About Me


Name::ron st.amant
From::Toronto, Ontario, CA
I'm an American living in Canada because my wife made me...no, no it was my choice...see honey, I said it! In September of '05 we had our first child and the rollercoaster got even more scary. Oh and I'm probably coughing...or complaining about it.
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Recent Posts

Dilemma
JibJab
Flying Solo
Tranquility Base
Wowzers
Questions of Podcasting
Dueling Numbers: 416 versus the 905
The Daily Show Takes On The Gonzales Scandal
*sigh*
Bon Voyage

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Thursday, October 27, 2005

The This Is An Extraordinarily Brief..So What Gives Edition

Uglier than a bucket of dead frogs That phrase was used to describe how my Falcons played against the Jets Monday night, but it could be used to describe so much more than that. It could describe our lawn in the backyard which is in desperate need of mowing, but its been way too damp to do so. It could describe the state of the Bush White House which has had to withdraw Harriet Miers nomination for the Court, and is expecting at least one insider to be indicted in the Valerie Plame Leak case. It could describe the way I felt watching both the Red Sox and now the White Sox end their World Series dry spells, while my Cubbies still suffer the curse of no Series win in nearly 100 years. It could describe this picture I snapped of Willow as she sneezed and apparently moved her nose to the other side of her face.  click for larger, pop-up photo Mostly though it could explain the way I feel this week. I mean I'm happy with stuff: my wife, my daughter, my [fill in the blank]...but I just feel uglier than a bucket of dead frogs. Maybe its all the stuff happening in the world, or maybe its just that I'm blah. I did have a great class on Wednesday night. Shelley and Gracie came and waited for me at school and they got to me my professor afterward. I've got to find time this weekend to spend in the library, but of course that means I have to leave the house, the wife, the baby etc. How am I supposed to leave something this cute??  click for larger, pop-up photo Oh well, the papers don't write themselves I suppose. Shelley went back to work this week for a few days, easing herself into the grind again. She amazes me. I look at her and can't believe she had this child 6 weeks ago. So I started playing Mr. Mom this week and I did well, for the most part. [For the most part means I didn't drop the child, or give the laundry the bottle and put the baby in the dryer by mistake]. Everyone seemingly made it through unscathed...ish. Gracie is smiling and laughing now...though she too seems as unfamiliar with my brand of humor as her mother. They both sometimes give me a look...like this one...  click for larger, pop-up photo But she does find me amusing sometimes...  click for larger, pop-up photo Aww come on Gracie...Daddy IS funny sometimes isn't he?? ...  click for larger, pop-up photo There that's better!!!! Now some more of my favorite images of the week:  click for larger, pop-up photo  click for larger, pop-up photo  click for larger, pop-up photo  click for larger, pop-up photo  click for larger, pop-up photo So yes this has been a very brief TGIF...mostly because of the dead frogs, but since next week is my birthday I'm sure I'll have more to say then...OR I'll have drunk a whole bottle of whiskey in which case the TGIF will probably be a IGF*hiccup*T, where are my pants? type of post...c'mon we've all been there...so drunk we've lost our pants...right? Till next time Cheers

