Monsoon Halloween

So this is what Rayluk's first Halloween has come to. There's not really anywhere around here to buy halloween costumes, let alone any doors to knock on, or candy to hand out. No carved pumpkins. No haunted houses. No bowls of cold noodle witch's entrails. Not jars of dead witch's corn teeth. Not to mention we're in the middle of a monsoon right now. Going out and scavenging for trick or treat candy is a little out of reach.

We managed to get some use out of this overstuffed Doraemon doll that someone gave us from when Ray was born. For treats we made due with rice cakes and breast milk. Ray didn't know the difference. In fact he pretty much slept thru the whole thing. For tricks, I took him out to tee pee our crazy chinese neighbors behind us. The annoying ones that snort and hack all the time. The flaming bag-o-dog-poopie was also a huge success!

Never Too Late For Pumkin Carvin'

I may not be able to get ahold of any candy corn out here, but that shouldn't stop you from treating yourself to some of the finer halloween traditions this season. Grab yourself a digital gord & boning knife. Enjoy The Monster Mash. And carve yourself a masterpiece.

How To Carve A Pumpkin Like A Pro

Thanks to Wil for sending this one.

Smilin' Boy

Finally caught Rayluk on film (ok, digital film) with an honest to goodness smile on his face. He even held it long enough for me to run and get the camera. Maybe it was his hours of leisure time. Quite possibly his mommy's yummy milk. Or having his belly rubbed. But this one was most definitely not a case of gas!

Fall Backwards

Well today's the day most of America falls backwards and gets that extra hour of sleep. Even though Thailand probably has more farmers per capita, I don't believe many of them have ever even heard of daylight savings, let alone Benjamin Franklin. I tried to explain about the guy on the $100 bill, but it was to no avail.

Here in Chiang Mai, we're almost half way around the world from Los Angeles. Fifteen hours ahead now. So 9:00am there is midnight here & 9:00am here is 6:00pm there. That magic moment that the sun is shining on both of these places at the same time. Of course it's tomorrow's sun for us. So there...

Happy Birthday Denise!

I want to wish Denise a Happy Birthday! She's one of my closest friends and has a been a great help with long distance baby advice. She's got two kids of her own, Evan & Samantha, who plan on spending a lot of time with Rayluk when we get back stateside.

Happy Birthday Denise!

Got Milk?

Things seem to have balanced out with Rayluk. All that talk about colic and gas seems to have gone away. I'm afraid the rumors as to the contents of his diaper are true.

Sow had a little trouble at first getting him to suckle. I guess it takes a few days to really get it going. I can see why some people would give up and go for the bottle straight off. But now that the taps are flowing, my boy's got it down pat. I get the idea he's starting to think he runs this show. I try and just laugh, but I fear he may be right. We'd been having trouble getting him to burp or even spit up, but I see that's all behind us too. Pictured here after one of his all you can eat feedings, he's literally spilling over. I've heard him laugh in his sleep. I guess that explains why it's coming out of his nose.

Oxford Toys Clone Legos

Hey, remember those crazy clone Lego's I found? Well, I finally tracked down the website for the Korean company that makes them. Warning: It's in Korean and it's a slow load, but there's a link for english somewhere on the page. Better yet, just check these out...

SRS Special Rescue Squad - Toxic Cleanup


North Korean Checkpoint


Black Cops Special Police Unit


Stealth Aircraft & Surface To Air Missles

Lucha Va Voom

Ohhhh... I almost forgot. Well it happened last night, so I guess I did. In fact it sold out a while ago, both shows, so I guess I really missed it. This morning I was thinking about the joys of Halloween. Dressing up in costumes. Eating candy corn, but telling everyone you hate it. Digging thru your bag of allergy laden nutted chocolates to find a few mini Twix and Milky Ways! And of course Lucha Va Voom's special Halloween show.

Lucha Va Voom is Mexican Wrestling at it's finest. But wait there's more. There's Mexican Midget Wrestling, Los Minis! There's retro-style burlesque! Comedy. And since it's Halloween they do it all up in costumes. In fact there's a team dressed as chickens every year, Los Gallineros. The whole thing takes place at the Mayan, and this is a great way to experience such a historic piece of architecture.

If you've missed this one, don't worry they'll be in Vegas in November, and they usually do a special Valentine's show at the Mayan as well. See you there!

The New Ratings Are In

Have you ever been let go from a job for some bullshit reason? Or even no reason at all? Ever see management make a bad decision and hope you'll be there to see it blow up in their faces?



You might remember about a month back when Jerry and his co-hosts were abruptly let go from the their morning show, one of whom was just ready to return from her maternity leave. Jerry and Brad had finished up their thursday morning show and were called in and told they were being replaced by a Chicago-based syndicated show, Mancow.

Well yesterday the new ratings came out, and the results were...

YAY!!! Thanks to several Radio Stations in the Market calling here at home, I have heard the GREAT NEWS!!!

Guess who was Number #1? Men 18-34 our Target Audience with 10.3 Share.

We beat Stern and Everyone and we were "let go!"

That should make Clear Channel feel funny for canning me.

Those were the Highest they've EVER had!

Thanks,

Jerry

Here are a couple additional articles by the Fresno Bee's Rick Bently that have helped to stir things up:

"KRZR's 'Front Row' clears out after 14 years"

"Fans mourn the demise of 'The Front Row'"

Rayluk TV

Last night we finally got a chance to AV iChat with someone since Rayluk was born. It just so happened to be The World Famous Jerry Lentz. Ray spent most of it asleep in my arms, but awoke long enough to stare at the video feed and fill a diaper for me to present to Jerry via iChat AV and almost 8000 miles of internet cable.

I hadn't talked to Jerry in a while. He's been sick for the last week and busy putting together a new radio show and a tv pilot. I'd been supplying him with logos, graphics and bumpers, but I've fallen behind since the baby made his appearance.

