reminisced about how long we’ve been friends now, 16 years!

I can’t believe how much time has passed, and how we haven’t changed in some aspects and have so much in other ways. Just sitting on the couch, her with new hubby (the nudely wed Luis) and me with hubby and bebe (the oft mentioned Mr. Ryan) highlights the major changes in our lives. But thinking about our young teen-age selves was a fun walk down memory lane.

Speaking of lanes, and driving (no, don’t ask me about my commute) and parking …(bad transition to new subject)

One of the big issues around the new company is parking. It’s alot of street parking, usually up a very steep hill with tiny parking lots in front of the buildings (think strip mall parking) On my third day here, a memo got put out that they are going to build a parking structure near my building. Well, the next day the bulldozers were out and they razed an entire building in practically less than the time it took me to check my email and get some breakfast.

Now you see it, now you don’t.

And change, the final frontier. So, I’ve overcome the psychological hump of working in a non-Outlook world. I can set up a meeting and send email in a basic fashion. The process is this: Think of the way you want to do it, then do it backwards. Okay, it works great once you get over the idea of the “right” way to do things.

Now if those two stories aren’t analogies to so many aspects of life in general well …….

FYI - my poor kiddly has a cold. His papa has had to deal with the bulk of it, I’ve only had minor sightings of the mass of mocosos running outta the kid’s nose. Baby Ry is still in good spirits, laughy and chatty, he only gets real snorkly late at night and while he eats. Oh well, it was bound to happen.

Remember to wash your hands. Only you can prevent virus-spreading.

Its like scary in my house.
I didn’t see it coming, but it was here in an instant. We dropped Ryan off at my mom’s house so we, ell and I, could go on a date. Later that night when we laid him down (is that right laid him down?). He started up bad, just a stuffy/runny nose, but for a 5 month old it’s a big deal, breastfeeding, bottlefeeding, breathing through your nose it’s all stuff babies like to do. And he can’t. The doc said he’s fine but it’s terribly frustrating. So last night until 3 we went back and forth, it’s ok waaaaaaaaaaarararararagurglegurgle waaaaaagrugguffah! ok it’s not ok. But he is sleeping now. There is little much better to a 5 month old thumbsucka than his thumb, with the help of saline drops we were able to work it out.

one side note what is everyone’s problem with gay marriages in the sfc? i know a lot of people are saying it’s an abomination to christ and to god’s union. but I don’t get what’s wrong with people legitimating their affection/love/commitment to each other. Because regardless of what peeps think they are still people right? And deserve to do what they like right? As long as it don’t hurt you, no? As far as being against Christ I really don’t remember the part where Christ says (or is demonstrative of) only love this way. I think he was like love one another, love wastefully, love without regard. Simply love each other as you love me. I think it’s hateful when persons say that gay people being married makes their marriages less. It makes me wonder what the abusive marriages have been doing to your marriage, or what marriages involving drug addicts or drunks have done to your marriage, when those people come to church do you castigate them for lessening the value of your marriage. Lastly I am married and a Christian, love and let love. If you are a follower of Christ is that something you really need be reminded of?

My husband,my hero…

After a little breakfast with baby Ava (orange-velour clad and adorable) and parents, and a quick trip to Costco (note to self, never again on a holiday!) the family Armijo, Jr. make their way home.

I see a little girl with moppet-like curls (Veronica, as a wee lass) running madly down our street chasing a cocker spaniel-ish dog. After watching to make sure she’s not just playing with the dog,though why would you in this drizzly weather, Bobby runs out with a rope to help the gal corral her wayward doggie.

Needless to say, for his good samaritan effort, my hero got chomped on the face. Yes,that little dog jumped up and bit Bobby twice on the face,one under his eye and one in between his cheek and Romanesque nose. Luckily he saw that the dog was licensed and tagged by the city, ensuring that his shots were current. Well,we hope. Bobby seemed ok with being bitten, it was about an hour later when he looked up at me and said, hey I got bit by a dog today. Some reward for helping a little girl and her pup. Like they say, no good deed goes unpunished…

I can’t believe it’s been a month since I’ve blogged, 4 1/2 months since Ryan’s been born, and 8 years that Bobby and I have been married, not to mention 14 years together total!

Amazing, simply amazing.

This man, this man, I love this man. We have had many wonderful, diamond-is-forever-commercial-type moments over the years including but not limited to: Bobby’s first trip ever to Disneyland when we were 18 (my first attempt at surprise trips on his birthdays) … driving 120 mph on the San Mateo Bridge after Junior Prom … the year that we road-tripped to SoCal 7 times in one year … standing in front of the David sculpture in Florence … when we bought our first car together … walking along the Seine in the middle of the night, and you know, that little blessed event - the birth of our son….

This little boy isn’t so little anymore! At 16 lbs, 25 inches long, we were stopped during our weekend getaway to LA (where else) recently and asked how old Ryan was. The mommy who asked us was shocked, as her 8 month old daughter had the exactly same stats. Growing and changing everyday! He’s a joy with plenty of fun “firsts” lately: first time sleeping in his crib in his own room, first time he found his fist, his thumb,his ear and unfortunately his hair…

Baby Ry has been going thru what I’m terming “baby pattern baldness” His Grandma Debbie assures me that Bobby had the same thing, but the Lising’s (myself included) are a little wary. My parents swear that none of us kids lost a strand, let alone fist fulls, like the kiddie. And it doesn’t help that he loves to put his hand to his head and tug….But, if that’s all we have to worry about, we are blessed indeed!

Talking about continued blessings, I have a new job. It’s amazing, and exactly what I want to do. Though very unexpected, everything seemed to fall into place as only God can make it. It was tough to leave the comfortability of good friends and a great company, but when things work out the way they did, you just have to trust and make the change.

Non-stop action, the Armijo’s are on the go….

Now if I could just get my socks laundered,life would be perfect. But I’d have to find them first.

Broken Lizard’s Club Dread
duh na duh duh super trooper lovers get ready!

when i put him in this fit i was wondering what pre-school should he go to?
cause i think i could take him
and they wouldn’t say
“oh sorry this boy is too small for pre-school”.
i think they would say “he is very well dressed and proffessional looking”.
too bad he is only 0y4m.

ryan in la

his 4 month picture

thumb sucka