Dr Kimmel @ Evolution of Dad
February 28, 2008
Check out Evolution of Dad!
Human Tetris II
February 22, 2008
It’s dorky, it involves nerds-in-lycra … but gee it’s funny.
It’s the Japanese game show phenomena of Human Tetris. If you missed our first instalment, it can be found here.
And now, Episode II…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84_QL1kEmH4[/youtube]
Wednesday’s What’s Yours : “The Essential” list
February 12, 2008
Ever picked up a “best of” album, looked at the back cover and said, “What?! That’s so NOT best of!!”?
The past few years, I keep getting nostalgic for 80s music – must be getting old, I guess -and I’ll be wandering through a store, see a CD with title like “Essential 80s” and grab it up excitedly, only to be perplexed and disappointed with the compilers’ choices.
Usually you get a mix of
Men Without Hats (puh-leez!), Culture Club (yes, George, I do want to hurt you), Kim Wilde (I think I just vomited into my mouth), Peter Blakeley (he’s on one I saw yesterday – remember Crying in the Chapel? Tell me THAT belongs on a compilation), Scritti Politi (I said “who?” too), Mel & Kim … and even Kajagoogoo (try saying that 3 times fast!).
Essential 80s?! I think not!
When I think of 80s music, I think of songs that were not just novelties but had depth, intelligence and … well … they reached inside your gut and twisted it either with their dark edge or their sense of joy.
So here’s MY CD, were I the compiler. These are all bands that lasted many many albums and whose music has remained popular with millions. These are all songs that I can literally listen to over and over without losing interest. These were the soundtrack of my youth … oh … sorry, a cliche slipped out …
My Essential 80s Songs
- Head Over Heels – Tears For Fears
- Our House – Madness
- Love Song – Simple Minds (how can one little bass riff give so much joy?)
- Thunderstruck – ACDC (how can one little guitar riff give so much joy??)
- Don’t Dream It’s Over – Crowded House
- Why Can’t This Be Love - Van Halen
- Spirits in the Material World – The Police
- Just Keep Walking – INXS
- I Wanna Know What Love Is – Foreigner
- Beautiful World – Devo
- Where the Streets Have No Name – U2
- Shout – Tears For Fears
So here’s an open “meme” or challenge. Let us know what your Essential List would be. It could be cars, 70s glam rock bands, or species of lizards – whatever! (Or it could just be 80s Songs, like this one). Then post a comment here to let me know you’ve got it on your blog. In a week or two, I’ll post all the links to all those who played.
And now for your listening pleasure, here’s two of the songs from my list above…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEdZrV0j6zM[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80OauT0OZgI[/youtube]
New Dad Tips II
February 6, 2008
A few more tips I found among my notes-on-scrap paper (terribly bad habit for a life coach, and that’s why I’m clearing the notes away, actioning them). Again, I’ve lost the author’s name, but I really liked the realism in these tips for men about to become parents…
- You will make mistakes. It’s ok. Fortunately, kids are pretty resilient.
- Small children can hurt you. Badly. [Amen to that, brother. I can recommend from personal experience that when your toddler comes flying into your bedroom in the mornings and launches him/herself at the bed - place one of your hands over your crotch and raise the other one above your face. Remember this.]
- Children imitate what fathers do and say, and then repeat them at any given time or place. Enough said?
- Try tag-team parenting – let one parent be “off” sometimes. [This has been a lifesaver in our house. Yes, it's actually saved lives, namely my kids'
] - Soaking in cold water overnight works on most stains.
- Red children’s clothing? Wash it separately. All of it.
- Kids are much easier to manage without deadlines. Minimise the number of crunches in your daily schedule where you have to get your kid “there” on time.
- Enjoy each phase of development. It won’t come round again.
- Give your kids less money and more [of your] time. [I'd add, allow them to have more time to themselves to play, away from homework, TV and computer]
New Dads
February 5, 2008
We’re moving house later this year and in preparation, I’ve been digging through old stuff, boxing things up and turfing (throwing away) things I don’t want any more.
Amongst the good stuff I uncovered (recovered?) was notes on parenting I’d taken from other people’s writing some time ago. I’ve long since lost the details of who actually wrote these things (and I do attribute them to someone else), but I liked them at the time and copied them down. On rereading them, I still like them…
I offer them to any New Dads surfing through this site. I’ll post them as bullet lists over the next couple o’ days…
Some ChildProofing You Can Do When You’re Expecting Your First Child:
- Childproof before your child learns to crawl
- Crawl around the house on all fours to see where the hazards are
- You can acutally life without ANY poisons in the house – just get rid of them all
- Keep nothing under the sink but pots and pans
- Replace all your glassware with high quality plasticware
- You cannot childproof once and for all. As your kid gets more mobile, the hazards will be different.
- If there is anything in your house you couldn’t stand being destroyed, make sure it is inaccessible or put it in storage for the duration!
