It occurred to me that I never made my regular end-of-semester posting. I guess that's because I never that the semester would end. Or maybe, because once it did end, I was so miserable I did not want to talk about it. Anyway, I'll recap. Essentially, this was the least fulfilling semester ever. It was really hard adjusting to having Alex in our world, and I am not sure I ever really adjusted until the very end of the term.

The semester started off with a bang, having two big papers due the second week of classes. In order to complete them, I fell behind in my reading for all three of my classes, and never really caught up. Once Michelle went back to work in October, it really hit the fan. I was having a hard time separating from Alex, so I didn't really arrange much day care for him. Whenever I wasn't in class, I would take him with me to the office. Which prevented me from doing much school work, or church work. So, I knew that could not last. So, I started leaving him with his care-giver more often. Then, we discovered that she was in violation of basically every major law that governs in-home child care. So, we pulled him from there, and arranged for the woman that runs the nursery at the church where I work to watch him.

This was to be a great arrangement She was going to watch him at the church, so if anything were to happen, I would be right there. Plus, I could see him whenever I wanted; he was only a couple of minutes away. However, this care-giver started having some problems with high blood pressure, after only a week to two of watching him. So, we were back to square one, with no child care. The last few weeks of classes, we had a patchwork of friends watch him, but that meant me driving him out into the suburbs at the crack of dawn, and frequently getting to my classes (which are in mid-town) late. Some days, we could find no child-care at all, and I had to miss class. I missed one class twice, and each of my other two classes once each. That makes it tough to keep up.

Finally, by the end of the semester, we had found a reputable day-care where he could go. So, next semester should be much smoother. He has been going there all this week and is loving it. He gets to play with several other babies there, and gets a lot of personal attention. We are really happy with the situation now.

Back in October, the day after Michelle and I got our flu shots, I came down with a sinus infection. Unfortunately, it has never quite gone away. I went to the doctor yesterday, and discovered that in addition to the sinus infection, I have an infection in my lungs. The doctor was a little concerned that it could turn into pneumonia, so he gave me a strong antibiotic. I felt considerably better today. However, Michelle and I are not quite sure if we will be well enough to travel for Christmas. Two weekends ago, right before final exams, I came down with a stomach virus that knocked me out for a couple of days. It took about a week for Michelle to get it, and when she did, it was even worse. She missed several days of work, and just went back today. Which was the last full day of the semester for her. So, we have been just wrecked for quite a while.

She has a meeting early tomorrow morning, after which I am going to stop by with Alex for all her co-workers to meet. After that, I am going to drop him off at daycare, and Michelle and I are going to have some free time. Which will include a long nap for her, I think, and some guitar playing for me.

Also, during all this time, we have been searching for a new apartment. We found one that we really like, and signed the lease last week. We have been gradually moving stuff in, with the plan to move the big stuff (and be completely out of our old apartment) on the 29th. On the 27th, Michelle is going to have a treatment done on her back, because she has a ruptured disc. All of this has just been insane. We are praying that the treatment will work, so she can avoid surgery. If she has to have surgery, she will miss considerable time from work. I sort of dropped the idea to my senior pastor that if that happens, I may have to seek a full-time position somewhere. To which he replied that he may not let me leave...lol. Hopefully, everything will work out.

Alex is doing really well. I took him to the pediatrician today for his monthly RSV shot, and he weighed in at exactly 13 lbs, with some light clothes on. He seems to be getting ready to pop a tooth out; we are hoping it will be out before Christmas. That would be a great present for the grandparents. Also, in the biggest news of late, he no longer has to wear his heart monitor! YAY! He spent last Thursday night at the sleep lab, and got a great report. So, he no longer needs his monitor. The company that owns it is picking it up tomorrow. We are really excited! It was great to have it, since it gave us a lot of peace of mind, but we are glad that he no longer needs it. He is developing really well. He ate some Cheerios today for the first time. That was really exciting. He liked them a lot. We had dinner at a New-York style pizza place that recently opened nearby, and Alex licked some marinara sauce off my finger. He liked that, too. Although, marinara sauce is not exactly on the list of approved foods, so don't tell anyone. SHHHH! He is eating all his vegetables (except peas), and enjoys his cereals and fruits. He is doing so well!

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

This ad for the Apple Lisa, from around 1983-84, has recently found new life among Apple enthusiasts. See if you can identify the at-the-time unknown actor in the ad. Also, check out the mouse, which reminds me of both the first garage door opener and the first TV remote control I ever saw. Vintage!

