Something About Modern Times...

Ain't much time to be writing this evening. Been a busy, busy week. Something here seems to make it all during. Modern Times is "the" best Dylan Album ever!!! He sings on "Rolling and Tumblin":

I ain't holding back now and I ain't standin in anybody's way

Something tells me, when a 66 year old man with the career he has had, and the mythical pedestal people have put Dylan on all these years, he just wasn't messing around. He's not fading away or doing it for the money.

Best track on the album: "When The Deal Goes Down"

You like plain old rock n roll with a hint of blues where you can hear a guitar, a bass and a simple drum line shuffling under a "clear" Dylan vocal then this is the album. (You can totally understand him!)

Good stuff... go buy it!

Vote Republican!

40,000th Visitor Was...

...inadvertantly me!!

Used my wife's computer to access the net this morning on the in-laws WiFi, thus counting me as number 40,000.

So much for the fanfare in celebrating meaningless milestones. Remember when Catepillar hit my site 400 times back for 30,000. That was awesome.

50K by Election day... you heard it here first.

Could I really be this evil?

So last night me and my crazy sister in law went out to Best Buy to return something and then look for a small refridgerator for her classroom this fall. Best Buy was actually smooth this time. Those of you can remember a year or so ago where I swore I'd never go back. I may have to again though because my video camera still does not work.

Anyhow, after seeing the horrifically over priced $150 fridge at Best Buy we decided to hop on over to Target.

This Target was super large compared to ours near our home and is laid out differently. We looked around for a few minutes and then we finally found our way to the small appliances.

They had a grip of small fridges. It was like the move in day at a dorm room with all the fancy different versions. Target had one for sale for like $75 and we could not find it. In that section we saw a little old lady looking for a fridge similar to the one we were looking for. She kept reading off the dimensions from her ad. She was old and frail and maybe 70 plus years old. Just kept right on talking to her self saying things like, "Oh shoot, where are you... 1.7 cubic feet... $75 c'mon where are you." She even showed us the ad. And there it was, right from the ad, the fridge she and I were both after and it was the last one. She was there first and well, if I was a kind hearted person, I'd have let her have it.

Nope. Not me...

I grabbed the thing from right out in front of her nose and tossed it on the cart and walked away to the check stand.

You snooze... you lose. I win. My kid is cute. I chuckled as she walked out the door empty handed while I loaded the thing into the back of the Hummer.

"She'd never get it into her car anyway." I thought to myself. "At least without help, Ah HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!"

We then saw the Planter's peanut truck outside the Target. Must have been for the state fair going on down the street. I think Lifehouse played there last night, but I am not sure.

Dedicated to some fine human beings that blog here, here and here. Honorable mention here and here.

Slam!!!

At approximately 3:53PM this afternoon, I finally hit the wall. With everything that has gone on since the arrival of Elijah since the 10th, my health, which seems to be getting better and just all the activity going on with family members coming and going... I just dropped.

Out of gas...

Done...

Three hour nap this afternoon while the TV was on Fox News and the phone on silent. Missed one call. I love my basement.

Elijah still has his days and nights confused. Real active at night the last four or five nights. Thank goodness for things like the Baby Bjorn and the iPod. We found an album of whitewater sounds. Just an hour of rushing water on one track. We set up a playlist on the iPod. And just having the Bjorn to hold him close to you seems to work the best. Elijah loves being close and hearing your heartbeat. The Bjorn is really handy when you take him outside for that quick walk too.

So 8:00pm now and I am off to catch up on more sleep so I can help out tonight.

Newborns.... I wonder how people handle twins.

(crap, I am Mommy Blogging...)

Well...

Well... It's been a week and things are going remarkably okay. The baby is healthy. Some bouts of incessant crying for no reason which makes me wonder if he is going to be a liberal (snipe!!). But overall, the baby is doing well. This weekend I plan to help out a lot.

Difficult week for me managing my sleep. Still playing catch up to the 48 hour stint I did last week. Plus all the big wigs were in town. They were here on a "team building" thing which involved us joining them white water rafting on the American River. If you are managing chronic pain like I am... do not do this.

Taking this medication that blocks acute pain but not fatigue. No idea if I am hurting or not but still had a hard time getting up yesterday after the trip. Whatever I have going on, recovery is a bitch.

Hope to post some video here soon through my YouTube account. Elijah is a handsome little man. Gotta see those blue eyes!!!

Something Really Peaceful About This Picture!!!

My brother in law holds Elijah for the first time.

This One Is Too Much!!!

Seriously, how does this happen? Need to call Hallmark or something. Most delightful person you'll ever meet!

Meet Elijah!!!

Elijah Joachim born 3:12AM this morning.

Quickie: Hit number 50,000

Winner of the 50,000th hit came actually from a regular viewer.

Vince Parker, you win!!! Go see his blog everybody!!!

YAY!!!!

(note: my counter on the side bar counts unique visitors not hits)
(Vince, yes, I watch all IP's)

Be the 40,000 unique visitor tomorrow and name the baby!!!