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Thursday, October 20, 2005

The Going Once Going Twice Edition

As you can tell I've dusted off a new template and changed the look of TGIF once again- with a new photo, new color scheme etc. I like it...it's pleasant on my tired old eyes. This week we visited an auction at Shell's Aunt Pat's place. They are moving and held the auction to pare down some of the odds and ends. We came away with Shelley's Great Grandmothers antique sewing machine, which if we had not been forced to temporarily stash at her vacationing parents' house you'd be able to see..alas since it isn't here yet I don't have a picture...perhaps next week. Shell was so excited to be able to get a hold of the sewing machine. Here she is proudly displaying her auction number...  click for larger, pop-up photo Gracie was fabulous as always, and for once didn't seem to mind being strapped into the carseat...much...  click for larger, pop-up photo Aunt Pat really seemed amped up to get all the stuff cleared out, but I think even she couldn't understand the auctioneer who carried around his portable sound system (by the way that's the antique sewing machine sitting behind her there in the garage)...  click for larger, pop-up photo One of the things that got the most bidding was Shell's late Grandpa Amos's row boat, that she remembered being taken out in by her Grandpa many times when she was young...  click for larger, pop-up photo I felt very sad also because one of my very favorite people in the world is Shell's cousin Renee who grew up in this house, and on this land. She seemed to be okay with the house being sold, but I still feel that she belongs there. As a military kid we moved around, though we did finally settle in one spot for about 11 years or so, I remember seeing my parents in many many different houses before they finally wound up in the one they have been in for the last dozen or so years. I still never felt like we had a 'homestead', so I'm jealous of people who have had strong roots in one place for their whole lives. I got Renee to take me around and tell me a few stories, one of which was that she remembers planting this tree that I forced her to stand under while I took the picture...she thought I was silly...  click for larger, pop-up photo It was nice being deep in Mennonite country and seeing a few of the people arrive in their horse and carriages...  click for larger, pop-up photo Uncle Gary got to fire up his own ride for one last time too...  click for larger, pop-up photo It was a very fun (and tiring) day...Gracie was yawning for all of us when it was all over...  click for larger, pop-up photo Once safely ensconced back home, the puppies had to check out Gracie, as they seem to do everytime we come home, and make sure this is the same creature in case we tried to sneak in a new one on them...  click for larger, pop-up photo  click for larger, pop-up photo And after kisses from Mommy it was time for one big long day to be over...  click for larger, pop-up photo Well today Gracie is 5 weeks old. I keep remarking how much she changes constantly and how big she's getting. She's learing to smile, to make some eye contact, to listen for Mommy and Daddy, especially in the morning when she seems extra bright-eyed and bushy tailed...  click for larger, pop-up photo  click for larger, pop-up photo  click for larger, pop-up photo  click for larger, pop-up photo I can't believe it's almost November...my birthday is in 2 weeks!! Sheesh where did the year go? I already have 3 papers due in the next 3 weeks, and then midterms and blammo it's Christmas. I have had some wonderful emails (and IM messages) in the last weeks from some old friends. It's so great to hear from you all and I'm glad that you enjoy the TGIF updates. I know I haven't written in depth about a lot of anything other than the baby and the wife lately but I promise to again as soon as a topic reaches up and taps me on the shoulder. I'm enjoying my classes this semester, even though my Epsionage prof has had to miss a few lectures. I've got to throw myself into library/research mode this weekend and get my two longer papers sketched out, and then write a short 4 page paper for my Ancient Egypt class. I find it hard to tear myself away from the house though for some reason... Wish me luck. Till next time... Cheers

