That's just not right.

From my last car share reservation:

We have temporarily removed gas cards from all vehicles to prevent vandalism to our cars. If you need to fuel up during your reservation, please do so and send us the receipt for prompt reimbursement. To make sure the car is ready for the next member, just make sure the tank is at least 1/4 full at the end of your trip. We understand that this may create an inconvenience to you, and we apologize in advance.

Doughnut days are here again!

The Pennsylvania Dutch Festival is back, after last year's crushing
disappointment. Come challenge Jane to a doughnut eat-off featuring
the tastiest doughnuts on earth! Wash it down with some fresh churned
ice cream! August 7, 8 and 9 -- mark your calendars now.

Finally, an upside to the writer's strike!

While you were crying about Lost being over, or about the terrible reality television that was taking over the airwaves, Joss Whedon was out there thinking about how to light up your life.  And now, you can see what he came up with:

http://www.drhorrible.com

Singing!  Dancing!  Doogie!  Commenting on emails!  Everything you love about Joss + everything you love about the Internet, put together by Neil Patrick Harris.  Run, don't walk, to check it out.

Can someone please tell me why .....

They don't include lyrics on MP3/AAC files?  I understand that if I rip my own cds, the data wasn't there to begin with, and I'll have to get that information from the internet.  But if I'm paying money for digital files, and you don't have to spend all that money, you know, actually MAKING anything, or shipping anything, or sending me anything other than a bunch of bits, you'd think you could provide the lyrics in the file.  I know you can do it (Apple, I'm talking to you.)  You will let me save my own lyrics information on the files.  So, come on.  Just include that information when I buy the music!

(I just didn't want anyone to think Steven had cornered the market on complaining on blogs.)

The time is right.

The first Apple store in Australia is opening this week in Sydney, and the new iPhone will be available there in just a few short weeks.  Clearly, my destiny is drawing near.  

Are you ready to cry/get your tubes tied/turn lesbian?

The cover story of this week's New York Times Magazine -- "When Mom and Dad Share It All" -- has brought much crying and gnashing of teeth to the Horstmann world. If you haven't already read it (apparently, some people are SO in the know that they read it on Thursday, even though it was in the Sunday Times), go read it now.

Have we all read it? Good. To get back to the roots of the blog, I'll just post my comments to Steven:

Helen: The saddest/scariest part of the article is how patently untrue all the stats are for lesbian couples.

Steven: how much more parity there is?

Helen: Yes. Proving that there is no intrinsic need/benefit to having one parent do the majority of the work.

Steven: ?

Helen: It's not that "that's just the way it needs to be", that, at the end of the day, that responsibility will fall to someone. It's that, as a culture, we've decided that women are "in charge" of that stuff, and you have to fight like hell to end up with something else if you marry a man. And if you marry a woman, it's just a non-issue. Both women see themselves as equally responsible, and behave accordingly.

And that bit about who has the more flexible schedule, the college professor or the doctor? And the answer is, it doesn't matter, people will answer the woman, regardless of which role the woman is in each scenario.

Your profession is irrelevant.
The number of hours you work is irrelevant.
The amount of money you make is irrelevant.
Your sex is the only thing that matters, and if you're a woman, you will end up doing more housework, more childcare, making more sacrifices in your career, just giving up more, no matter who you marry, unless you're willing to fight every single day to make sure that doesn't happen.

Steven: And that's just that, or is there a solution?

Helen: The answer is, men have to step up, and stop acting like they are the assistant parent.

Steven: Obviously, but how do we make it such that that's not their imprinting growing up or will it just take a few generations for this to change.

Helen: Generations, schmenerations. Treat your wife with respect, and do your share of the work, and your sons will get it.  

Next project for menses tech: self-raising babies.  They did it for flour; babies can't be that much harder.

Happy Baby, Jenn and Paul!

The official Favorite Pregnant Person of the Horstmann family has just given birth.  

From Paul's birth announcement:

If you don't know already, Jenn delivered a 6 pound 2 ounce baby boy Monday evening around 5:30.  He measured 19 3/4" long.  We haven't decided on a name for him yet, but we'll let you know when we do.

Congratulations, guys!