All in all, it went much better than the last time. Which pretty much boiled down to this:

3 Weeks!

Would you believe it? 3 weeks already. And he's still doing well. We haven't left him anywhere yet. Not on the roof of a car. Not at the market. Not with the firestation. I guess we really love him.

A Citizen Abroad

I went to the US Consulate General in Chiang Mai today to apply for Rayluk's Documentation of a U.S. Citizen Born Abroad. Doesn't really seem that bad.

(1) an official record of the child’s foreign birth.

Check!

(2) evidence of the parent(s)’ U.S. citizenship (e.g., a certified birth certificate, current U.S. passport)

Check!

(3) evidence of the parents’ marriage, if applicable.

Check!

(4) affidavits of parent(s)’ residence and physical presence in the United States.

Check!

Wow, looks like I'm ready to go! I got all my documents. All I gotta do is wait thru about 45 minutes of overly loud ex-pats asking benign questions thru the 2 inch thick safety glass. Yeah, but where can I get...? Didn't I already fill that out? ... ... ...

Finally, ticket number 008, window number 1. My turn! I tell the guy I'm there to register my son's birth abroad. He looks at me and blinks. Blinks again. It registers, and he starts grabbing at some forms. He tells me I'll need the documents I mentioned before. Cool. Got 'em all right here. Then he says I'll need multiple copies...? ohhh... And no they don't have a xerox. I'll have to come back. They're only open tuesdays and thursdays, 8:30am-11:00 for this type of services, so I guess it's thursday then. Joking, I say, well, at least I didn't have to drag everyone down here or take a passport photo. He looks back at me, blinks, and says, Oh yes, you'll need to bring your wife and baby here for an interview. Oh, and yes, we'll need a passport photo for the baby. And handed me a couple more pages of forms and directions.

Ever try taking a passport photo for a baby? Ever try wresting a bear? Boxing a Kangaroo? Well here are a few out-takes from our afternoon long adventure.

Oh, now my kid's head is much rounder than that!?

100th Blog Posting!!!

Tonight baby Ray and I sat on the bed and picked out which photographs were worthy of our 100th Blog Posting. He nixed a lot, but we found a few. For some reason he seems to be in all of them!? We'll start with our tribute to 2001: A Space Odyssey, some active 100th Blog cheering, and a little mad-doggin'!

Really Bad Ideas

Ever find yourself doing something. Something you just know is wrong. Something that makes you call yourself crazy. But you keep on going anyhow. It's just too late. You can't go back. Denial I believe they call it.

You find yourself driving to the hospital with your new born baby on the back of the scooter because you're late for an appointment. Your wife said it was ok. You're late. You're not going to argue. It's definitely faster, you tell yourself. And you'll have more control over the pot holes than you would in a tuk-tuk, you tell yourself. You tell yourself a lot of things, but none of them are stop, what are you doing? Instead it's a lot of, I know this is wrong, but is it really? I'm not sure. Eye on the road. It's probably alright. But you know it isn't.

The baby behind you might be dehydrated, you tell yourself. He may have abdominal pains, you tell yourself. If we topple over, it's ok, we're already headed to the hospital, you tell yourself. You tell yourself a lot of things, but none of them are, turn back, what are you thinking?

The thai drivers really aren't that bad, you tell yourself. The guy hauling the 30 feet of rebar with his scooter seems like a decent guy, you tell yourself. You've seen them seat up to a family of six, you tell yourself. You tell yourself a lot of things, but it all boils down to, I really need to get one of those cool flip out baby seats that they babies like to stand up in to peer over the steering wheel.

Your mom probably won't read this far, you tell yourself. Not this far before she's already written you 3 emails. Not this far to check that you'd never, ever, take the baby on a motorbike. Not this far to see what a responsible parent you are, even though you might daydream about it.

I love writing this stuff...

Punks Not Dead!

Something about this bear just seems sinister. He reminds me of the penguin from Wallace & Gromit The Wrong Trousers. It's either his lack of expression, beady eyes, or possibly it's his evil plan bent on world domination.

Today Sow wanted to go get her hair cut. Yes, she did just go get it cut last week with her mom, but she didn't like the cuts either of them got. So she recut her mom's hair and got hers' done today. Rayluk also had a new style going on today. Sort of a semi new wave look. Punks Not Dead! God Save The Queen, baby, God Save The Queen.

Chiang Mai Festival of Food

This evening Sow and I went to the Chiang Mai Food Festival over nearthe big air-conditioned mall we like to go to. There were all sorts of good things to eat. Everything from pad thai, to steamed dumplings, to chicken skewers, to mango and sticky rice, and of course, fried bugs. All the booths were yellow because the whole thing was sponsored by Singha Beer. In Thai pronounced Bir Sing. All except the one little blue booth featuring Asahi Beer. They had their own waitresses though, so it kinda evened out.


There was also a huge games & prizes section.

Sow and I have talked about getting Rayluk a dog. Instead we decided to get him some dog. Ok, this isn't a dog. But beef isn't a very common dish in Thailand. They eat a lot more chicken, pork and seafood. So I think that's why this guy strung up the skeleton, to let everyone know. "Hey check it out, something different than dog!" He can't fetch a ball, but he can still fetch a good price with some sweet dipping sauce. Alright they don't eat dog, although Sow said her uncle once ate a dog. So does that count?


The really creepy thing was how he painted in an eye, so it still seemed alive. I think I'll just file this post in with the Halloween stuff. You know, the Thai's love corn, but I have yet to find any candy corn!?

Sweet Dreamer

Rayluk was pretty low key all day today.

Come to think of it, he was pretty good thru the night too. I think maybe he was tired from last night's dreaming. While I'd lie in bed studying my thai lessons. He'd let out these little whimpers ever now and then. I've gotten use to that and I just whisper into his ear and he drifts off again. But in the middle of conjugating, he suddenly let out this big rolling laugh. I looked at him and he had a big smile on his face. It lasted for quite a while. After that he let out several smaller laughs then drifted back to that little uncertain face most babies wear. Of course, maybe it was that belly nubbin we fed him?

