Home from the hospital

Actually we went home from the hospital Monday afternoon but this is my first chance to sit down at the computer and post more pictures.

As first time parents, this is all new and mysterious and sometimes worrisome.

For instance, she's been a little jaundiced but we've been told it's no big deal. It's more apparent to me when I start editing pictures. She's pinking up and either way she's so gorgeous it doesn't matter. And I know, everyone thinks their kid is the most beautiful baby in the world and they are right to think that way; it's some sort of instinctive bonding thing. But mine is the prettiest, really!

At first we were a bit concerned because she didn't cry. She cooed and made noise but no crying like the babies next door. Her routine hearing test proved she could hear just fine so that wasn't an issue but it still nagged at us.

Not to worry. She's doing her own nagging now and can throw a tantrum like the best of them. Thankfully they are infrequent and short.

I've read and heard from nearly every mom that the best practice is to read and talk to your baby right away, all the time. For me this means to narrate ever part of our time together (at least when I'm holding her and she's awake. I'm giving play by play on what's on TV while I rock her or I'm telling her every step of the diaper changing process as I do it, with little tangents and personal observations along the way.

It's like I'm her FTO but there are no daily evaluations. Although she can fall asleep to escape the blabbity blab while my recruits were discouraged from such things.

For the most part.

daddy and baby

by popular demand, though I'm the least photogenic of the bunch

Journey is Here!

Born at 12:50 alaska standard time weighing in at 6 lbs 7 oz and measuring 17.5 inches.

Toys !!

I'm looking forward to buying toys for my little girl.

Okay, so I'm looking forward to buying toys that I can test drive for the little girl.

Let us consider a ride on the Playmobil:

Take a simple "Baby's Room Set"and add some "Jewel Thieves"



and you have yourself a perfect afternoon game of

Who kidnapped the Lindbergh baby?

Fun, fun, fun! (and teaches history too)


There are a lot of cops and robbers in the Playmobil world, which is cool, although it seems the Playmobil municipal lock-up facility has some serious security flaws.


But there are some vast pieces of history too.

Journey, would you like to play Roman Stadium?

We can feed Christians to the lions - where is that Nativity set anyway? Oh wait, those are Jews. Although are the wise men Christians at that point? Surely Mary and Joseph were not Christians during the dark manger days. See, we're asking questions and learning together!

Let's find ourselves a Playmobil fiery oven in which to stuff little plastic Shadrach, Meshach, and the Indigo Girls. Woo-hoo!


And the granddaddy of them all, in my opinion, has to be the Playmobil Pyramid.


It includes a skeleton, a sarcophagus, some Canopic jars for organs. It even has scorpions climbing up the outside of the pyramid walls.

And the gigantic Eye of Horus at the top - this is exactly the sort of toys we need for our little one.

You can't teach them symbols of divine protection early enough.

In 6 days, Everything is Possible Again

With a baby fast approaching I find that I am looking forward to the newness of everything.

It’s all back on the table:

Santa

The Easter Bunny

The Tooth Fairy

Jesus

All the things I take for granted as a jaded adult will be new and wondrous to a child.

Every joke is a new joke. Magic tricks are magical and not just trickery.

She can grow up to be whatever she wants to be.

I can’t wait.

Mark Your Calendars

Unless things change in the next week, little miss Journey Reese will be born:

Friday the 13th of November, 2009

Journey Pictures

Today's ultrasound, the final one prior to her birth in about a month.

Barack Obama and Jethro Tull

I’m a big fan of the band Jethro Tull.

You are probably at least passingly familiar with Jethro Tull from their 1971 album Aqualung which includes the classic songs “Aqualung” and “Locomotive Breath”. If that’s all you know about them then at the very least listen to the whole Aqualung album. It’s fantastic.

Yet Aqualung was one of their first albums. They have created so much great music. Here’s a small sampling of my recommendations:

Stand Up (1969): “A New Day Yesterday,” “Back to the Family”

War Child (1974): “Skating Away on the Thin Ice of A New Day,” “Bungle in the Jungle.”

Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die! (1976) One of my favorite albums. Listen to all of it (and buy yourself a copy) but pay attention to the guitars in “Salamander.”

Storm Watch (1979) Unlike Too Old/Too Young, I’m not a fan of the album itself but the guitars in the song “Dun Ringill” are beautiful. This is one of my all-time favorite songs.

