Looking to the Future

This is a great time of year to be a sports fan. Baseball's in full swing, NBA and NHL playoffs are going on, there's the NFL draft, Kentucky Derby, etc. Hell, there's even a good boxing match on Cinco de Mayo (Mayweather vs De La Hoya).

Alas, my Lakers laid down like dogs the other night against Phoenix. It's clear that they've made no progress since last year when they lost to Phoenix (after having a 3-1 lead) in the playoffs. Lamar Odom is just not aggressive enough to play with Kobe, Kwame Brown just isn't ever going to be good enough and Andrew Bynum is just too young. What it comes down to is that another year of Kobe in his prime has been wasted (btw-Shaq's Heat got swept by Chicago over the weekend) and unless they pull a miracle trade, next year's not going to be much better. Sigh...at least the Celtics still suck.

Going into the draft I felt that Raiders really needed some better offensive lineman (see the league high sacks allowed). Unfortunately, there just weren't any really good ones available in the draft. So, they picked up a running back, Dominic Rhodes of Indy (hm...the last time the Raiders signed a guy who had a great game in the Super Bowl it didn't work out so well). In the draft they picked first and chose JaMarcus Russell (how did my wife and I miss that name for the HB?) as the overall first pick. Maybe he was the best guy out there, but quarterbacks taken with the number 1 pick generally don't work out. Of course, their best move was getting SOMETHING for Randy Moss (a #4 pick from New England) and clearing a good chunk of his salary. They made a good tight end pick in Zach Miller and a great pickup in Michael Bush. Yeah, he had a broken leg, but if he heals he'll be amazing and he only cost them a fourth round pick. Of course, they picked up the obligatory unknown wide receiver speedster in Jonathon Holland.

I've talked to my fellow Raider buddies about the draft. They all feel pretty good about it. I just have this sinking feeling that they put up new blinds without taking care of the cold draft coming through the window.

SD Weekend

Just got back from a weekend in San Diego for a Rotary conference. I went down on Thursday night and my wife, the HB and our nephew came on Friday evening. My club rocks, so we got tons of awards. I also had a chance to schmooze with some folks.

Even though we stayed at a resort hotel, I found out after getting back from some Saturday morning sessions that everyone else wanted to go to Sea World. And, my wife had lost the coupons we had and the best deal she could wrangle were full price tickets from the hotel that would get us free admission for the rest of the year. Whoop-dee-fucking-do. I was hoping for, oh, I don't know, some actual fun, like kayaking, wave running and jetskiing instead of watching well trained pets with a thousand screaming kids. Fuck.

So, we head to Sea World and the HB is bored out of his mind ('cuz there really isn't shit to do there that's interesting for an 8 year old who's been there already) so he's being a pain for two hours until he magically shook himself. The Shamu show was completely nauseating and I was so happy once we got the fuck out of there. The beer and wine tasted pretty good back at the room.

This morning we went to Belmont Park. I love old roller coasters. I commented to the wife that the hour we spent there was far better than the trip to Sea World. She agreed.

Got some good business news and am at a bit of a crossroads with Lynn. But, I'll have to write about those things later as it's time to make dinner now.

Saturday 8: Personality

1. when was the last time a person was able to make you very happy (non-sexually, ahem) and what did that person do to make you smile?
   
   The HB today when he was screaming with joy while we were on a roller coaster today.
   
   
   
   
2. when was the last time that a person seriously pissed you off and what did they do?
   
   Lynn for failing to acknowledge something I gave her.
   
   
   
3. when was the last time an individual made you know that your were loved beyond a shadow of a doubt, and how did they show it?
   
   Lynn, when she came to see me in Nashville (though it didn't work out so well), even though she's very involved with someone else.
   
   
4. when was the last time an individual guaranteed (via action or words) that they would never care about you again?
   
   Lynn, when I was in college and ran into her where she was working (this Sat 8 seems to be revealing a trend).
   
   
5. do you still care about that person, even a little bit?
   
   Alas, yes
   
   
6. when was the last time that an individual totally did something that absolutely confused you, and what was it?
   
   Hm...I cannot recall.
   
