I feel like I should blog

I guess this happens about once every year. I don't have anything specific to blog about, but I haven't blogged in like seven months, so I should do something, right? Here's some stuff. You likely already know this, but hey, it's for posterity or whatever.

• I totally didn't do NaNoWriMo this year. I'm ok with that. I don't know if I'll ever do it. I got the emails and stuff from the Salt Lake group, but didn't even read them
• Hayley is pregnant. It's a boy, and he'll be named Henry. He'll show up in January
• I'm pretty sure everyone I follow on google reader still follows me. It's just easier to not unsubscribe, amirite? You should all blog more often, too. If you don't follow me anymore, well, "sucks to your assmar."
• I'm super into putting links in this post
• Work is very busy. Not travel busy, but work busy. And I'm not particularly fond of this project I'm on
• Speaking of work, everyone is leaving! My boss is leaving, my bosses boss already left, and another manager I liked on my bosses level left
• Again, speaking of work, I'm going to try to get my bosses job. Maybe I'll blog about that another time
• Mikey talks a ton. He mimics everything, so watch your mouth. And pay attention to the kind of TV you watch when he's in the room
• I'm excited for the holidays. I love Christmas
• I may or may not have teared up watching a video where a flash mob choir sing carols in a mall, especially at the part where they sang Oh, Holy Night, and got to the line, "Fall on your knees; oh hear the angel voices" and everyone singing knelt down in front of people dressed as the holy family

That's about it for now. I'll try to blog more. You guys do it more, too, ok?

No one is going to read this

I don't get too political very often. I hope this "Kony 2012" movement actually works. I really do.

So lots of people are talking about Joseph Kony today. Well, they've been talking about him for longer than that, but I just found out about him today. And I'll be honest, I finally watched the video because two of the celebrities I follow on instagram posted something about him. Don't know who Joseph Kony is? Here's my own personal recap of what I have found out:

• Joseph Kony is a rebel fighter in Uganda. He is supported by no one. He doesn't have much purpose besides just having power. He's gone into peace talks a bunch of times, but then goes back to violence. 
• Kony kidnaps kids from their villages at night. He tuns the girls into prostitute slaves, and the boys into children soldiers. He makes them mutilate other children's faces, makes them kill their parents, and then they become his soldiers.
• He's been doing all of this since the 80s.
• The USA doesn't do anything because there's no direct (or even indirect) threat to our country. It's just senseless violence and the killing, rape, and mistreatment of non-american men, women, and children. Mostly children. Like 30,000 children.
• Well, the USA did do a little. Some ambassadors from the army were sent to help look for him. 
• But because Kony doesn't threaten us directly, if there's not a reason to continue to look for and arrest Kony, and the money, resources, and technology needed to arrest him won't be used.
• That shit should stop.

I want to try to gather and share some of the thoughts that came to me after having watched this video. I agree with that last bullet there. When you watch the movie, it may seem a little dramatic, but think of all those kids that he has turned into monsters. It's nuts. It's not overly dramatic. It is really that intense.

I also think it's great that something is being done! In a situation where the normal people see tragedy and evil, and they found a way to actually make a difference. I can share this on facebook, and while I usually make cynical remarks about supporting a cause on facebook, the whole point is to just have it talked about. If it is still in the public eye, the politicians who can do something about it will keep doing something about it. It feels like a big "we the people" moment, and it made that cynic inside me shut up for a while, and be excited that something could be done.

Then, that cynic started sneaking its way out again. Why can't we do this about issues facing america? Why can we all rally around this idea and make it better? I guess it's because the outcome we want for "Kony 2012" is pretty cut and dry. No one can seem to agree on how to rally around our issues at home. Feeding the hungry and housing the homeless, let's say. Oh, let's just go CRAZY on talking about food stamps, shall we? Should there be drug tests? Shouldn't anyone, even if they are unfortunate enough to be a drug addict, be able to eat? Aren't the homeless just lazy people who won't take a job at McDonald's? Why should MY tax dollars go to help people who do drugs and are lazy? Why SHOULDN'T my tax dollars go to help them? Who else will help them? Doesn't improving those people improve society as a whole?

