Frenzied Daddy

Bookcrossing.com is “making the world a library” with over 400,000 books registered. They’re talking people into registering their book, stickering their book, and “releasing it into the wild.” And then they provide journal space for people to read the book and make commentary on it and it’s travels. Sounds fascinating, and a neat study on community-building.

In a lot of ways, the Internet, well ok the Web, has done more to bridge people together than break them apart. From the ‘blogging community sharing jokes and resources to things like this BookCrossing, to the Howard Dean movement, to the news about the War in Iraq. We’re outspoken and we’re outreaching- touching each other on the Web.

Some people might argue that each of us staring into a computer monitor leads to fractionalization of our culture, but I think it’s really helping us connect better. Just remember- things in moderation. Get out and enjoy the sunshine while we have it. Visit your library (the county one, not the world one). Talk to strangers.

For your edification.

This guy, Howard Dean, has really piqued my interest. Consider this quote:

“When Ronald Reagan came into office, he cut taxes, we had big deficits, and we lost 2 million jobs. When Bill Clinton came into office, he raised taxes without a single Republican vote; we balanced the budget; we gained 6 and a half million jobs. George Bush has already lost 2 and a half million. I want a balanced budget because that’s how you get jobs in this country is to balance the books. No Republican president has balanced the budget in 34 years. …You had better elect a Democrat, because the Republicans cannot handle money. … We’re the party of responsibility, and they’re not.

(quote from William Salatan via Matt (see Matt’s entry for June 09, 2003; Blogspot’s archives don’t appear to work at the moment.)

I think he bears watching.

They’re still missing their village idiot. But sometimes good stuff happens in Texas.

My kid spends her days at the YMCA day camp over by her school. This week is hot, and they’re playing outside. And the Y-people, while teaching her the Village People song, make her learn stuff. Yesterday they went to the park and played Softball. She left in the morning saying she was “not a sports girl” and that she was a “fun girl.” Yesterday, she came home with three huge blisters (she asked me not to show on the website) from some playground equipment, and a new love for softball, soccer and kickball.

Involving her in sports is part of our Evil Plan™— hopefully we’ll fill her life with things like sports and books and she won’t have time for … well… Worry and Fright. Let’s hope we can get this ball rolling and keep it rolling.

(this picture is from the Gay Pride march)

I’m this ( || ) close to ordering one of these. (Thanks to Davidadam, and his friend Ms. Smartypants. )

Go look. And look at the sequence of “how it works.” That’s some scary pictures.

Just for the record; the last papers for this paper route I threw this morning at 4:47.

I’m impatiently awaiting Pirates of the Caribbean:Curse of the Black Pearl. I suppose that week will be great for a pirate-zombie movie as well as the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (and woman). Nemo was a good diversion.

We had been putting this off for a bit. A promise is a promise, however, and we went last night. The theater was pretty empty- 7:30 on a weeknight with a kid might be some reason for that. We saw it at my favorite theater.

The movie was riveting. The pace was fast; the emotions were clear, the funny bits were funny (and you didn’t need to be a clown fish
to get the finny bits). Overall, I’d give it a four out of five. Not as much my favorite as Mulan, but still way up there.

How do I mourn someone I’ve never met?

We lost a baby. No matter how many times I say it, it still sounds both inadequate and impersonal. A baby we’ll never get to know,
a giggle I’ll never hear. First steps never taken, first words never spoken. I mourn the lost opportunities; I have a digital camera now, I was planning to capture more of the process. I was looking forward to … well, to everything; sleeping with the baby on my belly, carting the baby around, watching the Kids play together, taking the new kid for walks in the dad pack, Christmasses with an infant.

It’s hard watching Brookes, too. I know she thinks the same things; and other things too. She liked carrying a baby again. Even with the morning sickness that never went away. A little seed was growing within her; there’s a mystery to childbirth that I’ll never pierce. And knowing her body is trying hard to get rid of any remaining belongings of the one inside her, every pain must be a reminder of our loss. And Friday at the hospital, hearing our worst fears realized.

If a child dies, people say “well, you had them for a little while.” We didn’t have that. We never even heard a heartbeat.