Stuff Only You Care About

As promised, here are the answers to the questions you asked during De-Lurking Week. Another batch will follow in a day or so.

Mark: As a geek, I'm obligated to ask a geek question: what kind of computer are you using to spill your cynicism onto the web?
Until September, I was using a six-year-old or so POS Compaq desktop. I had to reformat my hard drive every six months or so, the CD player didn't work anymore, the monitor was flickering, and I was still running Windows ME on the machine so I couldn't run recent versions of other software. I now have a Dell E1705 laptop and I love it. It's got a 17-inch monitor (on my Compaq, the highest resolution I could get was 800X600; now I'm rocking 1440X900), 1GB of RAM (which I'll eventually upgrade; hadn't had the need to yet, though), a 1.73 GHz Core Duo processor, and a 100GB hard drive.

Of course, a week after I bought the damn thing, the Core 2 Duo was released. That's how my luck usually works.

Braindead Betty: You may have written about this before I was a reader, but my question is how did Zoey deal with Zed's birth? And how do you guys deal with sibling rivalry issues when they come up?

Hairline Fracture: Question: are there any sibling-rivalry issues between Zoey and Zed, and if so, what do you do about it?
We've been very lucky. Zoey and Zed have gotten along great since Day One. We didn't really have any sibling rivalry issues until he started walking. We try to give them undivided attention as much as possible to help prevent this. We have Daddy-Daughter days, Mommy-Daughter days, etc. They really love one another, so it really hasn't been that much of an issue. Yet.

Teresa: My question is did your kids ever go through a no phase? I mean no to everything even stuff they want? And if so how did you deal with it? My 15 mo is smack dab in the middle of this and I have no idea what to do I mean who says no to m&m's? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
We've been lucky. Neither one of our children have gone through a phase like that. Wish I could tell you what to do. Anyone have any advice for Teresa?

Peter: What type of tooth paste do you use?
Crest Extra Whitening.

The Weirdgirl: So since you've let it slip that you cut your hair, I don't need photographic evidence but can you at least DESCRIBE your new do?
I don't really have a 'do. I don't own a brush or a comb. I also don't put any hairspray, paste, gel, mousse, or any other gunk in my hair. I dry it with a towel and go.

According to Ella, my hair is "short and shaggy." I cut it really short back in November because of our family portrait. I figured I could look decent for once in my life.

Currently, my bangs are just over my eyebrows, my sides are halfway over my ears, and the back is touching my collar. The AlternaMullet will be back in full swing soon!

Christopher Tassava: What's the biggest parenting mistake you've made?
I don't know. I feel like I make so many mistakes on a daily basis, we won't know which did the most damage until after several years of my children's therapy.

Becoming a stay-at-home dad, maybe? I've mentioned before that they would probably be better off raised by wolves.

Kristen: Question: Do you make separate meals for Zoey and Zed?
I do when it comes to lunch. Most of the time, we just do sandwiches so I make each kid their favorite. But our kids aren't picky eaters (the only thing Zoey won't eat is peanut butter and we haven't found anything Zed won't eat yet).

I'm beginning to feel like an ass here. All my answers have been, "We're really lucky. Our kids don't do that."

Wendy: Will Dan Henning lose his job?
If I were in charge, he would've been standing in the unemployment line some time ago.

A lot of people want to put the blame for the Panthers' disappointing season on the shoulders of Jake Delhomme and his costly fourth-quarter interceptions. Football is all about exposing and taking advantage of the other team's weaknesses. It's all about adjustments. If the running game isn't working (which it seldom did this season), go to the pass. Don't suddenly look up at the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, notice that you're down by ten, and then decide to stop handing the rock to Deshaun Foster on third and long.

Song of the day: Who's Got The Crack? by The Moldy Peaches