   
7. when was the last time a person made you feel 'sexy,' and how did they accomplish that?
   
   My wife, a couple of nights ago. Lots of touching and teasing before a tremendous hummer.
   
   
   
8. when was the last time someone made you question your belief system(s), and how did you react?
   
   I'm rock-solid in what I believe. The last time was probably when I was 10, or something.
   

Some Things Really Piss Me Off

I'm not against organized religion. It's not my bag, but, to paraphrase Marx, everyone needs their opiate. When religious folks start telling me how the laws of the land should reflect their beliefs, I start getting testy. I think my wife and I are fully capable of deciding on reproductive issues and what kind of sex ed the HB gets. But what REALLY burns my ass is this kind of shit. WHAT THE FUCK!!??

These cretins used to only do this shit at military funerals. Then congress passed a law telling essentially telling them to back off. This law is really a test for my libertarian beliefs. On one hand I believe that citizens should be able to speak about the government anywhere they damn well please. But I also believe that people should expect a certain level of privacy at a funeral, even if it occurs on government property. So, I wasn't too bent out of shape when the law passed.

Are these asshats so morally bankrupt that we need to pass a law that says that mourners shouldn't have to listen to protesters during their loved one's funeral? I can't believe they don't get the shit beat out of them.

WW #27

1) How healthy do you have to be before making a move on whomever you desire? 100% healthy, small cough/runny nose, if I'm horny I don't care about the other shit?

As long as I'm not constantly blowing my nose, I'm game.

2) How healthy does the person who is making a move on you have to be before you'll accept his/her affections? If s/he is game, so am I or don't you even THINK about giving me what you got?

If my wife's game, I am. Besides, we sleep together. Having sex isn't going to affect whether or not I get what she has.

3) If you're having sex and one or both is not feeling 100% how does that affect your repertoire? Less kissing? Less intimate positions (e.g., doggie-style vs. missionary)?

She's sick more frequently than I am, so it leads to more missionary/side by side and less oral.

My Wife's Birthday

Yesterday was my wonderful wife's birthday. We had a family party over the weekend at my m-i-l's so she could show off the furniture my wife and her sisters got her, but yesterday was the day (and, no, I'm not telling how many candles were on the cake, so to speak). I got the HB from school so we could pick up some dessert (chocolate éclairs, yum). I made one of my wife's favorite recipes (ravioli in marsala sauce) and we all had an enjoyable dinner. After blowing out the candles, the HB and I gave her some jewelery we had bought at a cool local place (I'd link to it, but they don't have a website...weird). When the HB made it to dreamland, we went upstairs and knocked it out for the rest of the evening while listening to some Dr. John. Seemed like a good birthday.

On other fronts, my parents went to Philly so my mom could could visit her two very ill sisters. I think they'll be making that trip once a month for a while.

Work is OK. A pilot project that I thought would get rolled out won't, which sucks for me. But, a long time client came through with a small project (but one that has good a profit margin) today. I need to get some of my prospective projects through the pipeline.

Piano Recital

It is AMAZING the things that I do with the HB that were no where near my radar screen as a kid. Private school was one thing and last week's piano recital was another. I played bass guitar as a kid (kept beer and coke in my fridge through college), but not the kind of stuff that made for recitals (mostly blues and punk rock). We started him on lessons in September, but only after he started messing a bit with the piano (it is an upright that my wife learned on). My feeling is that I wanted him to learn an instrument because he'd enjoy it and I will NOT pester him to practice. I don't want him to be one of those kids who plays well but gives it up as soon as he leaves the house because his parents make playing such a miserable experience. Plus, it gives him a non-electronic diversion.

So, his teacher decides to put on this recital for all (read 39!) of her students. Being as this was my first I didn't have a comparison point. My wife, who did tons of these as a kid (and didn't want anyone to come and here her play, but wanted to do the recital) assured me that this was unusual. We intentionally didn't invite a bunch of people because a) it's really not a big deal, b) he's only been playing for a few months, and c) we didn't want him to feel extra pressure. But, knowing how they would sulk if they didn't come, we asked my parents to attend (which they did). The HB was #9. He walked straight up to the baby-grand, put up his music (Etude in Imitation by Kohler and The Hiccup Song), looked straight at it and played. He handled his nerves very well and enjoyed himself. As such, my wife, the HB and I viewed it as a success.

