Friday, August 25, 2006

Friday Kid Blogging

One year ago today, Lovely Wife experienced some abdominal pain and unusual bleeding at about 7 pm. Trying not to get freaked out, we drove to the hospital to see what was going on. Our baby's due date wasn't for two weeks. She was admitted to the maternity ward and had some tests done. The doctors couldn't say what had caused the bleeding, and suggested inducing labor to make sure the baby would be okay. We didn't want to induce labor, but agreed that if she went through the night without labor starting, then we'd induce in the morning. Labor started in the early hours of August 26. By 7 am, our baby was ready to come out. Realizing that the birth was imminent, I went into the bathroom and put my contacts in to better see the birth of my son. My wife started pushing while I was in there, and people started yelling for me as the baby's head crested. I rushed out and helped Lovely Wife push the rest of the way, and out came our little boy. Tomorrow is his first birthday, and to say his first year went by quickly is an understatement. Part of me just can't, or won't, accept that he's not going to be our adorable little baby boy for ever. He's such a sweet, happy, fun, well-behaved baby that part of me wants him to stay that way. But he won't, and I know that I will cherish each stage and age that comes for the amazement and amusement he will provide us.

Happy Birthday, CBK Jr.!*

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*Yes, I'm crying right now, just a little bit.

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Sunday, August 20, 2006

Why Do I Even Bother?

With watching and caring about the Red Sox? The worst part is coming to the realization that the Great Comeback against the Yankees and World Series title were just flukes, not some monumental, curse-breaking effort signaling a new era in Red Sox history and fulfilling some cosmic destiny that the Good Guys were finally going to be on top. The Red Sox are just the 1997 Florida Marlins. They spent some dough, got some good guys on the team, won a championship, and then saw many of the key players go elsewhere. Maybe they'll win another like the Marlins did, but probably not. The Red Sox are famous for not winning, and that's what they'll keep doing. But at least we have the memory of that one year, when for some reason they were able to win it.

Thank God football and hockey seasons are almost here. It will be better when the Red Sox don't make the playoffs and I can focus on those other sports and not waste my time and hopes on the BoSox.

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Friday, August 18, 2006

Friday Kid Blogging

Sorry, don't have any new content for this today. So I'm being punny.

Maaaa
Maaa maaa
Maaa maaa maaa
Snort

I also want to shout out to the best post from The Dialog Blog I've seen in a while:

"You didn't have to black out and piss yourself. It wasn't like some adventure. It's just poker."
"I know, sorry."



iPod: "Your Redneck Past" by Ben Folds Five, "Are You Experienced?" by Belly, "Mission" by Rush, and "All the Way Up to Heaven" by Guster.

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Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Sweet!!!

Benji! Benji! Benji! Benji!

Yes, I got sucked into "So You Think You Can Dance" this summer. Sue me.

Benji! Benji! Benji! Benji!

Don't let your proximity to Celine Dion break your spirit, Benji.

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R.I.P. Bruno Kirby

How weird is it that I extolled the virtues of Bruno Kirby just two weeks ago, and now he's dead? I didn't even know he had leukemia, and apparently he hadn't been diagnosed too long ago. He will certainly be missed in the movie world. He was a hard-working actor you recognize easily, but who was not a "celebrity" who thrust himself in the limelight, ad nauseum. He also often had a killer 'stache and a pretty bitchin' real name: Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu.

Here he is with Billy Crystal in "When Harry Met Sally".


iPod: "Niagara" by Braid.

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Friday, August 11, 2006

Friday Kid Blogging

Didn't have anything prepared for this week, so we just put CBK Jr. in some silly scenarios and took pictures. Enjoy!

Tool Boy
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Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Driving His Box Car
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Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Tumble Dry, Low Heat Only
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iPod: "Low" by Foo Fighters, and "You Saw A Light" by Guster .

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Thursday, August 10, 2006

I thought they stopped this shit two years ago!

The Red Sox, I mean. They're having another August Meltdown, giving away the AL East and AL Wildcard. And of course, it's relief pitching's fault. Damn bums! Still plenty of time to right the ship and win the division, but the Damn Yankees are playing better now, the Twins are on fire, and the White Sox are a very good team. Still plenty of time to fuck it up and drop to third in the division, too.

Hey, at least football and hockey seasons are around the corner, and things are looking good for the most part. Ohio State Buckeye: ranked #1 in the pre-season coaches poll, Baby! Boston Bruins: roster overhaul with some very promising players and a new coach! Dave Lewis of Detroit Redwings fame. (How do you feel about that one, Camogirl?). Patriots: that's more of a question mark. Big losses in receivers and, of course, Adam Vinatieri. Also, they're not as deep at linebacker as they have been the last few years. The secondary, the offensive line, running back, a whole lot of uncertainty, but if injuries are low and people perform like they can, it should be a great season. I'm getting psyched.

By the way, anybody see this story? Not the most comforting thing to read while preparing for a trip to France and England next month, at the end of which we'll be flying from London to Newark. Hopefully it will all be smoothed out by then.