Then, I start to think why I'm not an activist about anything. Why I don't dive deep into the issues. Because deep down, I don't think I can really make a difference. If I vote democrat in Utah, does that even matter? If I vote republican, does that even matter? If I don't vote at all, does that EVEN FREAKING MATTER? All politicians are made from bags of dirt and lies. As prim and proper as they look in a suit and tie or pant suit and heels, they're going to disappoint, come short of promises, and the end result--no matter who it is or what party he or she is from--will be about the same. Some things fixed here, others worsened there. Some left alone, and others dealt with. The political party only changes which batch of things go in which pile. But this movement... can it really mean I could actually help something?

Maybe it's because Uganda and the Invisible Children are so far away. Maybe because kids are dying and we all know that's inherently wrong, so that's why we can rally around it. If it were happening at home, we might see things differently, or just differently enough to form two large opinions--parties, if you will--and debate the best way to go about it, and how to spend the money. But as cynical as I might get, or as much as I've been let down by politics and politicians in the past, I want this to work. 

Catch that sonofabitch. Hold him accountable for murders, assaults, rapes, prostitution, slavery, and crimes against humanity. Because if we all didn't talk about it, no one would care, and nothing would be done. And if something CAN be done, and we do something about it, maybe we can do more. Maybe we can do more at home, even if we can't always agree on exactly how to go about it.

An update

I feel like I should blog. But I don't know what to write about. Bulleted lists help me, so here goes.

• Hayley updates her blog more, so if you want to know what we're up to, you should check out her blog or the project life blog
• I'm on the healthy bandwagon again. It took two little competition thingers where I didn't try too hard to actually get me to where I wanted to do it. I paid money to be in those other "be healthy and lose weight" contests, but it wasn't quite enough to motivate. Why is that?
• I actually JOGGED on the treadmill last night, not just walked briskly
• The fitbit app on iPhone iPod Touch is pretty awesome. Not sure if they let you use the website for free, but the app is free. It's very similar to WeightWatchers
• Orange is still my favorite color
• I kind of want to eat an orange now...
• I just clipped my fingernails
• I haven't talked in person to anyone I work with in MONTHS. On the phone, IMs, and emails sure, but not in person. Weird
• You don't get a whole lot of steps in (you're supposed to get 10,000 per day) when you work from home and have a 2 bedroom house
• I'm not feeling especially creative today

**I didn't finish this blog post until Saturday morning. I thought I better add a few bullets from today**

• I lost 5.5 lbs this week!
• I'm not starving, and don't feel deprived
• I'm going to kick some butt in the FGI8 competition this time

And here are a couple pictures of my family (that won't be new to anyone who reads Hayley's blog or her Project Life blog). Neener neener.

Tales from first class

I've been on a few business trips lately that were given very short notice. This usually means the flights are sold out and expensive, and all that is left is a first class seat. In addition to my first time ever in first class, I wanted to share some experiences I've had. To keep it somewhat shorter than to what I may be prone, I'll give them to you in bullets. The bullets will be followed by narrative, so if you get bored, you can skim.

