Time Out

Once again... tons of random things to talk about...

(1) If you used to be in my myspace Top 8 and are no longer there, please don't be offended. I've made some new friends, and it's not so much that I like you any less... it's that I couldn't not put Jesus, Elmo, and Sesame Street in my Top 8. Trust me... you don't mess with Elmo. He may look cute and cuddly, but he's brutal if he feels slighted. But hey, we all have our flaws. And just a word of caution to Larry my Budde... if Kermit the Frog agrees to be my friend, you're out too.

(2) I swear, I'm not addicted to it... they make you put in your password every time you click on anything. That's crazy annoying.

(3) Fantasy draft #2 was a great time. Brian and I spent the first 20 minutes of the draft hanging out in the street, as no one was home. Once we all arrived and drew the draft order, I was disappointed to find myself picking 3rd. I ended up trading draft slots (only in this league...) with Kenny at 9th. Simon took Mario Soto, Scott Sullivan, and Chris Hammond. I think he made some good decisions. And I think it's still Mark Stecher's turn. I love my first 2 picks... I got Teixiera at 9, then turned around and picked up Wright at 14. I was contemplating taking Teixeira at 3 (before the swap), and would have taken Wright at 9 if Teixiera hadn't been there. The rest of the draft? No idea. But it was a good time.

(4) Toby is awesome. He knows who I am. I couldn't possibly be happier about this. It is clear that he looks at me and knows that I am Daddy. And he smiles and laughs at me. And I will not get tired of it. Ever. He is my beautiful son. And I don't want to miss anything. He's trying so hard to roll over. He's real close. And the new noises continue... he's just really cool. I'm sure Steve and Brian and anyone else with a young first child will agree, this whole baby thing is unlike anything else I've ever experienced. You can think about how it's gonna be all you want, but until you feel your baby's cheek up against yours... until your baby smiles at you for the first time... yeah. It's good.

(5) I really enjoy this blog. I started it because I wanted to write more and have failed every time I tried to start a journal. I've been at this for several months now, and I don't see myself stopping. I think more since I started writing. I reflect more. I analyze more things. I think this thing has been good for my brain. And, of course, it's been fun. It's been fun to create, and you fine readers/commenters make it even more fun for me.

(6) That being said... I spend quite a bit more time online now than I did 6 months ago. I write, I read/comment elsewhere... I've written a lot about my son, but I've also spent too many of his waking hours in front of this stupid computer. I need to find a healthy balance. Thus, I made the decision earlier today to give up writing/reading blog posts for a week. Beginning with this post and ending next Sunday, I'll be on blog vacation. I hope to spend more time cuddling with my wife and my son. I hope to do more things around the house. I hope to be a more productive member of society. So, here goes nothing. I'll still be checking email (but only once per day!), so I'll get your comments if you leave them.

(7) The South Park guys are hilarious. I haven't watched that show since high school (me and mom used to watch it together...) but I've heard all about the Chef issue. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, Isaac Hayes voices a character on the Comedy Central animated TV show. The show has made fun of pretty much everything there is to make fun of in this world over the past 10 years. From what I can remember, they are pretty much an equal-opportunity operation--they make fun of Christians, Muslims, Jews, Atheists, Whites, Blacks, Asians, rich, poor, skinny, fat, etc. all equally. And Isaac Hayes has been a part of it all. Last year, there was an episode of South Park that ripped on Tom Cruise and his wacky Scientology. All of a sudden, Hayes, a Scientologist, thinks the writers of SP are bigots, and quits the show. So what do the writers do??? They portray Hayes' character as a pedophile and have his brains scrambled by the "Super Adventure Club", clearly a thinly-veiled attack on the Scientologists. The writers have Hayes' character killed off. At his funeral, one of the kids says (essentially), "We shouldn't be mad at Chef for leaving us.. we should be mad at that fruity little club for scrambling his mind." I believe this is the point in the story when the writers of SP can simply point and say... "scoreboard."

(8) Busy week coming up... final plumbing fixes (we hope), Tye's bachelor party and wedding, Rohs Street with Brooke (Saturday April 1, $2.00 at the door... hope to see you there!)

(9) My heart goes out to the 8, 6, and 1 year old children of the TN pastor who was murdered by his wife the other day. The media loves it when a pastor's wife kills her husband and the fate of their 3 precious children is up in the air. It's a great story for them. It's heartwrenching for guys like me to hear. Then I think of how many people in this world my heart would go out to if I heard their stories. All over the world, right now, there are people desperate for divine love from Jesus Christ. Pray.

And with that being said... have a great week everyone. Hug your significant others and your children. Love them. They are precious. Thank Jesus for what he has given us. And pray for me. I need this week.