Jems from Kayra on March 8th.


Hello Mummi
Hello Dede
Heelloooo Ankara......

"Good morning Viiiiieeeetnaaaaaaaaam......."

(Sung to the tune of 70's pop tune "Mammy Blue")
Oh Baba,
Oh Baba Baba Blue
Oh Baba Blue

"Kayra and the Pop Tops with the James Last Orchestra....."

And I am sure there are more on the way.

Off to the blogger once more

For shamefully deserting the blog a little after 5 months into the most wonderful news Aylin and I ever had in our lives, some excuses or apologies maybe in order. But, I will elude both and just admit that from time to time I regret stopping, but..... Que sera, sera.

During those 2 years that passed in the blinking of an eye, our daughter --- Kayra Nil Ustunkok, born January 23, 2008 --- has grown, learned, accomplished, improved, communicated, charmed, studied, motivated, entertained, loved, amazed, taught, enjoyed, laughed, played with, and participated in more things and more people than most adults I know. She certainly got me beat.

I am awed, impressed, inspired, amazed, and proud of her. Everyday, without fail and without delay, she makes it better.

Go ahead and ask... Ask "what better?"

Everything.

While attempting to think of ways to express the difference my little girl makes in my life, I thought of a button one of my co-workers got pinned on his cube wall called a "Fun Meter". It's got green, yellow and red fun indicator zones with a simple needle that is set to indicate the fun level of the wearer. It is sold as a gag gift but I find the fun meter to be as valuable as the dashboard in my car.

I personally think fun meters should be part of our daily wear. One could even debate that a fun meter could be as valuable as a watch. You can avoid embarrassing or confrontational encounters, ensemble with fellow mood mates, immediately locate a person with an agreeable mood, and conveniently communicate your opinion of someone in curt but socially acceptable manner.

Obviously, I must be neither the first person or the only person to think that fun meters should be daily wear.

In the 70s, the "Mood Ring" was a good attempt at making fun meters part of our daily wear. Although far ahead of it's time in it's unique ability to automatically indicate the wearers mood, it was still limited in it's technology. The thermotropic liquid crystal lacked the robustness and precision to make it a practical tool. So, it faded out of fashion. Today, mood rings are eking out an existence only as a nostalgic 70's accessory worn by young girls, space cadets, and the lunatic fringe.

I say we bring them back into fashion and make them mainstream. New technologies can improve and expand the use of fun meters to other medium. Mood sensitive dresses can have a variety of private and public uses. Mood sensitive corporate ids can send streams of employee mood status to HR systems and help to establish programs for employee evaluation, training, motivation, and compensation based on mood trends. I'm getting too Orwellian. Let's keep mood sensitive stuff to jewelry only.

I think I would like a Mood Tie Tag. It would go well with the Jerry Garcia ties I wear to the office from time to time. And, it would shine like a diamond when I get home and hear Kayra welcome me saying "Hi Daddy".