This afternoon, Michelle and I went to Sam's Club to get some stuff. Alex had fallen asleep in the car, but as soon as we went in the store, he woke up, opened his eyes and began to look around. I casually waved my hand in his direction, and said, "You do not need to see anything here. This is not the store you were looking for. You may go back to sleep now." He immediately closed his eyes and went back to sleep. Using the force on your own child is awesome!

I forgot to tell a funny story that happened on Thanksgiving...

After we had eaten, my older brother Tim and I were upstairs in the loft of our parents' house. This is where my dad keeps his guitars, stereo, CD's, and books and other media-type stuff. I was strumming some chords when, out of nowhere, Tim sees the CD of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water". He made a comment that we should slide across the floor on it, just for old times' sake.

FLASHBACK: When we were little kids (I was probably about 4-5, and Tim is almost two years older than I), we decided one day that we would use our dad's copy of this record as sort of a skateboard. So, we took the vinyl record out of its sleeve, and proceeded to start sliding around the floor on it. Soon after, our dad came into the room, and was none too pleased. Uh, actually, I guess you can say he was furious...LOL. One vinyl record, ruined. The term "time-out" wasn't en vogue back then, but you could say we were in time out. Probably for about two weeks. At least.

FLASH FORWARD: When Tim said that we should reprise our shenanigans, I said, "Follow me." I took the CD downstairs, and went to the entrance of the west (front) entrance of the kitchen. Dad was standing at the north (side) entrance. I then slid the CD's jewel case, face-up, across the kitchen floor, where it stopped at my dad's feet. He looked down, saw which CD it was, and started laughing. Our mom turned to see what was going on, and she also got the joke. Everyone else there had no idea what was going on, but our parents, Tim, and I were all laughing like crazy. Fun times, indeed.

Well, given that it has been a month since I last posted, I guess I should make some kind of attempt at doing so.

Things got really crazy right after I last posted. The day after Michelle and I got our flu shots, we woke up really sick. I treated mine with OTC meds for about a week, and it seemed like I was better. However, as soon as I stopped taking anything, I got really sick again. So, I went to the doctor, and found that I had a sinus infection. The doctor said that it was purely coincidental that it came the day after the flu shot. Yeah, right. That's why they make you sign a disclaimer absolving them of responsibility if you get sick from the shot. Such is the state of American medicine. What a joke.

The weekend before Thanksgiving, we pawned Alex off on Michelle's parents and got out of town for a couple of days. We kind of did a Dick Cheney-type thing, which is to say that we stayed in a secure, undisclosed location...LOL. Alas, we did not shoot anyone while we were there. It was good to get out of town for a couple of days, although it was really strange to not have the baby with us. It was sort of surreal. There were several times when both Michelle and I could "hear" him cry, even though that was obviously impossible. One more reason to not be an empiricist, I suppose. Rationalism rules!

On the Saturday, Michelle found a an area where several of her favorite stores were concentrated, so she dropped me off at the nearest guitar shop, so I could dream whilst she spent...LOL. I played several Taylor acoustics, which all sounded fine enough, but there is just nothing quite like a Martin. Or my Epiphone. I also played a Guild 12-string, which really sounded great. Once I get considerably better with 6 strings, I want to play 12.

Among the many things that Alex's arrival has changed for me is my usual practice of picking a book or two to read during the semester just for fun. In the past, I have chosen a couple of books each semester, and each day, if I have done enough school work, I reward myself by reading some fun stuff. Now, with Alex in the picture, I have not been able to do that. So, I bought a book to read during our time away. I got "Revolution in the Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made." It was fun to trace the steps of the first Macintosh's development. I concluded that many of the people on the development team would today be diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

You may remember that last Thanksgiving, on the way home from Tullahoma, our Dodge Intrepid died. So, we approached this Thanksgiving with some trepidation, hopin our vehicles would emerge unscathed. Yeah, right. The week of Thanksgiving, I observed that the Explorer's serpentine belst was quite frayed, and in need of replacement. So, I ordered a belt online, and once it came in set about installing it. Turns out it was not the right belt, so after a trip to the parts store, where I had no small amount of trouble exchanging it for the correct one, I proceeded to install it upside down. So, this caused the belt to rub a hole in the lower radiator hose, which drained all the coolant out of the engine. After installing a new hose and refilling the coolant, the Explorer was once again road-worthy.

Thanksgiving itself was a lot of fun. We visited both families, and it was great to see everyone. Of course, we all ate too much, but I guess that is part of the fun. My dad's smoked turkey was awesome. He has truly become a grill-master.

