So.  Younger brother.  He is starting to express himself.  Mostly in babble, though one can detect a pattern that sounds roughly like "dog" when the dog appears, and like his older brother's name when older brother appears.  And sometimes "mama."  Also "nonono" when he's doing something and I'm saying no.  Not that he stops doing it.

His personality is charming.  He is one of the happiest babies I've ever met.  If we go for a walk with him strapped to my chest in the Baby Bjorn, passersby smile a lot, and sometimes I think they're just really friendly and smiling at me until I realize he must be being his cheerful smiley self.

But, he is also one of the unhappiest babies I've ever met.  Mostly when he's mad because he didn't get what he wants.  He has the most horrible high-pitched shrieking cry.  Older son and I cover our ears and cower when it comes out.  My theory is that he learned to scream this way because he had a broken collarbone when he was born, but the doctor didn't notice it during the exam.  So he was in a lot of pain for those first days.  The shriek did begin then.

So, anyway, that's all there is to that story!  Introduction to younger brother's expressions.

horribly nice!

Then her sophomore album, Reminder came out in 2006, and whilst the overall sound was more familiar (thus less groundbreaking, in a way), it was still a solid pop album. That was until Apple aired their ad for the iPod Nano:

This tv advert pushed her to superstardom, from a niche and indie audience she is now propelled to grammar nominations and frequent radio plays in adult contemporary radio stations.

It's a double-edged sword, and i realise that. That is how i learned of Yael Naim, afterall. (And i truthfully do give Apple marketing props for clever picks of advertisement music).

But it's the frequency that is beginning to bother me. Call me protective of my music selection, but i am tired of advertisements out my favourite artists. It's not that i'm jealous of the popularity that is brought onto them, but i'm just really miffed by how everyone is now listening to the same music as i do.

The latest offender seem to be for my latest obsession for electronic band Fujiya & Miyagi, which was featured in not one, but two ads for the same song:

Somewhere along the line my heart begins to go out to MacWorld's editor, Brian Chen, as we both share this frustration. Why bother asking me my favourite artists? We're bound to be listening to the same thing sooner or later.

It's on my left side, about an inch of the way down from where my collarbone fuses with my shoulder bone thing.

(I know there are anatomically correct terms for these parts--I knew them once during my junior year of high school, when I took a fairly rigorous Anatomy course--but alas, they have all slipped my mind. Dag.)

The first time I discovered it, I pressed my thumb into it with the hopes of pushing the solid mass back down into the bone from which it was growing. Didn't work. I immediately began to worry--perhaps this lump was some form of bone cancer? A cyst? Some sort of goiter? But eventually, my collarbone quandaries slipped into the back of my mind, into the far corners of the places that my thoughts rarely reach, and I forgot about it.

Until one day, I found it again. And the worrying came back, the wondering. I rubbed and rubbed the little bump in my collarbone until my skin turned raw and red. But like the time before, and so many after, my worries faded away with time and distractions.

I found that place again today, and the same panicky scared thoughts came back. They're already fading now, as I write this and realize how many futile moments I've wasted thinking about something that has never proved to be worth worrying about.

If anything, it's making me realize what a terrific worrier I am.

I mean, it's not just my collarbone I worry about. It's my life: my dreams, my future, my relationships, my family, my image, my writing, my happiness...

It's exhausting.

I've never been very good at giving in and trusting God to work in my life. I wonder, I worry, that all this worrying may really be affecting the relationship I have with Him. Now, how silly is that, that I worry about worrying?

DAG.

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34)

Tour Down Under chief commissaire Michael Robb described the headbutt by Italian Elia Rigotto which put Australian cyclist Mathew Hayman out of the race Friday as the most vicious he had seen in a long time.

Rigotto knocked Hayman off his bike with 300 metres (980 feet) of the 134 kilometre (80 mile) fourth stage remaining, although a teammate of the Australian said he thought it was accidental.

Hayman fractured his left shoulder and will be operated on later Friday to insert a plate and screws.

