for the birds

For the Birds Has Flown the Coop.

But you can find us here: http://forthebirdsblog.com

Cheers!

Did Somebody Turn out the LIGHTS?

A few weeks ago For the Birds celebrated it's one year mark -- picture me sitting at the keyboard with a party hat on....vodka bottle rolling on the floor...  silly string still stuck to the monitor.. I mentioned in my post that FTB has built a following with over 20,000 site visitors. This is a rough estimate, because  -- come on, really. You don't think that I actually believe that 20,000+ of you are out there reading these almost daily observations... And thanks to all of the lovely comments that I received pointing this out. Side note, I am not that BOARING Ms. Kelly from Kentucky -- and although you don't know how to spell, I might have better things to do with my time but I choose to do this -- and if it's just not that interesting to you -- then STOP visiting. But, keep checking in if you must, I am into all things that depreciate. 

So, getting to the point, I do know -- thanks to those smart heads over at Feed Burner, that we do have a factual regular readership of 25 concrete, real-live people. That's right - a lovely and lucky 25. And to you I am calling out. In the next few days the following will be happening:

1. For the Birds will turn out the lights for a much needed beauty rest.
2. For the Birds will return, refreshed and better than ever—but only viewable at the new (still shiny) URL - http://forthebirdsblog.com
3. The old ugly domain http://designsigh.typepad.com/forthebirds will GO AWAY, so DON'T GO THERE
4. Those of you that have the old domain/URL in your readers, you will need to change to the new domain.
5. For the Birds will only be accessible from http://forthebirdsblog.com
6. This has very little to do with the evil birders over at forthebirds.com 

Unfortunately, I don't have specific timing on this event—otherwise I would fill you in. But the wheels are in motion. We've checked the logs, Batman, and will make a swift return... So, if you happen to be settling in for the evening, and pull up to FTB for some mild entertainment, please don't be alarmed if you receive some sort of error message or blank screen—We are still here... we are coming back—this has very little to do with the evil birders at forthebirds.com AND, the best is yet to come... More shameless self-promotion of multiple personality abundance -  I want you to know but I don't anxiety disorder...  have I mentioned most of us here are geminis? Any questions? Email me - rmsatbwdstudiodotcom.

Said it once.. saying it again.. DO NOT FEED THE SWANS!!!

This is a follow up to a post made almost exactly one year ago... NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

We live very close to the Peconic Bay and there are ponds near our property that feed off of this Bay. In the ponds we are neighbors to lovely swan families that we follow and watch with love and fear combined... they tend to have anger-management issues. Also along these ponds runs a public road which people treat almost as a park—bike riders, fishing families, walkers... birders all enjoy the road as it winds away from Shinnecock Hills and into the Bay. It is quite lovely which is why it makes me so angry to state the obvious.. PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE SWANS.

Almost every fair weathered morning for the past few years a car (black station wagon Volvo) has pulled up along side of the pond behind our house. The woman driving the vehicle honks her horn upon arrival. When she does this, swans kick their webbed feet into high gear and float to her as fast as possible. With this, she throws her leg over the divider, walks to the edge of the water and DUMPS A BUCKET OF CORN. 

I have fought myself on this situation for a very long time. The corn is not only bad for the Swans, but it has caused a major upset in the natural Audubon order of things... The Swans have become die-hard territorial about her feedings and have actually KILLED OTHER SWANS (4 to be exact) in an effort to remain somewhat DOMESTICATED. I know I said anger-management issues, but this is actually quite a normal reaction for any kind of animal being treated like a pet. 

Now - this is my problem. I can either throw all "respect your elders" caution to the wind and go "speak" to this woman... Or I can continue to spy from the other side of the pond saying DON'T FEED THE SWANS under my breathe while my blood boils.. Or - I can leave a note on her car while she continues on her walk to probably feed other wild creatures... OR I can grab a can of spray paint and ... A year has passed and I still can't deal... Please please please -  DO NOT FEED THE SWANS. 

(Sid of Sid & Nancy -- One Mean Goose)

365 days later...

Year one has passed!

