PopCap Games, makers of delightful and addictive casual games, are having a fund drive for breast cancer research. From now until Mother's Day (May 11), they're donating 30% of the price of every game bought to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

PopCap makes mostly puzzles and arcade-type games, all with energetic music and attractive graphics. Titles you might know include Peggle, Bejeweled, and Chuzzle. The company promises a special gift to everyone who donates if the donations reach $100,000.00.

So, if you were looking for a new game to play, here's a good reason to download a trial and see if there's a PopCap game you'd like to buy. Heck, I'd ask my kids to do it, if they had credit cards.

Now that the kids are more independent and easier to care for, Sweety and I find that we sometimes have an entire hour and a half of time before bedtime in which we can get stuff done or goof off. Sci-Fi's Friday lineup gives us enough fodder to do a bit of each for an entire weekend.

Sarah Jane Adventures

I think this show is rather sweet. I'm a little mystified by the villainous Slitheen--I thought the evil ones we saw were criminals?--but it's amusing to see a Slitheen child. Maria and Luke don't grate on me like many child characters. But does anyone else think that Elisabeth Sladen and Mary McDonnell are identical cousins?

Doctor Who

I was a little worried about the whole "new attitude" commercial. I liked the old attitude. This was a fun episode (Christmas special, I'm sure). And hey, Street Fighter wasn't Kylie Minogue's finest moment as an actor!

Battlestar Galactica

The problem is that nobody, including me, is good enough for my kids.

Okay, we're interviewing somebody on Tuesday who might be good enough. But I suspect we can't afford her.

Tonight, while looking for a template, I discovered something called "Pleading Wizard."

Nice, huh?

Little Baby took her first three steps last night. Sweety says she was heading for a toy. I wasn't in the room.

Today, she took three steps towards me. She seems to enjoy walking--at least, I think that's what that devilish grin says.

Today, Big Baby took three tiny, lurching, unsupported steps into my arms. In one of the great ironies of motherhood, I celebrated her new skill and independence by sweeping her off her newly useful feet and hugging her tight.

I used to get annoyed at parents who did things ostensibly for kids that were really for them. Now that I am a parent and must daily face the brain-melting horror of catchy but insipid singalongs, I understand. There's one Music Together song, "Trot, Old Joe," that's a particularly virulent earworm.

IF YOU COMMENT ON THIS POST....

1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll challenge you to try something.
3. I'll pick a color that I associate with you.
4. I'll tell you something I like about you.
5. I'll tell you my first/clearest memory about you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something I've always wanted to ask you (to which you must respond).
8. You must post this on your journal.

It was interesting to learn that I am associated with light green.

In anticipation of an upcoming plane ride with twins, Sweety and I bought the world's most ridiculously efficient strollers. I've always been fond of miniaturized camping equipment and the like. This is something else.

What I don't like is the name. "Sit 'n Stroll" sounds like a third-grade insult to me, and I've always hated "'n." (Why does the A get an apostrophe, but not the D? Are consonants second-class citizens?) So we must rename these strollers. The box copy helps us by saying that they "transform" from car seat to FAA-approved flight seat to booster seat to stroller. Sweety and I have both come up with names, so help us decide.

Sometimes I feel pretty surreal having had two genetically identical humans sliced out of my body, and then somebody goes and has twice as many.
I am amazed that

• this woman went about as long as I did (between 31 and 32 weeks),
• that no place in her town had room for her to birth her babies,
• and that this is the first news site Google turned up.

Aside from meeting the occasional deadline, my life these days is pretty repetitive. For instance, I spend a lot of time preparing baby food, because babies have to be fed every day (several times a day, even). When I actually finish reading a book or complete a project, it feels like something worth telling everyone.

Yes, this is rife with spoilers. However, I'm way behind everybody else, so who knows if you even care any more.