Of course, there were 30 other kids to go and the HB had a sleepover/birthday party to go to, so he was a little squirmy for the next 105 minutes or so. But, he lived (as did my father, barely). I was impressed with the lack of pushy parents and how well behaved the families were. Most people gutted out the entire thing which was also nice.

We dropped off my folks at our house to get their car, took the HB to his friend's house then went and say Blades of Glory. We barely made it in time, so we got shitty seats (front row). The movie wasn't that great, but had some good belly-laughs. Sleeping in and going to brunch the next morning was a pleasure.

I'm Not Dead, Yet

OK, I haven't posted in several days, but only because work and life have been taking up and inordinate amount of my time and today is no exception. As such, this won't be a long post as well.

Since I've been driving quite a bit on a particular client project, I had a chance to listen to Alberto Gonzalez's testimony at the Senate. After they got done listening to their favorite thing (their own voices), several Senators (especially Feinstein) asked some good questions. What it came down to was this: Gonzalez didn't want to give up whose idea it was to fire any of the individual prosecutors. Doesn't that sound suspicious?

The HB discovered American Idol, so we started recording it for him. While I'm aware of the show and its cast of characters, I had never watched since I despise reality TV and I'm not a fan of pop singing. Last night, the wife whipped up some great pastrami sandwiches on bagels and we watched a couple of episodes. I'll say this: the producers are marketing geniuses (obviously, given how long the show's been on and its ratings) and it's crap. They were singing country songs (again, not one of my faves) and only one of the contestants really had a good voice (I forgot her name).

The HB has a sleep over tonite after his piano recital (I'm sure I'll have LOTS to say about that), so I promise more tomorrow.

Where Have You Gone, Mr. Robinson?

Yesterday was the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in major league baseball. While I'm not one of those people who looks at sports as a microcosm of our society, this was clearly a watershed event. This was before the army was integrated, before Brown vs. Board of Education and before Rosa Parks. Baseball was truly the national pastime then and there were so many good "Negro" players that they had a separate league filled with ballplayers who should have been in the majors.

I was watching a game on TV with my f-i-l when baseball celebrated the 50th anniversary. I asked him what it was like when Robinson played his first game. He said it made the papers for a day or so, but wasn't the biggest story. I thought that was weird given how big of a deal is made of it now, so I asked my dad (who was a huge baseball fan in Philly when he was a kid). He gave me pretty much the same response, though I can see why it wasn't a big deal in a racist town like Philly, where Robinson got some of the worst treatment.

Now, of course, the people who some how get paid to worry about such things are concerned that there aren't nearly as many African-Americans playing baseball as there used to be. Why? We'll, here are three guesses as to why basketball is more popular:

1) Baseball is slow and boring compared to basketball.

2) Basketball allows for more individual expression and that's what our society LOVES.

3) Basketball has always been the game of those lower on socio-economic scale (it was primarily an inner-city Jewish game in the 30s and 40s) because it is inexpensive to play compared to baseball.

It's got nothing to do with anything nefarious--the sports heroes of black youth have changed. And baseball's steroid scandals probably haven't helped.

1st Amendment Inanity

I almost feel bad for weekly news magazines/websites. By the time they go to press they are left in the dust with only crumbs of the good news stories. Take Time magazine this week. The whole Imus thing has come and gone, but they got to sell some copies (and having a nude woman on the cover would probably not fit into their corporate image). So, what do they do? They put up a patently ridiculous cover suggesting (but not saying) that maybe this whole thing is a first amendment issue. Whaaaaat?

Listen, if Imus were on public TV/radio I could listen to that argument for about half a second. Bu, since Bush wasn't threatening to arrest him (or have Cheney shoot him in the face), there are no free speech issues here. Oh, and freedom of speech and freedom from consequences of your speech are two completely different things.

