robots and jolly jumpers

You can always count on Japan for the wonderfully weird and wacky, and though I could probably rail off a small list (fashion, food, music, social trends - there you go) I'll get to the point; next Thursday five robots are taking place in the world's first ROBO-marathon, in which two-legged battery operated creatures will run 422 laps around a 100m track. UGH. Can robots get bored? Is there music or fanfare? Hm. Will there be spectators? And will any of those spectators be robots? I digress. The tallest - tallest - roborunner is 40cm; "stretch to prevent injuries and aim to run the whole marathon," says one robot. To whom? To his robo-self or his robo-operator? The human counterparts (I assume that means robo-operators) will run the Tokyo marathon, which kicks off when the mechanical runners are supposed to cross the finish line. Yes, we await the results with baited breath.

So! It's been almost, wait, two weeks (?!) since I've blogged? Much has happened since. We had a great weekend with Bob and Marg here (last weekend) AND have booked a trip out west - eeeee!! Excitement fireworks! Steve has a week off and since it just so happens to coincide with reading week here in Ottawa (or ?) flights are ridiculously expensive and it looked like it wasn't going to happen... :( And then - and then! - Steve received a 20% off email from Air Canada, one of those book by midnight tonight and save! deals... and we did! The three of us fly on Tuesday and are there for a week. I'm sooo happy that we can all travel together for Hendrik's first plane trip, and I'm so so so happy that my dad will finally meet him. And I can't wait to see my friends! Eeeeee again! I was also excited to head towards some milder climes but with a high of 12 here today (!!!) and snow in Vancouver, I might just have to let go of any weather expectations.

I made it out to the gym again last night to play against some of the 16U girls that I coached this summer - the women's league team that I played with a few weeks ago agreed to scrimmage and I jumped at the chance to get in on some vball action. I still don't feel up to snuff (will I ever? and when's the last time I used that expression?) but it's not terrible or anything; I'm good enough to not feel horrible about my stale skills, and for now, (I guess) that's good enough. Meh. What else... que mas... Hendrik (2 1/2 months) is in a new sleeper this morning, his first 9 month sleeper - ak! The boy is growing growing growing. He's eating well (five or six times a day) and breastfeeding is going SO much better; man, what an improvement from even a month ago. He still gets a bottle after his last feed or two, but other than that it's au naturel. And the little bean is sleeping well too - sometimes through the night! And when that doesn't happen, he's up around 3 or 4, but he'll eat and go right back to sleep. If we're blessed with the through the night business, he'll sleep from 10:30ish to 7:30ish - !! Amazing. I don't really want to talk about it for fear of jinxing things; I still hear him in the night, but he sqeaks and coos a bit and then it's back to sleep. I'm more than happy to stay in bed, rousing into a half-sleep to monitor the noises and then back to it, back to sleep. And now I should get back to baby - it's lunch time!