Gift Giving. Want my routing number?

There's a George Carlin joke that goes something like this: If someone at a bar says, "Hey, buddy! Can I buy you a drink?" Say, "No, thanks. Can I have the money instead?"

When my wife and I were engaged, we registered for gifts at a couple of different department stores. I sort of joked to my wife, "Why don't we just put our bank routing number on the invitations?"

Of course, the thinking is that we could use the money more than the things for which we registered.

In hindsight, I am glad that we registered and were given gifts besides money. When we moved into our new house, we were able to open about 80% of our wedding presents, as there was no place to put them in our condo. We now have enough place settings and glasses to entertain without using plastic (though my wife and I battle over dish duty.) We have a full set of china, though we have to buy eight more bowls (we have all of the plates and tea cups for twelve place settings.) Not that we'll ever use the china for fear of breaking any. We were given towels and vases, platters, cookware, and other things that have come in handy.

Now that we have a child, our house is the recipient of a vastly different manner of gift - the toy. We now have a basement, a main floor, and a second floor and in each room of each floor there is at least one toy. Even the bathrooms.

Why are there toys in the bathrooms? You try having a proper bowel movement with a screaming child in another room. I've smelled JD's poop up close. He can smell mine once in a while.

His first birthday is this coming weekend. I'm very excited. I'll probably write another entry about my excitement. What I'm not excited about is figuring out what to do with all of his new toys.

First of all, I have to put them together. That's not that big of a deal. Then I have to present it to this child. He may or may not take any interest in it. Or, it may become his favorite toy. Or, he may play with it obsessively for a few hours, then never touch it again. Then it must be stored.

There are many people who have the money to continuously purchase storage for all of their things. I am not one of those people. I purchased a house to store my family and our things. Not good enough. Actually, one of the downsides of the house is that storage facilities are lacking. I digress.

You know what would be a good present? A toy storage chest! That would be a great present. Another good present? Money. I will have a 529 plan soon. One would already be open, but my financial adviser (he's the best) said the plan will be improved in February. So I have his money earning 4.40% in an online savings account. Clothes are OK, but taste varies. Then again, people are often creative and think of things that I never knew he would want or need. One way or another, money or not, we will have to purchase toys or clothes or books at some point. Having them gifted is not a bad way to go.

I guess I just have storage anxiety. Is that a term registered with the psychologist institute? If not, I just coined it. And besides, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have fun playing, too. I just can't wait till he enjoys XBox, real sports, or can we can jam on guitars together.

Comment on Previous Entry

Does anyone know what the comment meant on the previous entry? It was either in Spanish or Portuguese. I understand some Spanish, but not that well. I'd appreciate if someone could translate. Thanks.

Social Police Officer

The holidays are a terrific time of year. I have to say, I love the music and decorations. It's the one time of year when people smile to one another, trying to be nicer and more considerate of others.

Yeah, right. Consideration goes out the window in general. I'm sure it's no different now than in the past. People being inconsiderate to one another drives me crazy. It's added to my long list of peeves.

One place where I see inconsideration gone wild is at Costco. Have I written about that before? I'll do so again. The most consistent offense is customers leaving their shopping carts randomly throughout the parking lot. I have seen, more than once, a customer unload their cart then leave their cart behind the car next to theirs. Others leave carts between vehicles, while others will park theirs on the nearest curb.

I have begun to call people out on this offense and commend people who actually return their cart to the cart return.

The last time was two days ago. An elder lady, probably in her sixties, arrived at her car next to mine and unloaded. She then pushed her cart behind the car next to hers and went to get in her car. As politely as I could, I said, “You know, there's a cart return right there,” pointing to the return about fifteen yards away. She ignored me. That made me mad and I repeated. She said, “You know, if someone has a handicap...” and didn't finish her sentence but continued getting in her car and closed the door. I laid into her verbally, but never used profanity. It was more along the lines of the example she was setting, and that she was a generally rude person.

When she said that thing about the handicap, I felt bad for a half-second. Then I realized a couple of things. She did not have a handicap sticker. But that may not mean she didn't have some kind of ailment. Then again, we had some of the furthest spaces from the entrance. She had been able to walk in, do her shopping, bring her cart to her car, but not walk the extra few feet to return the cart. Maybe her feet hurt or something. She could have easily said, “Excuse me, would you mind taking my cart back with yours?” I would have been happy to help.

Instead, she chose to impose on another person, leaving her cart in an area that could possibly impede oncoming traffic. Not to mention, the disappointment the person returning to his or her car would feel finding a random cart.

Please, please, please. When you are in public, be considerate of other people. If someone needs to change lanes or merge, let them. If someone is trying to back out of a parking space, stop and let them go. Return your shopping cart. If someone drops something, try to help pick it up. Don't litter. If you see litter, put it in the trash. If we all did a couple of these little things, everyone would be happier and fewer things would need to be done.

With all of this harping and ranting, I should remember that I did not offer to help the elderly woman by asking her if I could return her cart with mine. It does not excuse her action, but where she made a mistake, taking initiative to be considerate could have saved unneeded stress, but would have brought good feelings for both of us. Remember, it takes two. But it did make for a good entry.

That At-Home Feeling

When I walked into our house for the first time, when we were looking for houses, I knew I was home. I knew that I wanted to live here, to raise my family here.

And now I live here. It's been a month now. My feelings have not changed. It feels like home. Having explored some of the surrounding area, I'm even happier.

At first, I only ventured to places within a block. There's a pizza place on the corner, just a few houses down from us. Another half-block up from Art of Pizza is Dona Torta, a mexican eatery. There's a Jewel-Osco across the street, a Starbuck's the other way, a Jimmy John's down the street from there, and a cozy little diner, S & G, across the street from the Jimmy John's. All of these places are five minutes or less from our house - walking.

This is what I'd had in mind when I wanted to stay in the city. Our condo was great and all, but there was less within walking distance. We were five minutes from many places, but driving.

I've only mentioned a few places, but there are many other retail stores and services filling in the gaps between the places I've mentioned and beyond. There are several bars and restaurants, a couple of music stores, a couple of sushi places, a pawn shop, a couple of banks, a couple learning centers for JD to choose from, an art store, and more. I'd say at least 90% of these storefronts are independently owned and operated, which I favor patronizing.

I feel no urban sprawl, no cookie cutter existence. I'm in the best that urban living has to offer. This, to me, is what I'd envisioned in being the Downtown Dad. We can walk to the many parks that are nearby. I will walk JD to Burley Elementary, the public school that's two blocks away. Maybe he'll take music lessons at our own "School of Rock" (yes, there is a music school here with that name. I don't know if there's any relationship with the movie.) And all of this if we never venture out of our immediate neighborhood.

I'm already a happier person and we have a happier family. The downside is the cost and my wife's increased commute. It feels much more grown up. Even more than that, I feel my family is even more solidified.

From the time I moved into the condo, we were in a transitional state. I moved in two months before we were married. Then, my wife was pregnant with JD the following spring. We anticipated moving the next fall, but things didn't work out, as that was the beginning of the real estate bear market. We spent all of last summer showing our house and finding neighborhoods and houses that we wanted to be in. Finally, we're in a place where we'll stay for years beyond our planning.

We've got room for expansion. There's plenty that can be improved. But we're dug in. We're vested. And if things that make me this happy keep happening on a consistent basis, I'll be a fortunate man.