In My Life, I Love You More...

Monday was my second wedding anniversary. I won't say anything cliche like, "I never thought we'd make it" or "it was such a joyous affair". Not that there wasn't joy, but it wasn't cheesy Hallmark joy. It was a happy relief, a sign of, "oh good, another year and she hasn't shot me".

I don't know if this is a common feeling but the first two years of being a husband and father were almost entirely fear. Have I ruined this child for life? Will she ever forgive me? Did I just give that child brain damage? Can I get Gatorade stain out of the carpet? Why wont the child keep her clothes on? What have I done wrong now?

I want all of you to understand, this is my internal dialog. No one has to tell me these things they just occur in life and there isn't a lot you can do about them. Harper is a wonderful kid, and I'm glad she's not one of the scary beast children I see at the grocery store or the park every week. I'm glad she's mostly easy, because I'm not sure we could handle one of those miniature mental patients. It's just not a cakewalk being a parent.

Or being married either, learning how to communicate with another person on every level all the time is a daunting task. I don't pretend to be the best at it, but I try hard and in marriage I think that is one of the only times in life where the thought actually does count. So I try to be thoughtful, not that it makes it any less scary.

 

Don't get me wrong it has been wonderful also, watching Harper grow and learn almost perceptibly. Feel the warmth and love of both of the girls when they are around. Finding true joy in the simpleist of things like watching a movie together or getting a full nights sleep and not having to sleep alone. (Literally never sleeping alone, even if Meg wasn't there HK would come in, in the middle of the night) Watching the girls do all of the things that they do, and being happy just to watch them be.I guess the most important thing is, I think my wife is the smartest, sexiest, most wonderful lady in the world. You should be jealous. The little trouble monster is pretty amazing also.

As far as HK goes she is a fairly complex kid. She can get fussed at and giggle, and when she got a skinned knee and crying her head off she'll still thank you for a cup of juice or a hug. 

Lately she has been broadening her culinary horizons eating some beef and pork and other proteins, if you recall until a few months ago she wanted nothing to do with most of them. This week her favorite foods are Macaroni and Cheese, Peaches and Raises. Or as she would say it Pa-ta Cheez, Peechis, and Waisins. As I'm writing this this she's shoveling down some spaghetti that has a heaping portion of Parmesan cheese  on top. Watching her eat is so funny because she is getting less messy and more voracious. The two are defiantly correlated, she has realized that some foods are awesome and should not be spilled on the floor.  

When Meg was in class the other day Harper and I went hiking in Marshall Forest we go there a fair bit and the weather was finally nice enough for a long day out. 

 This is the view from the top of the hill, near the middle of the trail. You can't see it but there are about 1000 starlings all around the forest floor in the back of the picture.

 This is the Coosa River, actually the Coosa Country Club golf course is right across the river here.

 A beaver had just slid into the water right before I took this one

Finally here is me with the movie star herself.

If your an outdoor enthusiast that is a pretty cool little spot that is actually inside the Rome city limits, and a very cool place to explore. 

Stories of the Imagination Tend to Upset People Without One...

I like to read, that is to say I read all the the time. In the car(not while driving), in the bathroom, before I sleep, just about any time that I have a book and time in which to read it. This can be an expensive habit, your normal paperback is about 8$ and  even the discount rack is about 5$ for the overstocks and other cool books that people for some reason don't want. Since I cannot afford to buy books every time I finish one I re-read the books I own over and over... 

I have some books that have been read more times than I can count, and it leaves them in unenviable condition...

The book above I only bought last year...

This one I have had for ten years, note the curling of the spine and loosely hanging on cover...

I know what your thinking, wow you have weird taste in books!

You might also be wondering, why don't you go to the library? I did. I read them, all of the authors that I like available. That was that, they have millions of books but a great many of them are one run fiction and just not good, not good at all. I like a specialized type of book... and my local library only has so many. I hope that one day they will have a library full of sarcastic, saterical, humorous novels...but not holding my breath...