• First class will change you. The first time I flew first class, I felt bad. Like I was trying to be someone I'm not, that I was slighting my fellow middle-class Americans. When they gave me a meal, I still ate it, but could NOT look at the people in coach sitting behind me. I noticeably avoided looking behind me (which is odd, because I never look behind me on a plane anyway, but this was so deliberate). I was the last seat in first class. The second time, I noticed that there were 4 other iPads up in first class. I have one, so I felt like one of the elite. I enjoyed the beverage service before the flight began. I left perfectly good pieces of melon on the lunch plate because I could. I also pitied the poor saps that had to board after me, and thought about how sad it must be to have no leg room back in coach. The saddest part is that now that my last-minute flights are done, I'll probably never ride in first class again, and I'll again be put next to a large (not chubby, but large) 6'4" dude, and try to keep my arms folded in an attempt to not touch him at all during a three hour flight (yes, that did happen).
• Everyone has a twin. In a single night, in a single restaurant, I saw the twins of a girl I worked with at my first out-of-college job (and almost waved to her and went to ask her what she was doing in Austin), a girl I knew from my freshman year of college, and a guy I knew in high school. I'm not exaggerating. Just so you know I'm not lying, the names of the real people are RB, Hayley (yep, she spells her name like Hayley), and Ryan. The doppelgangers could have stood next to the real people (the people I actually know are the real ones. Obviously.), and passed as twins.
• It is weird to eat at the bar alone and not order alcohol. But what else do you do? You can take up a whole table for a server, and get your one meal. They have to do all the same amount of work, but for half the tip, because it's just a party of one. The bar, on the other hand, is full service like a table, but it's the freakin' bar. And you're the weirdo that says, "Now that you've explained the great, happy hour deals on shots, beers on tap, and colorful mixed drinks, I'm going to go a head and order a water." When eating alone, I often get a soda solely because I feel I owe it to the server to get something that costs money so their tip will be bigger.
• Austin, TX has lots of christian rock stations, Latin stations, and country stations. I surfed through the radio stations and found a TON of christian rock. Or christian talk, with rock mixed in. I'm not going to lie, I sat and listened a while. If I lived there, I may or may not want at least one on a preset. Just for kicks. On a related note, there are also tons of country music stations and Hispanic music stations. And only two alternative rock stations, and one of those has poor reception. The one that I've taken a liking to has a British lady on the morning show, and likes to play a LOT of Hoobastank. I heard no less than three Hoobastank songs on the way back to the hotel one night.
• Everyone obeys the speed limit in Austin. Seriously, there are very few that speed. In SLC, people go 75 mph on the freeway and don't bat an eye, and if you're not going at least 5 over, EVERYONE is passing you. In Austin, there are sections where the limit is 55, and everyone complies. I like it. It may be because they have a zillion cops on the roads. All the roads. At all times.

Woah!!

When Mikey gets too excited, he's started saying, "Woah!" a whole buncha times. It's dang cute. In the tub tonight, he was going nuts! I pulled out my phone and took this video, and of course because there was a camera, he didn't do it quite so much. This video does, however, show a few other Mikey-isms.

• 0:03 -- you can see and hear him do this little mouth grunty noise he makes when he's hungry. I can't even mimic the sound
• 0:15 and 1:35 -- he claps with toys in his hands
• 0:31 -- he sorta does his "woah!"
• 0:44 -- he does a fake cough
• 0:47 -- he lets out a loud "aaahhhhhh"
• 1:42 -- he gets so excited, he has to smile big, kick his feet, and bounce
• 1:50 -- he gives a better "woah! woah!"
• 2:06 -- his dad says "oh, goodness" in baby talk for the billionth time
• 2:16 -- he gives a little more concerned "woah!"

Yeah... I know I'm a dork, but I just love everything about this kid!

Lazy Sunday

Wake up in the late afternoon...

I have an urge to blog. But I have no real reason to. No pictures. Nothing specific to say. So here is a seemingly random string of thought for you... or just me. In bullet form.

• There were two pictures I contemplated posting. As a sort of "Wordless Wednesday" (but not on Wednesday) post. I didn't post them.
• I wonder how you play Cover the Orange.
• Golden Eye is fun. But I don't really want to play it.
• Weight Watchers works pretty good. I lost over 9 lbs. this week. That'd be more impressive if I wasn't so large right now, but it still pretty great.
• I don't like when the weekend is over.
• I do like Sunday naps.
• I've been listening to one of Katy Perry's albums for a couple days. There's a song with this line: "You're from a whole nuther world." I've thought of two or three alternate sentences that have the same number of syllables, fit the song's rhythm, but are grammatically correct and don't contain fake words like "nuther."
• I kind of want chocolate, but I've used up all my points today, so I'm going to have a "treat water" which is a generic Crystal Lite single serve thinger.

That's it. Off to make my treat water.

What would you title this playlist?

