Still Speechless

Obviously life is at an all-time high right now. A newborn baby will do that to you.

But I do not know what to say.

The whole thing is too surreal. What do you say?!

As much as the baby just stares at me with those huge black eyes and looks to be in awe and wonderment and "taking it all in." I pretty much do the same thing when holding him.

Maybe we never really do grow up?!

However, it may take a couple more days (or weeks) or maybe one of these nights when he is up at 3 in the morning I'll write more, but I'll be back.

I've got a couple things rolling around in my head. They are related to Seth and to Music (coming off of the latest entry over at Corey's blog).

But really, I wonder who is being more perceptive or "taking it all in."

Seth

or me.

In the meantime, enjoy more pics (sorry I am partial)

BTW - The reason Michele has not been in any pictures yet is that she refuses to authorize me or allow her publicist to allow me to publish any that contain her until she "feels pretty again."

Um, hello!!!!!!!!!

9 lbs. 5. oz 21" long 12:38 pm 02-17-07

SETH ANDREW

Still speechless

Friendship?

FIND OUT WHO YOUR FRIENDS ARE

Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowehere
Get yourslef in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor need a couch need a bus fare

This is where the rubber meets the road
This is where the cream is gonna rise
This is what you really didn't know
This is where the truth don't lie

{Chorus}
You find out who your friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas get their fast
Never stop to think 'what's in it for me' or 'it's way too far'
They just show on up with their big old heart
You find out who you're friends are

Everybody wants to slap your back
wants to shake your hand
when you're up on top of that mountain
But let one of those rocks give way then you slide back down look up
and see who's around then

This ain't where the road comes to an end
This ain't where the bandwagon stops
This is just one of those times when
Alot of folks jump off

{Chorus}

When the water's high
When the weather's not so fair
When the well runs dry
Who's gonna be there

{Chorus}

*******************************************

I love this song, I know it is country music (of which I am a partial fan) but this songs catches it all in just a couple verses.

But, did you notice what is missing from these song lyrics?

There's no mention of always being in agreement. There's nothing that says you never have a disagreement or an argument.

Friends disagree, and I would contend best friends disagree ALOT. I'm not saying all the time, I'm not saying even half the time. But they do. But in the end you know they are always there for you. You can tell them what you think, bounce an idea off of them, or give your opinion and if they disagree with you or think your nuts, they tell you.

And they are still there with you side by side walking along while disagreeing.
Friends don't lie to you and just go along and make you think they like everything you have to say.

Some of my best friendships have been with people who have polarizing political, religious, or social views to mine. Maybe I like the intriguing discussions that arise and in turn always want to talk to them and in turn we become friends and then next thing you know it's like, "whoa I can't believe we are friends and I just called you to help get me out of the ditch."

I hear it all the time from people, they say, "a true friend hears you out and lets you say what you have to say." But doesn't it go both ways? If you are a true friend you let them do the same and if they think you are off your rocker, they can tell you that and nothing gets taken personal and you both grow from that.
Seems very selfish for someone to believe a true friend always agrees with them and wouldn't voice an opposing opinion.

Those are my .02, do with them what you like, but I would like to hear from others their view point.

There's no going back now

This is it.

It's been decided.

It's just a matter of what comes first.

If the baby doesn't come "naturally" by a week from today then the doctor wants to induce Michele.

The due date is the 17th, this Saturday, and a lot can happen between now and then, but we do have a definite "plan" now.

There is no doubt that this time next week life is forever different.

And I have never been more excited, anxious, scared, joyful, desperate, calm, frantic, eager, whatever emotion ever all at once.

And all for good reasons.

It's like another threshold I mentioned a couple week's ago. This is the last Thursday, and then it could be the last Friday, and then the last weekend, and on and on until nature takes it's course or modern medicine steps in.

Still in awe.

How Truly Inconveient

And the winner is ... Al Gore for "An Inconvenient Truth"!

Take it to the bank, Al Gore's film will win the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and high fives will be flying in Hollywood; George Clooney may even break dance in the aisle.

Mr. Gore's warning about global warming (even with single digit temps all over the Midwest and Northeast, in addition to nonstop snow for 2 weeks) and the consequences thereof is in competition with four other films: one about wild and crazy Christian kids at "Jesus Camp," another dealing with the Catholic Church-pedophilia scandal, and two more about the chaos in Iraq. Gore wins without breaking a sweat, no pun intended.

But did you notice that all five of the nominated documentaries have left or secular themes? All easy subjects to jump on and pick on? I am surprised there is nothing on the Bible or further Da Vinci code b.s. However, I will say, in general conservatives are not rallying to Gore's hypothesis that fossil fuels are damaging the planet, although the right should keep an open mind on that strong possibility.

And of course, the priest-pedophilia scandal has nothing to do with the Catholic "religion." Theology played no part in it. The scandal happened because evil men working inside the Catholic Church did evil things. When Richard Nixon and his henchmen disgraced America, no sane person could blame it on the Constitution. It's the same thing with the Catholic scandal.