I Seem To Have Lost A Button

Well, my little man's grown up a little in the world today. After much poking and prodding. After many baths and navel cleanings. And quite possibly after one too many diaper changes. Rayluk's little belly button nub has finally popped off.

I'm sooo glad I was warned about this. Just the blacked little nub in the first place. Yikes! I can't quite tell if this is an innie or an outie? It looks like it's puckering up to me. Giving me that same little uncertain look I get from Rayluk when he's not sure if he should just sleep thru whatever we happen to be doing to him at the time.

What exactly is the etiquette with the belly nubbin? Is there something like the tooth fairy? Do I need to leave a quarter under his pillow? Or do we just add it to some trail mix and yogurt?

Wallace & Gromit

Wallace and Gromit The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit opens in Thailand today!!! I was really worried it wouldn't arrive here until after we go back to the states, and it would be long gone from US theaters by then. Madagascar just came out a few weeks ago here!?

And from seeing the trailer on tv (in Thai) I know that a short I worked on is attached to the front of the film is The Madagascar Penguins In A Christmas Caper. I know it seems a little early for a christmas short, but I think they had some Oscar eligibility deadlines to meet. I'd love to have a still here, but I can't seem to find anything online. It'll appear on the Madagascar DVD as well.

Sow's mom said she'd watch Rayluk for us, so we'll be going to the 1:45 screening at Major Cineplex Chiang Mai. I can't wait. I'll actually get to see these on the big screen. Yay!

Sherri Update

The other night, I was banging away at my next blog post when my iChat popped open with an invite from my old roommate Sherri. I was previously really excited to see how much she'd gotten into using computers, designing web sites and now digital editing. Anyhow, she one-upped herself this time. She was on vacation in Mexico. Sitting on a beach. Talking to me wirelessly thru her laptop at 9:00 in the morning. She just rules!

But you know who really ruled my day? Her girlfriend Rebecca, who I've only met twice and once was during an AV iChat session. A friend of theirs recently had a baby. When they first saw the baby Rebecca said, "yeah but Aaron's baby is cuter." To the new mother!? Rebecca, you rock!



And if by some strange chance you haven't seen this re-edit trailer for The Shining, check it out. Maybe Sherri will be working with this guy soon.

2 Weeks!!!

Could it be possible? That we've had this baby already 2 weeks and done no harm to him!? Wow! Happy 2 weeks Rayluk!

Tom Yum Goong

Ok, so today we'll just call everyone family. This is Rayluk meeting, well, we'll call him his cousin, for the first time today. I'm not really sure how far removed they are, but I'm pretty sure that baby had enough milk for both of them.

We had a good time today. Sow's uncle picked us up and drove us to Mae Rim, about 17 km from here. It's right near the bottom of the hill that leads up to the monkey farms and elephant camp. From there we went to the local market and got fresh fish, prawns, and squid for dinner. These fish were all still moving in this photo. That girl plucked them up, clubbed and scaled them right before us.

We went back to their place. A good sized 3 bedroom 2 bathroom house that they rent for 2000 baht a month, or about $50. They cooked up some great fish and tom yum goong and we ate until my back started killing me from sitting on the floor and we had to come back home.

Family's Family

Today we're going over to see some of Sow's family that live here in Chiang Mai. Any minute now in fact. I think it's actually her father's sister's husband's sister's husband's place. There may have been a dog and a veterinarian involved there too, I'm not sure.

From all the new thai language I've picked up, I think I've deduced that we're eating som tam & tom yum goong (not to be confused with the action film). Sow's, I forget the exact relation, we'll just call her Sow's aunt, didn't actually say som tam (which is spicy papaya salad), she said bok bok. I looked at her like she was crazy. Then I did the crazy chicken, flapped my arms and said bok bok back. She thought it was funny. They like getting me to repeat things. They all laugh. It's kind of like when I get Sow to say "Hey duuuddee!" or "What's up maaaan?"

correction...

As it turns out, actually today is Buddha Day. All the schools were closed yesterday, but all the fireworks are going off right now. Even our local karaoke bars seem to have kicked it up a notch. I can't see any of them, but you sure can hear them.

Somehow both Sow and Rayluk are sleeping thru this in the bedroom.

Growing Up Zodiac!

Hey check it out. I've been cast in a major hollywood movie! Oh wait, someone's been cast as me. That's kinda weird and cool at the same time.



They've recently updated the IMDB cast credits for the Zodiac film. And now my character's listed. Also my older brother is being played by my doppleganger's older brother. Margot doesn't seem to be listed yet, but I'm pretty certain they cast her quite a while back. I'm sure it'll be that little Dakota Fanning. Now no one will even remember me or David in the film. Dang!

Wonder Woman

My Friend Scott's second little daughter turned 4 over the weekend. Happy Birthday Amelia! I can't believe how big she's getting. It seems like only yesterday she was falling into the Dreamworks' pond on her first family day.

I obviously couldn't make it to the party, but Scott designed the greatest party invite for her. I didn't realize she was such a big Wonder Woman fan. While everyone else was dressed like a princess, she was zipping around the room fighting for Truth, Justice, and the Amazonian way! She'll have to meet up with my sister. Margot was huge Wonder Woman fan growing up too. In fact my dad still can't resist buying her Wonder Woman toys, comics and lunch boxes when he sees them. She probably has one of the best Wonder Woman collections ever to grace the storage of my guest house.

P.S. - Hi Madeline, don't think I'd forget you.

Strawberry Flavored Malt Liquor

Well there's actually no alcohol in this brand, but we found some Baby Gripe today. It's doing wonders for Rayluk's colic. He spent most of the day in an opiate induced haze. We're also trying to limit Sow's diet to see if there's anything she's eating that could be aggravating it. Chilies, garlic, and pepper are all pretty commonplace in thai food.

