Seth and the Monkeys

So technically I have hundreds of pages of immunology and biochemistry I should be reading, studying, and memorizing--instead, I went to the zoo to see the animals. That's right, Lindsay, Seth, and I went to the zoo. I was feeling a bit guilty that I haven't been able to do much with them over the past month--a feeling I'm going to be very well acquainted with I think--so I took an afternoon off so we could check out some critters. I've heard that the San Diego zoo is supposed to be pretty great so we gave it a shot. Plus, we got some free passes from our friend Jane's sister-they expire in a few day's, so it was now or never.
It was definitely the best zoo I've been to (out of only three--San Francisco, Oakland, and now San Diego). In addition to the standard lions, tigers, and bears, I learned of the existence of a couple animals that had never been brought to my attention, such as the okapi and japanese serow. Good times!
My favorite exhibit was the orangutans. I liked this guy, who seemed to be nothing more than an orangutan suit crumpled up in the corner. I don't know, maybe that's what the zookeeper puts on when he wants to go out there and hang out with the monkeys. But then the furball started moving. Weirdest orangutan I ever saw.

Here are some more animal pics.

I still think Seth was the cutest monkey at the zoo. There are new pics of him at the top right. (Seth Pics).

Seth Neil makes my heart sing

Ever since our sweety's arrival, I've found myself singing a lot. I guess Seth's charms have inspired a hidden gift I have for composing annoying, simple-minded music. It started with the first morning I woke up (several months ago) and realized he had slept an entire 8 hours that night. I picked him up and the song "It's a Beautiful Day to be Seth's Mom" was born. I had it stuck in my head for several days. The problem with that song, as well as every other one I've created, is that it's incredibly short, and thus repetitive, as I have to sing it several times when I'm interested in singing for longer than 20-30 seconds. The lyrics are based on simple rhymes, many of which revolve around "boy" rhyming with "joy". One of my classics, for example, is entitled "Have You Ever Considered the Joy that Stems from One Small Boy?" Some other hits include "What Do Think About the Love in Our Family?" and (when Seth's in a crazy mood) "He's the Star of the Crazy Show, the Cutest Boy that I Know". Since we spend a decent amount of time in the kitchen, some food-centered songs like "Who Pulled the Pork?" have been conceived as well. I fell a little more in love with Aaron a couple days ago when I overheard HIM singing "Who Pulled the Pork?" to Seth. It reaffirmed that it's catchiness was not just in my head. Anyway, baby Seth is a wonderful audience to sing to. He smiles huge and makes me feel like a star. However, considering the actual musical genius that exists in Aaron's family (Seth Neil's namesake, Uncle Neil) he might have inherited some real talent and already recognizes my inadequacies, in which case he's sure a sweety about it anyway.

The Seth Show

Here's my humble attempt at a video collage of recent Seth footage. Enjoy.

Good hygiene is important

I am a proud father. When I saw this, I thought, "wow, my boy sure is ahead of the game." I like to believe that this is an example of Seth's superior intelligence. At only 5 months old, he is mimicking his parents, and practicing good hygiene. The fact that he puts anything he gets his hands on in his mouth (i.e. dirty fingers, toys, coffee table legs, clothes, toes, etc.), is beside the point.

Where are the bumper stickers?

One of the most obvious differences between San Diego and the Berkeley/Oakland area, is the lack of preachy, political bumper stickers here. Aaron and I are generally opposed to trashing our cars with stickers, but we even got into the Berkeley spirit when we got a sticker from a foundation we feel passionately about (Save Darfur). It's in the window of our Honda, which pretty much looks like a piece of trash anyway (partly because it's old and we never wash it). I'm probably safer on the road now that I'm never straining to read messages on people's cars. The only bumper sticker I've seen in San Diego so far, just said "Notary Public". Do these people really need to drum up enthusiasm for notarizing stuff? What more could I notarize if I felt compelled? Maybe it could make a cute addition to otherwise casual notes that I sign. The notaries out there probably just have a brotherhood thing going. Anyway, La Jolla is certainly lacking the hippy spirit we're accustomed to, and the cars look a lot sharper here.