We just returned from M’s two month checkup. Before the nurse placed her on the scales, we guessed her weight would be in the 10 1/2 pound range. Homegirl weighed in at 12.2 lbs! We need to switch her to Diet Similac or get her walking sooner than planned!
Day: September 27, 2004
It’s clear there’s one big bonus to being unemployed: If Monday Night Football is exciting, I’ll be able to stay up and watch the entire game. At least until the rest of the world changes time, that is. Tonight, though, I persevered and made it through the entire Dallas-Washington game. A pretty amazing ending, if only for the way it got the hopes of Redskins fans up only to be dashed when there were no more timeouts. One of the benefits of following America’s Team is crushing the spirit of Redskins fans, even when the Cowboys suck.
I was pretty fascinated by the work of the sideline cameramen. The Redskins cheerleaders are wearing utterly ridiculous outfits this year, and it became clear throughout the night that some kind of agreement had been made with the ABC crew. The MNF team always does a nice job of showcasing the “talents” of cheerleaders around the league each Monday evening. I think some cash exchanged hands this week, though. Extra long shots. Bordering on criminally long. Cheerleaders striking poses better suited for posters to adorn the walls of auto mechanics rather than network television. It reached the point where I half expect Jerry Falwell to launch a protest against ABC in time for next week’s game.
All of this is yet another reminder of the difficulty in being the father of a girl. Do I want some T&A with my football? Absolutely. What could be more American, save beach volleyball dancers? However, as I stared at the augmented cleavage of woman after woman, I couldn’t help but think she was someone’s daughter. And do I want anyone looking at my daughter that way? Probably not. Only if it becomes cool for the President of the United States to be a woman, a total hottie, and to deliver the State of the Union in a bikini. The moral of the story is that with fatherhood comes guilt. Overwhelming guilt as you attempt to partake in the simple pleasures in life. It’s quite maddening.
If you missed the game, here’s a link you might be interested in. (I found it totally randomly, of course.)
It was a truly outstanding week in Kansas City in almost every way. I had the chance to spend time with many of you, which was tremendous. I got to show off my daughter. I got to eat a huge amount of great food. The Chiefs had a total meltdown which was fun for me. And there was actually a week of hope for the KU football program before it all came crashing down in the second half Saturday. Some highlights worth noting:
My dining agenda included the following:
Lunch at Papa Keno’s in Lawrence followed by a $2.75 Oatmeal Stout at Free State.
Dinner at Rudy’s in Westport.
Lunch at Jack’s Stack.
Dinner at the B’s residence (If you get Stacey to cook for you, it ranks right up there with the finest of KC dining experiences).
Lunch at the Classic Cup.
Dining on Waldo Pizza at the N’s residence.
Lunch at Arthur Bryant’s.
Dinner at Jalapeno’s in Brookside followed by a Guinness at O’Dowd’s.
Lunch at Jim G’s in Raytown.
Rehearsal dinner consisting of some of Jack Stack’s finest offerings.
Lunch at Oklahoma Joe’s.
Completed by a fine reception dinner at the Muehlbach.
About the only thing I missed was a stop at Taco John’s so I could scarf down some Potato Oles. We also stopped in Columbia for lunch Sunday on the way home, however in the interest of eating as quickly as possible, we went to Wendy’s rather than one of that fair city’s finest eateries. Pretty solid work, in my opinion. I think it rivals my week in KC last October, although that week was so epic that I don’t believe it can ever be topped.
Kudos to the government of the state of Missouri. I-70 was actually in halfway decent shape for the much of the drive, a nice change from the traditional moonscape you have had to navigate in recent years.
M. did wonderfully in the car. On the way out, she slept almost the entire ride. She was a little more fussy on the way home, but still made the trip with only one stop on her behalf. She also did quite well when we drug her out and about. I’m sure she’ll make up for all of this once she turns two.
I was quite impressed with the radio offerings in Kansas City. Well, I was impressed with the music 96.5 was playing all week. I can’t say the rest of the FM dial was any different than it has been in the past 4-5 years. The Buzz was coming strong with some excellent tunes every chance I had to listen. They wasted no time in getting U2’s new single into high rotation, which was nice. Have you heard “Vertigo” yet? Good grief, U2 is bringing it strong this time around.
One big downer to the trip was all the shitty political ads that pollute the airwaves in KC. I think the argument can be made that the KC media market is one of the worst for ads in the country. You’ve got two states in the market, and one of those states is traditionally one of the most evenly split between the parties. I found the mute button on the remote rather quickly so I didn’t attempt to rupture my eardrums to avoid all that crap. It was fun to critique the ads of the former associate of mine who is running for Congress. I found some of her assertions curious, to say the least. Thankfully, I don’t have to worry about voting for or against her so I won’t get into it too much.
Lying on my office floor are two large boxes of old cassette tapes that were stored away in my step-dad’s basement. I am eager to work my way through them in the coming weeks and share with you what I purchased between 1986 and 1990.
I’ve probably got more I’ll think of later, but that should get you started.