Eviction Notice Served

The eviction notice is being served on the little dude sometime today. (hopefully)

Time to fire up babynames.com and pick one out eh?

Stop by IKEA perhaps and pick up a crib. Hit Target on the way and get some diapers and baby clothes.

The next 20-30 (perhaps 40 if we make a room above the garage for him) years of my life are now conveniently altered forever.

Today I will become a man.

The Due Date

Why do we put due dates on things? I pay my bills early. I have it down to a schedule... I pick a day and I pay. No yelling! No hassling from the wife. I enjoy having negative balances on credit cards too... They send me bills due -$13.71. Why can't they pay us 16.9% interest? And when they are late can I jack them for $25.00? Ponder that one for a while... that industry is laced with hypocrisy. I mean, if it isn't in our hands, they are using it aren't they? If we use their money they charge us interest. It should be the other way around if they owe us, right?

Milk has a date of expiration. Really similar if you think about it, it's a due date! The milk is due, man... to soon pound your sphincter into shredded beef after you drink it. Ever go over like 2-3 days? Have it be like the 3rd of August and like the you notice the date of July 30th on it after you filled your bowl of Capt'n Crunch, and you have like taken four bites. Oh you still finish the bowl, but you don't leave the left over milk for the cats. That vet bill would suck!!

Anyone else work for a large corporation besides one of my regular visitors with all those tattoos, not named Mike Ness, from Social Distortion? Ever have some pain in the ass boss come by and ask you for your "paperwork"? You know the TPS Reports that were due on Friday and that needed this new cover sheet? Yeah....mmmm kay. The corporation always changes what they want and when it is due. "Didn't you get the memo?", they say... I always wonder about corporate reporting because they hired you to do a job with a specific title that could be involved... something specific... like what I do or what that aforementioned tattoed guy from Peoria does. The job title doesn't say, paper pusher it says what you do. In my case I sell soap. I don't file paper...

I turn my stuff in before it's due though. Saves the hassle...

At the time of this post, it is also someone else's due date. August 5th. Good day... temps will only be in the 80's here in Sactown with no humidity! Sucks to be on the east coast there doesn't it? Anyway, I think the little dude is gonna be late. He's a bit stuck... Hopefully we get a clue or so in the morning so he does come today. It's his uncle's birthday... It's his great grandfather's birthday. It'd be a good day for him.

It's like watching a state worker in a way. We got this chick down the street who's job is simple: Crossing Guard. That's it! Orange vest, big red stop sign, look both ways, guide people across the street when it is safe. She's new... They used to have two dudes doing it that we're at least semi interested in their jobs. This one sucks though. She doesn't get the hell out of the way after she gets the people out of the median and acrossed the street. Stands right in the freaking lane. My lane. The person she crossed is just that: acrossed the street. Gone! Going the other way. And this lady just stands there looking stupid, like oh what do I do next! I freaking hate it... get out of the way. Move or something!!!

Did I mention this cross walk is for the two DMV buildings that are directly across the street from each other? No... they don't have one building, they have two buildings!! How convenient. All to give that lady with the orange vest a job.

40 Weeks, Copius Amounts of Neurontin and a Fine Chatom Sangiovese

The week of anxiety is near it's pinnacle. I am writing this post centered versus justified to the left because that is how I actually feel... centered.

Yes, the baby is due sometime soon and we're all just tickled around here. We got the IKEA crib all set, the diapers neatly stacked in rows of 4 across the IKEA Shelf I installed above the changing table, the bags packed, the cameras charged, the iPods loaded and a good book I started reading called "Teaching Your Cat to Bark" which is all about how people buy stuff.

I think we are just ready for the baby to come. With our luck, it'll come two weeks from now.

Just got back from the hospital tonight. Had yet another MRI and some more X-Rays. I found a doctor who agreed with the other doctors about not finding anything on the last one but who fully believes there may be something wrong, which at this point would be a blessing. No cancer or some crazy growth in my body, just something still causing pain. Hence, the copious amounts of Neurontin which actually are working. The doctor gave me a prescription the other day and it was 900 pills!!! 900!!! I was gonna line all the bottles up and take a picture for this blog but the camera is packed. The funny thing, it'll last around 100 days! Just over three months worth. I'll be back at Thanksgiving for another grip of pills. I have to take like 9 of these things.

I don't have any of the side of effects, which is a good thing because who wants to... fall asleep, shake and poop everywhere. (Kidding about the poop)
I do have minor feelings of Euphoria and if you have met me in real life, I can be pretty euphoric naturally. Yet, I don't know... sometimes during the day, I get all giddy. It's interesting!!

As far as the wine... well... there is a glass next to me so it goes into the title. I love these light red Italian wines from up in the foothills. Don't get me wrong Sonoma Valley has some good light reds. The Pinot Noir out at Valley of the Moon is just sick... But this Chatom wine for $14 is a bargain. Light sweet dry red... Hmmm-mmm good.