Last night we did pretty good with him. His colic was getting pretty rough in the evening, so we had him sleep in bed between us last night. I was up going over my notes for thai class until late. Sow was resting well. Every time I'd hear Rayluk start to whimper, or if I noticed the vein on his head start to bulge, I'd whisper in his ear very softly. "Hi baby, we're here for you. Don't worry. It's alright. Just relax." He finally snapped out of it around 2:00am and then it was trouble getting him back to sleep after that.

Anyhow, he's sleeping fine right now. I'd like to thank Joanie Karnowski for bringing Baby Gripe Water to my attention years ago. When you used to mention babies she'd say, "Ew!" But She'd discovered that Baby Gripe Water was excellent for hangovers. Guess babies are good for something after all, eh, Joanie!?

Buddha Day 2548

Thai stardate 17 October 2548. That's today to you and me. The thai calendar goes back an extra 543 years. But 14 hours into the future to all you in California! It's amazing. They lined everything up and it matched our calendar to the day, but missed by 14 hours!? Whatever.

According to Sow, today is Buddha Day. I can't go ask the guys up near the karaoke bars for clarification, because they've been shooting off fireworks for days already. Every few hours. Usually those hours nearer midnight, 1:00 am... It sounds like someone firing off a gun, only louder.

From what I've gathered Buddha Day is the day after a three month long hermitage and fast of some or possibly all the monks. Sow said they don't drink during that time. But they must drink water, and I don't think they're allowed to drink alcohol any time, so I don't know. I like to think of it as the monk's Mardi Gras. Only they get to start going out, drinking water and giving blessings, instead of drinking alcohol, throwing beads and seeing boobies. I guess they can always rent Girls Gone Wild.

We started the day by going out to the market and buying various things to offer: flowers, sweets, incense, Fanta. You know you've made it when you're drinking Fanta out of a bottle! (see Fanta in a bag) We offered it all at the spirit house next to our home. This isn't the chubby little grinning buddha baby you see in Chinese restaurants. This is the slender atkins Thai buddha you see in 100 foot long golden statues with alabaster feet.

So Happy I Could Burp!

Don't let his smilin' face fool you. Usually I try and grab a picture of him smiling, but it ends up a frown, or worse a scream. Anyhow, this time I was actually trying to catch him in a wide mouthed cry, and ended up with the Shakespearian comedy face. Heck, I'll take it where I can get it.

We found out today that he's got colic. I'm still reading up on it. It sounds like it can be so many different things that cause his abdomen to distend. All of which end up in crying. So far it looks like our defense is to keep him from swallowing air, get him to burp up the air he has, watch sow's diet of certain food, and if necessary, get some ear plugs to fall back on.

I think he'll be alright. We're catching this early. It hasn't gotten out of control, and now I know how to recognize the signs I've seen over the last few days. Rayluk asks that you send money. Preferably cash. It eases the pain. That's him, not me. Thanks!

Get Caught Dead with NovemberFire.com

I didn't want it to look like it was T-shirt Week here at Chimptested. So I put this one off for a little bit. But now Halloween is upon us and and what better time to have a Satanic Ritual shirt.

I've told you about Mark, Zak, and Strephon who I all worked with at Tower Records in Berkeley years ago. We were all t-shirt crazy at the time. Mark started MetalBabies.com. Zak? Zak? Where are you man? And well, after years of creating art for other people, Strephon's started his own line of shirts at NovemberFire.com. He's created a ton of original designs all printed on heavy black t-shirts. And he claims that, "Your Old Shirts Suck!" In addition to his shirts, they also have some pretty cool patches and masks, just in time for Halloween!

Their "goal is to cater to like-minded individuals with a dark sense of style and fun. If you dig horror, Halloween, antiestablishment, and/or drug culture themes, you have found some common ground in November Fire."

In other words, if you're easily offended, this might not be the right site for you.

These designs copyright ©2005 Strephon Taylor & NovemberFire.com

Just Me and Baby Ray Day

All week Sow's mom has watched Rayluk while we went out and ran errands.

So today I watched Rayluk. That way Sow and her mom could go out and get their hair cut. Me and Rayluk. Just hangin' at home. Drinkin' our juice. Playin' with my boy. Even got a milk mustache. Had him nappin' in daddy's arms. Head as big as my hands. Toes so cute I just want to nibble 'em.

Flat Out

The other day, on our way back from picking up Rayluk's birth certificate, we got a flat tire. I thought I could get the bike to the nearest gas station, but it felt like it was going to wreak havoc on the tire if I kept riding. So I stopped. Right in front of a bike repair shop!? You go figure? Someone from the restaurant next store ran in back real quick and got the guy who owns the repair shop. He came out. Didn't say a word. Looked at the bike. Rolled it inside his 5 foot wide shop. Removed the tire and inner tube from the wheel without removing the wheel from the bike. Quickly found the hole and patched it within a minute. He turned to me and said yi sip baht (20 baht, or 50¢ to you and me!?). I gave him 40 baht (a whole dollar). He nodded and went back inside.

Now, a similar event happened to us last year while filming in Cambodia. We needed to ride out to a certain temple to shoot. The way there was one long strip of road raised above the flood plain, which was currently flooded. About half way there, Colin got a flat. We stopped at a place to that gave us some air and pointed back the way we'd come. A few miles back we found the repair shop he was talking about. We watched as he finished up the bike he'd been working on. He started it up. Three guys climbed on and putted away. He grabbed Colin's bike and did pretty much the same maneuver getting the inner tube out without removing the wheel. Now, out there, he didn't have anything fancy like rubber patches or glue, so he sanded down a bit of the tube and pulled out part of an old engine cylinder. He lit a fire inside it, and when it got hot enough, he set it on a scrap of rubber he'd placed over the hole. He let the whole thing sit for a few minutes, then re-seated the tire and got us on our way. $5 (they use US dollars there).

I would have thought Cambodia would have been cheaper, but then again there's that old US dollar at work. I'm not even sure how much this would have cost back in the states. I feel it's just too dangerous to ride back in LA.