So point is I am reading a book this week that I've read ten times and am enjoying it very much anyway...but the cover is going to fall off for the second time.

The sun has come out this week and Harper has been having a great time getting outside again...

I am Captain Harpy than you very much!

If that's not adorable to you, you probably have a condition that causes you to be nauseated by adorabiosity.

Hello Tuesday...

I have returned, after a short absence from the interweb and I have returned with an ax that I must grind (your so surprised aren't you?) I was flipping channels last night much to my dissolution there was nothing on that I wanted to watch. This is not uncommon, the only shows that I follow are Top Chef and  the NBC Thursday night lineup. I also like Dr.Who and River Monsters but neither of those are broadcasting new episodes right now...

So I'm flipping channels and I see "The Bachelor" is coming on, I had no idea that show still existed. Not being predisposed to reality TV in general (expect Top Chef) it's an automatic response to not like that show, but the Bachelor/Bachelorette stirs up a sort of hate in my heart that is unparalleled by my irrational hate for most other things. It's really the most pointless crap ever (at least that I have seen, I've never seen Jersey Shore but thats supposed to be crap too) but seriously why does this show exist?

I looked up a few of these guys, just to confirm my suspicion. Are they all rich? Uh-Huh. Are the good looking? Yep...well I guess that depends on your standards. They are all good enough looking to l least be network weathermen, so were not talking about a pack of trolls here.

Hmmm let's see.... if your good looking and have money do you have problem getting a date? NO. I have heard the excuses, "they are trying to avoid gold diggers" who do you think is going to be on the show, inexplicably attractive former nuns? "They are looking for true love after having bad relationships" So you go on a television show...with women competing to be with you...when they don't really know you. If this is the way you seek love, your better off finding a geisha.

Listen, I'm not a great looking guy, I'm not a troll but lets face it they wouldn't let me be a production assistant on most of these shows. Also I have no money. I also have the self esteem of one of those squirrels that  stares just a little to long at an on coming care before dashing out of the way. Despite these things going against me, I still managed to marry a lady who is better looking than the women on that show. Also, her personality is infinitely better than the unfortunate lady's on that show.

If you  love the Bachelor, I am sorry. Both for offending you and that you like the show.

and I'm sorry for offending you again...but not very.

To change to a less vitriolic topic it's been cold. Really cold. If you know any brass monkeys they probably have an unfortunate story to tell you, it's that cold.

I don't like the cold. I mean not at all, to the extent that when I heard about global warming it took me a couple of years before I realized why it was a bad thing. The delightful marshmallow like powder that I last spoke of soon turned into an ice covered death trap that is in piles in our local Kroger parking lot.

Yesterday was a delightful mid 50's reprieve which was quickly dashed by rain last night. Which has led me to  ask all of you, if you know of any career opportunities an a warmer climate please tell me. I will seriously consider anything that isn't likely to involve illegal activity. 

In much cuter news Harper and I were watching "Aristocats"  couple of days ago and eating chips. I had a renegade fragment attempt to stick in my throat and coughed fairly violently for a minute or two. After it was all over HK leans over to me and says, "dada you ok? chew chew chew."

If you don't find that adorable, your probably the Grinch and need  heart enlargement procedure.

Snowy Night in Georgia...(feels like it's snowing all over the world)

Okay, it has been snowing for about two hours here in Rome...and we have about three inches of snow on the ground already. Nice fluffy freezing powder, that seems like it might be good to ski on or something. Though I know nothing about snow so I just know that it makes everything look like a giant marshmallow.

So being the smart person I am, I decided to take Harper outside to see the snowfall...not the worst Idea I have ever had. Though it was getting pretty deep... Sorry about the terrible lighting, this is with my phone, because the battery in my camera is dead...

Outside in the parking lot, you can see the edge of the pool.

This my friends is a snowball...it is elusive and rarely seen in the south.

"dada why glasses?"

"oh no, snow on my boots!"

