Go America!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration Day
Just wanted to say that today is one of those days when I'm proud to be an American. In fact, right now, I can hear Lee Greenwood belt out that tune in my head. In fact, you can listen to it here. I thought President Obama gave one hell of a speech, and I just hope that with his leadership it can inspire our nation to greater things. It's a tall task, but like he said, don't underestimate what America can do with the power of imagination and the willingness to do it.
Go America!
Go America!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
2008: movies
I have to admit, I didn't think that 2008 was as strong a year for movies as was 2007. In my blog post from last year (seen here), I listed a lot of movies, all of which I either loved, or really really liked. It seemed that when the end of the year came, and it was time for all the "award contenders" to come out, there were so many that I wanted to see extremely bad. I couldn't wait to see No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Sweeney Todd and others. In fact, the wifey and I saw like six movies in the theaters Christmas week of last year because there were so many.
This year didn't resonate like that for me. I wasn't really excited see that many movies. Don't get me wrong, there were some great movies, but this fall/winter, I haven't been dying to see that many shows. I'm sure that a lot of them that are out right now, the ones getting Oscar buzz (Doubt, The Reader, etc) are good, and eventually I want to see them, but I'm not exactly breaking the piggie bank to see them in the theater. They're not sucking me in, so to speak. Couple this with the fact that we are now parents, we haven't seen that many shows in the theater. We are seeing more and more of them on DVD, but since a lot of the newer films are still in the theater, we haven't caught them yet. I do want to see Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler, Milk, Doubt and others, but haven't had the chance yet. So I suppose my year in review is a little incomplete.
But all that aside, here are my thoughts.
Movie of the year:
The Dark Knight
I know, I'm biased. I love comic book movies and comic book culture. And I love Batman. But it goes beyond that. I loved Batman Begins, but I didn't say it was the best movie of 2005. The Dark Knight moved past being a great "superhero movie" into "great movie" territory. It made an astounding $530 million, and everyone loved it. But I don't hold that against it. It just was so good that people couldn't help but like it. Christopher Nolan is an amazing director. The script is fabulous, and well, I think others have said enough about what Heath Ledger brought to the table. I don't feel that there are any really weak parts to it. Is it perfect? No. But it is a damn good movie, and when people look back on 2008, I think this is the movie that they will remember, and not just because it made all that cash. I don't expect it to win Best Picture at the Oscars, but I will be very disappointed if it doesn't get at least a nomination. It deserves that much. And so does Chris Nolan for Best Director. He did that good of a job. And of course, Heath Ledger deserves Best Supporting Actor. If he were alive today I would still say this. He was simply magical in that role, it's just a shame he can't reprise it in the next one like they intended.
Best Comedy:
Pineapple Express.
If I were a teenager, and I were to text a simple review of this movie to my friends, I would simply say, ROTFLMAO, and that would succinctly describe how I felt. It was so damn funny. Mel and I laughed almost non-stop throughout the entire show. James Franco is a riot, and I think this was Seth Rogan's funniest movie, by far. Plus, I love the director, David Gordon Green. This is a huge departure from his other movies—George Washington, All the Real Girls, Undertow, Snow Angels (all of which I loved)—but he did a great job bringing it to life. It is freaking hilarious to say the least.
My other favorite movies of the year:
Slumdog Millionaire.
This show might just win Best Picture. It has been gaining a lot of steam in the past few weeks, and deservedly so. It was a very, very good movie. But I can't help but feel like it came along at just the perfect time. Like I said, this year's crop of Oscar hopefuls is not as dynamic or powerful as in years past, so it stands out. If it came out last year, I personally think it would get lost in the shuffle a little when up against No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Juno, and others. That being said, I really liked it and suggest everyone go see it. It's action packed, emotional, romantic, very well made, and, I think, a lot better than the trailers make it look (so go see it, even if you don't think it looks great). If I ends up winning Best Picture, I wouldn't be disappointed, it very well may deserve it. So go see it if you haven't.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Very good story/script. Great direction—I love David Fincher, he's directed some of my all time favorite movies (Fight Club, Seven, among others). And I think Brad Pitt is awesome in this role. It's one of his best performances, and he deserves a Best Actor nomination for it.
Iron Man
Not as good as The Dark Knight, but they shouldn't really be compared. It was one of the best superhero movies in recent memory, if not all time. Jon Favreau did a great job putting this together, the special effects were awesome, as was the script. And of course, Robert Downey Jr was flawless.
Really good movies, but not as good as the ones above:
Burn After Reading, Body of Lies, Cloverfield, The Bank Job, Paranoid Park, The Incredible Hulk, Hancock, Quantum of Solace (I really liked this, but not nearly as much as Casino Royale, which I freaking loved), In Bruges (wasn't sure what to expect from this, but it was really good. Colin Ferrel did a fine job, the best I've ever seen out of him).
Most disappointing movie:
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Let me start by saying I didn't want them to make this movie. I was adamantly against continuing the saga. But once they started it, and once I saw Harrison Ford don the fedora and crack the whip in the commercials, I'll admit, I was sucked back in and really stared looking forward to it. Then I saw it, and Lucas pulled out aliens, and Shia LeBouf swung on vines like a monkey, and it turned into a big train wreck. Thanks a lot Lucas. Thanks a lot. Damnit he makes me mad sometimes.
Most overrated movie:
Tropic Thunder
Every body raved about how funny this was. But, in that opinion, it wasn't that great. Robert Downey Jr was really good in it, and there were a few other funny parts, but overall, it was extremely disappointing. I usually LOVE Jack Black. I do. But in this show, he was so annoying, and so unfunny. It came out about the same time as Pineapple Express, so they got compared to each other a lot. But if you ask me, there's no comparison.
Movies I really want to see, but my newfound fatherhood (and lack of funds) has kept me from seeing so far:
RockNRolla, Gran Torino, The Wrestler, Changling, Milk, Frost/Nixon, Doubt, Revolutionary Road
So there is 2008 in movies. Here's hoping that 2009 is a good one. Again, like with the music, if I've forgotten anything, I'll add it later. See you at the theaters!
This year didn't resonate like that for me. I wasn't really excited see that many movies. Don't get me wrong, there were some great movies, but this fall/winter, I haven't been dying to see that many shows. I'm sure that a lot of them that are out right now, the ones getting Oscar buzz (Doubt, The Reader, etc) are good, and eventually I want to see them, but I'm not exactly breaking the piggie bank to see them in the theater. They're not sucking me in, so to speak. Couple this with the fact that we are now parents, we haven't seen that many shows in the theater. We are seeing more and more of them on DVD, but since a lot of the newer films are still in the theater, we haven't caught them yet. I do want to see Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler, Milk, Doubt and others, but haven't had the chance yet. So I suppose my year in review is a little incomplete.
But all that aside, here are my thoughts.
Movie of the year:
The Dark Knight
I know, I'm biased. I love comic book movies and comic book culture. And I love Batman. But it goes beyond that. I loved Batman Begins, but I didn't say it was the best movie of 2005. The Dark Knight moved past being a great "superhero movie" into "great movie" territory. It made an astounding $530 million, and everyone loved it. But I don't hold that against it. It just was so good that people couldn't help but like it. Christopher Nolan is an amazing director. The script is fabulous, and well, I think others have said enough about what Heath Ledger brought to the table. I don't feel that there are any really weak parts to it. Is it perfect? No. But it is a damn good movie, and when people look back on 2008, I think this is the movie that they will remember, and not just because it made all that cash. I don't expect it to win Best Picture at the Oscars, but I will be very disappointed if it doesn't get at least a nomination. It deserves that much. And so does Chris Nolan for Best Director. He did that good of a job. And of course, Heath Ledger deserves Best Supporting Actor. If he were alive today I would still say this. He was simply magical in that role, it's just a shame he can't reprise it in the next one like they intended.
Best Comedy:
Pineapple Express.
If I were a teenager, and I were to text a simple review of this movie to my friends, I would simply say, ROTFLMAO, and that would succinctly describe how I felt. It was so damn funny. Mel and I laughed almost non-stop throughout the entire show. James Franco is a riot, and I think this was Seth Rogan's funniest movie, by far. Plus, I love the director, David Gordon Green. This is a huge departure from his other movies—George Washington, All the Real Girls, Undertow, Snow Angels (all of which I loved)—but he did a great job bringing it to life. It is freaking hilarious to say the least.
My other favorite movies of the year:
Slumdog Millionaire.
This show might just win Best Picture. It has been gaining a lot of steam in the past few weeks, and deservedly so. It was a very, very good movie. But I can't help but feel like it came along at just the perfect time. Like I said, this year's crop of Oscar hopefuls is not as dynamic or powerful as in years past, so it stands out. If it came out last year, I personally think it would get lost in the shuffle a little when up against No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Juno, and others. That being said, I really liked it and suggest everyone go see it. It's action packed, emotional, romantic, very well made, and, I think, a lot better than the trailers make it look (so go see it, even if you don't think it looks great). If I ends up winning Best Picture, I wouldn't be disappointed, it very well may deserve it. So go see it if you haven't.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Very good story/script. Great direction—I love David Fincher, he's directed some of my all time favorite movies (Fight Club, Seven, among others). And I think Brad Pitt is awesome in this role. It's one of his best performances, and he deserves a Best Actor nomination for it.
Iron Man
Not as good as The Dark Knight, but they shouldn't really be compared. It was one of the best superhero movies in recent memory, if not all time. Jon Favreau did a great job putting this together, the special effects were awesome, as was the script. And of course, Robert Downey Jr was flawless.
Really good movies, but not as good as the ones above:
Burn After Reading, Body of Lies, Cloverfield, The Bank Job, Paranoid Park, The Incredible Hulk, Hancock, Quantum of Solace (I really liked this, but not nearly as much as Casino Royale, which I freaking loved), In Bruges (wasn't sure what to expect from this, but it was really good. Colin Ferrel did a fine job, the best I've ever seen out of him).