*During the Chiang Mai part of that same trip, Colin also rented a bike that the arm for the kick starter snapped off of. We had to have it welded back on so he could make it back to town. Thanks Chai!

Thanks For Visiting

Sow's brother Duk and her dad left to go back home yesterday evening. Her mom is still here, thank god, she's such a help. And I'm glad to get to spend some time with her. She was really shy the first time I met her.



Duk got to stay with us for almost two weeks of his school break. He helped out a good deal, but mostly he'd end up making the baby cry for some reason or other. Just had that touch I guess? Anyhow, he helped clean and take care of things while we were at the hospital. He'd talked about how much he wanted to get a guitar (in Thai pronounced (k)uitar)), because the girls were really into kuitars. So we got him one as a gift for helping out. Turns out he already knew how to play. He'd been borrowing his friends' kuitars for ages. He's actually really good. Had I known, I'd have gotten him one the day he arrived here.

Sow's dad was really excited to see his first grandson. He had a great time here. He loved playing with Rayluk. I wish we could have done more, but he had to get back to get things ready at their farmland. Rainy season has just ended here. Some say it was a few weeks ago, but I got caught in a huge downpour last night, so for me it just finished. Now for the cold weather, 72 degrees at night. Brrrrr...

On Location with Zodiac

David Fincher in foreground, with Jake Gyllenhaal behind, and what appears to be the top right portion of Brad Fischer's head.

I believe David Fincher's finished filming Zodiac on location in San Francisco, and now should have started up back in LA. I haven't heard any recent detains from my dad, him being half way around the world, but I stumbled across this article the other day about the filming of the Zodiac movie based on his books:



Pictured here are Robert Downey Jr. as Paul Avery, and Jake Gyllenhaal as Robert Graysmith.

The Zodiac case surrounded a big part of my childhood. Well, at least the weekend part of my childhood, when we'd see dad. Climb into his orange VW Rabbit and head out to Lake Berryessa or Vallejo, possibly driving the same routes Zodiac had. Going to flea markets, movie theaters, and hardware stores all to eyeball possible suspects. It was an obsession for dad. I'm thinking of writing my own account, Growing Up Zodiac.

As a kid, I remember meeting Detective Dave Toschi. He'd come by the apartment to see dad. He even showed me his specially designed holster. Toschi was also a technical consultant on Streets of San Francisco, and an inspiration for the character Dirty Harry, which was based on the Zodiac case.

Pictures courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Photographed by Carlos Avila Gonzalez & Susan Ehmer

Motherhood

Sow's bonding so well with the baby. Rayluk's taken to breast feeding and is ambidextrous when it comes to nipples. He's so relaxed in her care, when he's not crying or screaming. He's even fallen asleep mid suckle.

Sow's mom is also really good with the baby. She's really helped out a lot. It's been fantastic having her here. I guess she's really passed on some good mothering instincts.

When Sow was young, she asked her mom where she'd come from. Her mom said she wasn't really her daughter. That she'd gone to the train station one day and seen a little girl sitting there all alone and crying, so she kept her. And her older brother they'd found when they were taking out the garbage one morning. Her younger brother, he was real. But they told him they'd found him in the wild anyhow.

Do you think Moses mom made up that whole baby in a basket thing?

Maybe I'll tell baby Rayluk we found him in the back of a three-wheeled taxi... Tuk-Tuk!

1 Week!!!

Wow it's already been one week. Can you believe it!? It feels like I've known him all my life. But I guess it's more like, for all his life. We took Rayluk outside of the house for the first time today since we got home. He had his first follow up with the pediatrician. He also got his first tour of the city with his eyes open part of the time. He'd slept thru the first ride home and missed everything about Chiang Mai I'd pointed out to him.

At the hospital, all the nurses couldn't help but squeal with delight at him. Each of them came by asking if they could help us out. Just trying to get their hands on our perfect baby. The doctor, checked him out. Stamped him as an extremely healthy baby boy, and even changed his diaper for us. Actually he had the nurse do it, but they were swooning after all.

Sow had been worried about running the A/C in our room, that it might be too cool for the baby. The doctor encouraged that we do. Now mother and baby are both resting quietly on the bed. She discovered that she could lay on her side and breast feed like that. He discovered that he could lay on his side and suckle in his sleep.



Last night I finally documented Rayluk smiling for the first time on camera. He's given me a couple little smiles. They could be gas, but they'll always be smiles to me. And now I have pictues. Well, one picture. Won't you people ever be happy. Just what do you think you're looking at!? Oh, my cute baby. Sorry about that. Go about your ogling. Look quick because they disappear fast.

Super Techno Family

So it took a few years, but I've finally dragged my family into the 21st century.

In the last couple weeks, my dad got on the internet for the first time. He reads my blog everyday. He's learned to receive email. And send it too.

My mom, who has been surfing the net at a blazing 56k for years, just upgraded to DSL. She also reads my blog every day. She'll be able to check out all the quicktime movies of Rayluk now. She's not ready to let go of her AOL account, but this is a start. I've tried checking my email when I've gone to visit and I gotta say it's been painful. I think maybe she's trying make sure we come to visit.

Now Sow's parents are a different deal altogether. I doubt we'll ever see them using a computer, but maybe we have a chance with Sow's two brothers. We've given them our email addresses and I'm even thinking of setting Duk up with an email account while he's here. He'll just have to go into town to check his mail. We're giving them Sow's digital HP camera I got from work as a gift. That way they can at least take the camera to the digital Fuji shop in town to send us pics.

See how much a little baby can accomplish...

Certified!

Ever seen a Thai birth certificate? Well, today Sow and I did. We went to the local Amphur and picked up Rayluk's papers. An Amphur is like a County Registrar, same kinda place we went when we got married. Different branch. We got a few extra copies to keep in different places incase we lose one. It'd be quite a trip to replace one. Tomorrow I have to take it over to the translator along with a bunch of other stuff required to apply for a passport. Once we get all that stuff I'll head over to the consulate to get things rolling. I have this sneaking suspicion that I may have to go to Bangkok to the actual embassy. 82 Wireless Rd. here I come.

