Out of Mongolia

Many are cold, but few are frozen 
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July 6, 2009

Being Alone

Chaos, in a pretty package

I've been alone for almost a month now. The first day was a little difficult, since I was totally not used to quiet in the house. Then I went through a period of joy and liberation. It is now possible to go out to bars and restaurants with friends spontaneously. During this period I ate in restaurants almost every night, and drank buckets of beer. I also gained a few kilos.


Now things have settled down. I spend most evenings reading and writing, and online. I even watch a little TV, something I never did before. Often, I enjoy a good bottle of wine in the process. It doesn't help with the weight.

I have not once slept in my own bedroom. The bed is way to big for one person. I'm used to having at least three people there, since my girl sneaks in almost every night, usually by climbing directly over me, kicking me in the face, and settling in between me and my wife. So instead I took over her room. There are flannel sheets on her bed, which is nice during Mongolia's chilly summer nights.

Luckily, our housekeeper is taking good care of me. She cooks me fabulous meals. She washes and irons my clothes. She shines my shoes. And she keeps everything in order. She does all this while I'm at work, so from my perspective, it's like having magical elves in my house. I am very grateful, so I gave her some extra money for the upcoming Naddam holiday, and bought her little boy a scooter.  He deserves it. He's sharing his momma with me.

I have seven weeks to go. Even though I am enjoying myself, I look forward to the noise, chaos, and general madness of family life.


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Filed under  //   Chaos   Family   Freedom  

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January 17, 2009

Hunting Children for Sport and Pleasure

               
Click here to download:
Hunting_Children_for_Sport_and.zip (2418 KB)
Pixelized prey

I invented a great new game to play with the kids: child hunting! Basically you chase them with a camera and take as many pictures as you can. Their goal is to avoid being photographed. Your goal is to get a few fun pictures. Additional benefits: exhausted kids and a good night's sleep.

But one warning: this is an incredibly noisy game. If you live in an apartment building, your neighbors might call the police.

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Filed under  //   Children   Family   Fun   Games   Hunting  

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November 8, 2008

She's My Baby, She's My Girl

This little creature is only alive because she is cute. She drives me crazy. Right now she is trying to sit on my head as I lie in bed writing on my laptop. I sternly warn her not to fart. She giggles, and climbs up again. Her toes hover above the keyboard.
 
Damn, she's cute
 
I have a theory that cuteness was the key advantage of Homo Sapiens as it competed with other human species, like the Neanderthals. Image an annoying Neanderthal toddler pestering his mother. Neanderthal Mom gets irritated. She picks up the thighbone of an antelope and looks at him. The toddler is butt-ugly. Without hesitation, she whacks him over the head, and the Neanderthal gene pool gets a little smaller.
 
Now imagine the same thing with a child as cute as this one. Will Homo Sapiens Mom hit her over the head? No, impossible. No matter how angry, Mom is overwhelmed by her child's cuteness. The thighbone lies untouched on the ground.  Maybe some of the ugliest Homo Sapien children didn't make it, but clearly enough did in those early days for the species to spread all over the world.
 
I look at that laughing little face, and my irritation fades away. She is the very definition of cuteness. She's my baby, she's my girl.

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Filed under  //   Cuteness   Family   Gene Pool   Homo Sapiens   Kids   Life   Neanderthal  

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