I enjoyed Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which Sweety played while I crocheted rectangles. It is easily the most attractive of the Zelda games, and what isn't innovative is pleasantly familiar. The Zelda games have an appealingly consistent internal logic that keeps the puzzles from seeming stupid.

However, there were a few problems. The localization seemed a bit off--strangely stiff in places--and one of the side-quests was really irritating. After collecting 60 plot coupons, you get...

shaenon

This week, my in-laws are in town and my sister's staying at our house. Just a few days ago, the kids developed stranger anxiety.

Now that the kids are used to the relatives, they're constantly being handed around and fussed over. When the big baby spit up on somebody's face for the first time, whose face was it? That's right, Mommy's.

My home office computer is having trouble, but a Symantec person said he'd call today at 1:00, so I held off doing anything new to it. Of course, he did not call. I messed around with LibraryThing until it was time to leave for my 3:00 physical therapy appointment. Then my car would not start.

I called roadside assistance and--after holding for 20 minutes--was told that my husband had to authorize me on the account before anyone could come jumpstart the car. Of course, my husband's work phone was busy. The exquisite irony here is that Mr. Signature Auto Not-Helping had the same accent as Mr. Tech Support Not-Helping. For all I know, it's the same guy.

Of course, I'm only posting this because I know I need to go do drastic things to my other computer, and I am anxious. Hey, anybody want to come over and help me reinstall XP? I've got cute babies here to play with, and I'd buy you a sandwich. And show you LibraryThing.

When you have kids, their lives are described in "firsts." (This past week, we've encountered first feet-in-mouth and first arms-out-for-holding.) Your own life is described in "firsts since." Today, Sweety took me out for The First Movie Since the Babies Arrived. It's actually the first time we've been to the movies since last June or so. He let me pick the movie, and of course I picked TRANSFORMERS.

lizard_sf

As I locked up the house yesterday and looked out to the car, I saw a bird alight on my car's rear-view mirror. There, it emptied its bowels completely as I watched.

The sad thing was, I was in a hurry and couldn't clean it off the car before leaving. Yuck.

There's an insipid piece of glurge called "Before I was a Mom" wending its way around the net. I've received it three times now, and although I appreciate the sentiment, the rambly nature and non-specific "insights" really bug me. Also, the "before I was" makes me think the author probably says "if I was"; the capitalization is suspect as well. I think almost any mom could come up with a more succinct and interesting set of rambly thoughts, even while adhering to a format that sounds like drinking game. So, here's my attempt.

<table align="center" cellpadding="20">
<tbody><tr>
<td align="center">
<font size="5"><b>Hiro Nakamura</b></font><br>
You scored 54 Idealism, 70 Nonconformity, 54 Nerdiness
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<center><i>YATTA!</i></center>
Congratulations, you're Hiro Nakamura! You're a high-minded idealist, a huge nerd, and you enjoy being a unique and special person. Your combination of positive personality traits makes you impossibly lovable, and your energy and enthusiasm are absolutely infectious. Your dedication to any mission you take on, in addition to your cheerful sense of humor, are qualities anyone should be proud to have.

<b>Your best quality</b>: Spunk
<b>Your worst quality</b>: You are too cute. Some people may not be able to handle it.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">
<img src="http://is1.okcupid.com/users/348/108/34910810133136532/mt1171154983.jpg">
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br><br><br>

<span id="comparisonarea">This test tracked 3 variables. How the score compared to the other people's: <div style="padding: 20px 20px 0px;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="4"><tbody><tr><td valign="middle"><table bgcolor="black" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#b2cfff" height="20" width="93"><img src="http://is3.okcupid.com/graphics/0.gif"></td><td bgcolor="white" width="57"><img src="http://is3.okcupid.com/graphics/0.gif"></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td valign="middle">Higher than <b>62%</b> on <b>Idealism</b></td></tr><tr><td valign="middle"><table bgcolor="black" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#b2cfff" height="20" width="141"><img src="http://is3.okcupid.com/graphics/0.gif"></td><td bgcolor="white" width="9"><img src="http://is3.okcupid.com/graphics/0.gif"></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td valign="middle">Higher than <b>94%</b> on <b>Nonconformity</b></td></tr><tr><td valign="middle"><table bgcolor="black" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#b2cfff" height="20" width="101"><img src="http://is3.okcupid.com/graphics/0.gif"></td><td bgcolor="white" width="49"><img src="http://is3.okcupid.com/graphics/0.gif"></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td valign="middle">Higher than <b>67%</b> on <b>Nerdiness</b></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br><br></span>