Rayluk, on the other hand, had a pretty rough day posing for all his fans.

Fan Mail

So it looks like eRay™ is a huge hit! Rayluk's received a huge amount of email. He hasn't had time to get to all your cards and letters yet, but give him time, he'll write back. Eventually. Give him about 4-5 years.

And for the rest of you out there, yes you! Don't feel like it's too late to write. He'd love to hear from you today, but don't worry he'll be peeking in regularly to give props to his peeps. Even though he can't read yet. And even though he can't understand my words. I still read each and every one to him.

eRay™

I've setup an email account for baby Rayluk. Feel free to send him mail, though it might be a while before he gets back to you.

Rayluk

Also, feel free to email Sow. She hasn't had much chance to check her email in the last few months, but now that we have DSL at home, she's rarin' to go and she'd love to hear from you all.

Sow

Hopefully she'll be a bit more timely about writing back than Rayluk.

Welcome Home Rayluk

Oh, hey... we're at home now. Settling in good. Rayluk's resting right now. Wrapped up like a little burrito. Lying in bed with his head on a little monkey faced pillow. Everything has a tail on it. Perfect for Chimptested.com offspring. I laugh every time I walk past him.

Just fed him his first bottle here while sow caught up on some rest. Gonna take a nap myself in a bit. Been too tired to know if the crying is going to get to me at all. Sow's mom is holding him while I eat and Sow breast pumps, but I seemed to have found a chance to poke thru more email.

There's a baby crying. We all flinch to get up and run in the other room then realize it's just the tv. Everybody wants to help. We'll have even more tomorrow when Sow's father, older brother and little niece come to visit. I guess we'll be pulling out all his wardrobe to see what's worthy of our child.

...wow, it's almost 10:00pm. We've just put Rayluk down after his third feeding since we got home. Man am I tired. So much I'd like to write, but oh so so tired.

Going Home Today

We spent an extra night at the hospital too give Sow a little more time to rest. After 3 nights, she decided she didn't like her posturepedic hospital bed, and decided to sleep on the flat hard couch I'd been using. She slept like an angel. In the little fits of sleep I got, I discovered that, indeed the bed was better flat, and that the large terry-cloth like blanket was actually meant to go below you. Otherwise it traps in the heat and moisture. I slept like a large sweaty angel who'd had too much caffeine before climbing in bed. I haven't a had a cup of coffee in six and a half weeks.



This is the view from our room. Looking west toward Doi Suthep. It's the small yellow dot just above and to the left of the slightly larger red dot near center. Ok, so I made the image too small. Anyhow, the sunsets were amazing. Unfortunately, I could only capture just after sunset each night since we had to finish with Rayluk's 5:00pm feeding beforehand.

Staying here allowed us to get in one last night of supervised babycare as well. It made a huge difference having someone else preparing things. We were able to focus on our complete lack of understanding about just what makes a baby cry. I'm sure we'll find all that out, and some new ones too.

Rayluk and I did get to spend some quality time together this morning. Just me and him, bottle and diaper. Mom got to catch up on sleep.

The Cult of RayLuk

I'd read that while in the womb, babies can hear their surroundings and even retain things like music and voices, if even just subconsciously. I decided to test this out. Every day I'd whistle and sing to Rayluk. Even while he was in there we I could get him to stop kicking and pay attention or even go to sleep. I believe I have successfully programmed my baby.

Last night after a 1:00am feeding that stretched out into a diaper change and some cooing, Rayluk got a bit cranky. This was my chance! I started whistling Crazy 'Bout My Baby and he almost immediately stopped to listen, and eventually fell asleep. I haven't thought of a way to deprogram him or even re-wake him up, so I have to use my powers wisely, or I might just knock him out during a feeding, or worse, mid-sentence at a valedictorian or state of the union address.

The Alphabet song is also a big hit!

And So It Has Begun...

We spent the last couple hours trying to get Rayluk thru his first evening feeding with us. I thought it might somehow take less than the 2 hours that it did.

We tag teamed him. I'd work the feet while Sow leveled his head. Then I'd switch off to dripping a little formula on his lips to get him started on the nipple. Then he'd fall asleep and I'd have to start working the feet again. There were a few times there where he woke up enough to let out a really good squeal. Then after the first hour and a half or so he needed a diaper change, and luckily two nurses showed up right as we heard it happen. I've spent the last half hour holding and burping him. He's looking like a little angel again, letting out the occasional squeak. It's just so worth it once you get the balance just right. We'll see what form he take two hours from now when we get up for the next feeding.

Day 3

How could I possibly go a day without putting up pics of little Rayluk!? Believe it or not, this is the first picture of me to appear on this blog. I was trying to save the moment to share with him.

Day three has been great. Sow's feeling a whole lot better. She's up and walking around, but still looks for a shoulder to lean on here and there. We went to the nursery and they showed us how to give him a bath and wrap him like a little eskimo. I even learned to fold a cloth diaper. I couldn't help but laugh while they bathed him. He screamed his head off. I kept thinking I can laugh now, because later I'll barely be able to bath him since I'll be so afraid he's getting hurt. I'm was really glad to see him giving it to a trained professional. That's my boy!

We finally have him in our room around the clock. I got to hold him, feed him, burp him, wrap him up, and even played an assist in a diaper change. But it all goes in as white as, well, milk!? He mostly just sleeps. He looks so peaceful. I find myself staring at him. I can't just walk past to do something. I have to stop and drink him in. He's just so wondrous. I think about my grandfather who passed away a few years back, and them my grandmother, and I find it so sad that they'll never get to meet this perfect little baby.



It's really interesting watching Sow try and wake him up. I was having flashbacks to her waking me up in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep. Tickling my nose and poking me in the side. Whispering, Ray? Ray, honey? Ray? Wake up Ray...