Most disappointing movie:
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Let me start by saying I didn't want them to make this movie. I was adamantly against continuing the saga. But once they started it, and once I saw Harrison Ford don the fedora and crack the whip in the commercials, I'll admit, I was sucked back in and really stared looking forward to it. Then I saw it, and Lucas pulled out aliens, and Shia LeBouf swung on vines like a monkey, and it turned into a big train wreck. Thanks a lot Lucas. Thanks a lot. Damnit he makes me mad sometimes.
Most overrated movie:
Tropic Thunder
Every body raved about how funny this was. But, in that opinion, it wasn't that great. Robert Downey Jr was really good in it, and there were a few other funny parts, but overall, it was extremely disappointing. I usually LOVE Jack Black. I do. But in this show, he was so annoying, and so unfunny. It came out about the same time as Pineapple Express, so they got compared to each other a lot. But if you ask me, there's no comparison.
Movies I really want to see, but my newfound fatherhood (and lack of funds) has kept me from seeing so far:
RockNRolla, Gran Torino, The Wrestler, Changling, Milk, Frost/Nixon, Doubt, Revolutionary Road
So there is 2008 in movies. Here's hoping that 2009 is a good one. Again, like with the music, if I've forgotten anything, I'll add it later. See you at the theaters!
2008: music
I'm running a little behind on my end of the year stuff. I'm still writing our Christmas blog, and here it is, already January 18th and I'm writing a best of 2008 post. But, guess what? Big deal. So I'm a little behind, shoot me. Well, please don't shoot me. If you do, then you won't be able to read this boring blog anymore if you do that. But then again, maybe you hate this boring blog, but for some reason feel compelled to read it. You're addicted, there's nothing you can do about it. The only way that you can stop is if I stop writing it. In that case, I plead with you, don't shoot me.
Okay, enough drivel, on to the post.
2008 saw some pretty great music. There were some fabulous debut albums from bands, as well as some amazing comebacks from Metallica, REM, AC/DC and GN'R. I didn't get as many CDs this year as in previous years, but I still managed to check out quite a bit of it. I like a lot of different types of music, and I'm definitely not some music snob that will only tell you that you should listen to bands that you've never heard of. Don't get me wrong, I love indie music, and a big part of the music I listen to is from small bands, but that being said, I'm not afraid to listen to more mainstream stuff.
It's hard to pick an album of the year. I'm no music critic, so I can't tell you about the structure of a song, or anything like that. I just know what I like. I know what kicks ass. And, of course, I'm partial to the bands I like. I think that's why I'd have a hard time writing a music column, I'd give 5 stars to every album from my favorite bands. So my two favorite albums of the year, the two CDs that I played way more than any other are the following (I've included a bitchin' track from each one):
Metallica • Death Magnetic (AllNightmareLong.mp3)
Wolf Parade • At Mount Zoomer (KissingTheBeehive.mp3)
Let's start with Metallica. Since I was about 11, Metallica has been one of my favorite bands. I freaking love their old stuff. It just doesn't get any better than Master of Puppets or And Justice for All. But something happened in the mid-90s, and Metallica seemed to have lost their way. They made three straight CDs that were okay at best. Sure, each CD had its moments, but overall they just weren't the same. It wasn't Metallica, if you know what I mean. There was no Blackened or Battery. So when I heard that Rick Rubin was going to produce the new album, my interest was piqued. Rubin has produced albums for Run-DMC, The Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash, and way more. Then, my interest was piqued further when Rubin told Metallica that they needed to go back to their roots. They weren't Metallica anymore. He asked them, "if you could make one CD, just one, and that CD is what Metallica would be known for, what would that album sound like?" Taking Rubin's challenge, they decided to play the entire Master of Puppets album on their 2007 tour, just to get into the mood. This excited me to no end. But I didn't want to get my hopes up, although it was difficult. I had been burned before by getting too excited for a Metallica album.
As the release drew nearer, I couldn't help but get excited. Then they released the first single, The Day that Never Comes, and I liked it, a lot. I didn't quite love it, at least I didn't think I did. Again, I was holding some reservations, not trying to get too excited. The week before the CD came out, they were streaming it free online, but I made a choice not to listen to it—I like to experience the music the day I buy the CD. (I know, I'm a huge nerd). So, on September 12, 2008, the wife and I stopped at the local Circuit City (may they RIP), excitedly bought Death Magnetic, slipped it into the CD player, and this is what I found:
ThatWasJustYourLife.mp3
I could only think one thing. Metallica. Is. Back. (Mel wasn't too pleased with the album, she kept skipping tracks to try and find one she liked, but didn't have much luck because pretty much every song thrashed so hard). It is a great album, by Metallica's standards, as well as any body else's for that matter. However, it is not a sound for everybody, as you all know. But take it from me, it kicks ass.
In December I caught Metallica live at Cox Arena, and it was epic. They blew the roof off the place. And needless to say, for four days after the show, my neck hurt, my ears were ringing and I didn't have a voice. Like I said, Metallica is back.
As for Wolf Parade, their CD was highly anticipated as well. Both Mel and I loved their first full length album, Apologies to the Queen Mary, released in 2005. So when we heard that they were going to release a disc, we were stoked, and it didn't disappoint.
I can't give any reasons as to why it was the best album of the year, other than the fact that it rocks, extremely hard. In fact, I implore you to listen to the song I posted above (Kissing the Beehive) and disagree with me. Go ahead, I dare you. You can't do it, can you? Admit it, it's one of the best songs you've heard in an age, isn't it? If not, then go listed to it again.
Anyway, Wolf Parade is from Montreal, Quebec, and they consist of two singers, Spencer Krug (who my wife will probably leave me for someday) and Dave Boeckner. For more about the band and their live act, read my description from last summer here).
As for the rest of the music this year, there were plenty of other awesome releases. Here are a few that I quite enjoyed (I've included a song for each band so you can see if they are to your liking).
Vampire Weekend • Vampire Weekend (A-Punk.mp3)
Foals • Antidote (RedSocksPugie.mp3)
My Morning Jacket • Evil Urges (TouchMeImGoingToScreamPt.2.mp3)
Weezer • Red Album (Troublemaker.mp3)
Fleet Foxes • Fleet Foxes (WhiteWinterHymnal.mp3)
The Raconteurs • Consolers Of The Lonely (ManyShadesOfBlack.mp3)
Kings of Leon • Only by the Night (SexOnFire.mp3)
Of Montreal • Skeletal Lamping (An Eluardian Instance.mp3)
There you have it. Looking back, 2008 was a great year for music after all. If nothing else, Axl Rose stopped teasing us and finally released Chinese Democracy (I have it, it wasn't too bad, but just not the old GN'R). And sure, I could keep listing CDs and bands, but I'm not going to do it. Sorry. If you want more, you just let me know and I'll send some your way. Here's hoping that 2009 will be as good a year music wise!
PS, if I've forgotten anyone, and I'm sure I have, I'll update this later.
Okay, enough drivel, on to the post.
2008 saw some pretty great music. There were some fabulous debut albums from bands, as well as some amazing comebacks from Metallica, REM, AC/DC and GN'R. I didn't get as many CDs this year as in previous years, but I still managed to check out quite a bit of it. I like a lot of different types of music, and I'm definitely not some music snob that will only tell you that you should listen to bands that you've never heard of. Don't get me wrong, I love indie music, and a big part of the music I listen to is from small bands, but that being said, I'm not afraid to listen to more mainstream stuff.
It's hard to pick an album of the year. I'm no music critic, so I can't tell you about the structure of a song, or anything like that. I just know what I like. I know what kicks ass. And, of course, I'm partial to the bands I like. I think that's why I'd have a hard time writing a music column, I'd give 5 stars to every album from my favorite bands. So my two favorite albums of the year, the two CDs that I played way more than any other are the following (I've included a bitchin' track from each one):
Metallica • Death Magnetic (AllNightmareLong.mp3)
Wolf Parade • At Mount Zoomer (KissingTheBeehive.mp3)
Let's start with Metallica. Since I was about 11, Metallica has been one of my favorite bands. I freaking love their old stuff. It just doesn't get any better than Master of Puppets or And Justice for All. But something happened in the mid-90s, and Metallica seemed to have lost their way. They made three straight CDs that were okay at best. Sure, each CD had its moments, but overall they just weren't the same. It wasn't Metallica, if you know what I mean. There was no Blackened or Battery. So when I heard that Rick Rubin was going to produce the new album, my interest was piqued. Rubin has produced albums for Run-DMC, The Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash, and way more. Then, my interest was piqued further when Rubin told Metallica that they needed to go back to their roots. They weren't Metallica anymore. He asked them, "if you could make one CD, just one, and that CD is what Metallica would be known for, what would that album sound like?" Taking Rubin's challenge, they decided to play the entire Master of Puppets album on their 2007 tour, just to get into the mood. This excited me to no end. But I didn't want to get my hopes up, although it was difficult. I had been burned before by getting too excited for a Metallica album.
As the release drew nearer, I couldn't help but get excited. Then they released the first single, The Day that Never Comes, and I liked it, a lot. I didn't quite love it, at least I didn't think I did. Again, I was holding some reservations, not trying to get too excited. The week before the CD came out, they were streaming it free online, but I made a choice not to listen to it—I like to experience the music the day I buy the CD. (I know, I'm a huge nerd). So, on September 12, 2008, the wife and I stopped at the local Circuit City (may they RIP), excitedly bought Death Magnetic, slipped it into the CD player, and this is what I found:
ThatWasJustYourLife.mp3
I could only think one thing. Metallica. Is. Back. (Mel wasn't too pleased with the album, she kept skipping tracks to try and find one she liked, but didn't have much luck because pretty much every song thrashed so hard). It is a great album, by Metallica's standards, as well as any body else's for that matter. However, it is not a sound for everybody, as you all know. But take it from me, it kicks ass.
In December I caught Metallica live at Cox Arena, and it was epic. They blew the roof off the place. And needless to say, for four days after the show, my neck hurt, my ears were ringing and I didn't have a voice. Like I said, Metallica is back.
As for Wolf Parade, their CD was highly anticipated as well. Both Mel and I loved their first full length album, Apologies to the Queen Mary, released in 2005. So when we heard that they were going to release a disc, we were stoked, and it didn't disappoint.