I began publishing For the Birds on this date circa 2008—wow oh wow have things changed since. Initially, For the Birds was to be a marketing tool for Breakwater Design Studio, and although it does serve that purpose, FTB has also opened up whole new worlds for me... Writing and Internet Social Media. Once shunned—Facebook and Twitter are now common tools that promote, engage... Once feared, writing a very public diary of almost daily observations has given me a personal boost that I never could have imagined... Sharing accounts with readers who then become friends with common interests and concerns... And then my favorite -- sharing our lives with existing friends and family scattered all over the world. In short, connections have become a way of life and For the Birds has allowed my family and I to have a mini piece of the pie—actively participating on an almost daily basis.

So, I guess that I need to thank me for jumping into a way of life that I never knew possible... but -- as I take my place at the podium to accept the award for 2009 Ego of the Year—I really thank all the readers... to date a shocking 23,247—even those that hit the website and went "what the f is this" and x'd the browser out... I have kept my word and emailed everyone back that has commented—and I have kept most comments private... knowing that privacy is still a major player in the evolution of For the Birds.

On another note, I really want to acknowledge a few other blogs out there that have given me the courage to share in this open forum... In no particular order:

Dooce
Mighty Girl
Suburban Bliss
Gotham Gal
Designing Moms

I don't think that any of these authors are aware of me or how much they have influenced... If they were aware—I'm sure that restraining orders would be issued. At any rate, I read their posts with the hope that someday FTB will boast it's own URL (damn you—you evil birders at forthebirds.com) and claim a regular readership. Until that day—keep stopping by—I promise generous helpings of almost daily observations... blood, sweat, tears all mixed with a fine selection of mundane tribulations.

PS. If you want to hear me talk more (The floodgates! Typepad you're killing me!)—visit me at Twitter.

The Meat Eating Vegan

Will was only a few weeks old when we discovered that the rashes that seemed to come and go all over his body were being caused by allergic reactions to eggs, cow's milk, peanut products and dog saliva. Interesting combo, but impossible, right? I mean he was only a few weeks old... it's not like he was eating any of these things... However, his Allergist was quick to point out that he in fact was ingesting all—through my nursing... which then came to a screeching halt. The dog saliva—that was just welcome-to-the-world-love from the Bluedog.

We left the Allergist that day—Epi-pen in hand...just in case the test results were off the mark... and ears full of instruction... Speechless. Not only could Will not have eggs, milk or peanuts in their singular form—but he also had to avoid foods/drinks that contain them as ingredients. Do you know how many products this cuts from daily living? Aside from having to read every label on every item that ever comes in contact with Will... there was the guilt... MY GOD THE GUILT. How did I let this happen, it must have been something that I did or didn't do.. Dammit, why did I smoke in the nineties? I thought wine and coffee were supposed to be good for you.. Maybe I didn't eat enough apples... And as for the dog saliva, we'll just have to tie Blue's tongue up in his ears somehow... A bubble.. I need a bubble to put my boy in... Maybe there was too much Mercury in all the fish I've ingested these 33 years.. I'm a minefield..  Maybe I... But wait. There is a chance that he'll grow out of it. All of it. A very good chance.

Now, let it come to pass that I have researched food allergies inside out, up down, backwards, under-over and in my sleep. There really aren't any answers to be had... despite the seriously condemning nature of the topic... Most kids born today—in America— are allergic to something... And, most parents are not as insanely bothered by a rash as we were... but everyone is looking for an answer. And thank God—for Will, his reactions are just a rash—some kids go into shock and the unspeakable happens. After major investigations... it's the same as everything else that seems loopy in modern day life... We can blame the world around us, the things that we have done—most unknowingly, to our bodies and well—life as we know it. The rash, by the way, never seemed to bother him.

So, we are in it... and honestly, it really isn't that bad. Will is incredibly healthy—turned 18 months this past Friday. There are tons of "alternate" food choices out there... Alternates to things that, as it turns out, are really not very good for him anyway. And, thanks to the vegetarians and vegans of the world, these things are not hard to come by. Soy is a blessing in disguise... and cow's milk—not so great for the bod anyway... who knew? Most things, in fact, that contain milk and eggs, even on their own, are not so hot health-wise (as heart disease sweeps the nation). And, on a more "all about me" note... We as parents are in massive growing company of others that are scouring over books, websites, blogs— frustrations equaling fear demanding answers looking for solutions..... something has to give.