Robb was scathing of Rigotto's riding and confirmed the Team Milram rider had been disqualified and fined 200 Swiss francs (180 US dollars).

"They were riding at approximately 60 kilometres per hour, Hayman was at the front, looked over his right shoulder to see if (Graeme) Brown was on his wheel.

"He didn't deviate from his line and rider number 41 (Rigotto) came past on his left-hand side and as he came level with him he very viciously struck him on his upper arm and shoulder with his head -- a headbutt -- very, very vicious -- and of course Hayman came down," Robb said.

"It was as vicious a headbutt as I've seen in a long, long time."

Robb, an international commissaire since 1991, would not say whether he thought the headbutt was intentional, but Hayman's Rabobank teammate Brown said Rigotto had contacted him asking him to apologise on his behalf.

"He said he had his head down in the sprint and as he looked up he went into Matt's elbow," Brown said.

"He didn't mean it -- it's just very unfortunate.

"He asked me to please let him (Hayman) know he didn't mean to do it."

ADELAIDE, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Italian cyclist Elia Rigotto was disaqualified from the Tour Down Under on Friday for causing an accident that left Australia's Mathew Hayman with a broken collarbone.

Race officials accused the Italian of "headbutting" the Australian in a frantic sprint to the finish line. He was disqualified from the race and fined, although he insisted it was an accident and Hayman accepted his apology.

"It was a severe headbutt, a very serious incident," Tour Down Under chief commissaire Michael Robb told Australian Associated Press.

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"It was one of the worst headbutts I've seen in a very long time."

Erik Dekker, the manager of Hayman's team, said the Australian also thought the crash was an accident and he held no grudges against Rigotto.

"He (Rigotto) said he had his head down and looked up and his head went into Mat's elbow, he didn't mean it," Dekker said.

"He asked 'please let him (Hayman) know, I didn't mean to do it'."

The crash was just one of several accidents on Friday's fourth stage of the tour. The stage was won by German Andre Greipel while Australian Mark Renshaw retained the overall lead. (Reporting by Julian Linden; Editing by John O'Brien)

Oh Lord. We think Victoria Beckham may actually go green without even realizing it.

With the Spice Girls world tour coming up doctors are a bit worried about the ability of our favorite rexatron, VBecks, to handle the physical strain of performance. To help her out, they've ordered Posh to change her steamed fish and soybeans diet to healthier, fatter one which consists of the following steps:

Step one: detox program. Could someone please explain to us what she has to detox from again? What possible toxins could you get from a diet of nothing and steamed veggies?

Step two: "fattening program" consisting of bowls of brown rice and steamed vegetables. Oh yes, and a handful of nuts everyday.

We wonder if VBecks actually ever directly consented to following the new diet. If she did, we're sure she's got some tricks up her sleeve for those day she feels guilty about consuming the 85 extra calories in a handful of almonds; so that instead of chomping them down she can stow em away in some eco-friendly tupperware – in that way, not only will she avoid wasting disposable plastic or paper carrying bags, but she will also guarantee the visibility of a collarbone that could cut through glass. RS

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A nice change of pace is in store this Friday. In America, repping their new album Transparent Things, the English (not Japanese) group (more than two people) Fujiya & Miyagi are hitting Chicago this weekend. Lot of fine print with these guys..They'll be playing a show at Empty Bottle before heading west to continue on their route. I'm not sure what to expect with these guys live, but their show ought to be a lot of fun.

Fujiya & Miyagi - Ankle Injuries.mp3

Fujiya & Miyagi - Collarbone.mp3

Fujiya & Miyagi - In One Ear & Out The Other.mp3

ABX - The Next Collorbone (Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg vs. Fujiya and Miyagi).mp3

The Rest of Fujiya & Miyagi's North American Tour Dates

10/05 - Chicago, IL - The Empty Bottle
10/06 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
10/09 - Vancouver, BC - Richards on Richards
10/10 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
10/11 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
10/12 - San Fransisco - Mezzanine
10/13 - Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex
10/16 - Austin, TX - Club Deville