Since the birth of our beautiful baby girl, we haven’t had much time to be social. Well, to be honest we haven’t had time for much other than surviving the infant colic and our own physical problems we suffered as a result of carrying a crying baby around 24/7 for several months. People need people. We need to be able to talk to our friends about pointless things. We need to be able to discuss the upcoming election or the crazy people in the current reality-shows on TV. So how do you cope if you’re hardly able to leave your apartment at all?
Facebook and Twitter are both services that allow you to get a glimpse into the lives of your friends and aquaintances. They also allow you to vent frustrations, and get a friendly “Like” when you post about something positive that has happened in your life. This feels rather obvious, and I’ve used these services for what they’re worth during the tough times we’ve gone through lately.
Our other obsession during this time, has been to watch E.R. on DVD. We’ve gone through several seasons now, and it wasn’t until I read a post by Jonah Lehrer about “Television and loneliness” (via Jorunn) that I realized why we became so completely hooked on watching this particular show. It’s the people. You get to know the doctors and patients, you like some, you hate some, and generally experience some sort of social connection with these fictious characters.
Interesting stuff. I recommend reading Jonah’s post!
Filed under Misc. |
For someone who is increasingly interested in and concerned with user interfaces, specifically user interfaces for web applications, this quote from Steve Jobs in 2003 sums it up nicely:
Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer — that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good!’ That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
(via Daring Fireball)
Filed under Apple and Misc. |
If you’re an iTunes user and listen to music a lot, do yourself a favor and check out SRS iWOW.
This magnificent plugin takes the flat sound iTunes spits out, polishes, tunes, and enchances it, before sending it through to your headphones or speaker system. I first tested it a couple of days ago after a recommendation from Jesper, and after one day with the trial version I went ahead and bought the $39.99 downloadable Premium version.
Toggling iWOW on/off while listening to music you know well really shows off the difference this plugin makes. Give the trial version a try – you won’t regret it!
Filed under Misc. |
Came to work this morning, really tired, kinda grumpy. I sat down in front of my computer, a cortado ready to be consumed to wake me up. Woke the computer from sleep, reached for the mouse to click on my unread emails, and it doesn’t work. I check that it’s plugged in, test a different mouse to see that there’s not a problem with the USB-port, no luck. I restart the computer, plug in the mouse again, still broken. Getting desperate. Still not quite awake, problem-solving skills at an all-time low. I sit back, finish my cortado, and realize that I haven’t checked the basics – that the laser on the mouse is functioning. I flip the mouse over, and see this:
Filed under Misc. |
Know how time seems to come to a halt when you’re looking forward to something? Like when you were a kid, how the hours seemed to creep by when you were waiting to open all those lovely christmas- or birthday-presents? It’s now about 2,5 months until our baby is supposed to be born, and though I sometimes feel like it hasn’t been too long since we found out Marianne was pregnant, I now find myself thinking that 2,5 months is an eternity!
In preparation for the baby’s arrival, we’ve purchased a few of the necessary items, such as a stroller, dresser, baby-bathtub, some cute clothes etc. We’ve also read a lot of books and internet articles about parenting and baby-related subjects, and generally feel well prepared – or at least as well prepared as any first-time parents can be.
Once we’ve brought the little one home, and she/he is in bed sleeping or in the stroller screaming, I’m sure we’ll be wondering what we’ve gotten ourselves into. Of course there will be moments of fear, doubt, and perhaps even desperation. The bottom line is that you can never prepare yourself for all eventualities.
As long as you’re prepared to do anything in your power for the baby to have a happy childhood, you’re gonna be fine. At least that’s how I see things. Just do your best, don’t over-protect the baby from all the dangers of the world, let them experience all aspects of life for themselves, and support and love them no matter what.
Filed under Baby, Life and Misc. |
…and a new year is about to begin.
We spent christmas this year at my mom’s, and really enjoyed it. There was an abundance of presents for everyone, the highlight in my pile being a Playstation 3 from Marianne! I’ve already bought two games – Prince of Persia and Assassin’s Creed (awesome game!) – and some Blu-ray movies I’m looking foward to watch. There was a message attached to the PS3, roughly translated to “Here’s something to play with until life becomes more serious in April 
”. I like the message, though I’ve already started planning how to get our baby hooked on videogames and movies too…
I don’t really believe in new year’s resolutions, so I’m not gonna announce any, but I’m gonna try and make next year the most exciting and productive year of my life. With a baby on the way and with everything going on at bitbucket, I feel confident I’ll be able to accomplish that goal.
Looking back at 2008, I see a year of mixed emotions. I haven’t always been my old self, and have had times where I’ve been pretty miserable, and then there have been times of total bliss. All in all, I guess I can’t complain, and there’s no point in doing anything but try and remember the good times and be sure to make the most of all opportunities in the days ahead.
A happy new year to everyone, may it be a wonderful year for all of us!
Filed under Baby, Life and Misc. |
About a week ago we had the first ultrasound scan – what an amazing experience! Here are a couple of snaps of the baby:
Filed under Baby. |
Today was our first visit to the midwife who we’ll be visiting regularly during the pregnancy. All is well with mother and child, and today we got to hear tiny little heartbeats for the first time. A wonderful and almost surreal experience.
In two weeks we’re having the ultrasound scan/sonogram, which will probably make everything even more real than it is now, and hopefully we’ll see a baby with ten fingers and toes and perhaps be able to tell if it’s a boy or a girl. Exciting times!
Filed under Baby and Life. |