On Sunday morning, we left early so we could worship at Mt. Denson. It was great to see everyone there, especially since most of them had not seen Alex. Of course, everyone doted on him, so we did not have to do much with him, which enabled us to relax a bit.

Classes have ended for the semester. Next week is the reading period, which is when everyone does as much of the work they should have done throughout the semester as they can. Finals are the week after that. Two of my finals are take-home exams, and neither is very long. I also have a paper due for another class, so in all I have three papers to write and one exam to study for. Not too bad.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Godfather in 1 minute

If you are a fan of "The Godfather" book and/or film, but don't want to invest several hours to either watch the film or read the book, this video is for you. The entire story is told in about 1 minute. Absolutely hilarious!

Damn those flu shots. Last Monday, Michelle and I got flu shots, ostensibly to avoid getting sick. The next morning, we both woke up sick. Joy. So, the rest of the week was essentially worthless, at least in regards to getting anything productive done. I even turned in a football game Thursday night that I was supposed to work. I was, however, able to work my varsity game Friday.

To add to the misery of last week, we got the news that Michelle's great-grandmother passed away. She was about 95, and was a lot of fun to be around. She and Michelle were really close, and she will be missed. Michelle's mom was able to go to the funeral, but Michelle did not want to fly with her head stuffed up like it was. I am sorry that she was not able to go.

A couple of weeks ago, without telling me, Michelle ordered my Christmas present. She was very clandestine about the whole thing; she even had it delivered to her work so I would not see it. But, for whatever reason, once it arrived, she just had to tell me. First, she made me guess for a couple of days what it might be. The only clue that she would give me is that I had once said I would like one. That wasn't much of a clue, since there are tons of things I say I would like. So, after a couple of days of guessing, she finally revealed that she had gotten me a new computer. Not just any computer, but a really good iMac, loaded up with good stuff. She had even splurged and gotten me a wireless keyboard and wireless Mighty Mouse (Apple's 4-button mouse). Woo! So, I begged her to bring it home, and she did. So, while I was so miserably sick, I was able to enjoy getting it set up like I want it. Both of our laptops are showing signs of age, so it's good to have another hard drive to back up everything onto. Plus, I will be able to edit the videos I have taken of Alex, and make DVDs. That will be cool.

The stats on the iMac are: 250 GB HD, 1 GB RAM (I am upgrading to 3 GB), 2.33 GHz Intel Dual Core Processor. I am going to upgrade to the new OS (Leopard), which comes with Boot Camp, the program that allows Leopard and Windows to run on the same unit. So, I am also going to install Windows XP. Therefore, we will have the best of both worlds.

I have been having some pains in my neck and left shoulder, so I am going to a chiropractor to get checked out. It's been several years since I have gotten adjusted, so hopefully I can get straightened out again.

A friend of mine who is in grad school at the University of Chicago was struck by a taxi cab while she was crossing an intersection last week. Thankfully, she was not seriously injured, although she was shaken up quite a bit. Also, one of the kids in my youth group was hit by a car on Saturday. She, too, was very fortunate to have only been bruised and scraped.

The Red Sox finished off the Rockies last night. It's weird how they went 86 years without winning a series, and now have won twice in 4 years. The American League is so much better than the National League right now, it's just crazy. For so long, the NL was much better than the Al, so I guess they are due. I was glad that I was able to watch most of all 4 games. Last year, I was able to only see a few innings of the entire Series, and it drove me crazy. Michelle was able to make it through 3.5 games really well. During last night's game, she finally asked, "So, what game is this?" I told her it was Game 4, and with more than a little longing in her voice, she asked, "So, if Boston wins, it's over, right?" LOL. I am proud of her for making it that far. One day, I will teacher her the infield fly rule.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Last Friday was Alex's five month birthday, and he weighed in at 11 lbs., 8 oz. Woo! He is getting so big. Every time I pick him up, he seems to have gained some weight. He's such a big boy now...LOL.

I was (and still am) having some serious seperation issues, especially since Michelle has gone back to work full time. Alex goes to daycare on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when I am in class. The other days of the week, I had been hanging with him, instead of doing my school work. I would take him to the office with me, but I was not able to get much done. So, I finally gave in and made arrangements for him. The woman that runs the nursery at the church has agreed to come in 2-3 days a week and watch him, so I can get some work done. It's nice that he will be just down the hall and around the corner, so if anything happens, I can be right there.