Hayley made this playlist, and it's really good music. She has a great name for the playlist, but I wanted to see what other folks might call it. So, if you can guess what Hayley named it, or if we like your choice enough to change the name Hayley already gave it, you get a prize. Seriously. If you win, I'll ask for your address and send you a prize. Because I'm all about prizes and giveaways on my blog. Anyway, here are the songs:

• Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri
• Secrets - OneRepublic
• Chasing Pavements - Adele
• Parachute - Ingrid Michaelson
• Fallin' - Alicia Keys
• You and Me - Dave Matthews Band
• Forget You - Cee Lo Green
• Holding Us Back - Katie Herzig
• Turn to Stone - Ingrid Michaelson
• No One - Alicia Keys
• Back to Black - Amy Winehouse
• If I Were A Boy - Beyonce
• Skinny Love - Bon Iver
• What Can I Say - Brandy Carlile
• Warning Sign - Coldplay
• Put Me Down - The Cranberries
• I Will Follow You Into The Dark - Death Cab For Cutie
• The Sound of Settling - Death Cab For Cutie
• Shadowboxer - Fiona Apple
• Paper Bag - Fiona Apple
• Dog Days Are Over - Florence & The Machine
• Cosmic Love - Florence & The Machine
• Cryinig Shame - Jack Johnson
• Star Mile - Joshua Radin
• Sky - Joshua Radin
• Unlike Me - Kate Havnevik
• Somewhere Only We Know - Keane
• Because of You - Kelly Clarkson
• Save You - Mathew Perryman Jones
• All About Your Heart - Mindy Gledhill
• Anyone Else But You - The Moldy Peaches
• The Cave - Mumford & Sons
• So What - P!nk
• Nightswimming - R.E.M.
• Australia - The Shins
• Silent All These Years - Tori Amos
• Confessions Part II - Usher
• Gotta Have You - The Weepies

There ya go. What would you name this playlist? And maybe, what would you add to it?

Happy birthday, Hayley!

I tend to get long winded. So here are the main things I want to say, in a bulleted list. Because bullets calm me down and make what I have to say a little less wordy.

• I hope you have the best birthday you could ever have. 
• You're my favorite person and you deserve a great birthday!
• I love you so much! 
• I can be exactly myself with you, and you love me back. 
• We are best friends, and can do anything together. 
• Even just sit and do nothing.
• You're my baby mama! 
• You brought Mikey to us, and you are the best mother in the world to him. 
• How much you love him and care for him just builds up how much I love you! 
• I love our little family!

I love ya, Hayley. Here's to many more birthdays together. :)

Disappointed in Glee

This post is going to say a couple of things beyond what I want to get at, so let's address those things first so we can get to the nitty gritty. Yes, I watch Glee. Yes, I enjoy it. Yes, I also like musicals--in fact, being in the pit orchestra for my high school's production of Guys and Dolls was pretty sweet. I realize all these things may make you question my manhood. Go ahead and question it. I'm comfortable enough to admit these things (also that I don't follow any professional sport, don't have a gun, don't see the point in owning a truck when I live in the city [but having friends who have trucks is nice when the occasion calls for it], I like to cook, I like Alanis Morissette and Tori Amos, and--while I'm still able to kill them--spiders freak me out), and I still don't feel the need to figure out sports statistics because you might tease me if I don't know anything about sports (though I'll still say the Chicago Bears are my favorite team, even if I don't even know the name of their quarterback). I'm comfortable in my skin. Also, when I rant, my blog posts are really long. So now let's move on.

Glee the other night was a huge disappointment. The singing was fun and all, but the overall message was that teenage drinking is fine, except when it makes you throw up. The producers and writers of the show thought it was ok to show high school kids drinking at parties (where the kids broke into the parent's liquor cabinet to get plastered), in the halls of school, and while performing at an assembly in school, and have no repercussions whatsoever. Oh, except for hangovers and throwing up.

