Cutting a small check

Today I paid my annual membership due for the American Civil Liberties Union. In some circles that makes me a Nazi supporter or a godless babykiller, but I don't believe I'm supporting any of those things. The people with the money make the laws in this country. All the rest of us have to protect us is our Bill of Rights, the ACLU and our own dilgence. I feel like supporting the ACLU is supporting the best organization out there working in support of our own liberty. They are the ones who line up at the front to tell the goverenment it is wrong to keep a person off a plane because of his/her skin color. They are the ones defending free speech on the internet. They are the ones protecting reproductive privacy. They've made a lot of difference in many lives. But their struggles continue as the government has trended towards more oppressiveness in the post 9/11 era.

In all honesty, I should probably do more to support the causes I believe in. I should learn more about one of the specific causes. Act on it. Maybe all of you could drop them a little support for them too.

The Gathering

Not much to say recently. Little Jodi continues to grow and grow oblivious to how much hard work Mom and Dad are putting into meeting her needs. Well, if she's not completely oblivious, she is damn well inconsiderate. She's going to have to catch on that the rest of the world sleeps at night.

It's time again for that rare occassion to get together with lots of people and share a large bird. Always fun, but somewhat stressful. Everyone (except the little one) is being extremely helpful in getting everything together, but just putting that many people in our place is always an adventure.

Maybe at the end of the year we'll have an easier time where we can just sleep.

And let me lapse into my Yankee bias for a moment. Jeter should have one the MVP.

Your love is better than ice cream

This photo features Jordan and her new BFF, Clair and is courtesy of K & G.

One time Wifey and I were sitting next to each other sharing some ice cream right out of the carton. We were at the last scoop before I realized that we were eating cookies n' cream and not just plain vanilla because she was hogging all the cookies for herself.

This note is just to say, it's okay. I don't mind. Take all the cookies you want as long as you continue to sit by my side and share your life with me.

Happy Birthday, Wifey.

New Routine

The decisons start early in the morning now. Say you chance a diaper at a quarter after six in the morning. Do you get up, start your day and head off to work early? Or do you crawl back into bed for a couple more minutes of sleep? Sleep in winning out most days, but not by much.

Blue Tuesday

Election Tuesday makes CNN feel like ESPN during the NBA draft. Talking heads filling up space with words that they try to make sound meaningful. Results from contests across the country scroll across the bottom of the screen like sports scores so that your eyes can compete with your ears for sensory overload. Yet, except for political junkies, not much matters except the final tally.

I watched a bit. I'm going to make my kid watch. As I was telling my wife, I'm going to love little Jordan no matter what unless she becomes a Republican.

Anyway, as everyone with a pulse knows, Junior has been repudiated and the voters have called for a new direction. Much of the world rejoices at the hope for the return to reason over idealogical faith. Let's see how long it lasts.

I understand the instinct for revenge, the desire to impeach Junior for the many crimes he has committed over the last several years. But I'm also hoping that the new leaders will understand that they have to do things a different way. They have to bring about change through reason. They need to be ethical. They need to demonstrate compassion. It's hard to believe the Dems are going to be capable of any of that, but they have to be better than Junior.

Hopefully, Junior will not commit anymore harm in the next two years. Letting Rummy go was a good gesture to get things started. At least he will have to answer to someone now.

Quick Thoughts

For the last two weeks, I've been resisting the urge to blog about my baby non-stop. As a new daddy, I want to tell you all the cute new things she is capable of each and every day, but really, I couldn't read that stuff everyday, so I'm not going to write it. Still a few thoughts.

I can't wait until she can communicate a bit more. Right now all she does is cry and I'm left guessing what she wants. We'll both be better off when she can actually tell me what she wants.

Today I returned to work. It's both a good thing and a bad thing. There's a lot to do, and I actually miss it. Or maybe' it's just I'm getting tired of the diapers over and over and over again. But going back does leave Wifey playing man to man defense. Double teaming we barely broke even. I just hope she can take it until Thursday when my mom returns.

Election day comes around again tomorrow. Here's my little blog reminder to vote if the thought hasn't occured to you yet. I just spent the last hour going through the California Propositions. Always a chore. I can't wait until they have the Proposition to revise the California Proposition process. The Easy Voter Guide is a great place study up quickly on issues.