There is no question that Hollywood continues to pour out products designed to promote a secular society and boost liberal political positions. And the entertainment industry is a powerful colossus. Millions worldwide closely follow the attitudes and themes Hollywood puts forth. Hello Dixie Chicks last night at The Grammy’s!! A “non-country” music band winning 5 Grammy’s all in the category of Country Music. And no politics played there at all….riiiiight!

But I digress. My point is wouldn’t it be interesting if Hollywood produced the following documentaries this year?

"Tiller the Baby Killer." A documentary profiling Kansas abortionist George Tiller, who, for $5,000, will abort a fetus up until birth.

"The Streets of San Francisco." A look at the thousands of homeless people, many addicted, who have flocked to the City by the Bay for free money and other perks the city bestows on them.

"Fidel Camp." This film chronicles the plight of thousands of "subversives" who are or have been incarcerated in dungeons because Fidel Castro doesn't like them. Talk about an inconvenient truth. Maybe Oliver Stone could direct this.

"The Kyoto Blues." An honest look at the "Kyoto Protocol," which, in order to blunt pollution, would require major economic changes in the USA, but would allow massive pollution to continue in China and India. Is Al Gore available to narrate?

And "NBC and Me." A peek inside a once proud network news organization that now promotes a left-wing agenda on a daily basis. I'd like Whoopi Goldberg to voice over this one.

These are all high-concept, ready-to-roll subjects that are just waiting for some talented people in Hollywood to take them on. What say you, Steven Spielberg?

One of the Best Top 10 Lists

I read this list awhile ago on another blog and then again this morning over at the imonk. He mentions a different blog where he got it from than I one I got it from. Oh well, I remember thinking when I first read this it was pretty good and funny and provoked a lot of thought in me and how I act. I was going to link to it then but for whatever reason did not.

This time I will. Think through these things. What are your initial reactions when you read these? How true do you think this list is? What concerns does this raise within you?

TOP 10 SIGNS YOU ARE A FUNDAMENTALIST CHRISTIAN

10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

9 - You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.

8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.

7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!

6 - You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

5 - You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.

4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."

3 - While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity.

2 - You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works.
And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

1 - You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.

What if I told you this whole list originates from an atheist website? Do you hold the same convictions and thoughts?

XLI

Surprisingly the Super Bowl was pretty entertaining and one of the craziest since Super Bowl XXXVIII when Carolina and New England played and they went nuts in the 4th quarter for 37 combined points (plus there was the whole "wardrobe malfunction thing").

But the sloppy weather conditions lead to 5 fumbles and twice the fumbles happen on back-to-back plays. I really had no rooting interest either way. I was neither bummed nor excited when Indy won. Even Michele wondered at one point during the game, "Who are you cheering for?" So I think that contributed to me thinking it was entertaining.

The commercials this year sucked big time. The Budweiser commercials all sucked pretty bad and the slapping commercial reminded me too much of John L. Smith (the former Michigan St. Football coach who would slap his players for a job well done. I seriously wonder if he was the inspiration for the commercial). The Coca-Cola commercials were pretty cool as was the Dorotios one that was directed by some kid. Careerbuilder.com had some good commercials too with the employees embarking on "survival style" endeavors to succeed.

Prince was ok, he is one of the best ax men around but why do all the covers? Do your own songs. If the NFL wanted Foo Fighters and Ike and Tina, they would have hired them.

But I was left wondering after the game...

Who is more bummed out Indy won the game, Da Bears fans or Dan Marino and Alex Rodriguez?

If you get that joke, you are a true sports maniac and may need help (like me).

Threshold's

No poetic prose, no fancy metaphors this time around. Sometimes life just comes at you too fast. Besides, we all understand that life is full of thresholds. New born to infancy to kid to child to puberty to teenager to 16 to 18 to 20 to 21 to college graduate to first job to married to home owner to first child to 30 to 40 and over the hill to 50 to 60 to 65 and retired to 70 and eyeing down the 50th anniversary to 75 to 80 and who knows from there. So putting a cliche with a threshold of life seems....well cliched.

But today is one of those in between thresholds bewteen the big thresholds. Pretty much we all share in the big thresholds, like the ones I mentioned above. But the mini-thresholds are usually reserved for you and possibly those directly involved with you and the situation. You know, like New Year's Day of 1996 and I knew that this would be the actual year where I turn 18. Or December 1st of 2001 and I knew this would be the actual month in the actual year I would be a college graduate. These little mini thresholds that mean a lot to you but most people it is just another day on the calendar that signifies flipping their calendars over to a new month. But for you it becomes more real, more legit if you will, it's going to happen and it is coming fast.

And so today is one of those days, because today marks the actual month that Grace Luella or Seth Andrew will "officially" enter the world. The due date is the 17th and the doctor will not let Michele go past the 24th. So this is it.

A mini-threshold in direct route to a major, life changing threshold that makes life the beauty and magic that it is.