The Broadsword and the Beast (1982): Another great album. Especially worth checking out are “Fallen on Hard Times,” and “Watching Me Watching You.”

Lastly on my list of Jethro Tull must-hears is the album Crest of the Knave (1987). The whole album is great, from the opening track “Steel Monkey,” to the final track “Raising Steam.” Listen to the whole deal. Buy the album. It’s fantastic.

That being said, there’s a flaw with it which has nothing to do with Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, or anyone else in the band. The flaw is that the band won the 1988 Grammy award for “Best Hard Rock / Heavy Metal Performance,” beating out both Metallica and Jane’s Addiction.

The band had a sense of humor about it, even putting out the statement “the flute is a metal instrument!”

Even so, they should have won an award for the album – just not that award.

Which brings me to our President, Barack Obama. The Nobel Foundation has awarded the 2009 Nobel Peach Prize to President Barack Obama “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

Um.. What?

I am a big fan of the President but isn’t it a little early to be awarding him a peace prize?

It’s Jethro Tull all over again. Right guy, wrong award.

Leads a guy to do some “Wond’ring Aloud.”

I donated, will you?

Brother J is doing the Portland AIDS Walk and would appreciate your support:

To all my friends and family... please tolerate the following form letter, slightly personalized by yours truly...... and if you feel you know someone who might feel compelled to give to a worthy cause, send them to the link as well.

I am walking in memory of my close friends whom I have lost to HIV/AIDS, Faron Purget and Chris Jacobsen.

Please read on below for the full information.


Please join me as I take a stand for HIV/AIDS activism. On October 11th, more than 10,000 of us will come together in Pioneer Courthouse Square with the goal of raising $325,000 for services provided by Cascade AIDS Project to prevent new HIV infections, care for people affected and infected by HIV/AIDS, educate communities to eliminate stigma and shame and advocate for immediate action in combating the pandemic.

I’m writing to you today to ask for your support as I walk the 5k (3.1 mi) route and raise much needed funds for HIV and AIDS prevention, services and advocacy in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Your donation will help Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) continue their important work in our community:

Please help me reach my goal of $500 by making a donation today; any amount helps! Make checks payable to Cascade AIDS Project, or donate to me online at www.cascadeaids.org. Your donation will make a difference in the lives of individuals and families affected by HIV and AIDS. Thank you for your support!

Thanks for reading guys!

Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support Cascade AIDS Project

Xrays

Bear in our parking lot

Sure, I don't post about work anymore but I will post this hastily taken picture of a bear in our parking lot. We get bears, usually in the spring and usually uneventfully. They act like bears, we act like humans (who avoid bears) and everyone goes home happy.

Inflation - Ack

The current exchange rates between Pounds and Dollars reveals that if I took $2.93 US into the bank I could get £1.79.

Or if I took $11.99 into Sagaya City Market in Los Anchorage I could get £1.79 worth of tea. Granted it's English tea and it's in little round bags without strings and it reminds me of my brief stint as a foreign vacationer (thanks again T!)

Joseph Lostrangio - A Memorial

This is a repost of my part of my contribution to the 2996 project.
I intend to post it every September 11 as long as this blog is online.





Those who have read my blog already know about my love for guitars and my complete inability to find the patience or will to master them. Today I'm going to tell you about a guitarist I never met. His name was Joseph Lostrangio.

Joe never met a six string he didn't like and he was an avid player. Friends remember him playing Billy Joel tunes with zeal.

Joe also had a love of saltwater fish. He had four tanks including a 90-gallon showpiece. Have you ever tended a saltwater fish tank? It's not a walk in the park. His enthusiasm was infectious and many coworkers learned how to care for their own fish through Joe's guidance.

Joe had a lot of enthusiasm and many diverse interests. His wife of 26 years, Theresann, called him "a life explorer."

Joe and Theresann lived in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. By all accounts he was a good father to their two children and a good husband. He encouraged the kids to follow his example of devouring new experiences and supported their talents and interests.

Speaking of devouring, Joe had another passion: food. Some friends called him a gourmet chef but others suggested it went way beyond that. He was fearless with food and tried as many exotic ingredients as he could find, often querying staff members of New York restaurants about how to find the next, weirdest ingredient yet.

Which was probably yet another reason Joe was excited about his new job in New York City. He grew up in Long Island and went to New York Law School in Chinatown. He worked as a reinsurance consultant and often visited the city but the new job with the Devonshire Group would put him in the heart of the financial district. And it put him near some great restaurants where he could learn tricks and procure new culinary delicacies.