Tonight, Michelle has class, so he and I are hanging out at home. He took a full bottle just a little while ago, after having taken one at about 2:30. So, he is napping now. While he is asleep, I am going to do some reading.

I think my parents are going to visit one day next week; that will be exciting. Alex told me that he needs to be spoiled by Mimi and Pa-Pa...LOL.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Yesterday at lunch, I decided to take my lunch and a guitar to a park near campus. After I had eaten, I got out the guitar, and started to strum. In less than 5 minutes, a ton of homeless people came out of the woods (from all directions) to hear the guy with the guitar. We exchanged hellos, and I continued playing. We all had a great time, and the music clearly lifted the spirits of several of them. In all, I played for about an hour in front of about 15-20 men. The whole thing was awesome. Michelle said that if I go on tour, she will print the T-shirts.

Last night, Michelle's class did not meet, so we pawned Alex off on some friends and went out on a date. We went to a really nice restaraunt that we can only afford when we have a buy 1-get one free coupon (even then, we spend too much). This was our third time going there, and every time it has been wonderful. Then, we went grocery shopping! YAY! What a date! LOL. We are just geeky enough to do that. Remember, our first date included a visit to a book store (she bought me Robert Frost; I bought her Ralph Waldo Emerson). Anyway, we got our groceries, took them home to put away, got some Starbucks, then picked up Alex. It was a fun night. Too bad I had class this morning; by the end of the day, Michelle and I were both exhausted.

Alex has an appointment with his apnea doctor tomorrow. After that, I think I will take him by seminary. I need to get a couple of books from the library, and a bunch of people want to see him, so it should be fun.

My grandmother called me the other day to tell me that she had gotten a new car. I am so happy for her; she had been needing one for 10 years or so! Now, she is riding in style. Cool.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

"A child arrived just the other day; he came to the world in the usual way. But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay; He learned to walk while I was away. He was talking before I knew it, and as he grew, he'd say, 'I'm gonna be like you, Dad, you know I'm gonna be like you."

Harry Chapin's lyrics have really haunted me the last couple of weeks, because I was definitely not around much. In fact, Michelle commented that she felt like a single mother. I almost cried. In fact, later, I did. With mid-terms, and taking on more responsibility at work, and football going crazy, I was gone more than I was home for the past couple of weeks. I am going to do better in the future. Of course, as I write this I am in my office. This is sick.

OK, so at least mid-terms have finally come and (mostly gone). I say mostly because my Acts professor was really slow about getting our test to us, so he gave us an extra couple of weeks. It is not due until next Tuesday, which is cool. Tomorrow, I am defending my paper in that class that I presented last week. Wish me luck.

In Christian Ministry class, we split up into groups several weeks ago, with each group being responsible for planning an entire worship service. My group will present its work this Wednesday. My role is to play the prelude and closing music on my guitar. This will be my first live performance ever, so wish me luck in that as well.

About 15 minutes after Alex came home from the hospital, Michelle started talking about having another baby. I have mostly put her on hold, until recently when she started really homing in on me about it. One night last week, in a half-asleep/half-awake stupor, she said that if I would agree to start trying soon, I could go to my favorite guitar shop and get whatever I wanted. Whatever I wanted. Of course, I replied that an open line of credit at the guitar shop would be a more equitable arrangement. The next day, I was at that guitar shop, telling the guys about my arrangement. One of them said with a straight face, "Dude, we could do that. Just put her Visa number on file, and we'll set you up." I said something to the effect that we shouldn't go getting crazy just yet. So, Michelle and I continue to be in dialogue about this.

This past weekend, I took my youth group to a weekend retreat near Camden, TN. We all had great fun, although the other adults were a little tired of "Smoke on the Water" and "Free Falling" by the end of the weekend...LOL.

Alex will be 5 months old this Friday. It's hard to believe...it seems just like yesterday. OK, no more cliches...LOL. He is rolling over more and more every day. Growing up so fast. He has an appointment with his apnea doctor tomorrow, and I am going to take him to the pediatrician on Friday to have him weighed. We figure he is between 12-13 lbs. now. When he first came home, he was just a limp little blob. Now, he feels really solid, and is getting heavier every day. It is great that he is so engaging; He likes to look around, and he responds to us by smiling and kind of laughing. He has started to make random sounds, so I think he is trying to say something. When I am playing guitar, he probably wants to yell out, "Free Bird!" Maybe, anyway.

