Enough of the serious stuff...

Sorry for that little rant....it needed to get out.

The Dr. says I am much better now.

Things in our lives...well, we had a leak behind the refrigerator, which leaked behind the wall...and into our laminate flooring, and into the drywall into the pantry. Quite the mess. We had the insurance adjuster out, and it looks like its going to come in just $8k for all of the work, minues $1k for our deductible.

Owning a house rules.

Our garbage disposal isn't working either, just so you know.

It's going to stay that way.

For awhile.

I'll keep you posted on the work. I think we're going to go ahead and put in real hardwoods and not just the laminate. Ought to be interesting.

Anyway, heres some more pics of the man, and even a peek of his mama.

Enjoy!

Outta the way, suckas!

Chics dig my sweet hog.

Chillin in da cut...

Da Wackers! Gratz on the new baby, guys! (There blogs linked over there somewhere ---> )

WTF is going on?

Breaking from the normal theme here, I figure I would talk about something that is just really getting to me lately, and thought I would share with you.

Our government is out of control.

I'll go ahead and let you know upfront that I'm a conservative. Very proudly one actually, but I think, if you're into the whole berevity thing, the closest official monicher I could come with in 5 minutes is "Libertarian Constitutionalist".

Just listening to the news, which I keep telling myself I am going to stop doing, just gets me so torqued up I want to punch puppies. Just punch them right in the face. Everything that they're doing in Washington is just so completely against anything that I think is right, but yet they continue to move forward with it. It isn't just me. I'm not the only one...millions of people are showing "their displeasure" a.k.a. "they're majorly pissed", but Congress & the Senate continue to move to the beat of their own drum, despite what their constituents say. Its as if our voice has been completely silenced and we're here to do as they see fit, and they'll tell us when they're damn good and ready.

Its insulting, is what it really is. They honest to God believe that they know better than anyone else in the country and whatever we may think just does not matter. I can just see them, soflty patting me on the head; "Awww...bless you!! Aren't you so cute with your little opinions and principles....just adorable!! Yes, you are...who's a lil smarty Marty?? You are!!! Now run along...go be a good consumer and pay your taxes...thats patriotic by the way!!!

Ugh...and then there is the liberal slant that all media outlets have, aside from Fox. CNN & MSNBC are just down vomit inducing. The hypocrisy is just rampant and maddeningly frustrating as well. They rail on the conservatives & the GOP for any and every issue that they can dig out, while seeming to just look the other direction when it comes to their own affairs. The double standard is infuriating and it just makes me wonder (not that I really honestly believed much from any news org in the first place), but how much of this stuff we here is real news and how much of it is fabricated to push public sentiment one way or another, furthering the goals of whoever's agenda. Maybe this is old hat and has been the way it works forever, but I guess I am just getting old enough to realize how many people are swayed by "popular opinion" and it scares the crap out of me. It REALLY is a form of control.

Kill your television.

Lately there has been prime example after prime example of the media's liberal slant and again giving this administration a free pass. The stimulus bill that Mr. Obama just signed into existence today. $400+ B-B-Billion more dollars that we get to foot the bill for. What happened to his transparency policy? What happened to the promises of posting these things to some magical internet page and allowing the public to see these bills? What about earmark reform, and not doing business as usual? Every single one of these items has been an outright lie, straight from the get go. I could live with these transgressions a little more, if the media weren't seeming to just turn a blind eye towards it all. Where is the media frenzy regarding Obama's appointees? What about Geithner? Daschle? Kirk? If this had been on the other side of the isle...man, you could see the feeding frenzy from space, I'd imagine. Nancy Pelosi's head would explode at the sheer excitement of being able to hold a press conference on any one Repub. appointee, and the Obama admin. has about 4 so far (w/ 2 more who just dropped out a few days ago; whether due to issues of their own finances or just no longer interested is unclear) and nary a whisper, other than the Dem's feel that things are on hold a little too long.

Despite whether you agree with this or not, the point remains that the media has just entirely given this administration a pass, and is refusing to stand up and ask the real questions. At least keep the playing field level. Lets drop the double standard and make sure we hold the right people accountable, regardless of what side of the isle they may be on.

Automakers: Waaaay back before we spent billions to save the auto industries. When all of this started, I didn't like it at all, but thought that maybe I was the one who was wrong, as I thought GM going bankrupt sounded like the right thing to happen. The unions and the retirees from those unions were the ones draining the business of any profitability. If those people had any sense, LONG AGO they would have seen the writing on the wall and agreed to renegotiate those deals so that they could continue to get SOMETHING for the rest of their life, but no. Just like a parasite to its host, they're just going to suck everything it can get out of it until it dies....and what does a parasite do at that point? You got it...find another host. Helloooo Uncle Sam.

