Dispatches from a happy Hullian

1. What is your work/school commute like?

Summer: by bike in my work clothes — Strava on, maybe do an errand on the way.

Winter: by express bus after dropping the kids at school. Sometimes with an ambition to read a book but often just noodling around on phone news, Wordle and e-mail.

2. What did you want to be when you grew up? Has it changed?

I had astronaut, engineer, architect, web designer, propagandist and science journalist in my sights over my career. Now I design algorithms and explain statistical processes and methods to people (including statistical laypeople). So different, but not shockingly so, aside from how far it is from astronaut.

3. What is your weirdest work/school/project related story?

Might be the time I flew up to the Lower North Shore to teach Web basics? Or went to a transgenic goat farm to take pictures for a website? I had to wear clinic booties over my shoes, touch nothing and wash my hands obsessively on the way in and out.

4. What is something you're closely familiar with that media always gets wrong?

The media's understanding of contract expiry dates and real pay has been perhaps deliberately wrong in many cases, but really, even friendly sources often flub details.

5. Describe the stuff on your desk/workspace.

Foreground: cables, coffee cup, phone, two laptops, bullet journal, pen. Background: union stuff storage, binders, basement laundry hanging area.

From thefridayfive questions of last week :)

I've been on a routine maintenance kick lately — I started with a physical for my pension buyback, got my allergies assessed, blood checked out, shots updated. I probably have one more bunch of paper to pick up, then I'm done outside of flu shots for three years. Aside from that: eat well and be active as usual, but take some B12 to help my red blood cells keep up with the rigours of life — no need to be more exhausted than strictly necessary!

I considered signing up for a vasectomy after our third baby is born — three is a good number for us, I think. The week of not lifting kids or walking unnecessarily during recovery sounds like something better scheduled for when everyone is in school, though. I have my referral; maybe I can call it in in 2020. Meanwhile: maybe someone needs some proven-fertile (and, judging from our kids, smart, energetic and funny) genetic material? I am out of the blood system but maybe qualifying to give sperm is within reach — although an initial web search indicates that Canada doesn't have much of a sperm bank system outside of one operation in Toronto… possibly due to strict laws against the sale of sperm. It seems that all abject terror of markets for sperm has done is atrophy the collection system. I've read about egg donation, and it is kind of terrifying, risky and probably did need measures in place to discourage exploitation of broke people with ovaries. I'm also a bit mystified that there aren't enough potential donors to support a centre in a major-ish urban area. Surely there are many people who are fertile and who wouldn't mind sharing the wealth with people having difficulties or lacking an easier source of sperm. As it is, apparently it is completely legal to buy gametes from the States and abroad: there's something a little off about that.

I don't know that I have any good conclusions, but it is a little odd and frustrating.

Here's the semi-standardized questionnaire applied to 2012 — it was a pretty intense year in some ways.

What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
Filed a police report, juggled two kids out solo.

( lots more )

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Did I miss any useful questions? I dropped a couple of irrelevant ones, and will be watching the memesphere for stuff to add.

Some random thoughts on baby changing:

First, we don't have a changing table. For now, we can change Oscar in our laps, or on the floor or a couch (on a towel or piqué sheet), or we have a changing spot in the nursery with everything at hand on or around a wide Ikea adjustable shelf: that way, Oscar is at an easy working height. As a bonus, there are rails in the sides of the shelves that, along with the wall, fence him in on three sides, and we got a bar that hangs below the shelf, on which we hang fresh onesies (seeing that sometimes a change is a good time to replace leaked-on or spat-up-opon clothes while we're at it).

Second, I was thinking of the two easiest ways to help a parent changing a baby without actually changing the baby. First, if they're using cloth wipes, they're going to want one dampened. Offering to wet one while they unwrap the baby makes things go faster. Second, when they're done, they'll probably want to wash their hands. Offering to hold the baby after the change saves the parent from washing hands one-handed.

…computer scientists commonly choose models which have bottoms, but prefer them topless.

Davey, B. A. and H. A. Priestly. Introduction to lattices and order, 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. p. 15.

Comment with an interest in being interviewed and I'll think up some questions for you. Comment with some questions and I'll try to answer them.

( Watch out, the hippie germs are contagious. )