I can't give any reasons as to why it was the best album of the year, other than the fact that it rocks, extremely hard. In fact, I implore you to listen to the song I posted above (Kissing the Beehive) and disagree with me. Go ahead, I dare you. You can't do it, can you? Admit it, it's one of the best songs you've heard in an age, isn't it? If not, then go listed to it again.
Anyway, Wolf Parade is from Montreal, Quebec, and they consist of two singers, Spencer Krug (who my wife will probably leave me for someday) and Dave Boeckner. For more about the band and their live act, read my description from last summer here).
As for the rest of the music this year, there were plenty of other awesome releases. Here are a few that I quite enjoyed (I've included a song for each band so you can see if they are to your liking).
Vampire Weekend • Vampire Weekend (A-Punk.mp3)
Foals • Antidote (RedSocksPugie.mp3)
My Morning Jacket • Evil Urges (TouchMeImGoingToScreamPt.2.mp3)
Weezer • Red Album (Troublemaker.mp3)
Fleet Foxes • Fleet Foxes (WhiteWinterHymnal.mp3)
The Raconteurs • Consolers Of The Lonely (ManyShadesOfBlack.mp3)
Kings of Leon • Only by the Night (SexOnFire.mp3)
Of Montreal • Skeletal Lamping (An Eluardian Instance.mp3)
There you have it. Looking back, 2008 was a great year for music after all. If nothing else, Axl Rose stopped teasing us and finally released Chinese Democracy (I have it, it wasn't too bad, but just not the old GN'R). And sure, I could keep listing CDs and bands, but I'm not going to do it. Sorry. If you want more, you just let me know and I'll send some your way. Here's hoping that 2009 will be as good a year music wise!
PS, if I've forgotten anyone, and I'm sure I have, I'll update this later.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Hooray!
So, around the Robotkinson household, we've had some struggles with the lil Peanut drinking from a bottle. She has always been great at latching on to the Mrs, and feeding like a piglet, but when we have attempted to give her a bottle, even with milk homemade by her mother, she has wholeheartedly rejected it.
The first few times we tried it, she would wail and scream, as if I scooped up a pile of dirt and put it in her mouth. But as of late, she's been a little more amicable, even if she wasn't drinking from it. She'd just play with the nipple of the bottle, moving it around with her tongue like it was a lollipop or something. She'd do this for 20 minutes or so, and hardly drink a drop.
But something happened two nights ago—she took the bottle, and gulped it down like a fisherman visiting his favorite ol' tavern after months at sea. And she didn't just drink that bottle of milk, she destroyed it. She took one little break to just stare at me and make her cute little noises, before resuming the onslaught.
One of the best moments of my short time as a father
It was amazing. Of course, when I started feeding her that night, I didn't exactly have high expectations that she would drink from it, so I was sitting on the floor in a very uncomfortable position. But once she started drinking from it, I didn't want to move, even though my back was killing me. It was like in baseball, when a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter, his teammates don't want to talk to him because they don't want to jinx it. The lil wifey was in the kitchen doing dishes, and didn't realize that Peanut was devouring the bottle of milk and at one point yelled into the family room to ask me a question. I had to shush her because I didn't want the wee one to hear her voice and remember that the same human that possesses that voice is also the one with the two feedbags strapped to the front of her. So I quickly shushed her, and later apologized for my curtness, explaining to her how I didn't want to jinx the no-hitter.
Now, I understand that this is a silly thing to be elated about. We are just so lucky to have a happy, healthy baby. And the fact that she feeds with mom is a great thing—it wasn't the end of the world that she didn't take a bottle too. However, it would make things much easier if she would just relent and accept the bottle. Then I could watch her on my own, either at home or by taking her with me out and around. Or, for Pete's sake, maybe we could leave her with someone so we could have an evening away from her (where I am sure we'll talk about how much we miss the little nugget).
So last night I decided to try it again, but this time, instead of just 1.5 oz, we tried about 4 oz of milk, which is apparently the proper amount. And lo and behold, she again drank it. At first she played a little bit, not really drinking, but then she hit her stride and plowed through it. This time though, I decided to make myself comfortable before I began the feeding, that way I wouldn't have to worry about a sore back in the middle. I also over thought the entire process by putting on some basketball, which she seems to enjoy watching, to put her at ease. But she wasn't really going right at it. As an experiment, I decided to turn off the TV and give her some peace and quiet, and that seemed to work. I suppose it could just be a coincidence, but we'll we'll find out tonight.
Now that she's done it two days in a row, we'll keep it up every day, since I've heard that is what you have to do. Our hope, of course, is that eventually she'll take it without a problem, any time, anywhere. Our fingers are crossed, but I hope by writing this I don't jinx the progress that we've attained. I just felt like I wanted to share it with the world, since we are so happy for our little Sweet Pea.
Until next time.
The first few times we tried it, she would wail and scream, as if I scooped up a pile of dirt and put it in her mouth. But as of late, she's been a little more amicable, even if she wasn't drinking from it. She'd just play with the nipple of the bottle, moving it around with her tongue like it was a lollipop or something. She'd do this for 20 minutes or so, and hardly drink a drop.
But something happened two nights ago—she took the bottle, and gulped it down like a fisherman visiting his favorite ol' tavern after months at sea. And she didn't just drink that bottle of milk, she destroyed it. She took one little break to just stare at me and make her cute little noises, before resuming the onslaught.
One of the best moments of my short time as a father
It was amazing. Of course, when I started feeding her that night, I didn't exactly have high expectations that she would drink from it, so I was sitting on the floor in a very uncomfortable position. But once she started drinking from it, I didn't want to move, even though my back was killing me. It was like in baseball, when a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter, his teammates don't want to talk to him because they don't want to jinx it. The lil wifey was in the kitchen doing dishes, and didn't realize that Peanut was devouring the bottle of milk and at one point yelled into the family room to ask me a question. I had to shush her because I didn't want the wee one to hear her voice and remember that the same human that possesses that voice is also the one with the two feedbags strapped to the front of her. So I quickly shushed her, and later apologized for my curtness, explaining to her how I didn't want to jinx the no-hitter.
Now, I understand that this is a silly thing to be elated about. We are just so lucky to have a happy, healthy baby. And the fact that she feeds with mom is a great thing—it wasn't the end of the world that she didn't take a bottle too. However, it would make things much easier if she would just relent and accept the bottle. Then I could watch her on my own, either at home or by taking her with me out and around. Or, for Pete's sake, maybe we could leave her with someone so we could have an evening away from her (where I am sure we'll talk about how much we miss the little nugget).
So last night I decided to try it again, but this time, instead of just 1.5 oz, we tried about 4 oz of milk, which is apparently the proper amount. And lo and behold, she again drank it. At first she played a little bit, not really drinking, but then she hit her stride and plowed through it. This time though, I decided to make myself comfortable before I began the feeding, that way I wouldn't have to worry about a sore back in the middle. I also over thought the entire process by putting on some basketball, which she seems to enjoy watching, to put her at ease. But she wasn't really going right at it. As an experiment, I decided to turn off the TV and give her some peace and quiet, and that seemed to work. I suppose it could just be a coincidence, but we'll we'll find out tonight.
Now that she's done it two days in a row, we'll keep it up every day, since I've heard that is what you have to do. Our hope, of course, is that eventually she'll take it without a problem, any time, anywhere. Our fingers are crossed, but I hope by writing this I don't jinx the progress that we've attained. I just felt like I wanted to share it with the world, since we are so happy for our little Sweet Pea.
Until next time.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Merry Christmas Friends
Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We're heading up to Utah today to see Grandma and all my aunts, uncles and cousins! I can't wait to throw my first snowball.
In the meantime, enjoy these holiday treats:
I'll be Home for Christmas.mp3
The Christmas Song.mp3
I Heard the Bells on Christmas.mp3
Just Like Christmas.mp3
Santas Too Fat For the Hula Hoop.mp3
Last Christmas.mp3
Wonderful Christmastime.mp3
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Many faces of Penny
I don't know what my daughter will think of me in 20 years, but if there's one thing she won't be able to complain about is lack of pictures of her as a baby. She's got a big camera in her face all the time, but that's just because she's so damn cute. So really, it's her fault. I mean, look at her. Look at those awesome faces she makes. I just can't help myself. I loved this series of shots from last month (Mel took them, and did a fantastic job). I channeled my inner-Andy Warhol when I put this together. I suppose she's my mini factory girl.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
I got busted
A funny incident between the wife and I the other day. Some conversations may or may not have been embellished a little.
INT. RONI HICKS - ROB'S OFFICE - DAY.
ROB sits at his desk, Christmas music plays quietly from his laptop. ROB (fluffy, early to mid thirties, messy hair). GEORGE (forties, cuddly, bear of a man, longish hair) is putting golf balls into a golf ball return. Muffled music begins playing, it's "Where is my mind" from the Pixies.
ROB is sitting at his desk, working on the computer. He is answering emails, surfing the web, etc. MELISSA (late 20's, gorgeous) walks by the computer, and glances at the screen.
ROB sits at his desk, Christmas music plays quietly from his laptop. ROB (fluffy, early to mid thirties, messy hair). GEORGE (forties, cuddly, bear of a man, longish hair) is putting golf balls into a golf ball return. Muffled music begins playing, it's "Where is my mind" from the Pixies.
ROB
That's the lil wifey calling (to GEORGE).
ROB answers his cell phone.
Yo.
MELISSA
Hey.
ROB
How's it going?
MELISSA
Fine. Tired.
ROB
Feelin' any better?
MELISSA
A little. My throat doesn't hurt as much, but
I'm still sneezing like nuts.
ROB
That sucks, I'm sorry. At least you're throat is better.
How's the little Peanut? Did you guys sleep okay?
I didn't wake you up when I left did I?
MELISSA
No, we slept pretty good, actually. That medicine
kinda knocked me out a little, I think. P is good,
just chillin' on me right now, slobbering through
another outfit—her third today already.
ROB
Awesome.
MELISSA
Oh, by the way, is Mark Bangerter your art director
friend who got that job in New York?
ROB
Yeah. Well, it's in Boston, but yeah. Why?
MELISSA
Well, I think you've been cheating on me
with a mistress, and he knows her.
Her name is Tiffany, isn't it?