Dear GM,

In my few years on this planet, I've discover a few rules for doing business that I think you might useful. Feel free to place them through your workplace next to the inspirational (and motivational!) pictures through out your plants:

If your business model sucks, you go under.

If you make really bad business choices, you go under.

If you make a bad product that competitors are able to make better and for less money, you go under.

Thanks,
Mike

That's how business works. What ISN'T supposed to happen is you come before the Federal Govt., hat in hand, to ask for MY money to bail you out. If I lost my job, do you think GM would give me a car so that I can get back to work? I actually think I am going to go ahead and swing by my local GM dealer and see if I can either get a test drive in my new car I just bought, or at least some soothing balm...lube...Prep H...sometihng, because my ass STILL hurts from the reaming they just gave me and the entire country. Oh...and now, I hear rumor that they're coming around and saying that, despite what their experts said and the business plans that they came up with, they're again saying that they need some more to stay afloat, but despite how much ever you give us....MAYBE..just maybe bankruptcy is going to be the best option.

Wait....what?? DIDN'T WE SAY THAT MONTHS AGO, BEFORE WE GAVE YOU LITERALLY TONS OF MONEY??

Like I said...its out of control, and all I can pray for is someone to rise up out of somewhere, someone who really gets it, is really in it for the good of the country, not just his/her party, personal gain, or personal agenda, or else we can kiss this country and anything you know about it goodbye. My son is going to grow up and be paying our bills...how fair is that?

Palin 2012?

(No puppies were actually harmed during the writing of this crap..er..blog..whatever)

Man, I suck...

Ok, so I am still not updating this as often as I should, but I haven't forgotten about it...and something tells me I am not really disappointing anyone out there with my lack of posting....so anyway.

C is about 18 mo. old now, and is just as amazing to me now as...well, I guess since my last post. He's growing so fast, and is still as handsome as anything you've seen. He's getting a bit of an attitude now as he becomes more "self aware" and doesn't like certain things. He can tell ya "no" if you ask him to do something, and shakes his head. He gets pissed off and can throw a tantrum now, which is oh so sweet, which leads to the next point in that we do "Time Out" now as well. I don't know if he gets it though, as I am constantly reminded of this "Far Side" cartoon (by a true master of his art, Mr. Gary Larson, R.I.P.):

But other than that, let me see. We purchased a house in Sept, 2008. Love the new house, hate all the stuff that comes along with it. Never been big on chores, but K goes crazy about them, and the fact that I don't do them enough. I'll see if I can throw up some pics of casa mia soon as well.

K and I went on a diet at the beginning of the year, and so far I've lost about 24lbs, and K is about the same. It really hasn't been all that difficult, and all I am doing is keeping my caloric intake below 2K a day. Aiming for 1500, but not killing myself if I go a smidgen over. Anyway, its working and I am happy about it. My sister got me turned onto it, and she's lost...I think its somewhere in the 80lbs area since last April. She been kicking ass and I'm ultra proud of her. Our family are big ppl and for her to be able to do this is a huge thing....now just gotta work on her smoking. (Which is coming up on a year for me..woohoo)

Anything else........I guess that's about it for now. Working, sleeping. eating, pooping...seems to be the drill these days.

I won't promise to update more often, but secretly I am promising to update more often.

This one was a while ago, but man...how cute is that.

The rest of these are relatively recent from Jan/Feb of 2009

CAUTION :: WUSSISHNESS AHEAD :: CAUTION

Note: All of the things said here after are the words of someone who loves his child dearly, and understands that no one is going to love him like we do, nor should they have to. These are just my observations and emotions while trying to make it past this hurdle in parenthood.

Today was my man's first day at daycare.

Yeah, I cried...shutup.

It sucked, man...Having to go in there and completely place my trust (and son) in to the hands of complete strangers is scary and heart-breaking.

I know...I know...it will be good for his development, social growth, mental growth, etc. It gets him out of the house more, and out of our usual routine for him, which I think is probably the biggest boon for all of this; as well as he will be interacting with more than just his mom, his dad, and his grandma...so I know its good. Just hurts.

I think it really comes down to a few things. Obviously, they don't care for him as much as I do, so he won't receive as much attention, but secondly...I don't think they really appreciate him.

That is to say, when I look at him, all I can see is this amazing child, my child, that I think is so wonderful and beautiful and funny. He has the most awesome laugh, a smile that literally lights up a room and would melt the heart of a pissed off Hitler.

Really.

The way he squeals when we play Peek-A-Boo on the carpet. How he is always entranced by ceiling fans and will stare at them in complete amazement. These people know none of these things, and I get this image in my head of seeing him trying to initiate these games, or show off that beautiful smile to these people, and they just pass him right by, never even noticing, and the disappointment he feels at that.