I had my Epiphone AJ 500MNS up for sale, but took it off the market last week. It is kind of my favorite guitar in some ways (it is the easiest to play of the three), and it sounds really cool too. I will probably still sell it at some point, but just not now.

I think my career as a guitar tech has come to an end, before it ever started. Last week, I was restringing the Martin when I did something kind of dumb. After I removed the old strings, I decided to polish the guitar. So, I laid on a couple of thin coats of polish, and buffed it up real nice. Put a great shine on it. Then, I put on the new strings. Once I got the new strings on, and tuned it up, I started to play it. I noticed that the strings were really slick; so slick, in fact, that I could hardly hold a chord. I thought maybe it was the strings, since I was using a brand I had never used before. Elixer strings have a coating on the outside to reduce wear, which lengthens the life of the strings. Still, I could not imagine that the strings would be this slick. I could hardly play the guitar. Then, it occurred to me that I had put the new strings on with a bunch of polish on my hands. So, I had greased up my strings quite well. That put me in a quandry; should I cut the strings off, and waste $15, or should I try to play them until the wax wore off. I decided to try to play them, and although the wax seems to have worn off now, the strings do not sound real good. So, I think I ruined them. I am going to put on another set of Elixers to see how they will sound. This reminds me of the time I put Armor All on my motorcycle seat, even though it clearly says on the bottle not to do so. I slid around on the seat for two weeks before I was stationary again...LOL.

I hope everyone is doing well.

Peace...

It seems that there may be more efficient ways to tear down a wall.

I should be studying but I would rather post pictures

Another busy Saturday...

I have been at the office all day, working on stuff. I worked on a paper for my Acts class, and have almost got that finished. Which is good, because I have to present it on Tuesday. I also finished my sermon for tonight (I am going going up near Reelfoot Lake to speak at a youth retreat.). While I am gone, Michelle and her friend Aimee will be out, tearing up the local malls. Aimee's husband is going to watch Alex.

I have seen no college football today, and I am starting to get the DT's. i told Michelle that from now on, before I agree to speaking engagements, I am going to consult my college football calendar. It's a shame to miss the UT-UGA game. I also haven't seen much of the baseball playoffs, but in some way that's OK because I am still sick about the nose-dive that the Dodgers did in the last month of the season. Another wasted year. Not since 1988 have the Dodgers done anything good. Oh well, I could be like Kent, a long-suffering Cubs fan. I remind him that 1988 is a lot more recent than 1908...the last year the Cubs won the World Series...LOL. Next year marks a century, baby!

The picture of Alex that I uploaded this morning is absolutely hilarious! Sweet potatoes and little kids do not mix...LOL.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Sweet potatoes are messy!

did you ever think you'd see this in my car's window?

I have been thinking about what I said earlier, about my perception that a life lost before it has reached its potential may generate an increased level of sadness among many people. That is my perception, and it may well be wrong. If it is correct, I am not sure that I agree with it. It seems to me that an elderly person, who has lived a life full of happiness and sadness, because she has experienced more throughout her life, stands to lose more upon death. An infant, on the other hand, has had comparatively fewer happiness/sadness experiences, so she seems to lose less upon her death. Not that I am advocating the death of infants or anything like that (a very special one happens to live in my house!), it's just a thought.

I am going to Nashville tonight for a meeting with my ministerial committee. Yeah, driving 3.5 hours for a 30 minute meeting, then driving 3.5 hours back home. During mid-terms. I must be insane.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Crime in the City (Who Still Likes Country-Rock after 35 Years?, pt. 1)

The University of Memphis family is mourning the loss of one of its own. Taylor Bradford, 21, as shot and killed outside of a campus dormitory Sunday night. Memphis is full of violent crime, in fact, one report last week said it leads the nation. However, it seems that a college campus should be a safe place, but those at the U of M know it is not. A couple of years ago, someone was regularly robbing people at gunpoint near campus, and the police report section of the campus paper is always full.

Sunday night, a couple of hours before Bradford was killed, I was speaking to my youth group about violence. In particular, we were talking about the tragedy of Columbine High School. I said something to the effect that when a life ends before it has reached its potential, there seems to be an increased level of sadness. Little did I know what would happen later that night, just a few miles away.

I find it hard to believe that mid-terms are here. I got my assignments today, and although I will be busy this week, I think I can manage. In my Christian Ministry class, we have a list of 10 questions, and we can pick any 9 to write essays on. 2-2.5 pages each, so that will be manageable. In ethics class, we have an exam next week. The professor gave us a list of about 50 things to be responsible for, and about half of them I am OK with right now. So, I will work on the other half, then brush up on the better half. I should be OK.