Car in the parking lot. I think you could make ten gallons of snow cream from the snow on the car alone.

Footprints in the snow...I think I would rather have them in the sand.

I just like the look of this one.

Our hats after we came in.

It's stopped snowing now and we have about four solid inches here, it's the most snow I can remember since 1993 when we had the big blizzard.  I have mixed emotions about the snow...mostly they are, "oh so pretty, cuss thats cold!"

On another topic, I am sort of a fish nut. I am passionate about protecting the rapidly decreasing amazing species we have in this area and guarding against the determent that is often caused by man, usually through things like dams and invasive species.

So last week I went kayaking, and had a really great time getting out on the water and seeing all kinds of birds like herons, cooters(a duck sort of thing), hawks, and several kinds of seagulls. Also some fish, though most of them had fled to deeper water that I was patrolling in my little boat.

It was only about 45 degrees, and I only saw one other person out on the water. He was a fisherman that laughed out loud when he saw me paddle up to him, "haha well at least I can tell my wife I'm not the only person dumb enough to come out on the water today!"

Here are a couple of photos that I took while on the water;

Looking out of a tunnel under the road that I paddled through.

Mouth of the tunnel, you think I could fit a 13 ft. boat through there?

Well I guess all that is left to do is look out at the snow and drink some tea. I hope all of you are safe on this snowy night, and if you have to drive anywhere God help you.

Dreaming of the White's Christmas...

Christmas time has come and gone... and I don't know weather to be sad it's over or happy I survived...

To start off, the Winter Solstice was the week of Christmas and a friend of mine told me that on the day of the Winter Solstice you can stand an egg on it's end because of the magnetic pull of the Earth was aligned or something like that.

Of course I had to experiment...

And it works! It weebled and it wobbled and... it actually fell down really easily. Point it it worked...
The next day, nothing. The same egg just flopped onto it's side, I tried about six eggs just made sure it wan't a fluke. Alas it's true just on the Solstice...

So as we prepared for Christmas, we made our house look like a Seasonal Concepts(do those still exist?) store threw up on it. Which is to say it looks awesome!

We have an artificial tree because I have terrible allergies, our tree is an all white one with primarily red and silver ornaments. Some people have said it looks like it belongs in a Target add... you be the judge.

Maybe it does look like a Target add, but that's fine because Target is awesome.

So the Thursday before Christmas I went to Kroger with Harper while Meg cleaned. Good GOD.

So in Rome the Kroger shopping center is set up like this...

K /Hibbits//a road//TJ Maxx/ Ross/Barnes and Noble/Peir 1/Michaels/ a few small stores...

r

o                the Kroger parking lot ends about

g                            *here

e                 I had to park                              *here

r

As I dodged cars and fought to get the last shopping cart I breathed a sign of relief because it couldn't be any worse inside the store...WRONG.

I raced to get the last Smithfield ham...it said Smithfield ham on my list so no other ham would do. After eating said ham, it was worth cart blocking the three families and turning the disabled womans scooter the other way to get it. I also got the last one of these items; cream cheese, apple cider, and fresh cranberries. Megan made a ham, a turkey, dressing, chocolate cream cheese bars and mashed sweet potatoes. My mom made biscuits and green been bundles, and Megan's mom made squash casserole and potato salad. 

We had seven people eating all of said food. All of it was excellent... and now we don't have to buy any food this week.

On her third Christmas Harper finally started getting in on the fun. She now has more toys than some stores, and learned new words like rip, tear, and dadadadada  PLEASE! She had a great time, and everyone else did watching her too. 

This is her wearing one of her presents.

Cute huh?

There are pink leggings and pink and orange light up shoes under that... so pretty much awesome outfit.

So Christmas was awesome, and I hope yours was also!

On another note my dad got me a couple of steaks, this is my lunch today thanks to him.

I know your jealous...but try not to drool. No one likes a sticky keyboard!

In case your wondering yes those are perfectly charred edges, and yes the center is a perfect medium rare pink.