ROB
(pause)
Huh?
MELISSA
Well, Mark's wedding announcement just
showed up in the mail, but it was addressed to
Rob and Tiffany Atkinson
ROB
Huh. That's random. Who's Tiffany?
MELISSA
(obviously kidding, but playing jealous)
That's what I'd like to know!
I think it's your secret mistress, and now
the cat's out of the bag.
ROB
If I did have a mistress named Tiffany,
I don't know how Mark would know her,
he lives 3000 miles away. Plus, I would think
that he would have known not to send her
mail to my house. I've told him not to do that.
MELISSA
Well, you're busted.
ROB
Damn. I'm caught, you got me.
MELISSA
So, who is Tiffany?
ROB
I haven't a clue. I've never even been
out with anyone named Tiffany.
Not even on a first date.
MELISSA
All right, I'll let you off this time, you're lucky.
ROB
Thanks for not leaving me. You're a peach.
Love you.
MELISSA.
Love you too. Barely.
That's the lil wifey calling (to GEORGE).
ROB answers his cell phone.
ROB
MELISSA
Hey.
ROB
How's it going?
MELISSA
Fine. Tired.
ROB
Feelin' any better?
MELISSA
A little. My throat doesn't hurt as much, but
I'm still sneezing like nuts.
ROB
That sucks, I'm sorry. At least you're throat is better.
How's the little Peanut? Did you guys sleep okay?
I didn't wake you up when I left did I?
MELISSA
No, we slept pretty good, actually. That medicine
kinda knocked me out a little, I think. P is good,
just chillin' on me right now, slobbering through
another outfit—her third today already.
ROB
Awesome.
MELISSA
Oh, by the way, is Mark Bangerter your art director
friend who got that job in New York?
ROB
Yeah. Well, it's in Boston, but yeah. Why?
MELISSA
Well, I think you've been cheating on me
with a mistress, and he knows her.
Her name is Tiffany, isn't it?
ROB
(pause)
Huh?
MELISSA
Well, Mark's wedding announcement just
showed up in the mail, but it was addressed to
Rob and Tiffany Atkinson
ROB
Huh. That's random. Who's Tiffany?
MELISSA
(obviously kidding, but playing jealous)
That's what I'd like to know!
I think it's your secret mistress, and now
the cat's out of the bag.
ROB
If I did have a mistress named Tiffany,
I don't know how Mark would know her,
he lives 3000 miles away. Plus, I would think
that he would have known not to send her
mail to my house. I've told him not to do that.
MELISSA
Well, you're busted.
ROB
Damn. I'm caught, you got me.
MELISSA
So, who is Tiffany?
ROB
I haven't a clue. I've never even been
out with anyone named Tiffany.
Not even on a first date.
MELISSA
All right, I'll let you off this time, you're lucky.
ROB
Thanks for not leaving me. You're a peach.
Love you.
MELISSA.
Love you too. Barely.
INT. ATKINSON HOME - FAMILY ROOM - NIGHT.
ROB is sitting at his desk, working on the computer. He is answering emails, surfing the web, etc. MELISSA (late 20's, gorgeous) walks by the computer, and glances at the screen.
MELISSA
Ha, I knew it, you do know a Tiffany! (Pointing at computer screen).
Ha, I knew it, you do know a Tiffany! (Pointing at computer screen).
Located on the screen is not only an email from a Tiffany Christensen, but also, ROB had just finished replying to said email. TIFFANY is ROB'S cousin. Well, not really. TIFFANY'S parents and ROB'S parents went to college together about 48 years ago, and have been best friends ever since. The families are so tight, that they call each other aunt, uncle, cousin, etc.
MELISSA
See, it's all true, you have a mistress named Tiffany.
You lied to me you sonofabitch.
Who is Tiffany Christensen?
ROB
My cousin. You know, Sid and Brad's sister?
MELISSA
Yeah, sure. But she's not really your cousin!
ROB
Yep, you're right, Sherlock Holmes, you've figured me out.
I do have a mistress named Tiffany.
My cousin Tiffany. And she just emailed me for
our address so she could send you and I her family's
Christmas card. It all adds up. Once again. I'm busted.
Damn, woman, you're too good.
THE END
See, it's all true, you have a mistress named Tiffany.
You lied to me you sonofabitch.
Who is Tiffany Christensen?
ROB
My cousin. You know, Sid and Brad's sister?
MELISSA
Yeah, sure. But she's not really your cousin!
ROB
Yep, you're right, Sherlock Holmes, you've figured me out.
I do have a mistress named Tiffany.
My cousin Tiffany. And she just emailed me for
our address so she could send you and I her family's
Christmas card. It all adds up. Once again. I'm busted.
Damn, woman, you're too good.
THE END
So, the moral of the story is, if your friend is going get you in trouble by revealing your fake mistress to your wife, make sure that your fake mistress ends up being your fake cousin. Got it? Good.
It's funny to me that my friend somehow thought my wife's name was Tiffany, even though he's met her three or four times. Granted it's been three years or so since Mark was at our house, but still. However, I assume it was an honest mistake, like when you're writing or typing one name, but happen to look at or hear another at the same time, so you write/type the wrong one. I'm going to give him (or his fiance) the benefit of the doubt. Plus, look on the bright side, if the mistake hadn't been made, then I wouldn't have had this slightly fun, slightly boring little screenplay to write, and you wouldn't have wasted the last 45 minutes of your day reading it. To me that's a brightside, you may feel different.
Whatever.
Oh yeah, by the way, here is the envelope, in case you all needed to see the offending evidence.
Envelope.jpg
It's funny to me that my friend somehow thought my wife's name was Tiffany, even though he's met her three or four times. Granted it's been three years or so since Mark was at our house, but still. However, I assume it was an honest mistake, like when you're writing or typing one name, but happen to look at or hear another at the same time, so you write/type the wrong one. I'm going to give him (or his fiance) the benefit of the doubt. Plus, look on the bright side, if the mistake hadn't been made, then I wouldn't have had this slightly fun, slightly boring little screenplay to write, and you wouldn't have wasted the last 45 minutes of your day reading it. To me that's a brightside, you may feel different.
Whatever.
Oh yeah, by the way, here is the envelope, in case you all needed to see the offending evidence.
Envelope.jpg
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
I'm back. I hope.
I'd like to apologize to my devoted readers (all three of them) for being such a slacker lately. It seems, for whatever reason, that since my beautiful baby girl was born, I don't feel much like writing. At home I just like to be with her as much as possible, but even when not with her, I've been in a funk. I haven't felt like writing the blog, or in my journal, or anything for that matter. This has even carried over to work, where I've been in a creative malaise of late. The scary part is that I can't explain it, and I haven't been able to shake it. But today I am going to try and power through. They say that when you are stumped, you just have to write. Write anything. Even if it sucks, just to get it out there. So that is what I'm doing. I hope it's been worth the wait. And I hope to be able to break the cloud in my mind, and have more to say.
Okay, on with the post.
So a few weeks ago I found myself scanning through an old Sports Illustrated from 1980, and I found an excellent ad featuring an old "friend". I meant to write about it, but just haven't had the motivation to do so (as explained above).
I got quite a kick out of it, and hope you do too.
If you have trouble reading the type, it says,
"He's always one step ahead. Listen: 'I love today's western look, right down to the boots. And Dingo knows about the West.' Like OJ Simpson, we mean what we say, and what we say is: Nobody Puts Leather Together Like Dingo."
Wow, where do I begin with this one?
I suppose I'll start with the headline. Yep, you're right, OJ is a dingo. He's about the biggest dingo in the world. And why does he have three legs? Did this come out in his trial? Is this how he was able to get away, because they didn't check the footprint of the third leg? Is that extra leg what made him such a great football player? I feel like these are questions that need answering.
As for the copy, he's always "one step ahead", huh? Well, that was true for the past 13 or so years, but it looks like he started to slow down in those Dingos, because karma finally caught up with him this week. Does OJ always mean what he says? Like when he said that he was going to devote his whole life to finding the person that killed Nicole and Ron, did he mean that? Did he mean that he was going to search every golf course on earth for them? Perhaps that's what he was doing in that hotel room in Vegas a few months ago. Maybe he got a tip that the "real" killer was going to be in that room. Well, in a way, he was right, because he was in that room. Nice work, Juice, you've finally found the killer.
And at what point did he go from these brown Dingo boots to the black Bruno Magli shoes? Did Dingo get mad at him? I'm sure that if they did, they were grateful to not have had bloody Dingo footprints all over the cement. Although, perhaps they would have appreciated the sudden exposure that would have come from it.
I was hoping this ad could answer a few questions, but it seems to have caused me to ask more. But that's okay, it was fun anyway—I quite enjoyed the blast from the past, and hope you did too.
Credit goes to Georgie Boy for providing the Sports Illustrated.
Okay, on with the post.
So a few weeks ago I found myself scanning through an old Sports Illustrated from 1980, and I found an excellent ad featuring an old "friend". I meant to write about it, but just haven't had the motivation to do so (as explained above).
I got quite a kick out of it, and hope you do too.
If you have trouble reading the type, it says,
"He's always one step ahead. Listen: 'I love today's western look, right down to the boots. And Dingo knows about the West.' Like OJ Simpson, we mean what we say, and what we say is: Nobody Puts Leather Together Like Dingo."
Wow, where do I begin with this one?
I suppose I'll start with the headline. Yep, you're right, OJ is a dingo. He's about the biggest dingo in the world. And why does he have three legs? Did this come out in his trial? Is this how he was able to get away, because they didn't check the footprint of the third leg? Is that extra leg what made him such a great football player? I feel like these are questions that need answering.
As for the copy, he's always "one step ahead", huh? Well, that was true for the past 13 or so years, but it looks like he started to slow down in those Dingos, because karma finally caught up with him this week. Does OJ always mean what he says? Like when he said that he was going to devote his whole life to finding the person that killed Nicole and Ron, did he mean that? Did he mean that he was going to search every golf course on earth for them? Perhaps that's what he was doing in that hotel room in Vegas a few months ago. Maybe he got a tip that the "real" killer was going to be in that room. Well, in a way, he was right, because he was in that room. Nice work, Juice, you've finally found the killer.