Who still likes country-rock after 35 years? I do, that's for sure. I bought John Fogerty's new album yesterday, and am quite thrilled with it. It is his best work since "Centerfield". The funny thing is, he has made amends with his old record label, Fantasy, and it was released on one of Fantasy's subsideries. If you are unfamiliar with the story of him and Fantasy Records, just Google it.

I am also anxiously awaiting the Eagles' new album. 2 discs, 20 songs. I guess since they have not released a full studio album since "The Long Run" in 1979, they felt like they had some catching up to do...LOL. The first single, "How Long", is a cover of an old J.D. Souther (an Eagles frequent flyer) tune.

Knowing that mid-term work would start tonight after dinner, today during lunch I hung out at a couple of guitar shops for a while. It was a lot of fun. I have learned how to play Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water", so I plugged in a St. Blues electric, turned it up to 1.5, and let it rip. That was cool. It's nice having two guitar shops within 5 minutes of campus. Dangerous, too...LOL.

I was listening last week to an old Neil Young song called, "Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero part 1), from his album "Freedom". Great social commentary.

Alex is growing up so much every day. He is eating squash now! He also seems to like it. He also has been eating rice cereal for awhile, and is doing fine with that. Michelle went back to work Monday of this week, so he is in daycare two days a week while I am in class. He seems to be doing well there, so we are excited about that. It also seems that he may be ready to cut a tooth. I will keep you posted on that.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

I worked a JV game tonight in downtown Memphis, which would have been uneventful if not for the trip there. I had never been to this stadium before, so I consulted Mapquest ahead of time. When I exited the interstate, Mapquest directed me to turn left, so I did. I continued down that road for a while, until I crossed the FRIGGING MISSISSPPI RIVER! Jeez. After a couple of minutes of breathing Arkansas air, I turned around. Once I got back to the interstate exit, I realized I should have initially turned right instead of left. Mapquest has steerd me wrong several times recently, and I am getting tired of it.

Alex goes to daycare tomorrow for the first time, and Michelle and I are kind of freaking out a bit. She is going back to work next week, and we wanted him to try to get used to being with other people. A friend of ours will be watching him in her home, along with two other kids.

My classes are really tough this semester, and although I am taking fewer hours than I did last semester, I am having to work a lot harder. Tomorrow is going to be a little fun, since I am the liturgist at morning chapel. One of my professors is the speaker for the day. I am looking forward to the service.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Alex went to the doctor today for his 4-month checkup, and did fine. He weighed in at 10 lbs., 8 oz, and is 23.5 inches long. He got a clean bill of health, and several shots. The shots make him feel weird for a couple of days, but he will be fine.

I am having some tests run tomorrow, so today I am having to fast. That is no fun. I have not eaten since about 11:30 last night, and I am hungry! Oh well, this too shall pass.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Post #400 since I accidentally erased the blog a few years ago...

My football game tonight was brutal. I think the final score was 42-6. When the score is like that, and the losing team is on my side of the field, it is a long night. To make it longer, i got lost on the way home and finding my way added about 20 minutes to the drive.

I wore a heavy brace on my right knee tonight due to the pain I am having. About 5 plays or so after the start of the game, I felt my knee pop really bad, and I was in pain the rest of the night. However, it never popped again, which was good. I also strained my right calf a little. I chalk that up to the fact that I did not get to stretch much before the game. That was due to the presence of a supervisor, who was there to watch me and the rest of my crew. He wanted to talk before the game, so I only stretched for about 2 minutes. I am going to rest the next couple of days, until Thursday night when I have another game.

Michelle is not much better. We think she is going to the doctor tomorrow, but are unsure. They need to review her charts from the ER visit Sunday before they see her. So, we'll see how it goes.

I am excited about KT Tunstall's new album, which is being released on Tuesday. Also, Pat Monahan, lead singer for the group Train, has a solo record coming out. I also pre-ordered the Eagles' new album a few weeks ago. The first single sounds like vintage country-rock, and I have been enjoying it.

I ordered a funny T-shirt recently. It shows a Venn diagram, with the vowels A,E,I,O, and U in the left circle, and all the consonants in the right circle. The middle (intersection) area contains a Y. So geeky, I could not resist.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Alex and I are watching the Redskins-Eagles on MNF. He like to sit in his chair and act like a man.