That's not the biggest disappointment, either. None of the adults could offer any reasons why teenage kids shouldn't drink. The biggest argument the kids could provide was, "You adults drink to take off the edge or have fun, so why can't we?" In the end, the only resolution to this argument was, "Well, I'll stop drinking then, too." While I'm all for abstaining from alcohol at any age, I'm not naïve enough to think that everyone stays stone cold sober all the time, and many people do drink responsibly. So to those who may eventually drink in their lifetime, it might be better to give stronger arguments against underage drinking than I'll-stop-drinking-if-that-makes-you-stop-drinking. Because if you drink alcohol as an adult who has influence over kids, there is a likelihood that there are other adults in the lives of the kids you're trying to influence who also drink. And you can't make EVERYONE in the world stop drinking all at once. Remember Prohibition? The world just isn't ready for that.

So, Glee, while I don't mind that the weekly stories often have holes or don't really make sense, and any viewer with half a brain can see that all you're trying to do is figure out some way to transition from Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" to Britney Spears's "Toxic," at least TRY to do a little research before treating underage alcohol abuse so lightly. There are, in fact, MUCH WORSE outcomes to underage drinking than just headaches and upset stomachs. Here are a few:

• In 2006, more than 19% of drivers ages 16 to 20 who died in motor vehicle crashes had been drinking alcohol.*
• The younger you are when you start drinking, the greater your chance of becoming addicted to alcohol at some point in your life. More than 4 in 10 people who begin drinking before age 15 eventually become alcoholics.**
• Underage drinking is a leading contributor to death from injuries, which are the main cause of death for people under age 21. Each year, approximately 5,000 persons under the age of 21 die from causes related to underage drinking. These deaths include about 1,600 homicides and 300 suicides.***
• Long-term risks of alcohol use include liver damage, pancreatitis, certain cancers, and literal shrinkage of the brain.****
• Studies with animals and alcohol dependent adolescents show that alcohol has the potential to impact adolescent brain development. Given recent research which shows that the human brain continues to develop throughout adolescence, we need to better understand the short- and longterm effects of alcohol on the developing brain. (Basically, the human brain is still developing even when you're a teenager. Alcohol can screw up how your brain develops and damage it irreparably, especially if you binge drink like the kids on Glee were doing)***
• Youth who drink alcohol are more likely to experience school problems, such as higher absence and poor or failing grades; social problems, such as fighting and lack of participation in youth activities; legal problems, such as arrest for driving or physically hurting someone while drunk; physical problems, such as hangovers or illnesses; unwanted, unplanned, and unprotected sexual activity; disruption of normal growth and sexual development; physical and sexual assault; higher risk for suicide and homicide; alcohol-related car crashes and other unintentional injuries, such as burns, falls, and drowning; memory problems; abuse of other drugs; changes in brain development that may have life-long effects; death from alcohol poisoning.*****

What I listed above were just things I know about, but now have sources to back up my knowledge. Check out the references below to find out even more crap that can happen to underage drinkers.

Finding these resources wasn't hard, Glee writers. Come on. Everyone knows that teenage drinking is a big deal. We know your key demographic probably consists of teenagers that want to be cool but may not be very popular, so you don't want to make them change the channel if they feel like they're getting some kind of lecture, but seriously, all you could come up with is to make the Glee coach say he wasn't going to drink either? No mention of liver disease, brain development, alcohol poisoning leading to death, or anything?? It was all a big game to these kids, and there were no consequences. In real life, almost half of these kids would go to binge drinking parties again, become addicts, and ruin their lives.

The Glee kids drank on multiple occasions AT SCHOOL, and no one was even sent to detention. Their teacher knew about a few occasions of the drinking, and not only didn't do anything to stop it, he didn't give them any kind of consequence for BREAKING THE LAW. (As a side note, Hayley and I have steeper consequences for the kids in our Sunday school class who talk too much during a lesson!) At the very least, the kids should have been suspended. In my opinion, they should have been suspended, banned from regionals or sectionals or whatever (I watch mostly just for the singing and the quirky, mean wit of Sue Sylvester, I can't be bothered with details like the name of the competition), and required to attend some kind of underage alcohol education course to be held after school hours. Expulsion wouldn't really be out of the question. But that would make for bad TV, wouldn't it.

Underage alcohol use is a big deal, Glee. There is a lot more at stake than just hangovers and puking in public. Next time, be a little more adult about how you deal with issues that result in the deaths of thousands of Americans each year.