Metal Babies

I've been following an old friend of mine's website with a lot more interest lately. While I'm not the biggest heavy metal fan, I can't help but love what was inspired by his first child. Mark Devito is a huge heavy metal fan. Probably the biggest I know. He's got many great stories about sneaking into concerts as a kid and being chased by security in parking lots, one time hiding out front of a Guns 'n' Roses show under a car until the final encore.

Mark, Zak, Strephon, and I all met and worked at the art department of Tower Records in Berkeley. As long as I can remember he and Zak have designed shirts and talked about starting a clothing line. In the end, all it took was a small baby with a future of pastel colored clothing, and a pair of frustrated metal head parents searching for black baby wear.



Mark realized the only way he was going to get some rags cool enough for his kid to wear would be to design and print them himself. And right there MetalBabies.com was born. He's riffed logos from AC/DC, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Van Halen, Nazareth, Judas Priest, and licensed work from Twisted Sister, Dio, Exodus, Death Angel, and Testament. As well as many original designs.

He's also started a Lil' Biker Babies line too. Which includes rips of Motorhead, West Coast Choppers, and the Hell's Angels. This is one of my personal favorites. Ahhh... yes, Hell's Angels baby wear.

I've just heard from Mark, congratulating us. He's sending us some cool stuff for the baby to wear. They're expecting their second baby, a little girl, any day now. Congrats back at you man!

These designs copyright ©2003-2005 Mark Devito & MetalBabies.com

All Your Cards And Letters

We woke up this morning and I read all the emails we received over night to Sow. She loved them and wanted to thank you all for your ooohhs, aaahhhs & wishes. I couldn't believe, we'd received about 50 emails within 15 minutes of sending out the announcement.

Such nice stuff. People offering up their wives and kids to us. Compliments from some people that swear new babies are never cute. How much he looks like me. How much he looks like Sow. Hugs. Kisses. Missing me, but don't bother coming back too soon, just enjoy the time we have off. What the heck are his dang vitals? Even a parody of the video clip I put on the blog. Now who's going to add in the fat star wars kid jumping around the bassinet?



I'm so tired right now. We didn't get much sleep the night before the baby came because we were so excited. And then again last night, too excited to get much sleep. I kept finding myself getting up to walk downstairs to see the baby in the nursery. Even started to walk out in my underwear one time.



Seeing Rayluk for the first time was just wondrous. I stood outside the window looking at him for a good couple hours. I just new he'd be sleepy today and I didn't want to miss anything while he was so curious. Got to hold him for the first time today and feed him too. Sow's got a little fever, so we're not breast feeding quite yet. I did get to play with his little fingers and little toes though. Wee...

Oh as for a more complete set of stats, here goes:

Rayluk Addison Smith
Born 5:15pm, 5th October 2005
2960 grams / 6 lbs 8 ozs.



His hair looks like it's brown.
His eyes are very dark like Sow's
but I think blue like mine.

Introducing...

In the red corner, weighing in at 2960 grams and wearing an imitation face of Winston Churchill. Born just after 5:00pm on October 5th 2005 in Chiang Mai Thailand. The debut offspring of "Sow" Wilailuk Prakhe and Aaron Smith!!!

Rayluk Addison Smith






Roll over each picture to animate.

I'm really tired right now. Sow's finally in bed and getting some sleep. The baby's downstairs in the nursery. I'm banging away on my laptop. I was going to write something fun. Something entertaining and witty, but I'm so tired, I think I blew my wad with the opening. I will leave you with this though. You'll need quicktime to view it.

Rayluk.mov

Thanks for all you love and support.

T-Minus-Ten

So this is it. Today's the day. We see the doctor in about 2 hours to start baiting little Tuk-tuk to pop on out. Sow hasn't eaten since last night. She hasn't gone all night without eating in about 6 months. Neither has the baby, and he's letting her know it. Of course my first instinct was to get dressed and walk out to the market to buy some breakfast for us. Ooopps.

Yesterday, I came back home to find a bunch of Sow's old friends here. The girls she'd originally moved to Chiang Mai with. She'd also got ahold of one of her best friends who he'd lost touch with and moved to Switzerland. They talked for a long time. And when the phone card ran out, I rode out to 7-11 and bought another. I guess in all the confusion, I missed the fact that Sow's mom, and possibly her grandfather, had boarded a bus and were headed this way. Due to arrive any moment. Much like our little boy, but I'd bet they arrive here first.

We'll be doing it all at Chiang Mai Ram Hospital. We've reserved a room on the 10th floor overlooking the mountain range and Doi Suthep temple. A golden temple that shines in the sunlight in the day, and glows by candle light at night. Apparently they even have an internet hook-up in our room. So I guess you'll be hearing from us...

I Have This Funny Feeling...

This premonition like tomorrow's going to be the day. It could be the warm weather. The breeze in the air. The taste of spicy garlic pork on my breath. Or maybe it's just the fact that the doctor made an appointment for us to have the baby tomorrow!?

We're supposed to be there at 9:00 am for a formal induction. Baby, meet tongs. Tongs, baby. And pull...

TRUE or FALSE

We're nearing that fateful point. That point where the maternity is coming to a close. The end of the show is near. The band's finishing their final set. And yet coming out for one more encore. And another. And another... Dang it! Is this the real thing or another false labor?

We've had a few of those moments now. Nothing to wet the floor over, but a few "This is it!" moments. The most serious one was at the mall last week. The rest haven't been so bad, because they've happened at home. It did allow Sow one last good meal out. A rare hankering for Japanese food. To Sow's palette, Japanese food means tempura. Not sushi. Not eda mame. Not miso soup, nor chicken katsu curry. I told her how good each of them were and before you knew it, we'd ordered them all. She loved every one of them, except the sushi which she wouldn't try and we both felt wouldn't be good for the baby. And we started it all off with some gyoza.