I forgot to mention earlier that Alex has started sleeping in his own bed, in his room. Woo! Yay for me being able to sleep in MY own bed again! I had been sleeping on the couch for the past 3 months or so, and Alex had been sleeping in our bed, ever since he came home from the hospital. It's super-nice to be back in the bead again.

My football game Friday night was a lot of fun. My crew met at a central location, and rode together. In the course of the conversation along the way, it was revealed that one of my partners used to be a professional wrestler. LOL. He told some hilarious stories. The game wore me out, since the crown of the field was high enough to bury a vehicle or two. Every football field has a crown in the middle, which means the center of the field is a little higher than the sidelines. This is so rain can drain off the field. Usually, the crown is about a foot or so, but on this field, it had to have been at least 10 feet. It seemed like I must have run up and down that hill about 3,000 times. The game also went 2 overtimes, so I did not get back home until nearly midnight. Then I was up at the crack of dawn to work 4 flag-football games with 1st and 2nd graders. That was hilarious, except that by the end of the day my knee was killing me. It's still popping every time I move it. I'm gonna have serious trouble at some point, but I have been saying that for several years, so I just keep on trucking.

Michelle continues to have problems with her legs. The swelling seems to be getting worse. I think she will call the doctor again on Monday to see if there is anything we can do.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Alex has done a few really cool things in the past week or so. First, he has learned how to put his hand/thumb in his mouth. This is a good thing because instead of us having to always be at the ready with a pacifier, he can now pacify himself quite a bit. He sucks really loud a lot of the time, which is kind of cute (unless we are trying to sleep!).

Secondly, this morning he rolled over from his belly to his back for the first time. He has rolled from his back to his belly several times, but this was a first. I did a double-take when I noticed he had rolled over.

Michelle just sent me a picture of Alex holding his key ring. She says he picked it up on his own and started shaking it. That is hilarious.

Michelle went to the doctor yesterday to see about the infection in her leg. The diagnosis is that she was bitten by a spider. Yuck! She is on antibiotics, but we can't tell if they are doing any good. I hope she gets better soon.

I was supposed to work the clock at Houston High School tonight, which is about 20 minutes from where we live, but I got moved to a different game. However, an official broke his arm last week, so I got reassigned to his game. I will be the Line Judge tonight, which means that I will be at the line of scrimmage on the home team's side of the field, opposite the Head Linesman. The game is in Halls, TN, which is actually not part of our association. Apparently, the association there is short on officials, because we have been covering several of their games this year. It's a much longer drive for this game, but it's better to be on the field than to work the clock. The preferred hierarchy goes on field-->clock-->chain crew-->sitting at home.

Both of my JV games this week were in the rain. That's unfortunate because the supervisors do not come out to evaluate when it's raining (which is understandable). To my knowledge, my crew has not been evaluated yet this year. Although the referee is one of the more-respected people in the assocaition, so he may be reporting back to the bosses on the crew's performance.

I had a funny thing happen last night. I was the Head Linesman, which means that I was in charge of the the chain crew. My referee was immdiately upset with the chain crew, even before the game started. They were high school kids, and had their pants halfway down to the ground, iPods blaring. I gave them a quick tutorial on what to do, although they did not listen (as teens are apt to do). So, after the second play of the game, the referee fired them. Just told them to leave. We got some adults to work the chains, and unfortunately they did not do much better. But, I got through the game OK. I have fired a couple of chain crews in the past, but never so quickly. It was kind of funny. A good chain crew can make all the difference in how smoothly a game goes. I had a game last year where the crew wanted to quit, but I refused to let them. They were kids who thought it would be fun, then realized there was a little work and concentration involved, so they wanted out. I had spent the first quarter-and-a-half getting them straight, so I was not going to let them walk out on me. So, we made it through OK.

While I am ranting, let me give a shout out to Mike Clark. Mike is scheduling the umpires for a baseball tournament this weekend, and only got the final schedule from the tournament director YESTERDAY! That is absurd. I am sure Mike is pulling his hair out, trying to line up umpires at the last minute. We've had problems with that tournament director in the past, and I sort of half-jokingly told Mike to kick him in the knee for me. Jeez.

I got my first couple of papers of the semester back, and did well on them. It's nice to get off to a good start. Gotta keep the momentum up.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

"And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children."

And he said:

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;

For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable."

--From Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet

Oh gosh, so much has been going on. Life is crazy, in a good way.

Last Thursday, Michelle cleaned out the Explorer, in preparation for us to leave town the next morning. I keep my baseball umpiring gear in a HUGE suitcase, and in the process of taking it out of the car, she twisted her knee really badly. She shook it off, although she was in a lo of pain.