Eventually—sooner than later...  there will come a day when he'll want the ice-cream... someone will give him a piece of cheese... I guess we'll deal with that day when it arrives.. Peanuts -- we have high hopes that they will be banned from existence entirely.  For now we're doing great, and as for Blue... we untied his tongue and are just mindful about the number of licks that actually land on Will.... as that friendship grows, however, it has become the hardest part. 

(March 2009)

3OnTheSides

1. This book is amazing: Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living by Alisa Marie Fleming
2. This book is awesome too, although it has given me a huge bought of deja vu: The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food is Making us Sick -- And What We Can Do About It by Robyn O'Brien, Rachel Kranz
3. These cupcakes rock, as does the yet again deja vu causing article.

Can I borrow your headlamp?

Almost 10 years ago (yikes!) I worked at a company that was deep out in the New Hampshire woods... a company that developed ground penetrating radar equipment and software. I will give you a second to think about this.

The radar tools were used worldwide for things like major infrastructure projects, highway repairs, and my favorite -- archeology and hidden treasures. I was titled the "Graphic Presentation Specialist" and spent a lot of time looking at pictures of digitized rebar. It was my job to make radar look sexy. I have always had a slight interest in science, so this was it wasn't too mundane for me... most of the time.

My co-workers were all scientists—geologists mostly... and when I needed approval on the latest product shot I would have to go on a scouting hunt through the woods to find the individual in question.. Once found, they were usually dressed head to toe in protective jump-suits, not as a precaution—just because they wanted to—testing equipment in the dank woods. Headlamps were also big in this office... when at their desks, they all seemed to need the extra light—despite the mind-burning fluorescents in the ceiling.  Gas masks were also in abundance, although I don't recall ever seeing or catching a wiff of any hazerdous chemicals. These were all regular people... just really smart and into the world underground.

There were some creepshows— the guys that lurk around unibomberesk. But for the most part everyone was really friendly and upbeat. They had organized runs after lunch—big groups of geologists running on the country roads talking about rocks and rebar. I'm not going to lie—it was amusing... And, it was a good job. They had awesome beneifts and, because we were owned by a larger Chinese oligarchy, the 401K was-a-rollin. I probably would have stayed with the company longer than I did (about 1.5yrs).. but I began to laugh at the rebar jokes... I began to recognize the flaws in the digitized software accounts of cracked concrete... I started to think that the lights weren't bright enough—can I borrow your headlamp? It was time to move on... and so I did.

In 2001—after 9-11 and during the clean-up of, I was watching the news. Still living in New Hampshire -- although no where near the woods, I was of course somber about the course of events when... WAIT - in the background there... That man... I know him... Hey that's STEVE from GSSI—he's holding a peice of Ground Penetrating Radar equipment!

To date, the company is still going strong, and I will always have fond memories.

As if there wasn't enough violence...

Soup Wars. 

Clever attacks and clean designs... misleading, however—Everyone knows that canned soups suck.

It's been tough...

We mentioned previously that Patrick is kickin' it in the Caribbean this week—hence our missing posts... But thanks to those that were worried about us. We miss him terribly (if you are reading, please come back). Here are a few things that we wanted to talk about this week so far, but couldn't because we have been trying to keep up with the rapid speed talents of our missing friend.

• Our Client, Araiys Design, is backing the Lobster Inn/Condominium conversion.... trapped by CR39 is a scary thought. 
• Dubai or Abu Dhabi, what's your preference?
• Even Martha gets fungus...
• Really cool carafes...
• AND, on a personal note, if we lived near, I might stalk the writer of Suburban Bliss....

And now... Fall

Today is the first day of Autumn. We welcome it. Fall makes us think of (in no particular order) ... team sports, cozy sweaters, comfort foods, natural colors... cool weather, pumpkins, apples, that autumnal smell of wet leaves that you get when you walk outside that lets you winter is just around the corner. Here is a Fall image by our Client, Artist Sandy Peabody. For more of Sandy's work, check out his website that we designed: http://www.sandypeabody.com.

Other Fall links of interest: The Science of Autumn Colors; 10 Foods to Eat This Fall; Twilight Earth's take on Fall 2008; Fall Snacking Recipe; Fall Biking in Vermont; P.F.1's Autumn Harvest; and Long Island's favorite fall foliage locations.

Beauty is in the Eye of... Something

From our good friends at Seed Magazine: http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2008/09/beauty_and_the_brain.php