And at what point did he go from these brown Dingo boots to the black Bruno Magli shoes? Did Dingo get mad at him? I'm sure that if they did, they were grateful to not have had bloody Dingo footprints all over the cement. Although, perhaps they would have appreciated the sudden exposure that would have come from it.
I was hoping this ad could answer a few questions, but it seems to have caused me to ask more. But that's okay, it was fun anyway—I quite enjoyed the blast from the past, and hope you did too.
Credit goes to Georgie Boy for providing the Sports Illustrated.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Halloween
Our first Halloween with Penny was a great one. She was so damn cute in her costume. She was, hands down, the best looking Lion around, as seen here.
Just hangin' out in m'lion costume, no big deal.
I am a fierce lion, hear me ROAR!!!!
After dressing her up, Mel brought her to visit me at work, where, of course, she was a huge hit. However, between it being about 117º in our office, and the lion costume being made of something that feels like wool, we had to shed the costume for the "baby's first halloween" onesie that Grandma bought for her, and the adorable punkin beanie that Sheila (a work friend) gave her.
As for my costume, I decided to be Lars, from the movie Lars and the Real Girl. For those of you who know nothing about this movie, please watch this trailer:
This is a great movie. It is one of the best movies of the past several years. It's heartwarming, it's emotional, it's funny. As you can see here in the following pictures, Bianca, my Brazilian missionary girlfriend came to work with me. I actually got the idea from Court, he was also dressing up as Lars and creating Briana, for his Halloween party Friday night. So, since I pretty much look exactly like Lars, I decided to pilfer his idea for my work party. A lot of work (mostly by Court) went into the Bianca part, but Melissa and I put a few finishing touches on her. And without further adieu, here we are:
Bianca and Lars chillin' in Rob's office.
And here are Lars and Bianca enjoying the beautiful weather in the park.
Mel dressed as Joy from My Name is Earl.
Bianca really liked hanging out at work, partying with all my coworkers and eating delicious food. It was a fun day.
After work, Mel and I went out to get hit the town (or get some food, shop at a thrift store and then came back home to give away candy to strange kids). Since Mel had already dressed up as Joy from My Name is Earl, and since Court was escorting Bianca to his party, I decided to dress up as Earl Hickey for the evening. The sad thing is that I didn't look at all like I had a costume on—apparently Earl and I are the same person.
The real Earl and Joy.
Earl, Joy and lil lion Penny.
We found some cool things at the thrift store, then picked up our favorite Mexican food from Cotixan (mmm, bean burritos and taquitos). We then ventured back to the pad and watched some scary movies while waiting for trick-or-treaters. And we waited. And we waited. So I have a question: where the crap are all the trick-or-treaters in the world? Does no one do that any more? Is our politically correct world to delicate to let the kids go out and get a bunch of free candy? I mean, we had a big bowl full of Snickers, Milky Way, Twix and plain M&M's, and we had TWO groups, totaling about eight kids come to our door. What kind of a world do we live in where kids can't go door to door and let strangers give them candy? It's appalling. As a youth I remember taking out my huge pillowcase, and spending hours upon hours walking the streets of Provo, collecting as much candy as possible, before going home for the big inspection, and then the big feast. Why don't people do that now? If we had a sugar-free, Atkins-friendly holiday, would more parents take their kids out? Is my little neighborhood of four-plexes not good enough for the kids in La Jolla? I'd like to get to the bottom of this, but, my laziness will get in the way, and I have a feeling I'll never find out the answer.
I realize that today's world isn't that safe, and you don't want your kids roaming the streets alone, but I have an idea for all the parents out there, "TAKE YOUR KIDS OUT TRICK OR TREATING!" Isn't that one of the greatest joys as a parent, walking your kids door-to-door, showing their cuteness off to the neighborhood, making them happy, and then, once you get home, pilfering the good candy for yourself? What happened to this tradition? It angers me. It saddens me. I just feel bad for the kids. Come on parents, do it for the kids.
And one more rant from me before I'm done. Why is it when you order an adorable Snoopy costume (for newborns) online, when you get it it looks like it's for a newborn hippo? There's no way there is a newborn human big enough to fit in that thing. Seriously. It says 0-3 months, not 0-3 years! I just don't get it. We could probably save it for a year and use it for Penny next Halloween.
Ok, all right. Enough ranting. We had an awesome Halloween, and we hope that all of you did too. Now bring on Thanksgiving and all that blessed Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, punkin pie, Lions' football and everything else.
Until next time.
Just hangin' out in m'lion costume, no big deal.
I am a fierce lion, hear me ROAR!!!!
After dressing her up, Mel brought her to visit me at work, where, of course, she was a huge hit. However, between it being about 117º in our office, and the lion costume being made of something that feels like wool, we had to shed the costume for the "baby's first halloween" onesie that Grandma bought for her, and the adorable punkin beanie that Sheila (a work friend) gave her.
As for my costume, I decided to be Lars, from the movie Lars and the Real Girl. For those of you who know nothing about this movie, please watch this trailer:
This is a great movie. It is one of the best movies of the past several years. It's heartwarming, it's emotional, it's funny. As you can see here in the following pictures, Bianca, my Brazilian missionary girlfriend came to work with me. I actually got the idea from Court, he was also dressing up as Lars and creating Briana, for his Halloween party Friday night. So, since I pretty much look exactly like Lars, I decided to pilfer his idea for my work party. A lot of work (mostly by Court) went into the Bianca part, but Melissa and I put a few finishing touches on her. And without further adieu, here we are:
Bianca and Lars chillin' in Rob's office.
And here are Lars and Bianca enjoying the beautiful weather in the park.
Mel dressed as Joy from My Name is Earl.
Bianca really liked hanging out at work, partying with all my coworkers and eating delicious food. It was a fun day.
After work, Mel and I went out to get hit the town (or get some food, shop at a thrift store and then came back home to give away candy to strange kids). Since Mel had already dressed up as Joy from My Name is Earl, and since Court was escorting Bianca to his party, I decided to dress up as Earl Hickey for the evening. The sad thing is that I didn't look at all like I had a costume on—apparently Earl and I are the same person.
The real Earl and Joy.
Earl, Joy and lil lion Penny.
We found some cool things at the thrift store, then picked up our favorite Mexican food from Cotixan (mmm, bean burritos and taquitos). We then ventured back to the pad and watched some scary movies while waiting for trick-or-treaters. And we waited. And we waited. So I have a question: where the crap are all the trick-or-treaters in the world? Does no one do that any more? Is our politically correct world to delicate to let the kids go out and get a bunch of free candy? I mean, we had a big bowl full of Snickers, Milky Way, Twix and plain M&M's, and we had TWO groups, totaling about eight kids come to our door. What kind of a world do we live in where kids can't go door to door and let strangers give them candy? It's appalling. As a youth I remember taking out my huge pillowcase, and spending hours upon hours walking the streets of Provo, collecting as much candy as possible, before going home for the big inspection, and then the big feast. Why don't people do that now? If we had a sugar-free, Atkins-friendly holiday, would more parents take their kids out? Is my little neighborhood of four-plexes not good enough for the kids in La Jolla? I'd like to get to the bottom of this, but, my laziness will get in the way, and I have a feeling I'll never find out the answer.
I realize that today's world isn't that safe, and you don't want your kids roaming the streets alone, but I have an idea for all the parents out there, "TAKE YOUR KIDS OUT TRICK OR TREATING!" Isn't that one of the greatest joys as a parent, walking your kids door-to-door, showing their cuteness off to the neighborhood, making them happy, and then, once you get home, pilfering the good candy for yourself? What happened to this tradition? It angers me. It saddens me. I just feel bad for the kids. Come on parents, do it for the kids.
And one more rant from me before I'm done. Why is it when you order an adorable Snoopy costume (for newborns) online, when you get it it looks like it's for a newborn hippo? There's no way there is a newborn human big enough to fit in that thing. Seriously. It says 0-3 months, not 0-3 years! I just don't get it. We could probably save it for a year and use it for Penny next Halloween.
Ok, all right. Enough ranting. We had an awesome Halloween, and we hope that all of you did too. Now bring on Thanksgiving and all that blessed Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, punkin pie, Lions' football and everything else.
Until next time.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Penny's heritage
So, I think I've made a recent discovery about Penny. All this time, I thought I was her dad. But recently, I saw a picture that made me think that someone else is her real, biological father. It was quite shocking, and I don't know what to do. Maybe you all can help me. Check out these photos and tell me what you think. Am I crazy? Am I her dad? I just don't know any more.
Penny:
Penny1030_1.jpg
PJ_t2.jpg
IMG_6706crop.jpg
PJ_brown.jpg
PJ_t3.jpg
Her apparent biological father:
GS.jpg
If this turns out to be true, I must say it would deeply sadden me. I hope he never catches wind of this and one day try to come and take this beautiful little peanut away from me. But I suppose if he is able to provide a happier life for her than I could, perhaps I shouldn't be selfish try to do what's best for her, even though it will be devastating to me. I would really miss her.
Penny:
Penny1030_1.jpg
PJ_t2.jpg
IMG_6706crop.jpg
PJ_brown.jpg
PJ_t3.jpg
Her apparent biological father:
GS.jpg
If this turns out to be true, I must say it would deeply sadden me. I hope he never catches wind of this and one day try to come and take this beautiful little peanut away from me. But I suppose if he is able to provide a happier life for her than I could, perhaps I shouldn't be selfish try to do what's best for her, even though it will be devastating to me. I would really miss her.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
"Pretty Penny was her name."
I can't help but think of these words from the Stone Temple Pilots song Pretty Penny right now. The line is very apropos as we are extremely happy to announce the birth of Penny Joan Atkinson.
Penny was born on Saturday, September 20, 2008, at 1:51 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs. 4 0z. and measuring 19 1/4" long.
Welcome to the world, Sweet Pea. Below are a couple of action shots.
Hamming it up for the camera a few moments after being born:
Trying to eat mom's nose:
Sticking her tongue out to the world as she shows off her bicep:
Penny was born on Saturday, September 20, 2008, at 1:51 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs. 4 0z. and measuring 19 1/4" long.