His son, Joe Jr., was attending St John's College and they agreed to share an apartment so that Joe Sr. would have a place to stay whenever he would be unable to commute home. It was a perfect arrangement.

His first day of work was September 10, 2001. His office was on the 77^th floor of 1 World Trade Center (the North Tower). He called a friend at about 5pm that evening and left a message for them to meet at a Chinese restaurant later that week. Later he called Theresann from the apartment and they discussed family news, what bills needed paying, and that he would call her from work in the afternoon the next day, as was his habit.

I hope they told each other they loved each other. I suspect they did.

The next morning at 08:26 am, hijacked American Airlines flight 11 struck the North Tower somewhere between the 93^rd and 99^th floor. One hundred and two minutes later WTC1 collapsed.

Joseph Lostrangio was 48 years old.

I never knew you, Joe, but researching your story has made me sad that I did not have the opportunity to make your acquaintance and call you a friend. Perhaps you could have taught me to master that silly F chord.

You have inspired me and challenged me to devour life. Yours was cut way too short but you made the most of it.

"… I'm not sure about a life after this
God knows I've never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river
That is running to the promised land

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the desert of truth
To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We're all carried along
By the river of dreams
In the middle of the night…"

Billy Joel – River of Dreams

~~

This memorial is part of The 2996 Project administered by D.Challener Roe.
You have done an amazing thing Mr. Roe.

Sources:

The New York Times
Wikipedia

September 11 Victims: Joseph Lostrangio

9-11 Heroes: Joseph Lostrangio

Legacy.com: Joseph Lostrangio

September 11 Class Action: Statement of Theresann Lostrangio

The Cake Topper

Did I ever post this picture? The cake topper was fun to do but I certainly couldn't do such a thing as a business.

I do like the way it came out. It was way too tall but I did the heads first and the bodies had to be a certain height or they'd look like bobble-head dolls.


Here are the blushing bride and groom, still happily married after all these months.

Gotta Love A Tramp Stamp

Taken just after I got the camera. And yes, I was riding shotgun with Kelli driving so she knew I was taking a candid bent over tramp-stamp photo. What's a new camera for anyway? One has to accept opportunities as they come.

Tacky-orama.

Pete

Pistol Pete is my inlaws' youngest dog.

If he were competing on a reality show and had just eaten a furniture leg or something I'd probably point out that he has a hole in is heart which means he probably won't live as long as a normal miniature schnauzer. But that would just be to garner sympathy with the voting public.

He's pretty energetic and you'd never notice he had any health problems.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Journey as of July 1st

yeah, kinda creepy.

Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Sarah Palin

I was never an Elvis fan as a kid. In my world you either grew up with the Beatles or with Elvis but never both.

I missed any of the “good” Elvis years. I was born in 1969 so by the time I aware of him he had turned from the young, edgier, star to an older, bloated, caricature. He shook hands with Richard Nixon while professing his anti-hippie views. What’s not to dislike?

Looking back historically it became clear to me that in his prime Elvis was the real deal. Elvis had a much richer voice than any of the Beatles. Elvis’ music was just as catchy. Many artists whom I love were greatly influenced by Elvis, from Jim Morrison to Thin Lizzy to U2.

But Elvis had some bad advisers, Colonel Tom Parker being the worst. He isolated the young artist, turned him toward some bad decisions and away from some opportunities. That and Col. Parker dealt himself 50% of the profits from any Elvis venture.

While it may have been clear that Elvis wasn’t comfortable telling his management “no,” a lot of people seemed unable or unwilling to tell Elvis “no,” most tragically his doctors. He was over-prescribed many drugs. Clearly his death was hastened by his prescription drug abuse. I’m sure he didn’t think he had a drug problem, since the drugs were given to him by doctors. He wasn’t scoring drugs like some dirty hippie, right?

Elvis: dead on the toilet. An inglorious end to be sure.

I was never a Michael Jackson fan either.

Had I been exposed to more Motown records as a kid, I might have been a fan of Michael Jackson from his Jackson Five days. Not so much. Of course I had heard plenty of Jackson Five songs (like I had heard lots of Elvis songs) but I wouldn’t have went out and bought any of their albums.