In the meantime, I wonder why it took CBS two weeks to decide that what he said was offensive enough to get him fired? It's not like he added a significant amount of fuel to the fire afterwards. Between the Opie and Anthony show and Howard Stern, my guess is that the CBS lawyers were on top of these things in case they got sued for wrongful termination. I'm curious as to which big advertiser got their attention.

I think the over-under on Imus hosting a show on satellite radio is about8 weeks.

Saturday 8

1. who was the last person close to you that passed away?

My grandmother, about eight and a half years ago.

2. whose funeral did you last attend?

A neighbor who lived across the street. It was cool because among the attendees were people who lived in our neighborhood a long time ago. I heard some good stories about the house I own and the people who previously lived in it.

3. are you planning on being cremated (keith richards jokes aside)?

Yes.

4. do you have any special concessions for your funeral/wake, etc.?

No one should leave sober and/or with a frown on his/her face. No religious overtones shall be present or implied.

5. are you sensitive or allergic to anything outdoors?

Not too bad. Thought I do tend to attract mosquitoes.

6. do you share an allergy or condition with a close member of your family that the rest do not have?

No that I know of (I'm not allergic to much).

7. last night, i was awoken by a huge spider crawling all over my FACE. when was the last time you were woken by a bug or spider?

8. it's been in the upper 80s, but we're getting a cold snap and back in the 40s tomorrow. how's your weather going lately?

Blackout

As you may have read, we had quite the windstorm in LA yesterday. Our power was out from about 3:30pm until about 2:00am. When the power wasn't on by dinner, I figured it was going to be a while, so I went and got some ice while my wife lit some candles. The HB had to really rough it by the light of his Gameboy. The good news was that we were able to get him bed a bit early (he needed it) and the wife and I took advantage of the candlelight.

I've been thinking about both the Don Imus and Duke lacrosse fiascoes. First, I must tell you that I don't listen to talk radio. When I've come across it I've found it littered with single-issue, partisan idiots. I was intrigued by the outrage caused by a popular talk show host who is not a stranger to racist or sexist remarks.

I did a little research and found that the women on the Rutgers basketball team have about the same graduation rate as female students in general at Rutgers (about 75% if you allow 6 years to graduate, as the NCAA does). I wonder why no one brings that up? I'm (pleasantly) shocked that no one has published any dirt about the women on the team (nor am I suggesting that there has to be any). But, I did notice how the North Carolina district attorney mentioned how the Duke accuser had emotional problems and lots of other things have come out about her. Yes, I can see the argument of, "Well, she brought this upon herself by making a bogus rape claim" and she certainly deserves some sort of punishment for that. By putting his foot in his mouth at every opportunity, Mike Nifong ensured that she would be dragged through the court of public opinion. He could have let her go back to her (troubled) life by showing some restraint before filing charges and making the whole thing a political sideshow.

One thing still lingers in my mind: Is Durham still the powder-keg of racial tension between the citizens and the students at Duke? Or was that only when the locals thought some rich white boys raped a black stripper?

The Aunts are Falling Like Flies

A few posts ago I mentioned my wife's aunt who couldn't remember what she had for breakfast but could tell you everything about her immigration to the U.S. from Italy. Well, unfortunately, she died the other day. She was 95 and her diabetes finally caught up with her after having several amputations. Since she lived where it's cold they don't do burials there until the ground thaws, so the funeral/memorial service won't be held for a few more weeks. I'm sure my wife will make the trip out there for it.

On top of that, one of my aunts has been sent home from the hospital for hospice care. She had been in and out of the hospital with breathing problems, low red blood cell count and lung cancer around her diaphragm. Yesterday they found that the cancer had spread to her liver and pancreas, the latter which isn't treatable under the best of circumstances, so that's that. This is going to be really hard on my mom because her other sister is in very poor health as well. She has had a history of weird health problems (meningitis when she was in her teens and a non-malignant tumor removed from behind her eye) and had a bad stroke about a year ago which will keep her in a nursing home the rest of her life.

Odd story: my mom has two sisters and two brothers. Her dad said it was OK for the boys, but not the girls, to smoke. So, of course, my mom and her sisters smoked and my uncles never did.