Welcome to the world, Sweet Pea. Below are a couple of action shots.
Hamming it up for the camera a few moments after being born:
Trying to eat mom's nose:
Sticking her tongue out to the world as she shows off her bicep:
Monday, September 15, 2008
Hot Mama
I must say, I've always looked forward to the day that Melissa got pregnant. It's been just over five years now since we got hitched, and it's been a great five years. We weren't ready for kids right away, I actually couldn't imagine having a 4-year old right now—that would be insane. I feel like we've waited the perfect amount of time.
I don't think you could ever be ready to have a kid, but what do I know, we haven't even had ours yet? I realize that I have no idea the swath of destruction that this little hurricane will inflict upon our lives. Yet, inside m'head and heart, I feel I am ready.
That being said, one of the things I've always said I can't wait for is to see Melissa pregnant. And more importantly, see other people's reactions when they see her belly. In case you haven't noticed, Mel has kind of a young look. Even long before she got knocked up, people would give us interesting glances, probably thinking in their heads that I am some perverted 35 year old with a 16 year old wife. This becomes especially true when I have my mustache.
As a nanny, it seemed that everyday she would mention to me that someone (usually an elderly lady) had come up to her and said, "there's no way that's your little girl, you're not old enough." Mel would reply, "well, she is not my baby, but I certainly could have a kid, I am 27!)" They were always shocked to hear this. I love how people just assume things, without paying attention to what they are saying or doing. Personally, I don't think Mel looks that young (not that she looks old, don't get mad at me honey!), but I think she looks her age. She just happens to be a little shorter than most people, so everyone assumes she's young.
I always had the feeling that she would be the type of pregnant girl who only showed in her belly, and pretty much no where else. This came to be true, as seen here: front.jpg, back.JPG, versus here: side.jpg, side2.jpg. I've been anticipating these nine months for over four years. And now that it's here (and almost gone), it didn't disappoint. It's great! I love going to the mall, or Costco, or anywhere really, and just walking around. You should see the looks that people give her. Her belly is so big compared to the rest of her body, I don't think people quite know to react. And they don't just give looks, they make comments, sometimes to themselves, and sometimes out loud, as if she's not even there. I want to conduct an experiment where we go to the mall and I just film people looking at her. If we get around to it, I'll post it for all to enjoy.
I have really loved having a pregnant lil wifey. She is the cutest, hottest, most adorable pregnant lady in the history of everything. I am convinced of this. However, I will miss her belly a great deal when it's gone (although I will enjoy having the little babe that comes from that basketball under her shirt, and I know that she is excited to have her old flat tummy back).
Here are a couple recent pics of the hot little mama:
Gray_sweater.jpg
Red.jpg
The big day is coming soon, we'll keep you all posted.
I don't think you could ever be ready to have a kid, but what do I know, we haven't even had ours yet? I realize that I have no idea the swath of destruction that this little hurricane will inflict upon our lives. Yet, inside m'head and heart, I feel I am ready.
That being said, one of the things I've always said I can't wait for is to see Melissa pregnant. And more importantly, see other people's reactions when they see her belly. In case you haven't noticed, Mel has kind of a young look. Even long before she got knocked up, people would give us interesting glances, probably thinking in their heads that I am some perverted 35 year old with a 16 year old wife. This becomes especially true when I have my mustache.
As a nanny, it seemed that everyday she would mention to me that someone (usually an elderly lady) had come up to her and said, "there's no way that's your little girl, you're not old enough." Mel would reply, "well, she is not my baby, but I certainly could have a kid, I am 27!)" They were always shocked to hear this. I love how people just assume things, without paying attention to what they are saying or doing. Personally, I don't think Mel looks that young (not that she looks old, don't get mad at me honey!), but I think she looks her age. She just happens to be a little shorter than most people, so everyone assumes she's young.
I always had the feeling that she would be the type of pregnant girl who only showed in her belly, and pretty much no where else. This came to be true, as seen here: front.jpg, back.JPG, versus here: side.jpg, side2.jpg. I've been anticipating these nine months for over four years. And now that it's here (and almost gone), it didn't disappoint. It's great! I love going to the mall, or Costco, or anywhere really, and just walking around. You should see the looks that people give her. Her belly is so big compared to the rest of her body, I don't think people quite know to react. And they don't just give looks, they make comments, sometimes to themselves, and sometimes out loud, as if she's not even there. I want to conduct an experiment where we go to the mall and I just film people looking at her. If we get around to it, I'll post it for all to enjoy.
I have really loved having a pregnant lil wifey. She is the cutest, hottest, most adorable pregnant lady in the history of everything. I am convinced of this. However, I will miss her belly a great deal when it's gone (although I will enjoy having the little babe that comes from that basketball under her shirt, and I know that she is excited to have her old flat tummy back).
Here are a couple recent pics of the hot little mama:
Gray_sweater.jpg
Red.jpg
The big day is coming soon, we'll keep you all posted.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Things I hate (update).
Just wanted to update all my readers on my previous post (Things I hate). I know you've been anxiously waiting to find out what happened when I called Time Warner . Last week I called and explained my predicament—the fact that I'd been charged $200 dollars for something that seemed pretty simple.Well, for once, their response was good news! Yes, you heard that right, I had a good experience with Time Warner Cable. (Although it didn't necessary look good at first).
So what happened? I explained my story to the lady on the phone, and asked her why I was charged $99.95 twice for my install. I fully expected her to say that it was a mistake, and that I was only supposed to be charged $99.95 once. At that point I would attempt to talk my way out of that $100 charge. But no, what did she do? She acted like it was NORMAL. She said I was supposed to be charged that much money! I said, "What? It costs $100 just to cut a $%#in hole in the wall? That is not a mistake? That is ridiculous!"
I think she could sense from her tone that I was not a happy camper, one who she did not want to deal with she transferred me to her supervisor. "Good, I can finally get something done," I thought to myself.
After waiting for probably 10 minutes, a guy answered. Let's call him Albert, to protect the innocent. He asked how he could help me, so I told him how the first lady had transferred me to her supervisor.
Albert was not her supervisor. "Awesome," was my first thought, another run-around. However, Albert was something better than her supervisor.
Albert was very nice.
Albert was a God-send.
Albert was a blessing in disguise.
Albert was in the "Retention" department.
Albert has the power to try and make me happy and to retain my services with Time Warner.
Albert is my new best friend.
To keep a long story from being way longer, Albert sympathized with my predicament, and fully agreed that $200 dollars to run some cable and cut a couple holes was obscene. Thank you Albert," was a phrase I repeated often during this call.
He dropped the $200 to $6o, and, for all of my trouble, he gave me some free services, which was awesome, so now I am paying about $16 less per month.
Anyway, the moral of this story is that standing up and not taking BS worked for me. I firmly stated my case and stood my ground, without being a dick about it. It turns out I am my father's son! He would be so proud.
In fact, he's probably up in Heaven right now, taking a break from talking his way into a brighter halo and a bigger set of wings, to look down and smile upon me.
So what happened? I explained my story to the lady on the phone, and asked her why I was charged $99.95 twice for my install. I fully expected her to say that it was a mistake, and that I was only supposed to be charged $99.95 once. At that point I would attempt to talk my way out of that $100 charge. But no, what did she do? She acted like it was NORMAL. She said I was supposed to be charged that much money! I said, "What? It costs $100 just to cut a $%#in hole in the wall? That is not a mistake? That is ridiculous!"
I think she could sense from her tone that I was not a happy camper, one who she did not want to deal with she transferred me to her supervisor. "Good, I can finally get something done," I thought to myself.
After waiting for probably 10 minutes, a guy answered. Let's call him Albert, to protect the innocent. He asked how he could help me, so I told him how the first lady had transferred me to her supervisor.
Albert was not her supervisor. "Awesome," was my first thought, another run-around. However, Albert was something better than her supervisor.
Albert was very nice.
Albert was a God-send.
Albert was a blessing in disguise.
Albert was in the "Retention" department.
Albert has the power to try and make me happy and to retain my services with Time Warner.
Albert is my new best friend.
To keep a long story from being way longer, Albert sympathized with my predicament, and fully agreed that $200 dollars to run some cable and cut a couple holes was obscene. Thank you Albert," was a phrase I repeated often during this call.
He dropped the $200 to $6o, and, for all of my trouble, he gave me some free services, which was awesome, so now I am paying about $16 less per month.
Anyway, the moral of this story is that standing up and not taking BS worked for me. I firmly stated my case and stood my ground, without being a dick about it. It turns out I am my father's son! He would be so proud.
In fact, he's probably up in Heaven right now, taking a break from talking his way into a brighter halo and a bigger set of wings, to look down and smile upon me.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Things I hate.
A little housecleaning before I get started. I began writing this post about a month ago, but for many varying reasons, I didn't finish it. But rest assured, just because it was started a month ago, that doesn't mean my hate is any less severe in this case. I will now begin.
Today I decided to take a page out of the apparently on-hiatus Fun Hater blog and discuss things that chap my hide. We all have these things in life that push our buttons, so I thought I'd vent a little and discuss one of them.
Let me just come right out and say this unequivocally, so there will be no confusion. I hate cable companies with a passion, and right now my vitriol is aimed squarely at Time Warner Cable. I know this is not a new topic, and I am definitely not alone in my anger and frustrations, but I thought, "What the hell, I'm going to rant anyway."
We moved into our new apartment on June 22. Time Warner was scheduled to come on Monday the 23rd to install the cable. Before the guy even came over, we noticed that there was only one cable outlet in the entire place, and by the way, it was located in a ridiculous location. There was no cable in the bedrooms, and there wasn't a cable outlet where the TV should go. This prompted me to ask the question, "did the last people not have cable, or did they have their TV in this lame spot so when someone comes up the stairs, they immediately happen upon the TV?" (No one was there to answer my inquiry).
