Zou Bisou Bisou

Well that was quick. George's visit to San Diego spanned six days but felt much shorter. We didn't even do anything! Usually her trips home are filled with lots of down time -- almost too much if you ask everyone -- but between her and AMR's flight coming in six hours late and various daytime activities, we ran out of time even for burritos. Actually she probably did a lot, as she shopped, had brunches, and we at least got our Hunger Games on. I was sleeping through most of the rest of it.

On Wednesday we took my mom to dinner for her birthday and afterwards presented her with an iPad. Her struggles with a computer has been well complained about by me so in theory an iPad should be the answer. When she unwrapped the box, her yelp of joy was something George and I had never heard before. At least as far back as I can remember. Apparently all the cool Chinese parents now have iPads, and now my mom can join the club.

I'm curious how long it'll take for her to acclimate to it, a grand experiment if you will. Right off the bat, I noticed that the difference between a child and a parent playing with an iPad is that the kid will learn just by attacking every button and thrusting their finger at anything onscreen. My mom was much more cautious and acted like she was afraid to mess something up. I assured her that by playing around with it and making mistakes, she would learn faster.

In time my mom will be able to use her iPad to showcase pictures of her flower arrangements, text/email with ease, and perhaps hop onto Skype to talk to her family in Taiwan. Plus she'll always be able to say, "My kids got me an iPad!" which will greatly enhance both her -- and our -- reputation.

Over the past week, I also learned that one of my close friends is pregnant and another is now in a capital "R" relationship. While this kind of stuff is hardly surprising news anymore, a little part of me dies each time. I know, that's probably not the right response. But there are a few surefire ways friendships will change into something unrecognizable: significant others and children. I think when everyone was younger, we sometimes pretended to each other that it would be "just like it's always been." Now nobody says that. The first thirty minutes of Friends With Kids hilariously spells this out.

Yes, I've heard rumors of friendships that stay the same when the kids come around but I've yet to witness this mythological beast. Or perhaps I just don't give these couplings a chance. I usually exit stage right. Maybe it's an issue of scheduling versus non-scheduling. When you're a parent, there's no time for dawdling around. Plans with other people have a finite beginning and end. I don't do well under this construction. Also, what do I possibly offer in a parent-child friendship? I'm not even a good babysitter.

Another of my best friends had her first kid a year ago. We've barely talked since. And I haven't seen her (or him). But likely we just both understand. I'm not _____ enough to handle children and she's got a new life to live. I'll just find out the important stuff via Facebook and try to make it out to say hello before the baby goes off to college.

The other night I was over at Henry's house helping him install some new doors. Our de facto hang out pad will soon become a nursery. The transformation is a big aesthetic upgrade as closets, windproof windows, enhanced furniture, and bright new paint has already been shuffled in. A spare bedroom now contains a crib and some baby toys. When I saw those, I was like "Okay, this is really happening." I'll be taking photos to document the transformation.

Also, Henry will be walking the daddy path on about the same timeline as Ben Baller, and today Ben had a post about his impending fatherhood, quality in its own very special Ben Baller way.

Glorious Mad Men is back and the two hour season premiere was incredible. Plus I could not be more excited for HBO's Girls by Lena Dunham, who wrote/directed/starred in Tiny Furniture, which I haven't seen yet but highly suspect is right up my alley. I wonder when the world will be ready for my male-centric version of Sex and the City. Well first I have to create it I guess.