Off the Wall came out in 1979. By that time I was a rabid KISS fan and wanted nothing to do with dance music. 1979 was all about the FM soundtrack (great, great collection of songs there, worthy of a blog post of its own), or even the Grease soundtrack, but Michael Jackson might has well have been a Gibb brother. No thanks.

So when Thriller came out, there was just no way. A ton of #1 songs is hard to argue with, but c’mon… (or “sham-on”-on, or “mama-se, mama-sa, ma-ma-coo-sa”-on) dance music is dance music. I might tap my toes to it but I’d sooner buy a Madonna album (yick).

So while Michael Jackson was clearly talented and very influential, I didn’t fully appreciate him as an artist. I might not even now but I won’t rule out feeling kinder about the music as I age, if only for nostalgia.

Like Elvis, Michael Jackson also had bad advisers, first and foremost his father, Joe Jackson. It seems unquestionable that Michael’s strange adulthood was the result of an abusive childhood. But there were more bad advisors including lots and lots of folks who were attracted to Mr. Jackson because of his money and in spite of his just plain weirdness.

If you are rich enough you can buy yourself a chimp (against better judgment) but for the love of Dog somebody should have said “no’ to his inviting children for sleepovers. No, stop, wait a minute partner, whoa hold up there little buckaroo – whatever verbiage conveyed the message most effectively.

Like Elvis, he had plenty of doctors who wouldn’t refuse his request for dangerous prescription drug and, like Elvis, prescription drug abuse contributed to his untimely death.

The similarities between Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley seem clear but why, you might ask, am I grouping my Govenor, Sarah “Skinny G” Palin with them?

Skinny G (or as she will now be known on this blog “Skinny GOA”) shared a lot of traits with The King and The King of Pop.

All three were talented, all three were lucky, all three were ambitious, all three are American icons beloved by zealous fans, and all three had some of their wackiest ideas validated by sycophants who had little regard for the health and wellbeing of their employers/colleagues.

Skinny GOA has been something of a giant-slayer for most of her political career. She beat incumbents to win the office of Mayor of Wasilla. The Republican Party old boy network didn’t like her but she still won the office of Governor of Alaska. She was the ultimate underdog. You had to love her.

Well, you might not have but I certainly did. I never had a pair of blue suede shoes or a red leather jacket with lots of zippers but I jumped on the Palin bus. Heck, I ran to catch it.

She was a true-believer and although I didn’t share either her religious or most of her conservative political beliefs, I loved her go-getter spirit and I figured that as Governor she wouldn’t be able to actually do any damage to our civil liberties. Alaska is a red state but we do things our own way. We have no problem telling our government that they are full of crap whether it’s because they are leaning too far left or right.

Then a curious thing happened. John McCain tapped her as his Vice Presidential pick for the 2008 Presidential election.

Skinny GOA had previously done things her way, following her beliefs, and ignoring any discouraging words. This had worked for her. She probably thought her string of political good luck was not just incredible but actually God’s will.

I don’t know this to be true but it’s the only explanation I can come up with for what has followed the 2008 election loss. She didn’t go home and quietly regroup. She didn’t return to Alaska to focus on serving out her gubernatorial term.

Skinny GOA had become a national celebrity and it seems there wasn’t a camera she didn’t want to stand in front of or a microphone she didn’t want to speak into. From People to Runner’s World, she was a magazine icon. She was one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People.” She flew away to attend lavish parties and give speeches and stump for other Republicans.

And since it has become clear that she would have had a tough fight for reelection she has decided to resign her office a year and a half before the end of her first term. Why? She claims she is doing Alaska a favor by not being a lame duck and that she has a higher calling.

This scares me. If she is really as unswerving in her beliefs as it appears, especially in her belief that she is always right, she’s only going to listen to people who agree with her.

Skinny GOA, I know you don’t take advice from bloggers and you’ve never taken advice from me personally (although she has stopped wearing Bono sunglasses in photos) but please, please use this new opportunity. You already have a book contract due, just take some time to lay low and reflect.

I know you don’t believe the media who berate you (and they have mercilessly) but don’t believe all the cheerleaders either.

Not everyone who agrees with you is your friend. Good fortune is not an endorsement from God that you have been chosen for some special mission. Having a higher profile doesn’t make you right, it just makes you louder.

Fame and not being told “no” killed Elvis and Michael Jackson.

It is my sincere wish that Sarah Palin’s post-gubernatorial life is long and happy and healthy.

I also hope she receives, and more importantly takes, better advice than the other mavericky icons before her.