My aunt who's going into hospice was always kinda bitchy when I was growing up, but mellowed out as her kids got older (hm, no surprise there). But, she has always been great to the HB. When my grandmother on the other side of the family died, she was the last of that generation to go in my extended family. At her unveiling my now terminal aunt commented to no one in particular, "Well, I guess we're next." That was 8 years ago.

Who is Selling Who

I heard from a guy at a (good) client today. He's leaving for greener pastures. I only got a quick e-mail from him so I don't know all of the details yet. As a general rule, someone who has been good to me leaving a long time client is good news. Why? I'll still have that client and it's likely that I'll get his/her next employer as one, too. Of course, it doesn't always work that way, but it usually does. That's why when consulting it's good to get to know a LOT of people at a client site. You never know who is staying or who is going and it's relationships that keep you there.

I had lunch with a guy who wants to form an alliance with my company. He selling human resources software and I provide a service that would fit under its umbrella. We were also supposed to meet with another vendor under this umbrella, but she flaked (let's keep that in mind for the future). When someone says they are going to sell work for me I always smile and tell them what a great idea that is and think to myself, "Yeah, when monkeys fly out of my ass." I can count the number of times that someone's sold a project for me with my pants down. That's why I left my previous firm--it's HARD to sell consulting work for someone else, especially when you are trying to sell your shit. And it's not like I'm any better at it than they are. At least my investment in this enterprise is minimal at this point.

Fortunately, I have a few more live leads in pipeline right now.

Masters Sunday

OK, my Tim Clark pick wasn't so good. I'm still a bit dumbfounded that Tiger frittered his round away. It is interesting that he's never come from behind in the final round to win a major. I did make a discovery--golf is un-fucking-believable in HD. Maybe CBS just had better/different camera angles this year, but watching today I could see undulations in the greens I didn't remember seeing before. Plus, the colors were spectacular.

To avoid future family confusion, I've got some new names for you: shopper-in-law (s-i-l) will be my wife's sister with the son. Artist-in-law (a-i-l) will be the sister w/o kids. The a-i-l and her husband have been caring for an older biker friend of his who has terminal cancer for the last several months. They were originally going to host easter Sunday, but the sick friend had chemo late last week and has been having a rough weekend, so things got transferred to the s-i-l's house.

She forswore the traditional ham, etc. and made beef stew with...get this...filet mignon. It was some damn good stew. The dynamic between her and our nephew is bizarre. When he's with us (or my wife's other sibs) he's great. With her and/or her one-foot-out-the-door boyfriend he can be a real ass. That whole dynamic will be the topic of another post on another day. But, their antics made things a bit rough for a stretch today. Since I'm still a bit low on energy from my cold and my wife's in its clutches, we only stayed for a few hours.

When we got back, the sociopath in training came over to play with the HB. He was sporting a relatively new black eye (surprisingly the first considering his behavior towards others). When his mom came to fetch him I learned that his dad has begun taking him shooting. The dad's one of those guys who wants to be sure he has plenty of guns around for when "they" (whoever the fuck they are) come to get us. Regardless of what you think of the studies that show that a gun in the home is more likely to kill a family member than a burglar, this kid having access to a firearm is a BAD idea. He's got high mechanical aptitude and will be able to but into any contraption his dad puts together.

A previous neighbor (an interesting guy who built his own plane in his garage) was also a gun owner. When we first came over to visit with the HB he was very upfront with us. He said that he kept a gun by his bedside for protection, but would lock it up every time we came over with the HB. Sure enough, if I came to visit with the HB, he would greet us, politely excuse himself for a couple of minutes, then come back. I still think he was whack for thinking he needed a gun, but I respected his safety with it.

Given that since we've been back from NYC one or both of us have been sick, the wife and I have been doing the separate bedroom thing. Yes, I've been chivalrous enough to give her the nice, cozy, regular waterbed upstairs while I'm in the somewhat less comfortable guest bedroom. But, it gets a better wireless signal, so I can blog more. You can be the judge as to whether that's a good thing or not. It also gives me the opportunity to do some late night reading. Right now I'm in the middle of All the Kings Men. I didn't see either of the film versions, so I didn't go into it with any preconceptions. I will say this: I was surprised at the point of view from which the story is told and how few scenes involve who I thought would be the main character, Willie Starks. I'm about three-quarters done and am enjoying it.