<table cellpadding=20><tr><td>Link: <a href='http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=4885834462883321217'>The Heroes Personality Test</a> written by <a href='http://www.okcupid.com/profile?u=freedomdegrees'>freedomdegrees</a> on <a href='http://www.okcupid.com'>Ok Cupid</a></td></tr></table>

Go ahead and try to act surprised. I kind of wonder, though, how close I was to getting Isaac instead.

Sweety and I missed last night's episode due to an unfortunate confluence of baby-feeding schedules and a malfunctioning VCR. In a few weeks, DVR shall be ours. Until then, no spoilers. Please.

Sweety came home from the market on Saturday with Pocky. This is not especially unusual in itself. But this Pocky came in a white box emblazoned with the word NEW. It wasn't a new flavor (just milk chocolate). It didn't have a fun name like Men's Pocky. No, it thinks it's new because Lu, the Petit Ecoler cookie folks, are distributing it. Nothing has ever made Western arrogance so clear to me as claiming that a Japanese treat from 1965 is NEW because it has a European label on it.

I was very disappointed in the packaging of NEW Pocky. The box is a boring white, and it lacks the heart-shaped punchout in the top. I've always assumed that the punchout existed so the cool kids could shake their box of Pocky and draw one out through the hole instead of opening the box. However, I've never been one of the cool kids, so I'm not sure. Sweety pointed out that NEW Pocky has only one packet inside, instead of two. We didn't count the number of Pocky, but it seemed like fewer to me.

The NEW Pocky's milk chocolate is different. Creamier. It tasted a little better to me, but it looked awful because it had cocoa butter bloom. Weird. Cocoa butter bloom usually takes a while to surface. How old could these NEW Pocky be? The cookie part tasted stale, so maybe pretty old. All in all, not an improvement.

Summary: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And don't claim that something older than my sister is NEW. Japanese Pocky wins hands down.

The big twin came home December 29, with the little sister following on New Year's Eve. I briefly considered writing "2007" on a ribbon and draping it over them, but thought better of it.

The girls seem to be doing relatively well. They have gained weight at least for a few days; we find out tomorrow if that trend has continued. It's wonderful to be able to see them at any time, to just peep into the room and look at their little faces. They are cute and funny whenever they aren't red and screaming.

Sweety and I are very tired. We must feed them every three and a half hours to get their weight up. Since they're preemies, they need extra calories: not just breastmilk, but fortified breastmilk. This means that not only to I wield a bottle, I have to sit with the milking machine--I mean, the pump--so I can fill the bottle. All of this adds up to not a lot of sleep for mommy and daddy.

But god, are they ever worth it.

After a long hiatus, I went back to making granny squares for a friend's baby blanket. (The child's birth kind of lit a fire under me.) The funny thing is, I had been raging at the directions and having all kinds of trouble, but now it seems to work out just fine. I started last week, and I already have 7 of the patterned "squares" done. That's almost halfway there for the hard ones, and after that all the others are plain double stitched rows. I have no idea how to connect the squares into a blanket, but I'm sure it will come together somehow.

Meanwhile, my in-laws are in town. My mother-in-law likes to sit in the furry, inflatable gamer chair to crochet blankets for our babies. It's quite a sight, seeing this petite Taiwanese senior citizen perched in a gaming chair as she stitches a dainty afghan. Sometimes I think I should take a picture of every person who sits in this chair.