What does one get a blog for its first anniversary? More storage space? New fonts? Lots of links? I gave it the weekend off and $10 to have a couple drinks. The whole point of starting the blog was to use it as an electronic postcard back to my friends in Kansas City, as well as those scattered elsewhere in the country, after moving to Indianapolis last summer. Along the way, I wouldn’t have minded if I wrote something exceptionally brilliant that got some attention from an outside source that launched my brilliant literary career. I think I’ve accomplished goal #1 pretty well. I guess #2 with be a focus for year #2. My thanks to all of you who have added comments or sent e-mails over the last 12 months. The feedback is what lets me know I’m not just writing a diary, but serving an audience. With a baby on the way, the coming year promises all kinds of good blog material.
We had an excellent weekend. Saturday we went downtown for a long walk along the canal, and then had Mexican food at about 4:00 because the Little Girlfriend was hungry. Sunday, we did some shopping (purchases included a Super Soaker for spraying squirrels on the bird feeder) then went to the in-laws for a shower. That meant last night, when I was tired from the sun hitting my eyes at 5:15 AM, we were putting together a swing, trying to figure out the car seat, and organizing books. Preparation for every Christmas Eve for the next 20 years, I suppose. Now that we have the car seat, we’re literally ready for the baby. I’m not sure if she’s ready, though. I keep hearing how late in the pregnancy, the baby’s movements will lessen as they run out of space and move into position for delivery. This kid was going nuts all weekend. She now sticks her ass (or what we think is her ass) waaaaay out and wiggles it, moves her arms or legs around, and switches her back from side-to-side in mommy’s belly. Other fun games are stop on the bladder and punch the lungs.
A conversation between a married couple:
Wife: You know, I’ll be the first to admit I’ve been very luck with pregnancy and haven’t had any problems so far, but I’ve been pretty pleased with how things have gone. But those women who say they miss being pregnant are nuts.
Husband, roughly ten minutes later: So what was it you said about women who wish they were pregnant again awhile ago?
Wife: Oh, they’re crazy!
In my epic read adventure for 2004, I finally hit a wall. I checked out three books from the library three weeks ago. I raced through The Fortress of Solitude. No problem. I started Alan Paton’s Cry, The Beloved Country which is a novel about South Africa in the 1940s two weeks ago. Normally when I start a book, I work through the first 50 pages slowly, then hit my pace and quickly get through the rest. For some reason, I just couldn’t connect with this book. It’s a compelling story, beautifully written, but I just couldn’t progress. I took it and book #3 back to the library yesterday on their due date rather than renew. I feel like a failure. Expect for the fact I bought a book Friday night and had finished it by Sunday morning. For those into politics, Thomas Frank’s What’s the Matter With Kansas? is a very interesting read. Frank, who was raised in Johnson County and went to KU but now lives in Chicago, explores how the extreme right wing has taken over the political structure in Kansas, decimating what was a traditionally moderate Republican dominated system and taking a history of left wing radicalism and swinging it to the opposite side of the political spectrum. Even if you’re not from Kansas (I know a few of you break out in hives if you have any contact with the state) or consider yourself a conservative, it’s a valuable primer on how political decisions are made by citizens in this era