Saturday 8 (but on time this week!)

1. are you a religious person?

I'm a 24/7 practicing athiest.

2. are you a spiritual person?

No, but several people claim that I am.

3. were you raised in a religious household?

Yes.

4. have you/do you/would you raise your children in a religious household?

I have not and will not. He can make his own choice about those things when he's older. However, I do expose him to religion and we speak about it regularly.

5. Are you mistaken for being older or younger than you truly are?

Usually for being a few years younger than I am.

6. Do you and your significant other appear to be significantly younger or older than each other?

Nope. We're nearly the same age and I think we both look appropriate for it.

7. there is an agency called the american association of anti-aging medicine that is dedicated to the advancement of therapeutics related to the science of longevity medicine. would you consult such an agency or other medical office for supplements, advice, etc. to help you increase your longevity?

Only if it included my brain lasting longer. Alzheimer's runs in my family and if they can't fix that there's not point in me living past 80.

8. OT ... what are you doing for fun this weekend?

I'm recovering from a cold, so not a whole lot. I'll play with the HB and my cousin's kids and watch the Masters and some baseball.

Holidays

My wife's family were all brought up Catholic by their mom (her dad didn't really give a shit). After her serious bout with depression, she decides that god doesn't care about her and gives it up. However, they still all insist on doing the xmas and easter thing. So, their tradition was to open presents on xmas eve. One year when my nephew was pretty young (I'll say 4 or younger) they were planning to kick off the whole shebang early so he wouldn't have a late evening melt-down. Fair enough. Then, my b-i-l's wife, who, while I wouldn't say practicing christian, does in fact enter a church a few times a year says, "Hey, can we do it a bit later so I can go to mass?" By my wife's family's reaction you would have thought that she suggested that they don't exchange xmas presents and that they should do something stupid instead, like help the poor that day.

I bring this up because on Sunday we're heading to one of my s-i-l's for easter. Personally, I like to celebrate easter by getting really drunk the night before so that on the blessed day I feel as if I've woken from the dead, but that's a different story. So, we're supposed to head over there at 11am. In this case, the group includes my m-i-l's neighbor who is about my m-i-l's age, is pleasant company and often joins us for such things. So, she asks my m-i-l (and, more importantly, my nephew's mom who will be doing the driving) if they could make it closer to noon so she can....wait for it...attend mass that morning! THE NERVE! Y'know, they do that stuff at SUNRISE. At any rate, my wife's family is less high-strung about these things now, so great controversy was avoided. But, it did allow me to give her some shit about it.

I would be much better with our country's calendar being pushed around by christian holidays if most of the people who are into the holidays practiced the religion. My wife's family members are such fucking hypocrites about it. Each xmas they get all wound up about whose house we'll be at, what to have for dinner, etc. For all they care about the religion, who gives a shit? We should just do it in July when the weather's warmer and give each other presents at the beach. As for tomorrow, I just hope I can watch the last round of the Masters. I'll record it, just in case. Right now, I'm thinking Tim Clark will win. Tiger's too far back and not hitting the ball well and with the wind no one is going to shoot a low score. Besides, Clark's been close too many times not to seal the deal.

NYC Pics

As predicted, I'm still not feeling well (and, now, neither is my wife), so there's not much to blog about. But, as promised, here are some NYC pics:

The HB with the French Taunters at Spamalot.



They key thing in this picture is to look at the face on the horses armor just above the tail.



Someone's a star on Broadway.


Yum...pasta pizza!


This weekend we're supposed to do the family rounds and I need to get with the jacuzzi guys as I don't think I'm getting the chemicals just right in the tub. I'm going to need a day off by Monday!

Back at Home

The weather man was right and the last day in NYC was cold and rainy, so we hung out, packed, grabbed lunch then cabbed to the airport.