So the guy comes over as scheduled, and when I show him our solitary cable outlet, he laughs and agrees that it's ridiculous. He takes a look around, and realizes that there are no "external" cables to hook into (whatever that means), so we'll need to drill holes. "Great," I said, "go right ahead." Well, we would need permission to drill holes from the owner, he informs us. That's awesome. So he manages to at least hook up our cable through the lame outlet, so we have a computer working with the Internet, as well as a cable stretching across our entire family room to our TV. A fantastic permanent solution, in my opinion. Maybe I'll invite a few elderly people over so they can trip on it and fall forehead first into our coffee table. Obviously, something had to be done. In essence we had to get the written permission, then make an appointment so they could come back and drill the holes so they could install the cable. Fine I say, whatever.
So I tried contacting our our property manager the next day to inform her of our dilemma, since we have no direct contact with the owner. It only took about five or so days for her to get back to me, and what does she do? She refers me to the Home Owners Association, and we all know what treat it can be to deal with them. The HOA says that unless it's a common or outside wall, we don't need to talk to them, just the owner of our unit. That's exactly what I tried to do in the first place when our genius manager led us astray to the HOA. Another hoop to jump through. So, back to emailing my property manager. It of course took a couple days to hear from her, but finally, I got the permission in the form of an email, that yes, we could indeed have some holes drilled in our walls. Next up was just to schedule an appointment with Time Warner, so I call them. The date was Monday, July 7th, and the earliest that they could come was Sunday, July 13th. Fine I say, just come and get it done. I explained what needed to be done, the situation, etc, and hung up, thinking that on Sunday, we would finally have cable in our bedroom.
Ha, that's a good one. I'm a real comedian.
What happened, you ask. Well, our guy shows up on Sunday, and asks what we need done. So I explain it to him, and he replies, "I can't do anything for you, you need a technician to come drill the holes."
I was speechless. But I attempted to communicate with him anyway. I know I need a technician, that's who you are suppose to be. He tells us that he is just here to check things out and make sure that the technician is needed. Apparently the technician is incredibly important, and we can't waste his precious time. But what I couldn't understand is why the technician didn't come out in the first place? We already had a guy come out and establish the need for a technician. I tried to explain this to him, but he said that it was necessary for him to come and see things first. He wouldn't admit that it was a mistake and that he was just wasting my time. So he called home base to make an appointment for a technician. I requested that they come at night, since we have to work during the day. But, of course, the technicians don't work at night or on the weekends, they're too good for that. The first available appointment would be on Thursday, July 24th. Awesome, that is a week and a half away, and I'd have to stay home from work for half a day. Oh, and by the way, they say it'll cost like 100 bucks for the technician to come out and drill the holes. Sweet, that is great news. Thanks, Time Warner.
So, finally, the day arrived for the guy to come and install the cable. I worked from home that day, and he came and did the cable. It went off without a hitch, no big deal. After being in our house for more than a month, we finally have cable in our bedroom, in addition to getting rid of the coax cable stretching across our family room. It was about damn time. I can watch Letterman, Conan, Kimmel and SportsCenter again at night while going to bed.
So today, August 30, we got our cable bill. And, not only did they charge us $100. but they accidentally charged us $200! Yeah! So now, on Monday, I will call and try and complain my way out of that bill. But I'm sure that I will fail in getting the fee waived. Calling Time Warmer is an amazing experience. Every time I call them, it goes something like this: Someone will answer after about 10 minutes of waiting, and I'll explain my problems to them. Then, they'll say I need to talk to so and so, and transfer me to them. Then I have to explain it all again, and I get nowhere. This usually happens two or three times per phone call. It's very taxing. An endless cycle. And it sucks.
I'm not a good complainer, tt never works for me. At least not to the people who can get things done. I'm a great complainer to the wife or friends. I'll bitch and moan to people all day, but when it comes to the person I'm complaining about, I just accept no for an answer and that is that. I'm all talk.
Maybe I have to be a bigger asshole on the phone to get things done. It makes me think of my dad. He was the best at setting the record straight, and getting things done—HIS way! He didn't care how big of a dick he had to be, he would just do it, and not think twice. I don't think he every paid full price for a car, TV or anything else. This came in handy sometimes, but other times, like when we were all out eating at a restaurant, it could be extremely embarrassing. Now, I inherited many qualities from my dad, like having feet that get so hot during the night that I have to stick them out of the covers, or being able to pick up anything up to 10 lbs with my toes, among other things.
However, this ability to just stand up to these people and get things my way is not one of the things that I got from him. My sister got it, believe you me, but I didn't. Sometimes I wish I could tap into that power, like when buying a car or in this case, talking to the douche bags at Time Warner. I think I'd save a lot of money, and get a lot more done. But, alas, that's not me.
So, what do I do? I complain about it to you guys, or the wife, or whoever will listen. But certainly not to the j-holes causing me stress and heartache. But maybe this time will be different. Maybe, just maybe I'll tap into the John Sr. inside of me and talk my way out of this cable bill.
Wish me luck, and thanks for listening.
Now I'm going to go watch TV, in my bedroom! Finally.
Today I decided to take a page out of the apparently on-hiatus Fun Hater blog and discuss things that chap my hide. We all have these things in life that push our buttons, so I thought I'd vent a little and discuss one of them.
Let me just come right out and say this unequivocally, so there will be no confusion. I hate cable companies with a passion, and right now my vitriol is aimed squarely at Time Warner Cable. I know this is not a new topic, and I am definitely not alone in my anger and frustrations, but I thought, "What the hell, I'm going to rant anyway."
We moved into our new apartment on June 22. Time Warner was scheduled to come on Monday the 23rd to install the cable. Before the guy even came over, we noticed that there was only one cable outlet in the entire place, and by the way, it was located in a ridiculous location. There was no cable in the bedrooms, and there wasn't a cable outlet where the TV should go. This prompted me to ask the question, "did the last people not have cable, or did they have their TV in this lame spot so when someone comes up the stairs, they immediately happen upon the TV?" (No one was there to answer my inquiry).
So the guy comes over as scheduled, and when I show him our solitary cable outlet, he laughs and agrees that it's ridiculous. He takes a look around, and realizes that there are no "external" cables to hook into (whatever that means), so we'll need to drill holes. "Great," I said, "go right ahead." Well, we would need permission to drill holes from the owner, he informs us. That's awesome. So he manages to at least hook up our cable through the lame outlet, so we have a computer working with the Internet, as well as a cable stretching across our entire family room to our TV. A fantastic permanent solution, in my opinion. Maybe I'll invite a few elderly people over so they can trip on it and fall forehead first into our coffee table. Obviously, something had to be done. In essence we had to get the written permission, then make an appointment so they could come back and drill the holes so they could install the cable. Fine I say, whatever.
So I tried contacting our our property manager the next day to inform her of our dilemma, since we have no direct contact with the owner. It only took about five or so days for her to get back to me, and what does she do? She refers me to the Home Owners Association, and we all know what treat it can be to deal with them. The HOA says that unless it's a common or outside wall, we don't need to talk to them, just the owner of our unit. That's exactly what I tried to do in the first place when our genius manager led us astray to the HOA. Another hoop to jump through. So, back to emailing my property manager. It of course took a couple days to hear from her, but finally, I got the permission in the form of an email, that yes, we could indeed have some holes drilled in our walls. Next up was just to schedule an appointment with Time Warner, so I call them. The date was Monday, July 7th, and the earliest that they could come was Sunday, July 13th. Fine I say, just come and get it done. I explained what needed to be done, the situation, etc, and hung up, thinking that on Sunday, we would finally have cable in our bedroom.
Ha, that's a good one. I'm a real comedian.
What happened, you ask. Well, our guy shows up on Sunday, and asks what we need done. So I explain it to him, and he replies, "I can't do anything for you, you need a technician to come drill the holes."
I was speechless. But I attempted to communicate with him anyway. I know I need a technician, that's who you are suppose to be. He tells us that he is just here to check things out and make sure that the technician is needed. Apparently the technician is incredibly important, and we can't waste his precious time. But what I couldn't understand is why the technician didn't come out in the first place? We already had a guy come out and establish the need for a technician. I tried to explain this to him, but he said that it was necessary for him to come and see things first. He wouldn't admit that it was a mistake and that he was just wasting my time. So he called home base to make an appointment for a technician. I requested that they come at night, since we have to work during the day. But, of course, the technicians don't work at night or on the weekends, they're too good for that. The first available appointment would be on Thursday, July 24th. Awesome, that is a week and a half away, and I'd have to stay home from work for half a day. Oh, and by the way, they say it'll cost like 100 bucks for the technician to come out and drill the holes. Sweet, that is great news. Thanks, Time Warner.
So, finally, the day arrived for the guy to come and install the cable. I worked from home that day, and he came and did the cable. It went off without a hitch, no big deal. After being in our house for more than a month, we finally have cable in our bedroom, in addition to getting rid of the coax cable stretching across our family room. It was about damn time. I can watch Letterman, Conan, Kimmel and SportsCenter again at night while going to bed.
So today, August 30, we got our cable bill. And, not only did they charge us $100. but they accidentally charged us $200! Yeah! So now, on Monday, I will call and try and complain my way out of that bill. But I'm sure that I will fail in getting the fee waived. Calling Time Warmer is an amazing experience. Every time I call them, it goes something like this: Someone will answer after about 10 minutes of waiting, and I'll explain my problems to them. Then, they'll say I need to talk to so and so, and transfer me to them. Then I have to explain it all again, and I get nowhere. This usually happens two or three times per phone call. It's very taxing. An endless cycle. And it sucks.
I'm not a good complainer, tt never works for me. At least not to the people who can get things done. I'm a great complainer to the wife or friends. I'll bitch and moan to people all day, but when it comes to the person I'm complaining about, I just accept no for an answer and that is that. I'm all talk.
Maybe I have to be a bigger asshole on the phone to get things done. It makes me think of my dad. He was the best at setting the record straight, and getting things done—HIS way! He didn't care how big of a dick he had to be, he would just do it, and not think twice. I don't think he every paid full price for a car, TV or anything else. This came in handy sometimes, but other times, like when we were all out eating at a restaurant, it could be extremely embarrassing. Now, I inherited many qualities from my dad, like having feet that get so hot during the night that I have to stick them out of the covers, or being able to pick up anything up to 10 lbs with my toes, among other things.