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Wednesday, October 12, 2005

The Baby Steps Edition

Y'all got on this boat for different reasons, but y'all comin' to the same place. So now I'm asking more of you, than I have before. Sure as I know anything, I know this. I aim to misbehave.
Captain Mal Reynolds in Serenity
We took Gracie to her first movie, Joss Whedon's Serenity. She was a dream, made nary a peep. We had sort of a long Thanksgiving holiday weekend here last week. Sunday we ventured to Tim and Lesley's for a turkey dinner which was quite yummy. Quin and Leah seem to really enjoy the baby as does Uncle Tim  click for larger, pop-up photo  click for larger, pop-up photo  click for larger, pop-up photo There was also some discussion about Tim's affinity for playing his "Jew's Harp", and I was tasked with finding out a little history of the instrument, so, mostly for my father-in-law, but anyone else interested...
History of the Jews Harp (from Wikipedia)
The Jew's harp is one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. Called variously a jaw harp, juice harp, khomuz - Siberia, kubyz, koukin - Japan, kumbing - Philippines, mungiga - Sweden, gewgaw - England, cacciapensieri - Italy, munnharpe - Norway, drumbľa , genggong - Bali, maultrommel - Germany (which means "mouth drum"), doromb - Hungarian, dambrelis - Lithuania, trump, morsing, guimbarde - France, vargan - Russia, temir-komuz, ooz-komuz - Kyrgyzstan, drymba, aura or vasang among other names, it has no particular connection with Jews or Judaism. More than 40 different names are known in different cultures. Its appearance in many cultures of the world, and ancient roots, attest to the magical essence of this simple instrument. It was and is a common instrument in shamanic rituals, because the vibration of jew's harp sound can induce the condition of light trance. The instrument is a lamellaphone, which is in the category of plucked idiophones: it consists of a flexible metal or bamboo tongue attached to a frame. This tongue is placed in the performer's mouth and plucked with the finger to produce a note. The note thus produced is constant in pitch, though by changing the shape of his or her mouth and the amount of air contained in it the performer can cause different overtones to sound and thus create simple melodies. There are many theories for the origin of the name Jew's harp (see the external links below), one being that it may derive from its popularity amongst Eurasian steppe-peoples like the Khazars, perhaps being introduced to Europe from that direction. A likely explanation is that it is a corruption of "jaw harp", while a less likely explanation espoused by some is that its name comes from "juice harp" from the amount of saliva produced while being played. It could also have been named as a pun based on the stereotyping of Jews as costive, i.e it's about as cheap a 'harp' as they come and would thus be the choice of a Jew looking to play. One example of the Jew's harp in modern music is in the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give it Away" on the album Blood Sugar Sex Magik Monday we headed to Waterloo for Shelley's family baby shower. Dad Snyder, Tim, Quin and I went to a Kitchener Rangers OHL hockey game while the ladies ooh'd and ahh'd over Gracie. She was finally able to meet both her Great-Grandmothers and I was able to take the photos I've wanted to take for a long time... 4 Generations of Amos women..  click for larger, pop-up photo 4 generations of Snyder...  click for larger, pop-up photo Great-Grandma Amos and Snyder with Gracie...  click for larger, pop-up photo There were tons of wonderful gifts and much congratulations sent our way. One of the best things was getting to see Renee and Jeff, as they get closer to their big arrival. Jeff took great advantage of Gracie as he prepared for his journey into fatherhood...just a few more months to go Jeff!!  click for larger, pop-up photo Then the next day we took Gracie to the University and showed her off to more friends. Since I wasn't able to snap a pic of Gracie and Trish at the shower, we went to Trish's lab and she got bonus baby time...  click for larger, pop-up photo Gracie is spending more and more time on her tummy learning to raise her head.  click for larger, pop-up photo Tonight we took a baby step (pardon the pun) toward getting Shelley back on course to the studio, by giving Gracie her very first bottle. Finally, Daddy gets to bond with baby too!!!  click for larger, pop-up photo I think it was a tad tramatic for all involved, less me than everyone else, but still it was a step. She did very well for her first bottle, and we all sat up in bed afterward and laughed and played and filled out some of her baby book that Auntie Les gave us. It's been 4 weeks now. She's changed so much in such a short time. She smiles now, makes some eye contact, responds to different sounds and flashes of light. She likes to watch the Simpsons late at night when she's fussy. And earlier this evening she led the room, with daddy's help, in a rousing rendition of the Notre Dame Fight Song...since it's the big game with USC Saturday! (Also she cooed a lot when I sang Bridge Over Troubled Water to her tonight) Shelley took this picture of her today, the expression is priceless, and it is my current favorite photo...  click for larger, pop-up photo There was some sad news in Toronto this week... The voice of the Blue Jays, Tom Cheek passed away. Tom and his broadacst partner Jerry Howarth (Tom & Jerry) are the voices so many of my Canadian friends grew up listening to. Cheek broadcast 4,306 regular season games from April 1977 until early last year without missing a game. His streak was broken when his father passed away and he missed a game to attend the funeral. In the wake of his father's death, Cheek had a physical and they found a tumor on his brain. Ten days after burying his father, Cheek underwent brain surgery. His year-long plus battle with cancer, left him unable to broadcast but a few games after the surgery. He passed away Sunday morning in his Florida home at the age of 66. There is a wonderful website Tribute To Tom in his memory, where you can, among other things, donate to cancer research, and by clicking the Media Gallery link you can also hear some of Tom's most famous calls, including the one people in Toronto kept requesting over and over again this week- the walk off home run by Joe Carter to win the '93 World Series. Godspeed Tom. And to you my friends, a wonderful week ahead. Til next time, Cheers