We got back last night (and Continental was quite jiffy with the bags). Unfortunately, my cold is worse (ugh) so I crashed after my meeting today. Fortunately I have a clean slate tomorrow so I can rest up.

Overall the trip was a success. I spoke with my s-i-l and she said that our nephew just couldn't stop talking about what a great time he had in NYC. It was truly our pleasure to take him (as it has been for other trips when he's joined up) and won't hesitate to so again. I just wish that his summer vacation scheduled coincided better with the HB's so we could take him to Yosemite this June. I'll put up some pics in the next post.

Speaking of the HB, he was psyched when we went to pick up Nugget today. They were both very happy to see each other. He also got a (belated) birthday card from Lynn. I spoke to her for a few minutes today. As usual, her life lurches from one disaster to another. She said she had sent me the invoice for the web work, which I haven't received (I don't think she has my e-mail right in her address book), but said nothing of me taking away the work. Given her situation, I'm thinking that she was just as glad to get it off of her mind.

Off to make some dinner (unless my wife calls saying she's bringing something home).

On the Road to Wellville

First, because I know that you are all wondering, the HB pooped.

Both boys were feeling much better than last night, so after some sleeping in we hit the town. Since it was a sunny day we scratched the Natural History museum and headed to mid-town. My wife wanted to go up the Empire State Building. Unfortunately, the wait was more than 2.5 hours (and, yes, people were doing it), so we decided to pass. At the end of the line before the elevators, most people looked as if they were in a refugee camp rather than site seeing. Oh, and while we were figuring all of that out, Lynn called. Turns out that when she fell in Nashville she also cracked her kneecap (which went undiagnosed). She says she'll call on Thursday, so I should get the full scoop then.

So, from there we walked up 5th Avenue, stopping at the NY Public Library, Rockefeller Center, St. Peter's, FAO Schwartz, Central Park, etc before getting back. The boys are chillin' now and we don't have any plans for tonite. I'm thinking some deli sandwiches and a movie in the room should do it, but we'll see. We have a 4:45pm flight tomorrow. I'm hoping that the weather is good enough for us to at least bum around in Central Park before we head to the airport, but it's supposed to rain, so we'll see.

Fucking Bugs

So, after we got here, my nephew was showing a rash--nothing too serious, but a little bothersome. Well, by last night it was REALLY bothersome and the HB was starting to show it too. I'm thinking either they are allergic to the towels/sheets here or the chemical levels were off in the hob tub (we took a dunk at home the night before we left). Either way, my wife asks me what we should do. I suggest just getting some more anti-itch or anti-fungal cream and some antihistamines. It's not like a doc can do anything about a rash. She INSISTS that we take them to urgent care. So, after seeing Blue Man Group (which was very cool) we head to a hospital. There were 5 families in front of us. I don't think ANYONE was called in two hours. Turns out that there was 1 doctor on duty and they got "busy". How shocking in Manhattan that kids might need to use the emergency room. So, after about 2 1/2 hours we bolt (hm...wonder how much we'll be charged for NOT seeing a doctor), get some cream and get the boys to bed.

Oh, and I don't think the HB's pooped since we got here.

Of course, due to all of this I missed the Ohio St-Florida NCAA championship game (I picked Florida). The OSU fans must be PISSED about losing to UF again in a championship game. It's going to be a rough winter for the Columbus snow-birds next year.

Tennessee's women's team plays Rutgers tonite for the championship. I think the Lady Vols will win, but it's going to be ugly game.

The HB just popped up a few minutes ago (I'm glad he got some serious sleep) and the nephew is still crashed. The HB said he was feeling fine. I'm hoping the nephew is as well. My wife was talking about trying to head home today if the boys weren't feeling better. I'm not sure that would even be possible. I think the boys will shake themselves and we'll make it to the Natural History museum, but we'll see.

While everyone was crashed, I had breakfast with a sales rep of a company whose product I support. It's always nice to put a face with a voice. While we were eating it reminded me of another woman who used to work for me who commutes into NYC now from the Allentown, PA area. She invited my family to her wedding a couple of years back and the HB and I met up with her and her family last year when we were in Philly. I'll have to give her a shout later today.