However, this ability to just stand up to these people and get things my way is not one of the things that I got from him. My sister got it, believe you me, but I didn't. Sometimes I wish I could tap into that power, like when buying a car or in this case, talking to the douche bags at Time Warner. I think I'd save a lot of money, and get a lot more done. But, alas, that's not me.
So, what do I do? I complain about it to you guys, or the wife, or whoever will listen. But certainly not to the j-holes causing me stress and heartache. But maybe this time will be different. Maybe, just maybe I'll tap into the John Sr. inside of me and talk my way out of this cable bill.
Wish me luck, and thanks for listening.
Now I'm going to go watch TV, in my bedroom! Finally.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
This is Dre
1. She is way cool.
2. She is my friend
3. She is single.
4. She likes to touch bums.
Watch out for her.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Who doesn't love a parade…of wolves?
Last week, Mel and I had the pleasure of seeing Wolf Parade, one of our mostest favoritest bands in this life, live in concert at Cane's, a little club located right on Mission Beach. It's actually a cool place to see a show. It is the second Wolf Parade concert we've seen at Cane's, and I like it. It's small, but not crammed, and you can find plenty of good places to watch the band. The crowd was really good for this particular show, which made me happy because I hate lame crowds. Here is a picture that accurately depicts the emotion and energy of a Wolf Parade show:
As for the show, it was beautiful. If you are not familiar with Wolf Parade, I feel sorry for you. They are from Montreal, Canada, and first got their break opening up for another astounding Montreal band, The Arcade Fire. I can only imagine how special that concert would have been, with two of my favs playing together. As for their music, it's extremely hard to describe, so I won't. Here are a couple songs and videos to quickly acquaint yourself, so you can get a sense of the raw power they possess. The videos don't really do their concerts justice, but they give a small taste of what they are like live.
Ill Believe In Anything.mp3
Kissing The Beehive.mp3
Dear Sons And Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts.mp3
These are some of my favorite songs, and are epic when performed live. As you can tell, Kissing the Beehive is about 11 minutes long. They ended the main set with it, before coming back out for an encore that included my favorite song, I'll Believe In Anything. It's definitely a crowd favorite, and this particular crowd went nuts for it. It was emotional, it was sweaty, it was damn good. They have a great energy about them that draws you in. The group includes five members, with two of them sharing songwriting and lead singing duties. Spencer Krug plays the keyboard with reckless abandon, sweating profusely all over the ivory. He lobs grenades back and forth with guitarist and other lead singer, Dan Boeckner. Most of the time, one will sing lead, with the other sings backup. On Kissing the Beehive, they do an especially great job of complementing one another as they go back and forth.
The entire band as a unit is astounding. Bassist Dante DeCaro is also fun to watch with the ferocity in which he rips the bass, while providing backing vocals as well.
Wolf Parade has two full length albums, Apologies to the Queen Mary, and their recently release, At Mount Zoomer. I command you to buy both of them right now.
By the way, if given the chance, I'm pretty sure that Melissa would leave me for Spencer Krug the keyboardist and founder of the band. We actually saw Spencer and a couple of the other band members getting on their tour bus a couple hours before the show. I think they had been walking around the beach and were returning to prepare for the show. In Mel's awe, she got flustered and blew her chance to meet her crush. Once Spencer got on the bus, she knew she blew it, and at least once a day she kicks herself for not approaching him and saying hi. Oh well, she'll have to settle for continuing her marriage to boring old, non-rockstar Rob. Hopefully she will manage—it'll be tough.
So your homework assignment is to immediately start listening to Wolf Parade, and, next time they come to town I expect to be rocking out along with you right beside me.
As for the show, it was beautiful. If you are not familiar with Wolf Parade, I feel sorry for you. They are from Montreal, Canada, and first got their break opening up for another astounding Montreal band, The Arcade Fire. I can only imagine how special that concert would have been, with two of my favs playing together. As for their music, it's extremely hard to describe, so I won't. Here are a couple songs and videos to quickly acquaint yourself, so you can get a sense of the raw power they possess. The videos don't really do their concerts justice, but they give a small taste of what they are like live.
Ill Believe In Anything.mp3
Kissing The Beehive.mp3
Dear Sons And Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts.mp3
These are some of my favorite songs, and are epic when performed live. As you can tell, Kissing the Beehive is about 11 minutes long. They ended the main set with it, before coming back out for an encore that included my favorite song, I'll Believe In Anything. It's definitely a crowd favorite, and this particular crowd went nuts for it. It was emotional, it was sweaty, it was damn good. They have a great energy about them that draws you in. The group includes five members, with two of them sharing songwriting and lead singing duties. Spencer Krug plays the keyboard with reckless abandon, sweating profusely all over the ivory. He lobs grenades back and forth with guitarist and other lead singer, Dan Boeckner. Most of the time, one will sing lead, with the other sings backup. On Kissing the Beehive, they do an especially great job of complementing one another as they go back and forth.
The entire band as a unit is astounding. Bassist Dante DeCaro is also fun to watch with the ferocity in which he rips the bass, while providing backing vocals as well.
Wolf Parade has two full length albums, Apologies to the Queen Mary, and their recently release, At Mount Zoomer. I command you to buy both of them right now.
By the way, if given the chance, I'm pretty sure that Melissa would leave me for Spencer Krug the keyboardist and founder of the band. We actually saw Spencer and a couple of the other band members getting on their tour bus a couple hours before the show. I think they had been walking around the beach and were returning to prepare for the show. In Mel's awe, she got flustered and blew her chance to meet her crush. Once Spencer got on the bus, she knew she blew it, and at least once a day she kicks herself for not approaching him and saying hi. Oh well, she'll have to settle for continuing her marriage to boring old, non-rockstar Rob. Hopefully she will manage—it'll be tough.
So your homework assignment is to immediately start listening to Wolf Parade, and, next time they come to town I expect to be rocking out along with you right beside me.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
I love arcades
A big part of my childhood was spent hanging out in arcades playing video games. And not only playing video games, but watching friends and brothers play games. We used to have my mom drop us off at the University Mall, to spend hours on end at Fun-Uv-It, playing Street Fighter 2, Spy Hunter, Arch Rivals, and many other classic arcade games. If it wasn't the Fun-Uv-It, it was playing games at the movie theater, or at our gas station hang outs such as 7-11 or Will's Pit Stop. If I had all the quarters back that I pumped into those machines, I'd have about $20,000 dollars to go buy a new car. I miss those days where you could take three bucks to an arcade and play forever. Now, three bucks will last you about 10 minutes. It's ridiculous. Video games should cost a quarter. Period. Oh well, memories.
The reason that I bring this up, is that on our recent trip to Hearst Castle, in San Simeon, California, we stayed at the San Simeon Beach Lodge, with an adjoining restaurant and lounge. Now, the lil wifey and I love to play pool, so we decided to head on over to the lounge for some 8-ball, when I encountered the following:
I got a kick out of this beautifully crafted, fancy neon sign, right above ONE video game. I suppose that you could say that the pool table is part of the arcade, but I'd like to think that they spent the money to create this nice, cursive "Arcade" sign for just this one game. Personally, if I were to include the pool table in with the video game, I would have titled it Game Room, not Arcade. I wouldn't really consider a pool table as an arcade game, but that's cool.
The reason that I bring this up, is that on our recent trip to Hearst Castle, in San Simeon, California, we stayed at the San Simeon Beach Lodge, with an adjoining restaurant and lounge. Now, the lil wifey and I love to play pool, so we decided to head on over to the lounge for some 8-ball, when I encountered the following:
I got a kick out of this beautifully crafted, fancy neon sign, right above ONE video game. I suppose that you could say that the pool table is part of the arcade, but I'd like to think that they spent the money to create this nice, cursive "Arcade" sign for just this one game. Personally, if I were to include the pool table in with the video game, I would have titled it Game Room, not Arcade. I wouldn't really consider a pool table as an arcade game, but that's cool.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Pop quiz
What does the following look like to you?
a. A head of hair.
b. A bird's nest.
c. None of the above.
See, I would have said that it looks like my hair, but today, at approximately 1:15 pm, as I was walking to get a burrito at Roberto's, a bird mistook it for a nest and dove at me. I felt like a worm or a field mouse as it swooped down and tried to grab my hair.
Was he trying to land in it, or was he trying to use part of it for his nest? I am not entirely sure, to be honest, and I don't know that I'll ever have the full truth. What I do know is that it must have provided quite a sight for all the people sitting outside at Sam's Pizza and Roberto's. They got a free show with their lunch. Lucky them.
a. A head of hair.
b. A bird's nest.
c. None of the above.
See, I would have said that it looks like my hair, but today, at approximately 1:15 pm, as I was walking to get a burrito at Roberto's, a bird mistook it for a nest and dove at me. I felt like a worm or a field mouse as it swooped down and tried to grab my hair.
Was he trying to land in it, or was he trying to use part of it for his nest? I am not entirely sure, to be honest, and I don't know that I'll ever have the full truth. What I do know is that it must have provided quite a sight for all the people sitting outside at Sam's Pizza and Roberto's. They got a free show with their lunch. Lucky them.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Airplane signage
One of my favorite things in life is airplane safety signage. I especially love the illustrated variety, whether it's the safety pamphlet, or exit row signs, they rarely disappoint.
I flew to North Carolina recently, and was fortunate enough to sit in the Exit Row on the way home (yeah, leg room!). The following was posted above the exit door.
I am fairly certain of the sign's intended meaning, but I chose to come up with my own interpretation. It goes something like this:
If you stare out the window for too long, you will shoot a laser from your eyes. The glass will magnify said laser, and immediately start anything on fire which comes in its path. This even includes clouds. Caution, whatever you do, don't look at the door!
If any of you see your own awesome illustrated signage, please feel free to send it my way.
I flew to North Carolina recently, and was fortunate enough to sit in the Exit Row on the way home (yeah, leg room!). The following was posted above the exit door.
I am fairly certain of the sign's intended meaning, but I chose to come up with my own interpretation. It goes something like this:
If you stare out the window for too long, you will shoot a laser from your eyes. The glass will magnify said laser, and immediately start anything on fire which comes in its path. This even includes clouds. Caution, whatever you do, don't look at the door!
If any of you see your own awesome illustrated signage, please feel free to send it my way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)