I'm still trying to decide if I should stop watching the show altogether because of that episode...

*http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/810801.PDF
**http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa59.htm
***http://www.nih.gov/about/researchresultsforthepublic/UnderageDrinking.pdf
****http://www.teendrugabuse.us/teensandalcohol.html
*****http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm
(The links to Glee are left out on purpose. You'll find the show if you want to, but I don't need to promote it on my blog right now...)

Strong opinions

I don't really have many super strong opinions... do I? First order of business: all y'all that read this blog, comment on and point out my strong opinions in the comments. Second order of business: I'll try to think harder. Third order of business: once you've read my opinions, share yours in the comments.

• Opinion #1 - Orange is the best color. For EVERYTHING.
• Opinion #2 - You shouldn't swear in a church, synagogue, or any place of worship. Show some dang respect. And if you do, even if it's at a basketball game for a ward that isn't even in my stake, I'll tell you to not swear in church.
• Opinion #3 - Chubby people and spandex don't mix.
• Opinion #4 - You should always have your wrist strap on when playing Wii. 
• Opinion #5 - My wife is the best and my son is the cutest.
• Opinion #6 - (late entry of my own, and so denoted in orangey-brown) I'm really bugged by people who post all sorts of crap/links on facebook complaining about the government, conspiracies, how awful education is, the evils of consumerism, the evils of capitalism, the evils of socialism, etc. and don't do anything but bitch about it on facebook. You look like an asshat if alls you're gonna do is whine about it and share obscure news articles. Are you doing anything about your zillion causes? Are you avidly writing your congressmen? Hosting rallies? If not, what is the point of all the doomsday sharing on facebook? (sorry for all the cussing on this one, but i'm not in a church, or other place of worship, so I excuse myself.)
• Opinion #7 - (stolen from Caron, who also blogged her list of opinions) Before giving a chruch talk, I HATE when people say they didn't prepare, or didn't have time to prepare, or were called saturday night... sure you were busy or weren't given advance notice, but if you don't tell me that, I would never know and the spirit of doubt wouldn't have entered me, and I wouldn't hate your talk... just sayin'.
• Opinion #8 - You don't need to wear your sunglasses inside. You aren't a rockstar.

That's really all I got... If I deem your comment to be a true strong opinion of mine, I'll add it to my list. :) Additions will be denoted in text of different colors.

Bullets

I haven't posted in a while, so here is a bulleted list of things crossing my mind lately.

• Mikey was 8 weeks old on November 6th, 60 days old on November 9th, and 2 months old on November 11th. Aren't 8 weeks, 60 days, and 2 months all supposed to be the same thing?
• Mikey keeps changing. Every now and then, I'll really notice it. I'm excited to find out how much he's grown after his 2 month check-up today.
• I really love Hayley.
• We haven't been to a movie in so long, I don't even remember what the last one was. It was before Mikey was born, but probably weeks or months before that, even. That's a long time for movie lovers not to see a movie. Thank goodness for NetFlix! (I'm fairly certain we'll be in the theater for the new Harry Potter movie, however.)
• We finally got all of our leftovers eaten. We had lots of soup, salad, sandwiches, cake, jambalaya, and more for a while. I get a little sad when we waste good food. After last night, we now  have a pan of enchiladas as leftovers. I'm excited for those.
• Thanks to my friend, Jason, I'm going to try to be thankful. But you don't get to know what I'm thankful for until Thanksgiving day. The rules were to keep track of one thing I am thankful for starting on October 31 all the way to Thanksgiving day. I may not write something every day, but I'll have enough items for each day.
• I might be growing a beard. I've never done that. Partly because it itches my face off, and partly because I have not been able to do so. I still have tiny little spots where the mustache doesn't really meet up with my chin scruff, but I might see how this goes. For a little while, anyway.
• I often want to blog, but don't.
• I'm watching Avatar tonight (right now, actually) with Hayley.