Sight-Seeing Central

Today we did the full-on tourista thing in that we went to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The park service sells these special tickets for walking around inside (but not to the top of) the Statue of Liberty that you need to get in advance. We did so, but they were sold out on the NYC side, so we needed to get them from the New Jersey side at Liberty Park. This meant that we not only got to enjoy the NYC train system, but also the PATH trains and the NJ light rail. It all worked out fine and we didn't have to wait for any train for too long.

It was the second time my wife and I had been to Ellis Island. Since all of the HB's grandparents and several of our nephew's relatives (he has a great aunt who's in her 90s and can't tell you what she had for breakfast but can tell you EVERYTHING about her trip across the Atlantic and through Ellis Island) went through there we thought it would be a cool place to go. We were able to talk to the boys about how today's attitudes towards immigrants aren't really that different than there were 90 years ago and how the exploitation of immigrant labor then led to unionization of factories and sweatshops and how that relates to janitors organizing unions today (at least in LA).

The Statue of Liberty kind of speaks for itself. It was cool for the boys to learn how it was built and renovated and they had some life-size portions of it on the tour.

Tonite we have tickets for The Blue Man Group. My wife and I saw it at least 10 years ago in Boston before it became such a big deal. I'm sure that they boys will dig it as much as we did the first time that we saw it.

Right now we're thinking Natural History Museum and Hayden Planetarium tomorrow. The weather's supposed to suck on Wednesday (the day we leave, but not until 5:30pm) so we'll have to see what we can squeeze in.

Saturday 8 (late, as usual)

1. are you currently married?

Yes.

2. have you been married in the past, but are currently divorced from that person?

No.

3. when was the last wedding you attended?

My friend Scott's in San Diego.

4. have you ever been a groomsman or in a bridal party?

Yup, for my best man Joe.

5. do you support same-gender marriages? why or why not?

Yes, because gay people should be as miserable as us breeders. No, that's not it. Marriage is an expression of one person's love for another. Why should that be illegal? I can see how some churches wouldn't sanction it (nor should they be forced to), but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be legal.

6. what was the most fun you've ever had at a wedding?

My cousin Michelle's. It was the first and only time I got together with my brother and 10 cousins as adults and we had a blast.

7. what's been the worst experience you've ever had at a wedding?

Having to leave a friends early because I had a business trip the next morning.

8. have you ever made a complete fool out of yourself at a wedding, due to alcohol or other influences?

Uh...yeah. I got so bombed that after driving home (bad idea) I couldn't remember putting gas in my car. I don't want to think about what happened before that.

Waking Up in the City That Never Sleeps

The HB's birthday went great. He had a very whiny friend over for lunch and then some glow-in-the-dark mini-golf. His aunt then took him on a $50 shopping spree at Target. My parents and my wife's family came over for dinner and the HB was showered with all kinds of presents. He had a very good day.

The flight here to NY was typical for this type of year: Crowded and a little bumpy. The boys did great. I thought their eyeballs were going to fall out of their heads from all of the Gameboy they played. Since we flew Continental (the only airline that has gone bankrupt and actually came out of the mess as a better carrier) we got a meal (yum...cheeseburgers) and it was all good. After an e-ticket cab ride (you have to be of a certain age to get that) we got to our hotel, The Affinia Gardens. This place is the shit. We chose it because of the location in a relatively quiet neighborhood. We got a suite and it must be at least 800 sq ft! The wife and I have our own room with a door (almost, her emphasis, enough privacy to have sex) and the boys have plenty of room to spread out. It has a full kitchen, so we won't have to go out for every meal, especially breakfast. That'll save us a bunch. And, as you can tell, there high speed access (I even found someone's free unsecured network).

Today we're off to the Met so the boys can check out the mummies and armor. We'll then meet up with my aunt and uncle from Philly for dinner before we see Spamalot. My nephew's getting into Monty Python (same age I was) as is the HB. My wife and I saw the show with the original cast (I'm sorry, but I can't see Tim Curry sing without imagining him in a corset, fishnets and red fuck-me pumps--again, a joke for those of us of a certain age) and it was great.

More tomorrow after we hit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.