Collected semi-coherent ramblings after Saturday’s Kansas-Texas game.
What’s the old saying, there are two sports in Texas: football and spring football? That can be applied to about any level or school in Texas. High school, the University of Texas or Texas A&M. That may be changing a little, with the emergence of Texas over the past 7-8 years and the more recent ascent of A&M in basketball. It’s not fair, in a way, that Texas fans got to watch Vince Young for three years and now get to watch Kevin Durant.
Well, the blogger and his girls survived the weekend without the wife/mom. There were only a couple blow-ups each day, most involving M. refusing my orders to 1) Keep her hands off of her sister’s head, 2) stop touching her sister’s face, 3) stop pushing/pulling her sister, or 4) just getting the hell away from her sister. At least we were both consistent, me in my orders and her in her refusal to follow them.
Nothing too special to report about day one. The girls were, for the most part, well-behaved. M. had a 30 minute period where she refused to stop touching C.’s head, no matter how many times I told her to stop. When I was trying to get everyone out the door for a quick trip to Target after dinner, she asked me if we were going to Costco at least 8000 times.
S. left for her girls’ trip bright and early this morning. Not even bright and early; she left the house before 5:00. Yikes. It’s just me and the girls for the next 96 hours, give or take.
This is my first time with the girls for this long, believe it or not. I’ve lucked out with S.’s schedule at work changing a year or so ago and she no longer working any 24 hour shifts.
Last week included a couple important firsts. First (uh-huh, uh-huh) C. now has some teeth. As of Sunday evening, depending on your definition, she had between two and six teeth. Her two front, top teeth were the first to pop through and are very visible now. One of her other upper teeth is peeking through. Then, at least two bottom teeth had pushed through by this afternoon, although it was tough to see them.
I love those random moments when you remember someone from your past and it makes you laugh and smile. Today, while unloading the dishwasher or folding laundry or some other domestic chore I tackle with aplomb, I suddenly remembered my boy Pops. I know a few of you remember Pops, too, but for those who have no idea who Pops is, skip down to the jump and read more.
I spent the better part of the 90s working at a warehouse in Lenexa, KS, shipping hardware supplies to stores around the country (Later, when I switched to the night shift, I got to drive a forklift all night.
Yes, I really am posting at 12:20-something AM. I’m not doing it to show off, the way I used to send e-mails late at night or early in the morning in my Corporate Hack days (To the day I left the Big C Corp, there were a few people in high places that I would run into occasionally who would point at me and say, “This guy works crazy hours!” And this was at a company where crazy hours were mandated.
We heard that worst of toddler words today. “Why?” I don’t even remember the context, I just know I was asking M. to do something while cleaning C. up after her breakfast and M. looked at me with big, two-year-old eyes, and asked, very matter-of-factly, “Why?” It was so unexpected that I just ignored her rather than using any of the numerous defense strategies I’ve thought up. I’m sure I’ll get many, many chances to practice them in the near future.
For the first time in 21 years, I live in the home of a world championship team. And with the Colts' title, Indy officially becomes a football town. I’ve shared this story often: the Colts couldn’t even sell out the smallest stadium in the league in time to lift the TV blackout for their home opener against their arch rivals the first fall I lived here. Four seasons later, they are Super Bowl champions, a sparkling new stadium with the fifth highest capacity in the NFL is being constructed across the street from the RCA Dome, and this city has finally fully embraced the team.
Somehow I’ve managed to avoid most of the Super Bowl hype this week. It was S.’s week to work days, which helped. That meant I rarely had a chance to do more than glance at the paper, often in the evening, and when the local evening news is on, I’m generally finally taking a shower or hitting the books after a long day with the girls. So I’m actually looking forward to the game for the game itself, rather than as a break from the interminable hype leading up to it.
I have to say, C. has done quite well in her transition to sleeping all-night. We’ve only been up with her once in the past two weeks (JINX for tonight, right there!). M. is waking up more for some reason, but at least with her you just go cover her up again, make sure she has whatever toy or animal she’s crying for, and then she’s out again. With all this sleep I’ve been getting, though, has come a very strange group of dreams.
I’ve had to bust out the 22 oz. Fat Tire at 11:00 PM in order to wind down. Obviously, one of the best playoff games in recent memory, if for no other reason than it had something for everyone. The Patriots came out absolutely humming in the first half. Moving the ball easily. Pressuring Manning. A very Partiot-like fumbled recovery for a touchdown when five Colts had a shot at the ball.
It won’t take much imagination for you to figure out what M. was describing when she said that earlier today. Think of what steps parents go through with kids (usually) between their second and third birthdays.
I did a running account of last night’s KU-MU game, which ended up being a pretty exciting affair. My first editing assignment kept me busy late into the night and then again this morning, and I have an assignment due for class tonight.
A star is born and a damn fine game is played. Almost 3000 words about Kansas, Missouri, and basketball. It’s becoming a tradition. Kansas-Missouri on ESPN, I do an in-game blog. Well, I guess it becomes a tradition tonight, as last year was probably the first year I did it. Marquette and Louisville are doing their job of finishing up in plenty of time for the Big 12 tip. I’ve got my lucky KU blanket (I say lucky not because I remember winning more games than losing when I’ve had it draped across my body, but because it just sounds better that way.
This was Bootcamp week for C.. She’s nearly eight months old and still was not sleeping all night, so since S. had five straight nights off, we decided to bite the bullet. We ignored C.’s pleas for attention for the past week to try to get her to learn that she can sleep through the night without a bottle.
We started Sunday night. As normal, she woke up just before midnight and we let her scream for about 15 minutes.
Seventeen days. That’s how long it took M. to destroy the Play-Doh Santa brought her. What was once brilliant hues of orange, pink, purple, and yellow are now blobs of strange, pinkish-grey matter with the occasional swirl of tie-dye. She doesn’t seem to mind, but it sure drives her parents crazy.
Finishing up this year’s business. The five songs that when I think of 2006, I will think of most. Happy New Year to all.
5 - “Unemployable” - Pearl Jam. Yeah, I’m a fan. Sue me. A damn fine song regardless. Pearl Jam’s greatest hook ever? It might well be. This song summed up what most of their self-titled album was all about: getting to the point without any embellishment. Almost no guitar solo, quick, nearly non-existent choruses.
The countdown continues…
10 - “Steady As She Goes” - The Raconteurs. The lead single off of the much-hyped collaboration between Jack White and Brendan Benson. It hints at the dirty sound of the rest of the album, while maintaining an accessibility that makes it radio-friendly.
9 - “Stuck Between Stations” - The Hold Steady. You can’t have a great album without a great opening track. This song perfectly sets the tone for Boys and Girls in America.
I listened to a lot of music this year. I made lists. I pared those lists down to 20 songs. Below is installment #1 of the best of 2006, all in my humble opinion, of course. Your results may vary.
20 - “Handle With Care” - Jenny Lewis With the Watson Twins. This would be higher if it weren’t A) a cover (Traveling Wilburys) and B) an “all-star” track (Indie favs Ben Gibbard, Conner Oberst, and M.
Happy continued holidays to all. It’s a dandy here in Indy. C. is sick, M. is teetering on the edge of a cold, I’ve got a full-blown cold, and S. is surely next. Then there are the sisters-in-law staying here, who will probably catch it before they head home. I’m going through massive amounts of kleenex and discovering the dumbed-down version of Sudafed just isn’t as good as the old, Meth-friendly kind.