Friday Four

1. Little Man's efforts to avoid diaper changes have been a great source of amusement over the past year. This week, he made an appearance after emerging from his new "office." Yes. I would need to change him. Yes. He had figured out the doorknob. And yes, I would need to hunt him down. Or so I thought...

But then I heard a pair of shutter doors close on one end of the kitchen, where I was at the time. Not long after, the second door shut, and I could tell that Little Man was standing guard there.

So I had the satisfaction of leaving through the unguarded end of my now jail cell to ambush him. But yes, my son tried to trap me in the kitchen to avoid a diaper change.

2. The change of scenery that came with our move has come with the bonus of a new set of local beers to try. One brewery I now know about, Philadelphia's Yards, has an interesting series of "Ales of the Revolution," based on recipes from around that time. I like the Tavern Porter, which is based on a recipe from George Washington:

Detailed in a letter from the General to his officers during the war, Washington's recipe employed molasses to aid fermentation and give rich caramel notes to this robust, roasty ale. The recipe reflected his admiration for Philadelphia-style porters, especially those brewed by Robert Hare (whose original brewery stood just blocks from where ours is now). Our Tavern Porter, inspired by Washington's, is dark, smooth, and complex with just a hint of dried fruit in the finish.

I have also tried Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce. Only Thomas Jefferson's Tavern Ale is left to go.

3. Not to disparage new technological marvels, but have you ever found something that does exactly what you need it to? This has happened with a group of Apple Newton ethusiasts, who are still using them:

Searching through your Newton is far easier than searching through a Moleskine. And when you are done no transcription necessary. Just print, email, fax, or sync your notes back to your computer. Show your client what you captured from the meeting before leaving the room. A Newton allows you to preserve the natural habits of note taking, without the adapting to technology, or the transcription required for traditional handwriting.

Reading the rest of this, I can see why the Newton has its fans.

"Too bad they don't make them anymore," I thought. But then it occurred to me that perhaps someone has ported Newton functionality onto new technology. That appears to be the case. I don't currently have a need for such capabilities, but I could soon. If that happens, or curiosity gets the better of me down the road, perhaps I'll try that.

4. Three cheers for sleep schedule mismatches :

[H]aving different sleep schedules can benefit relationships, [Till Roenneberg] said. Those with babies can time-shift caring for the children, and others can schedule time to themselves. "Especially in marriages that have gone on for a long time, I hear complaints about not being able to meet with the girlfriends enough or go drinking with the guys," he said. "If both parties accept their differences, the late type can go out with the boys at night, and the early type can meet her girlfriends in the morning."

My wife is a night owl and I keep early hours. (But if being cheerful around other people upon waking is a qualification for the "morning person" label, don't apply it to me!) For a while, whenever we were both home during Little Man's infancy, I handled his bed time (which was as much as two hours earlier than Pumpkin's), and she took her bedtime.

-- CAV