A late equaliser brings the game level: Parents 1:1 Wee Un

The security of my effects has definitely been on my mind lately. There was a time when I could come home from the lab and dump my cellphone, keys, iPod, notebook, Leatherman, Glock* &c on the bureau without fear of catastrophe or reprisal. But now that the Wee Un has been afflicted with that common syndrome known to blight infants of a certain age, locomotion, and has developed a natural affinity for only those things not voluntarily given to her, this is no longer suitable behaviour.

Fortunately, The Better Half made a purchase that dramatically enhanced our lives in the space of a weekend: a set of decoy effects to confuse and disorientate the child for the benefit and safety of my own belongings. She very much likes the car keys, which are metal and have a key ring that makes the satisfying "tweet" of an engaged car security system. Genius. The appliance of science.

No doubt the Wee Un will cotton on to the ruse soon enough, but hopefully these things should keep her occupied long enough for me to complete her "room" in the basement: I just need to finish lining everything with rubber, install the food hatch, and finally remove the stairs and replace them with a retractable rope ladder.



* Okay, so maybe I don't carry a Glock in the lab, but after seeing The Life Aquatic, I've felt that it would benefit everyone in the lab if we were all packing. Not the undergrad stooges, though, they would have to share a Glock. It's the only feasible deterrent for pirates and safety officers, you see.