This was all right before we headed up near the bookstore where she stopped with a worried look on her face only ten steps from the store. We stood there in panic for who knows how long, only feet from comfortable looking seating. And that was it. No more, "Honey, can we go out?" She's been quite content with me going out and getting food and books and magazines for her. Now the occasional "This is it!" moment only means setting down her copy of The Hobbit for a few minutes.

But really I know it's any moment now...

The Hookup

Finally, the guys from TOT came and hooked up our phone line while I was in Thai class. And I hooked up our DSL in about 2 min. Now you can reach us any time of day or night! Well, it's just past midnight in California, so i guess I gotta sit here and twiddle my thumbs until morning...

I'm waiting...

Thru The Weekend

So we made it thru the weekend. The inside of our house didn't get from rain, or floods, or broken water. And thank god, not all three at once! I go back to school today. I have a day to catch up on, so that makes me 50% behind. I'll call Sow after class and see how she's doing. If things look good, I'll see about scheduling a tutor session for this afternoon. I need to stay on top, because for some funny reason, I think I'll be missing another day or two very soon.

Chicks Who Dig Computers

Sherri's a really old room mate of mine. Not that she's really old or anything. She's a kick-ass drummer turned film editor. She's played with more bands than I can remember and finally became a little burnt out after three years touring with the Murmurs.

We lost touch a few years back. I was in Bali checking my messages and got one from her. "Hey, hadn't talked to you in a while. Just thinking of you. Maybe you hate me. If you don't, call me at my new home number." She left her new number. When I returned from my trip I found I'd been gone for more than 30 days and the message had been automatically erased. Doh! I tried her old email, but no good...

...2-3 years past. I'm killing time at an internet cafe in Chiang Mai. I happen to do a search for Sherri. Tons of stuff comes up about the Murmurs. And then, what's this? One site that's her full name? I click the link, and there's a picture of her. Just really a place holder, but it's her. I take a wild stab at her email guessing I just need to add "sherri@". I compose something telling her about what I'm up to, about Sow, and the coming baby. Nothing bounces back. That's good. Even better I get an email back from her. She's doing good.

Then a few days ago, I'm talking to Steve using iChat and a message pops up. It's Sherri. She's been sifting thru my blog and saw my AIM account. Anyhow, we AV chatted for about an hour. She told me about working now as a film editor and how excited her dad is that she got interested in computers. She has a Mac now. She held up Bailey, who had been a puppy when we were first room mates. She's a little older than Harry. Similar black and white colors, but short hair. We made a pact to get the dogs together when I get back to the states.

Thanks again to Steve and Eric for taking care of Harry while I'm away.

More Bali Bombings

I just want to let everyone know we're alright. I got a lot of mail from people worried that we might have been near last nights Bali bombings. I just want to assure you we're very, very, very, far away from there. It's abot a 5-6 hour flight. I have a few friends that travel there fairly regularly, but I don't believe any of them were there at the time. And altough those are places we've all been, they're not places any of us would usually go.

If you haven't read about it yet, you can check here or look at the front page of just about any newspaper.

Washington Post

Duk-dik

Actually wrote this before the flooding. So he's here now. He arrived this morning bright and early after a 13 hour bus ride.

Sow's brother Duk (pronounced Duke) is coming to visit us in a few days. He's got some time off from school. Hope there's someone to meet him at the station. We might be in the middle of having a baby?

Duk's only been to Chiang Mai once before. He really liked it. It's so much faster paced than where he's from. His mom gave him 100 baht a day to get by on. That's about $2.50. He discovered that he really likes video games, but that 100 baht doesn't go very far in tokens. Let alone 20 baht for the red car to the mall. Duk's a good talker I guess, because he became fast friends with the guy at the arcade and got all his games for free. Leaving him 60 baht for lunch and miscellaneous expenses.

Right before I got back they opened an internet shop at the end of our block. The hours say 9:00-24:00, but they only ever seem to open up after school gets out, and then it's packed with the local kids playing video games. Duk's going to be so relieved to save 40 baht on red car rides.

I'm thinking of helping him out this time. No, he can't play games on my laptop. But if he changes a few baby diapers for his nephew...

Not Quite Yet

Got a lot of mail from people. Worried that I hadn't posted in a couple days. All certain we'd had the baby during that time. How much does he weigh? How long was the labor? What music did yo play? How's Sow doing? What's his name? Who's the father? (Smartass!)

Anyhow, just want to let you know, you haven't missed out yet. No baby just yet. Of course, now that I'm here writing this, Sow's probably going into labor as I type! Better get home...

The Rest Of Our 48 Hours Of Floodom

2:06 pm
The water seems to be slowing down. It's been pretty much the same height for a few hours. Only a 1/2 inch to our porch now.

2:47 pm
Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored!!!

3:43 pm
Bathtub Boat


I heard an extrordinant amount of splashing outside. Two of the neighborhood kids had found an old bathtub and made a boat out of it. The woman across the way hollered at them until they went over and picked the garbage out of her bushes.

4:19 pm
Hungry
Sow's gotten hungry... for something other than toast with jam. She's waded out into our kitchen area and retrieved the electric skillet, some plates, bowls, and utensils. Smells like it's going to be good!

6:03 pm
I Can Go An Hour
Sow told me I couldn't spend an entire hour not checking the water level. Well, I just did. I lied on the floor near the door where I'd be too low to look out and read my book, for an hour. I think maybe it's dropped a 1/4 inch! Only 100 or so more 1/4 inches to go!!

8:23 pm
Finally the water is dropping. Slowly, but over the last hour it's gone down about an inch. We're ahead of schedule!

SATURDAY
10:14 am
I got up this morning all ready and excited that the water would be gone. No such luck. It's dropped a little less than a foot.

12:16 pm
I can see three of our front steps now. The lower one has a thin layer of water on in still.

5:06 pm
Finally made it to the internet cafe. Also gotta go pick up some more food for us. The area is still flooded, probably until late tonight, but it's low enough to drive thru now.