BREAKING NEWS: 'As I Become Digital' Update

After using my new smart phone for almost two months, I just discovered something amazing. No, not the free bird call apps; something even grander, even sweeter to the ears: My phone can talk! My smart phone is not dumb, and I am dumbfounded (and that smarts).

If this is a Helen Keller moment, I'm not sure whether I am Patty Duke or Anne Bancroft, although personally I'd rather be Anne Bancroft.

Or maybe it was more like an Alexander Graham Bell moment -- 'Mr. Watson -- Come here -- I want to see you' -- in which case I would either be Watson or Alexander The Great-great-great-grandfather of smartphones. I dunno, though for some reason I still wanna be Anne Bancroft .....

Anyway, I have christened my phone Iris (Siri backwards). I feel like a proud parent. Iris's first words were: 'The San Antonio Spurs play the Miami Heat at 8 p.m. tonight.' I am impressed that her first utterance was a grammatically correct declarative sentence. Perhaps it's unfair to compare Iris to No. 1 Son, whose first word I believe was 'Noooooooooo!'

Anyway, like any parent, I am already concerned that my phone might not be as developmentally advanced as yours. Already I am noticing that Iris' vocabulary and cognitive skills are not quite on par with Siri's.

I don't want to play favorites, I just want Iris to reach her full potential while nailing every random question I ask the first time I ask it.

In fact, I'm looking forward to some one-on-one vocabulary and listening comprehension sessions with Iris, which will give me plenty of opportunities to yell, 'Quiet on the set!' which is serious fun. Also reading to her, coaxing some more words out of her, discouraging backtalk etc. Gotta get'em while their young. While Siri is asleep.


http://prgasdaska.blogspot.com/2013/04/as-i-become-digital.html













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'Dad, Whacha Doin'?'

Even at 85, my Dad is hard to keep up with. On a recent visit, he helped replace a car window motor, clean out the car, install a towel rack, and generally keep things tidy. This is in addition to two walks a day which doesn't include the two-hour visit to the Higgins Armory Museum.

When he's at home I know Dad's always down on his hands and knee replacements whenever the dishwasher or fridge or whatever goes on the fritz. Trust him also to be lending a helping hand to the groups and organizations he belongs to.

I'm not surprised, considering one weekend ritual of my childhood:

-- 'Dad, whacha doin'?'

-- 'I'm painting the trim.'

-- 'Dad, whacha doin'?'

-- 'I'm cleaning the lawn mower blade.'

-- 'Dad, whacha doin'?'

-- 'I'm replacing this window.'

-- 'Dad, whacha doin'?'

-- 'I'm cutting back this tree.'

-- 'Dad, whacha doin'?'

-- 'I'm sanding this chair.'

-- 'Dad, whacha doin'?'

-- 'I'm changing the oil.'



Sometimes, like when the chore involved paint, I volunteered to help, and he'd say, Ok. Given my short attention span I probably wandered off after about 10 minutes. I remember thinking how being a Dad didn't seem like much fun.

I can appreciate now how lucky I was to have my Dad. Of course I took it for granted! I'm not sure how much fun it was for him to have a young daughter pestering him with stupid questions while he was trying to measure a two-by-four or clamp a chair leg on a vise grip.

But looking at his answers to my questions above, I realize I've painted, sanded, and changed the oil over the years -- everything except replacing windows. And it's not so bad! I guess those 10 minutes underfoot added up over the years into something useful -- and memorable.

Thanks, Dad!

Happy Father's Day, Dad! Whacha Doin'?




http://higgins.org/

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14,440 and Counting ....

Ok, so this pic has absolutely nothing to do with the post. I just wanted to add some color and show off our rhododendrons.

It's possible that in 40 years of cooking, I've gotten a teeeensy bit bored.

Last I checked, I have a collection of electric cooking appliances which rivals the Small Appliances aisle at Target. It includes an egg cooker, rice cooker, fryer, wok, cupcake maker, bread machine, crock pot, coffee maker, coffee grinder, toaster oven, microwave oven, food processor, electric mixer, stick mixer, blender, waffle iron, cookie press, apple peeler-corer-slicer, and juicer. That's not even counting random units (yogurt maker, popcorn popper, peanut butter maker) which are buried and half-forgotten in the basement, their missing and broken parts appropriately scattered who knows where.

Look, if I've been cooking for 360 days/year for 40 years that means I've prepared meals 14,400 days. And counting. Look, a saute pan and oven get old after 7,201 times.

Look, I don't know what I'd do without my egg cooker, rice cooker, fryer, wok, cupcake maker, bread machine, crock pot, coffee maker, coffee grinder, toaster oven, microwave oven, food processor, electric mixer, stick mixer, blender, waffle iron, cookie press, apple peeler-corer-slicer, and juicer. Maybe lose some weight, I dunno. I use them all the time (well maybe not the waffle maker and apple peeler-corer-slicer. Or cookie press.)

Look, it's just more fun to use an egg cooker, rice cooker, fryer, wok, cupcake maker, bread machine, crock pot, coffee maker, coffee grinder, toaster oven, microwave oven, food processor, electric mixer, stick mixer, blender, waffle iron, cookie press, apple peeler-corer-slicer, and juicer than stand at the stove. 

I would love a panini maker, but where would I put it? I guess I could make room in the Hoosier in the dining room/plant room/project room/kids' closet. For now I use the old-fashioned method: a griddle, paper plate, and tea kettle filled with water.

So how many kitchen appliances do you have? Which is your favorite, the one you couldn't live without?

After the essential coffee maker, my second favorite is the bread machine. The way I see it, if the egg cooker, rice cooker, fryer, wok, cupcake maker, crock pot, coffee maker, coffee grinder, toaster oven, microwave oven, food processor, electric mixer, stick mixer, blender, waffle iron, cookie press, apple peeler-corer-slicer, and juicer all fail me, at least we have good bread, and good bread rescues any meal. Right?

Rounding out the Top 3 is the cupcake maker. Look, you never know when you'll need to whip up a dozen corn muffins or cupcakes in 15 minutes.

Of course this is all made possible by our local electric company which is so reliable we don't even have a generator.

Maybe I should stop by its office with some cupcakes. Also some deviled eggs, rice, stir fry, soup, coffee, toast, waffles, cookies, apple pie, and freshly squeezed orange juice.

Yeah.













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