Merry Christmas, and have a happy new year...and don't judge my hat...

Stuck Between Stations...

Today cleaning up our apartment I was listening to a jazz record by an extremely talented guitar player named Wes Montgomery. You probably have no idea who he is unless you are into jazz or just love guitar music.

I first heard his music in 2004 when I was working part time at an antique store called Antiques on the Square, If you are ever in Marietta it's a great place to see. Jim the owner/manager/sales staff was starting to expand the sale of vinyl records and needed some help getting all the albums cataloged and priced.

At the time I was going into my Junior year in high school and had really just discovered a rabid fascination with music I was listening to everything I could get my hands on and learning all I could about the artists I liked. The Clash, Jimi Hendrix, the Velvet Underground, Lynyrd Skynyrd and so many more. I played in a punk rock band I think we were called 10 Gun Consortium, it's hard to tell for sure because I played with some incarceration of that band for about six years and we changed our name about 30 times.

At the antiques store Jim and his wife Melissa always kept music on usually jazz, blues, pop and rock that didn't offend anyone that may wonder into the store, these days they have one of the most extensive record catalogues in north Atlanta so there is no telling what you may hear them playing.

As I was going through all these albums Id come across artists I'd never heard of like Stanley Jordan, Herb Alpert, Boston, Suzie Quatro, and Lightning Hopins. If it was something I hadn't heard we would listen to it, and more often than not I would like it. When I ran across something that I liked that Jim thought was lame he never said, "wow that is terrible, why would you listen to that?", or any of the typical responses, he would always say something like, "that's not really my thing but I understand why you like it".

Through the years working there during summer vacation and Christmas break I would sit near the stereo and expand my knowledge, correct my misconceptions, and talk about music.

I am forever indebted to Jim and Melissa for many reasons, one is they let me keep a lot of records, mostly albums without covers they couldn't sell or that were badly damaged, another is they showed me how awesome the Beatles are. At the time I was working there I had only heard the songs my mom liked, "Obla di, Obla da" and "Yellow Submarine" the sort of happy tunes that made them famous and I was listening to Motorhead, Soundgarden, Megadeth the sort of bands that want to "Shake your Blood" not the kind that "Wanna Hold Your Hand". They let me hear songs like "Happyness is a Warm Gun" and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" that appealed to my sick, twisted teenage mind.

It's a pleasure to listen to these songs today and remember the first time I heard them, the way I felt and how they have made their impact in my life in their own way. here's a link to a Wes Montgomery tune, I hope all of you enjoy it- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOm17yw__6U

Peace on Earth and good will to Jedi...

Christmas time is here!

Our apartment looks like a Hallmark threw up on it, and the stockings are hung by the television with care. If we try to install a fireplace we'll probably violate our rent agreement... not to mention we'd have a lynch mob around here in about six seconds.

My stocking has Yoda on it, because nothing says Christmas like a 900 year old alien midget that speaks with a Ms.Piggy voice.

Last Saturday Harper turned two, she speaks in sentences, uses a potty, and usually sleeps through the night. Two years ago that was inconceivable, she was so small. A little 5 pound 11 ounce string bean of a baby that had to sleep in her car seat because the bassinet was cavernous to her. She was born with dark blue eyes that  were more alert at two hours old than many adults, and though they are green brown now they haven't lost any of their alert intensity.

Last week she came with my dad and I when I got a haircut, after it was finished I walked over to her and she looked at me with the most shocked and puzzled look  and said, "Dada! What you do?". It was incredibly entertaining.

It is in the 30's today and has snowed on and off for the past two days, my metal hip is barking it's good thing Christmas cheer is overly evident this year. Everyone I talk to seems full of a quiet determination to spread a little bit of cheer, and that is always a very good thing.

So maybe this year we can find a little peace on Earth... or maybe just a little bit of peace within ourselves and have a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanuka, and if you celebrate a holiday that I didn't mention (Kwanzaa, Diwali, Festivus) insert appropriate holiday greeting.