Here's to... (a toast of a post)

Here's to guilt. I haven't had time to post like I used to - or maybe I just haven't had much to say for the past couple of months.

Eh, who am I kidding. I've had plenty to say, it's just that most of it pertains to a new baby, and GOD knows you don't want to read a constant stream of infant-oriented blather.

Sometimes, though, I DO have an occasional thought that doesn't deal directly with a baby - or the fact that I'm 43 and will be 60 when he graduates - or that barring medical miracles, I will spend my retirement money on tuition and die at my desk.

A few of those thoughts are listed here, now.

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Here's to birthdays. My good friend, and "guy-who-turned-me-on-to-blogging-even-though-he-didn't-know-it-at-the-time," Steve Mays' odometer rolled over this weekend. He turned 60 and doesn't have a child graduating this year.

By the way, bookmark Steve's blog. I've never gone there and been disappointed... unless he skipped writing something for a day or two.

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Here's to you. My blog's odometer rolled over too - registering its 200,000th hit this week. Thanks for continuing to visit, despite the irregular posting. I am about to address that issue with a series of travel stories from my frequent-flyer period of the 90's.

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Here's to crazy midnight alcohol-induced ideas. My friend Mike and I are developing a podcast concept. I'll keep you informed about its progress. Oddly, we only discuss it when we're six or seven beers into a twelve-pack, and it always seems like a great idea at the time. Thinking about it now, with only coffee to drink - eh, not so much.

The concept is basically to record some of the conversations and stories Mike and I tell when we're sitting around the kitchen table. It would be easy to pull off, since that's what we do best. The only drawback that I can think of is that nobody would want to listen. Minor detail...

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Here's to being alike. Last night Em and I stayed home, ate leftovers and watched television. As I was walking down the stairs with a bowl of the best damned chili I've ever made, I told her that the greatest part of our relationship is... if we'd never met, I'd be doing the exact same thing as I'm doing now. We're pretty perfect for each other.

Then we turned on the History Channel and watched a documentary, pausing it every 30 seconds to critique or dispute the tiniest detail. Yep, that's how we roll.

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PS - So um, there are new maternity photos of Em on the baby's site, if anyone is interested. (click the photo link at the top) They are really great. Less than 4 weeks until Sparky...

OK, enough of the baby blather.

Momentum

Life is all about momentum.

I'd need a doctor to confirm or deny it, but cataclysmic medical issues aside (such as cancer or heart attack) you die when you lose your momentum.

My grandmother worked in a restaurant, lugging plates of food and platters of drinks until about a year before she died. She decided it was time to "retire," so she quit. The problem is, she didn't have anything else to DO after that... so she sat in her house watching television and eating the same thing... day after day... until she died.

And all it took was a year.

Pray the day never comes when you hear Mom say "I think I'll skip my walk today." Or from Dad, "I'm too tired to go to the strip joint."

You must keep moving forward. To slow down too much is to stop. And we all know what stopping means.

I'm writing this down... so in 40 years, I won't forget.

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As we prepare for the baby's arrival, Emily and I are each working on our individual preparation projects. She is shopping for outfits, diapers, wall decorations for the nursery...

I went shopping for this.
It's a high definition hard-drive camcorder. If we're having a baby, we need to record as much of him or her as possible. I don't have a lot of video of Courtney when she was little. Sure we rented a camcorder for the big events, but we have very little footage of her everyday cuteness. That will change with little "Earl" or "Earlene." (only temporary names, don't worry)

As you've probably gathered, electronic gadgets are my weakness. I sit around all day playing with this thing. I've videoed the dog and cat, Emily lying in bed with morning sickness, a Mexican guy fixing the telephone lines behind our house, even us watching a baseball game... at home in our living room. WTF?

I think I'll tape myself taking out the trash later.

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Nothing is spookier (besides maybe Hannibal Lector or Rosie O'Donnell without makeup) (or Rosie O'Donnell with makeup) than finding out somebody else is living their life... as you.

I found out a guy in Indianapolis is working and living under my exact name and social security number. I received a letter from the IRS saying I hadn't claimed some income from 2005, because I failed to report my W2 from a brick and shale company based in Tennessee.

When the smoke cleared, I learned (through local law enforcement and the feds) that an illegal immigrant has been using my name and SS# for three years, in order to work and live in the US. I can't imagine where he got my info, but I'm hoping by now he's been arrested and his ass is sitting on a bus back to Mexico.

This immigration thing MUST be fixed. This is the second time in seven years that my identity has been stolen.

Now I just need to find a way to convince Master Card that it was that Mexican guy who fraudulently charged a new camcorder to my account.

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I'm in the middle of a complete redesign of my website, planning a wedding, planning for the arrival of a child, organizing my office and recording studio, getting the odds and ends of my life cleaned up... as you can see, I have a few things on my plate. Sorry I haven't posted in a while, and when I finally did, it wasn't that interesting.

PS - I just noticed that Google now lets you add video directly to your blog posts. Sweet! I have some great footage of me clipping my toenails in HD.

The Amazing Race

Dr. Mike and I have both been intending to get a new 50-inch flat screen. In fact, a couple of weeks ago we were going to go to the store together so we could force each other to just get it done. Since then, it's become more of a race... an almost personal need to beat the other to the punch... and last night I totally kicked his ass.

We're moving furniture around and refurnishing a couple of rooms of the house, so it made sense to replace my old standard TV in the living room. Plus, I'm a gadget guy and occasionally (like a woman) I need to go shopping to satiate myself. I got needs.

I ended up with a Samsung 50-inch freakin' kick-ass plasma TV and a DirecTV HD DVR. It took longer to put the stupid TV stand together than it took to wire the equipment and get the speakers working. I'm slower than the special ed chess team at shit like that.

I've ordered new bedroom furniture and will now probably have space for the baby grand piano I've always wanted. Too bad my musical abilities approximate that of a deaf orangutan.

Anyway, it's good to purge... get rid of the shitty old stuff and update a little. Winter sucks, but new stuff makes it suck less.

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I was finally able to switch to the new blogger, but it seems to have temporarily (I hope) blocked some people from being able to sign in and leave a comment. Hopefully by now it's been fixed. Also, about half of my comments from the past few weeks have been re-labeled 'anonymous.'

But at least I no longer feel like a leper or Rosie O'Donnell.