I feel bad for our garbagemen

Shaundar and I are pretty good recyclers. We probably recycle 90% of our trash. Also, we have a separate container to dispose of food waste. Paper, cans, bottles and even leftovers and spoiled foods all go into recycling or food/yard waste.

So what does that leave for the garbage can, you may ask.

The answer: Poop.

Yup...Poop. Dog poop, cat poop and baby poop.

I pick the dog poop up in the yard and throw it right into the garbage can over the fence. I pick up the kitty litter, dump it into a bag which goes into the garbage can. And, of course, the poopy diapers all go in.

Therefore...other than some dirt and the occasional ziplock bag, or something...this is what welcomes the garbage man when they open my garbage can. The wonderful fresh smell of poop.

The other day, when I was throwing a bag of garbage in, I left the can open for a few seconds too long. UGH. Never again. I almost want to request a new can. Either that, or throw away some Arm & Hammer.

Some pics from the weekend

Nothin' but walking. from Jason Pankow on Vimeo.

Photography by Mason

While we were in AZ for Christmas, my cousin's kid, Mason, was playing with my camera.  Here are some of the results. 

Desi gets his cleaning genes from his mom

I didn't even acknowledge the existence of brooms until I was 35.


Brooming...or Swiping...or, something. from Jason Pankow on Vimeo.

Stupid Daycare crap

I swear...someone in the house has been sick since November.  Just when we think we're getting over something, we get nailed with something else.  Desi has had a cough forever.  Now, I'm all phlemmy and coughy, again. 

Daycare is nothing but a garden of viruses.  Any given day, when I go to pick up Des, I look around at the kids.  Every single one of them has something disgusting dripping from some oriface in their face.  Nose, eyes, ears, mouth.  It's disgusting.

Supposedly, this is supposed to strenthen Desi's immune system.  I'm not sure I buy that.  I mean, I've been through school and all the diseses that come with that.  Yet, here I am suffering from the same Daycare sludge.  I think we'll all be passing this back and forth until Desmond is out of the house.

Molly Hightower

By now, everyone has heard about the tragedy in Haiti. The earthquake that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, and counting.


Today I learned about one casualty. Molly Hightower. Molly is the niece of a friend of mine, Therese Hightower, and an old Gonzaga acquaintance, Craig Hightower. Therese and I met at Washington Mutual. We're not close, but I like to keep tabs on her. Last year, we happened to be together in San Francisco to get drunk watching the Zags lose in the NCAA tournament. Craig was a baby J (a Jesuit priest in training) while I was at Gonzaga. He is now a Campus Ministry leader at Gonzaga.

Anyway, Therese and Craig are siblings. Molly is the daughter of their brother Mark.

She died in Haiti when the building she was in collapsed. She was on the 7th floor. Miraculously, her friend, who was with her, survived.

I am very very sad for the Hightower family.

I am also sad that Molly had to leave so early in life.  But, she has left me inspired.  And, I am sure I am not the only one.  Her story is amazing.

You may wonder what she was doing in Haiti. She was working at an orphanage. Caring for children and babies that were abandoned. Often abused or neglected. She was truly doing God's work.

She kept a blog, if you're interested. http://mollyinhaiti.blogspot.com/  It's seen a ton of hits since we all learned of Molly and her fate. Take a look through it. It's great.

Few people inspire me. However, the Hightower family seems to produce many people that do. Craig, a Jesuit priest. Therese, a successful HR professional, and now Molly, a 22 year old graduate spending her post college years helping people in a 3rd world nation who can't help themselves.

Death is terrible for the living, and my heart goes out to the Hightower family.

But, while we grieve and long for the ones we lost...I have no doubt that Molly is with God, now. And, God is so so proud of her. She is at peace and she is happy.

This is a piece done by Ron and Don, a couple local radio hosts. It had me in tears, this afternoon.

More audio at MyNorthwest.com

I'll get it back...I'll get it back...I'll get it back

This is what I have to keep telling myself now that I am participating in the Dependant Care Flexible Spending Program at work.  I'll get it back.

Here's how it works.  I am allowed to set aside up to $5000 from my paycheck, tax free, to be spent on child care costs.  Pretty cool, right.  5 grand tax free!  At the end of the day, this means that we will save about $1400 in taxes.  What could be the problem?

The problem is...I don't get it back from benefits until I spend it.  Therefore...for about the next 5 months, I will be spending $1000 per month on daycare, as usual.  AND...Microsoft will be taking $416 out of my paycheck every month. 

$416.  That's a substatial amount of cash.  I just got my first paycheck with the deduction and, sure enough...$208 less.  Ouch. 

Ouch ouch ouch.

But...I'll get it back.  I'll get it back and the Feds won't get any of it!!!  I'll get it back and I'm saving $1400 by doing this.  It's like having a savings account that gives me 28% interest.  Actually...it's not like that.  It's my money, I just get to keep more of it.

To do this, however, I just need to spend the next 5 months eating Ramen and Mac and Cheese.

Babycenter's Top 100 names of 2009

http://www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names-2009?scid=momstodd_20100105:2&pe=2UvmyQf

W00T!  Desmond is not on the list!  That's 2008 and 2009 where Desmond is not one of the Top 100 names.  Mission to pick a rare, non-made-up name, accomplished!