I was hoping for a laid back weekend. A rest from the sickness of last week. Surprise, surprise. (Warning: more puke talk ahead.) Saturday, M. was feeling a little better, although certainly not her normal self. She ate a little bit, but didn’t seem to be into the food that much. I went off to cover my basketball game. That was cool. There was a big event down at the Pacers' arena that featured five high school games.
It’s a very sad day. M. was supposed to go to her first birthday party for a friend from school today. It is going to be at one of those places where they sell playground equipment, but rent it out so kids can go crazy inside on cold days like today. She was very excited. Then she started puking this morning. We’re staying home now. Shades of me on Halloween, when I was a kid, and got sick every other year and had to stay in rather than go trick or treating.
I like to say that music keeps me young. I’ve managed to stay in touch with what the cool indie kids are listening to despite the fact I’ll officially push into my late 30s this year. As my tastes have changed over the past four years, getting younger as I grow older, I’ve in turn pushed some of the mainstream music I grew up on out of my library. But there are the guilty pleasures I can’t get rid of, no matter how uncool they might be.
Two fun things. First, C. puked all over the couch this morning. Well, that’s not really fun for any of us, but if you think your day was bad, at least you didn’t have to clean that up. Second, Stephen Colbert is finally getting the recognition he deserves.<a href=“http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gG6ETB-rL6LIKTh1J0P1cwwZV9UgD8U7ENMG0">This is brilliant</a>.
If anyone knows how to get a 20-month-old to sleep through the night, we’re open to all suggestions. As if it wasn’t bad enough that C. still can’t master sleeping, and in fact has gotten worse over the last month, she’s come down with a mother of a cold that is making things even more fun at night.
“If you live in Kansas City, you kind of have to be a KU fan.” George Brett, 1/14/08, ESPN. Thank goodness he married a KU alum! When I was in school and he came to a game, it was always a big deal, with the students pointing to where he was sitting and chanting his name. I wonder if the kids today even notice a guy who quit playing 14 years ago?
A lot of ground to cover today. I’m sure you won’t be surprised that it was well after 2AM before I was finally able to relax and go to sleep last night. It didn’t help that literally the moment the Orange Bowl ended, C. started her mid-night act. So forgive me if this is even more disjointed than usual. The Game: I have spent the last month reminding myself that this was a great, great season for KU football, the bowl game was a reward for what happened over the first 12 games and an exhibition, and that no matter what happened against Virginia Tech, it would not change how I feel about this team or what they accomplished this year.
Orange Bowl. Iowa Caucuses. A pretty big day coming up on Thursday. And, if you live on the east coast, you apparently think that the two might interfere with each other. It started about a month ago in <span style=“font-style:italic;">Newsweek</span> magazine. In a column that laid out where each Democratic candidate’s support was coming from, Jonathan Alter claimed that Barrack Obama might be in trouble because he had a lot of young people supporting him, and they might decide to stay home and watch the Orange Bowl, featuring fellow midwesterners Kansas, than go out and vote.
There’s a slight dusting of snow tonight, leaving the remaining holiday lights in the neighborhood to look particularly dazzling. It feels like the week before Christmas instead of the first week of the new year. So, hey, happy New Year to everyone. I hope you all made it through the holiday unscathed. Our girls apparently resolved to not sleep in 2008, because we had much screaming last night until we gave up at 3AM and I ended up in the basement with C.
There are many things I admire and love about my wife. She’s compassionate and kind in every aspect of her life. She knew what she wanted to do early in life, went for it, and not only reached her goals, but has excelled at every step along the way. She has more patience with children than I do. Wait, she has more patience when it comes to everything than I do.
This is hard work. How do I filter all the music I listened to this year, and I listened to a ton of music, into 20 songs to represent the entire 12 months? In the end, that’s exactly how I managed it: what songs most represented the past year to me? What songs will I always immediately think of in the context of the year they were released later in time?
We made it. The bulk of the Christmas rush is over. I realized something this week. When you’re a kid, Christmas is like rolling a boulder up a mountain: it seems like it’s going to take forever to get to the big day. As an adult, though, it can be a bit like being in an avalanche: things start spinning out of control and you feel like everything is zipping by you at 1000 MPH.
“If I had one wish that I could wish this holiday season, it would be for all the children of the world to join hands and sing together in the spirit of harmony and peace." Actually, that was Steve Martin’s wish back in 1986. But trust me, my sentiment is the same. (See below for the entire text of his SNL Christmas wish. I do want to wish all my friends, family, and even the occasional guest who visits here a happy and safe holiday season.
I’m just now watching my first Christmas movie of the year (Christmas Vacation), my traditional first movie each year). Between the four movies I own and the 3-4 I’ve added to the DVR in the last month, there’s no way I’m getting through them all, for the second straight year. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. M.’s Christmas program last night was great. It was exactly the kind of benign train wreck a kid’s Christmas event should be.
It’s fun to finally be experiencing Christmas through the eyes of a kid again. M. is old enough this year to figure out what’s going on. Tonight, her preschool has a Christmas pageant. They’ve been practicing songs for it all month, and along with those songs, since she attends a Catholic school, has come a scaled-down version of the religious aspects of the holiday. In between singing the songs she’s learned this month, she talks about the baby Jesus and all the people waiting for him.
I heard a rumor people are gathering in Kansas City tomorrow night to celebrate the life of one of the finest artists this nation has ever produced. I will not be making an appearance at this year’s Sinatra Party. I do hope all of you celebrate safely, though, and honor his memory in the proper way. I’ll find something nice to drink tomorrow night after I spend some quality time with the snowblower.
We have a little manger scene that S’s mom put together from pieces she found during her travels back in the 60s. Most of the pieces are wood, so we have it sitting within reach of the girls. C. was running through the house with the baby Jesus yesterday, took a spill, and when she got up, poor baby Jesus' arm was broken off. Santa may not be filling her stocking this year, or may be skipping our house entirely.
We watched a little of the Best of Will Farrell Saturday night and caught the Dissing Your Dog promo. While not quite as extreme, my mocking of M. seemed a little like Dale Sturtevant's methods. I must admit, the last part, "You're a f&(^ing dog!", is something I've often thought of when we've moved both of our girls to solids and they've refused to eat. "The Palms wasn't taking reservations, I didn't want to try Morton's because of the new chef, so let's just go with the oatmeal and formula.
I think I clinched the Father of the Year award last night. I’ve begun mocking my three-year-old. Like most kids her age, M. has developed a potty mouth. She’s not dropping f-bombs or anything, but she does walk around talking about pee and poop all the time, and then acts like it’s super funny. Again, I blame the heathens in her preschool class for introducing her to these concepts. She’s smart about it, too.
That’s the only explanation I can figure on why KU, and not Missouri, is going to the Orange Bowl. Lew Perkins worked the phones harder than Mike Alden over the past week or so, and it paid off. I say that with absolutely no insider scoop and may well be proven wrong when the papers come out tomorrow. But that’s the only reason that makes any sense to me. Then again, college football isn’t supposed to make any sense, so perhaps I’m over-thinking things.