Grunty McGrunterson

That is Mikey's nick-name of choice around here. When he's not Mikey or Little Dude. Other choice nick-names include:

• Pouty McPouterson
• Poopy McPooperson
• Tooty McTooterson
• Farty McFarterson (the more crude version of T. McT.)
• Funky McFunkerson (well, mostly that just happened one time, while we were talking about his nick-names.)
• Monkey McButterson (Thanks, Holly. Based off this post by Hayley.)
• Lovey
• Emo Burrito

But mostly Grunty McGrunterson. Because he really works on it when he needs to get his diaper filled.

Some baby stuff

Hayley has done a great job of posting pictures and things. And she started a blog to keep up on Mikey's project life thinger (I added a link there to the right if you're interested). While I don't have photos to add, here are a few baby things going on for me.

• Mikey's little cry is cute to me. His screamer cry is sad.
• We weren't prepared for him to not be a giant. We have billions of clothes for him, once he gains a few pounds, but for now, we're doing laundry all the time.
• I'm pretty good at changing a diaper, I think...
• I'm even better at swaddling.
• When Mikey is really upset, if you lift him strait up high a couple times, he seems to like that and calms down.
• I am having all sorts of paternal instincts. Sometimes, I dream I'm holding him, and when I wake up cradling my pillows under my face, I get a nervous jolt that I'm using him as a pillow.
• I have also had some pretty  crazy and graphic dreams where he was seriously hurt. In on of those dreams, I beat a man bloody and I think I killed him... I'm not a violent person usually, but this guy seriously hurt my baby boy and even in my dream I couldn't stop myself.
• I like to hold him when he sleeps. I should probably let him sleep in his bed--and I usually do--but it's fun to hold him.
• I like to watch Hayley hold him. It's nice just looking at the two of them.
• I like looking into his little eyes. He lifts his head up and looks around A LOT. I wonder what in the world he could be thinking. "do you dream about Jesus or quantum mechanics or angels who sing lullabies?"
• Hayley is the best. I am getting pretty good sleep. But I do try to help out when I know she just needs an hour or two to stay sane.
• We're pretty happy around here.

There ya go. Maybe the next one I'll post pictures. But for now, try Hayley's blog and Project Mikey.

All the internet has to offer

I've done something like this once before. but with the lovely world of RSS feeds, I can make wasting time on the internet even easier for myself! The below mentioned are websites that I check out via google reader. You don't have to do the same, but I think they're fun. All of them may or may not have naughty language, so if you have kids in the room, review the sites before sharing.

• Fail Blog - some of these aren't so funny, but it's fun to have something in your reader. Lots of crazy people out there, I tell you what.
• PostSecret - updated every Sunday morning. You should really check it out.
• Found Cameras and Orphan Pictures - Not updated often, but if someone loses a camera, memory card, or photos, they can send a couple pictures to this blog, and maybe even reunite them with their owner.
• Passive-Aggressive (and Just Plain Offensive) Notes - featuring all sorts of roommate squabbles, lived out through post-its on the fridge. And other things.
• Stuff White People Like - this one hasn't been updated in quite some time. But it's funny little quips about the most stereotypical white culture.
• Boy On A Stick And Slither - Awesome web comic. One of my favorites. Hasn't been updated since March. There used to be one like every couple days. Makes me sad.
• Best of Craigslist - a recent find. Sorta funny. Not updated frequently. I might stop reading this one.
• Lamebook - makes all sorts of fun of facebook. Updated frequently. Like multiple times every day.
• Toothpaste For Dinner - Web comic. Poorly drawn (on purpose), satirical, with the option to buy T-shirts. Updated daily (or at least week daily...).
• There, I Fixed It - redneck repairs. Including turning one of those super old exercise bikes into an elliptical machine made of 2x4s. Awesome.
• Words to Shoot By - not so much funny as interesting. Photographers are given a word, and they take three photos based on the word. My friend, Robin, participates and is why I subscribe. One day, I hope to actually take decent photos. Not photographer quality, mind you, but just decent. Not back-lit or blurry.
• Awkward Family Photos - ...doesn't really need an explanation.
• xkcd.com - a web comic that uses stick figures. It's awesome "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language" is the subtitle. One of the best parts of this web comic is the alt tag text. Leave your mouse on the image, and read the text that comes up. It really adds to the humor of the comic.