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Thursday, October 06, 2005

The Anger Management Edition

[All quotes courtesy of The Simpsons] "Now for my favorite part of the show...what's that say?? Talk to the Audience...Oh God, this is always death" - Krusty Life sure gets interesting sometimes...and then there are weeks like these. The mostly boring kind. Well boring isn't quite the word...slow torturous death...okay THAT'S the word..(s) I don't think I've had anything remotely interesting to say to anyone. Sure they ask about the baby and about Shelley...I have a short selection of pat answers which I've memorized so that I can answer them in my sleep...because for the most part when people are talking to me I'm *actually* asleep- all my time spent in the Himalayans with meditative sherpas taught me how to pretend to be cognitive while in reality living in a restive 'dream-like' state of unawaredness...much like President Bush. "Oh yeah if I didn't have inner peace I'd completely go psycho on all you guys all the time" - Carl Still, there are times when I *do* hear things people say and, assuming the drugs haven't kicked in, am fully capable of unleashing the fury of my sharpened wit...usually consisting of "oh yeah...well..." before then trailing off in a glassy-eyed haze, drooling on my shirt as the drugs DO finally take hold. "I don't get mad...I get stabby" - Fat Tony So this week...on of the more 'lucid' periods for me...I've just found myself angry at lots of things. I'm angry that President Bush finds it within himself to search high and low (but clearly mostly low) for a Supreme Court Justice, only to settle on...wait for it...his personal attorney. But it wasn't patronage...oh heavens no. Patronage went out with bullying congressional power-brokers who use fund-raising and arm-twisting as a means to consolidate their powe...oh wait...Tom DeLay..yeah, nevermind. The fact that the President appointed a lifetime position on the highest court in the land to someone with as much judicial experience as Dobie Gillis (I threw that reference in for the older folks...I'm trying to skew older)...is just absurd. In other words...Lucy, you got some splainin' to do "The Good Lord lets us grow old for a reason - to gain the wisdom to find faults in everything he's made" - Grandpa Simpson As I get older, I get angrier. I think it has something to do with tighter pants. But it might also have something to do with seeing things from different perspectives. Because sometimes trying to see things from 'crazy nut job guy's perspective makes my brain hurt. And he's out there you know. Crazy Nut Job Guy is all around you...usually blaming Bill Clinton for everything since the fall of Rome. "Well I'm better than dirt...well...most kinds of dirt...not that fancy store bought dirt...that stuff's loaded with nutrients...I...I can't compete with that stuff" - Moe Here in our little country town we had a guy...probably a CNJG...who robbed the corner store on our street...not once, but twice...in the same day. The police caught him and then...apparently decided, according to the report, that pressing charges would not be in the best interest of the city. I guess 'best interests' don't include putting people in jail who rob people of money at knife-point...twice. And what did this gesture of compassionate restraint get us?? 8 days later (I pause while you chew on the time span) another CNJG robs the same store. Though this guy at least had the decency to wear a mask (er, actually a neckerchief...like he's freakin' Jesse James). So they caught this guy and we're hoping that they put HIM behind bars...if for nothing else at least for dressing up like a cowboy. "A Mounds Bar is not a sprinkle...a Twizzler is not a sprinkler...a Jolly Rancher is not a sprinkler, sir...perhaps in Shangri-La they are but not here" - Apu But Crazy Nut Job Guy isn't always the guy robbing the store. Sometimes he's merely shopping there, arguing with the guy behind the counter because the sale on pretzles expired the day before, but he wants his pretzles for the 35 cent discounted price. While the rest of us have to sit and listen to this mook harrass the poor unfortunate sales dude when all we want to do is pay for our overpriced gas and go to the park. But no, we've got to wait, while he demands everything short of Superman flying around the Earth backwards and altering the space-time continuum so he can save 35 freaking cents. Look pal, I'll forgo my weekly Pez allowance and GIVE YOU the .35 if you'll just shut up and leave already. So clearly you can see the sort of week I've had. Right? "In THIS house we obey the laws of thermodynamics" - Homer Well tonight I fell down the stairs in the basement. Well I actually *fell* down half the stairs...I slid down the rest of them...rather slowly actually...eerily slow...as if I was meant to pause on each stair and observe the various parts of my anatomy being subjected to painful bruising..."oh look...that was my right knee scraping the 4th stair...I bet that will look lovely when the lights come back on and those little birdies stop singing and flying around my head" But it wasn't all crazy pretzel dudes and masked bandits and Buster Keaton stunts. Nope we also had some fun, and here I have photographic evidence of said fun. Sunday James and AJ came over, with their little boy and we all walked down to the park.  click for larger, pop-up photo As you can tell Gracie was very excited to go to the park...that's her 'excited' sleep...which I know is very difficult to discern from her 'bored' sleep...but it takes a father to know these subtleties.  click for larger, pop-up photo SEE!!!! THAT'S 'bored' sleeping...it's soooooooo clear. Anyway, just so you know it isn't all sleeping, and to quell the possible fears that we keep her drugged, here's a picture of her awake.  click for larger, pop-up photo Okay? So put down the phone already...she is actually alive. Here she's introducing her newest friend, Minor the Monkey, to the rest of her stuffed pals...  click for larger, pop-up photo Okay, well here she is sleeping again, but really she IS awake a fair bit of time...trust me.  click for larger, pop-up photo We also had a chance to go to Shelley's studio on Tuesday and see a bunch of friends, many of whom threw us aside in a bid to take to baby from us and never give her back... Like Auntie Lal...  click for larger, pop-up photo Auntie Morghan...  click for larger, pop-up photo Auntie Angie...(where Gracie played a brilliant Blanche from Streetcar...  click for larger, pop-up photo Auntie Jessica...where Gracie potrayed Charles Laughton from Mutiny on the Bounty!...she's so talented my little girl  click for larger, pop-up photo Uncle Alex...where she shows Alex she can also do comedy and a perfect Dr. Evil from Austin Powers...  click for larger, pop-up photo but you get the idea, this went on for hours people...HOURS...and no makeup or wardrobe changes...seamless. But alas by the end of the day, the sun going down, it was time to wave goodbye to the wonderful peeps at Cuppa  click for larger, pop-up photo and make haste to see Auntie Jen at the University (where we also ran into Auntie Elise who ran away, literally, before I could snap her photo)...but Auntie Jen...yay!  click for larger, pop-up photo So see the week wasn't a total loss. This weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada and of course I have loads to be grateful for...all of the people pictured above, my family, and the 4 girls at home Dixie, Willow, Gracie and Shell. Cheers

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