Also by the way, I'm curious how many of you clicked on the link to my friend Daisy's "boobs" a couple posts back. I expected more comments about, but I guess you either didn't notice the link or you were to embarrassed to admit you clicked it. C'mon, fess up! There's little to no shame. ;-)

Lastly, about my tease of ending the blog, I'm still considering it. I'll probably just post a lot more rarely, doing Friday Kid Blogging and a random "Hey there" post. Plus, I need to keep the link to the Brain Squeeze up. Can't end that! We'll see, I guess. Thanks so much for all your nice comments about the blog, though. "You really like me!"

iPod: "Spangle" by Jimmy Eat World, "Getting Even" by Guster, "Kickstand" by Soundgarden, "Broon's Bane (live) by Rush, and "Waltz #1" by Elliott Smith.

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Monday, August 07, 2006

Playing Catch-Up in Pictures

Sorry for the recent silence. I was traveling last week and am still pretty busy. Here are the photo highlights of the last week or so (warning: pics are of varying quality):

While in Calgary I dined with the Incomparable JuicyA and her esteemed hockey-phile boyfriend Jer. We ate barbecue at a place called Bookers, and it was GOOOOOOD. We got the Meaty Platter, which is a bunch of ribs and chicken with corn, muffins, coleslaw and jambalaya served on a garbage can lid.

Mmmm, Meaty Platter.

We also had a bucket in which to throw the bones.

The Bony Bucket.

We talked about much more than hockey, and it was a good time. But I will say this: have you ever wondered why some people can be so annoying and gabby sometimes, and then notice yourself being annoying and gabby? I'm not sure Jer liked me all that much, and I don't blame him. Sometimes I get on a roll and don't realize how trying I can be in conversation. But don't let that discourage you from meeting me. It's not a regular thing (I hope).

On Friday night the family and I went camping. It was the first time we went by ourselves, not with extended family members who know more about camping. Here is the tent we struggled to put up:

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In our defense, the instructions were just plain wrong. That doesn't explain our inadequate supply of firewood, or difficulty starting and maintaining a fire, or my inability to light a gas lantern. We got dinner and S'mores cooked, though, so all was well... until we went to bed. We were up in the mountains in a nice quiet spot. However, there were some houses up on a hillside not too far away and one of the houses hosted a VERY LOUD techno rave from about midnight to 4:30. Damn, it was loud, and kept LW and I awake most of the night. We found the local sheriff's number at the restrooms and called at about 4. They had already received a call and had some officers en route, and finally at about 4:30 the incessant beats and beeps stopped. It was very surreal. The music was echoing over the canyon and sounded like it was coming from the next campsite over. Needless to say, we woke up the next morning not feeling very refreshed and rejuvenated.

Mother Nature rewarded our suffering, though, with a visit from this nice moose right by our campsite:

Dude.
Was.
Close!

If some other campers hadn't called over to tell us he was coming, he would have just burst through the bushes and scared the crap out of us. But he was a nice moose and was just snacking on some leaves. Lots of other campers came to our site to have a look. We were famous.

And on Sunday, I went to good ol' Walmart to buy some boxer shorts and saw this from the parking lot before I went in:

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It was actually a lot more vivid, but the camera didn't capture that.

Once inside I stumbled upon this VERY disturbing product in the "Not That There's Anything Wrong With That" section:

My eyes!!!

Seriously, a string version?!?! That's just wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

Lastly, my lack of frequent and/or interesting content over the past few weeks has been atrociously apparent, I'm afraid, and it's led me to a kind of blogging existential crisis. Do I really have it in me to keep doing this? I'm not sure, but I'm not making a decision about it right now. If you want to beg me to keep writing, feel free to do so in the comments, but I don't suspect that such pleas will have that much bearing on my which way I go. They will only be smooth, pleasurable strokes to my ego, which obviously have their own intrinsic value.

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Wednesday, August 02, 2006

My Friend Daisy

There are a lot of reasons to like my friend Daisy:

1. She's cute and funny and brash.
2. She was a great friend to me during the summer when my first marriage was ending.
3. She's not above pulling the stalkerish drive by, even when she's in someone else's car.
4. She gave me two "professional" writing assignments, and paid me for them!
5. She flashed her boobs at me while on a sidewalk along a busy street in Denver.

I could go on, but the latest reason my friend Daisy rocks is she bought The Time Traveler's Wife for Lovely Wife and me. I just finished it, and really, it is one of the best stories I've read. It's not perfect, and it's not like I've read a whole lot of books, but what a lovely, funny, inventive, and heartbreaking book this is! I can't wait for Lovely Wife to read it, and I recommend it to all of you. I'm sure some of you won't like it that much, and that's fine, but I think everyone should give it a chance. It starts with an outrageous premise, and follows a less than linear narrative, but it totally swept me up in the characters' lives.

So, does anyone have any good books to recommend to me?

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