So there ya go. That's what I'm doing when I'm not reading all ya'll's blogs. What do you read on the interwebs a'la RSS feed?

Side effects of the new job

• I am not shaving as often. This is probably not great. It makes my sensitive skin all the more irritated when I do shave. But working at home means I don't have to shave because the boss doesn't really see me...
• I feel like a tech geek. I now have a phone, an iPod touch, and a BlackBerry that I cary around all the time. Gets a little bulky. 
• I have a SkyMiles account. It's not building up as fast as some of my coworkers, but someday I might get a free airline ticket out of it.
• I eat lunch from home most days. This isn't new, but it is kinda fun to watch a TV show during lunch on my couch at home, and I don't have to work out drive time nto my lunch break. That, or I just eat at my desk.
• I don't fill my car with gas as often. That's also because I don't drive my car much. Because Hayley is still working (back on track today. Sorry, babe.), I don't park in the driveway so she can get her car out in the morning. That means when we go anywhere together, we usually take her car beause it's in the driveway.
• My sleep is ridden with stuff from work. I don't love that, but I'm sure it'll stop. Once I sorta get the hang of things. I hope that's sooner than later.
• I don't check my personal email, facebook, write blog posts, comment on blogs, or do much else on the internet. I spend enough time on a computer these days, I just don't want to spend more. So sorry if I haven't been very accessible lately. I'll try harder. Maybe.

There, a new blog post for you. Can't say I'll pick up on blogging much, but I'll try.

Seemingly random thoughts

hmmmm... I'm sure everyone is sick of looking at that duck... so here's something new.

Hayley asked me to blog today... but I can't think of anything to blog about! So here are a few thoughts going through my head right now. Are you prepared for the madness?? To help, I'll separate thoughts by bullet points.

• I watched V last night. Didn't really grab me right away and it felt like they had re-written the pilot episode a bunch of times, finding that they needed to move things along quickly to keep the audience interested. (If you haven't seen the episode yet, you may want to stop here.) So the aliens show up, start doing nice stuff, taking people on tours of their ships, and start giving clues that they're not entirely well-intended. But it seems like in that first episode, two months or so passed... Also, I wasn't a huge fan of the acting. The saving grace was Juliet from Lost was in it, and so was Alan Tdyk. So we'll probably give it a couple more episodes.
• I like Cash Cab. I'm watching it now while I wait for Hayley to get home from parent teacher conferences. Mostly because I love trivia. I may or may not have 3 trivia aps on my iPod Touch. Even thought I like Cash Cab, I'd rather have Hayley home...
• I caught up on a bunch of stuff at work today. With so many RFPs to work on, my desk got kinda cluttered, and I was behind on one of my monthly reports. Now I'm good to go, my desk is cleared, and the other projects I'm working on are doing just great. Yay for being on top of things!
• Hayley let me make picaditas for dinner the other night, and I'm going to be making one of my favorite salsa recipes soon, too. Dinner didn't even suck that night! Pretty soon I'll be wearing a sombrero, pancho, and want to make agua de Jamaica (pronounced huh-mike-uh) for Hayley, too! ...kidding!
• I'm looking forward to the holidays! I like the spirit of the season, the hot chocolate, and extra time with Hayley. I'm not looking forward to driving in the snow, however...
• I'm looking forward to the last season of Lost! It starts in 2010 sometime... so I've got some time to wait, but it'll be fun once it starts.
• I'm looking forward to going to Chicago with Hayley! She has a list of stuff we're going to do on her blog, and I sometimes click the links and get excited.
  
• I like the Dr Pepper pajama pants I'm wearing right now. Comfy.
  
• I kinda want a Reese's peanut butter cup right now. And for some reason, I pronounce it ree-seas, not ree-sez. Whatev.
  
• I'm still wearing my brown work socks right now.
• I find it interesting that my thoughts got increasingly shorter. Must be time to stop.
  

There ya go. What's going through your mind?