Now, having said all that, I know the world isn't a beutiful place, and I know that he needs to have some reality that the world doesn't revolve around him. He needs to know that there are other people in this world who aren't just interested in wiping his ass and plugging bottles into his mouth. I know this...but I just wish he didn't have to learn it at 8 months old.

My main man...aww yeah

Wow...I really meant to update this thing a lot more. I guess my only real excuse, and the real reason probably being something closer to lazy, is that work has really been quite hectic, and I still haven't found the "perfect balance" between work and home, if such a thing really exists.

So C (my son) is now 7 months old and just look at him. He is the happiest baby I've ever known and his smile truly brightens a room, and my mood, all in one fell swoop. I don't know what the future holds, obviously, but for right now...I'm amazed at how happy and...I guess easy is the word, he has made parenting. I mean it isn't all fun and games, but on the whole, I guess I expected it to be much worse.

He's eating solids now, mostly oatmeal in the mornings bottles through out the day, and at dinner time, whatever K (my significant other) has made up (or whatever I make in a pinch, as in last night, he had half an avacado). K is making all of his food right now, which I think is a great thing. I don't know if it really makes that much of a difference than buying regular baby food, but at least you really do know what is going into your kid. Well, aside from the possible pesticides...and maybe other chemicals in the soil to increase the growth of the....damnit.

C's faces while eating, especially things he hasn't tried before, are just priceless. The poor kid...you'd think we were making him eat crap out of his diaper, given some of the faces, but he's coming around. Big hits with him appear to be avacado, broccoli, acorn squash and most any fruit.

I think he's been ready for solid's for a while given how he stares at us. Our apartment's dining room is being used as an office, so we really don't have a dining table. Well, we do, but its more commonly referred to as a coffee table....anyway, its pretty humorous as we'll be eating at the table, and C will be in his exersaucer a bit across the room, and just staring. You can tell he's just so curious about what we're putting into our faces, and is dying to try it himself.

Other things going on.....I had a visit from a friend of mine that I haven't seen in almost 9 years. We have been best friends since about 4th grade. I went and lived with him for a years in Italy. (Rent was free and I wasn't doing much here....what more could you ask for?) It was awesome to see Sean again, and he was pretty much the same as always. I have to admit it was a little awkward at moments, feeling that I should kinda be able to pick up the string right where we left off, and we really were, for the most part, but there were a few moments where the drift of time and our lives was noticeable.

He's married now...2 kids. 1 his own and the other from a previous relationship. he does seem genuinely content, in his family life, which makes me happy. His work situation is something else all together. He's actually going into the Army (at 31, but more on this later) as he wasn't able to find work while living in FL, despite his degree.

To the point about the Army, Sean was in the Navy previously for 5 years, our for a bit, then into the Air Force Reserves, out for a bit, and now into the Army. I guess its good work if you can get it, but at the back of my mind, there is a bit of a tickle....Iraq....I don't mean to be melodramatic, but this is really the first encounter with it that I've had, as remote as it may be. He's in broadcasting, so the chances aren't as good as other jobs, but evidently the Army has somewhat changed its ways and is similar to the Marines now, in that any soldier is a rifleman first, which means they could be deployed to the front lines, despite whatever their "job" is. So, anyway, he's on his way to Fort Meade, Maryland where he and his family will be for the next 5 years. Hopefully, we'll have more contact between us.

Other than that...I guess everything else is okay. I have self diagnosed myself as having Psoriasis, which completely sucks. I have been doing a bit of reading and research about it online, and....well, it sucks. Did I mention that before?

I'm going to go ahead and schedule a visit to the Doc and see what he says. Its been forever since I have been to the doctor anyway, so I really need to start getting my ass in gear anyway. Thats another thing that Sean's visit prompted. I've always been a bigger guy...not necessarily fat...but big framed, and a lil husky, and so was Sean. Now granted, he just got out of the equivalent of boot camp for people who have already been through boot camp, but the bastard was skinny as hell. Which just drove home the fact that I haven't been excercising for years, and my gut is living testimony to that fact....once again, I really need to get my ass in gear. Hopefully the Doc will get my mood in a better place with something to do about the Psoriasis, and hopefully I'll be looking into some exercise plans.

I guess thats enough for today...til next time.

A fresh piece of parchment and a new beginning...

My first entry for me fresh, new blog. How invigorating, no? Well, I suppose I should start off by thanking you for dropping by and reading what little verbiage is available here right now....so thank you.

Hopefully, I will be updating with somewhat regularity, as of late, I definitely feel a need for some type of outlet, or release of frustrations. Even if its just into the nether regions of the interwebs, it will hopefully at least be somewhat therapeutic.