The next morning, we left town kind of early, heading for Tullahoma. Michelle wanted to surprise her mother on her birthday by bringing Alex to the school where she teaches. So, after a fairly smooth trip, we got there. Michelle's mom flipped out when she saw Alex, and all the other teachers had a great time meeting him. That was a lot of fun.

Saturday, Michelle's dad and I put new brake pads on the Explorer, so it will now stop on a dime. Almost. It is definitely improved now. Cool. I had fun watching some college football that evening. Any day that Michigan, Notre Dame, and Tennessee all lose, with Georgia winning, is a great sports day for me. To boot, Memphis almost came back to beat Ole Miss. They came up just short :( All in all, it was a great sports day.

We had originally planned on worshiping at Mt. Denson on Sunday, but we were too sleep deprived to get up at the crack of dawn (which is what we would have needed to have done in order to get there). So, we slept in a bit, until the pain in Michelle's knee became so unbearable that she decided to go to the hospital. She spent the bulk of the morning there, and eventually got a prelimenary diagnosis of a torn ligament. The doctor told her to get an MRI once we got back to Memphis to confirm his diagnosis.

We were able to leave just in time to get to Dickson on schedule. Alex was baptized at the birthplace chapel at Montgomery Bell State Park, which is where the Cumberland Presbyterian church was founded in 1810. It was a wonderfully ecumenical ceremony, and Alex looked great in his suit that my grandmother had made for him. We had a great picnic afterward, and everyone had an awesome time. Some of us threw some football, and it was nice to get my old wing loosened up a bit. After a while, Alex decided that he had had enough of everyone pawing on him, and he spazzed out big time. It didn't help that it was over 100 degrees outside. So, I took him to the car, turned the AC up high, and let him chill.

Once we left to go back to Memphis, he was in full rage. He had just had too much stimulation the entire weekend, so he let loose. He cried constantly almost the entire way home. It took us seemingly forever to get back. Monday, he spen the whole day ticked off because he was too tired to sleep. Finally, Monday night he went down. And slept like a rock for about 12 hours. He was in a much better mood when he woke up.

I did not get any school work done all weekend, so on Monday I decided to go to my office to get some stuff done. It felt weird to labor on Labor Day, but I got done everything I needed for Tuesday's class (acts of the apostles). My plan was to do my stuff for today, yesterday afternoon--but Michelle needed to have her MRI, and by the time she got that done she needed to go to class herself. So, Alex and I hung out all afternoon, and into the night. Michelle got home about 8:30 or so. Once we got him transferred, I went to the office to do what I needed for today.

After the MRI, the diagnosis is torn meniscus in the knee. She should know definitively in the next day or so. Either way, she is looking at surgery to fix it. That sucks.

I stayed at the office until deep into the night, until I got everything done. I hope everything is good; I can't stand the thought of starting the semester behind the eight ball. It seemed that everything was fine. I went to class this morning about half-asleep, but I made it throught the day. I have ethics from 8-11, and Christian Ministry from 1:30-4:30. After lunch, I was REALLY ready for a nap, but I got stronger as class went on, and didn't crash until a little while ago.

I am enjoying my classes. The work load is insane, but I suppose it is grad school. LOL. I get a kick out the people that complain, and sometimes I wonder what they are doing there. Oh well. It has been a lot of fun showing pictures of Alex to everyone. No one escapes without seeing at least a few...LOL.

My friend "Boston" Ellen has moved to Chicago for grad school. She has her own apartment for the first time, and I am excited for her. Since she is a Cubs fan, I think I will start calling her "Northside" Ellen...LOL. Go girl!

Seeing my grandmother and Alex in their Braves gear last week reminded me of the funniest story ever. Several years ago, the Braves swept the Cubs in a 3-game series. The next day, my grandmother went to Verizon Wireless to pay her bill, and knowing that Kent would be there, she took a small broom with her. Once in the office, she started waving her broom around, making sure Kent knew that the Braves had swept his beloved Cubs. Granny, trash-talking one of my best friends...LOL. Absolutely hilarious! He has never forgotten it, either...LOL.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Earlier tonight, Michelle noted that we will each start school tomorrow, for the first time, as parents. We are excited about the upcoming semester, and she made muffins to commemorate the first day of classes. YUM!

Someone who chose to remain anonymous pointed out to me that in regards to my earlier remarks about the band Journey, Jonathan Cain was not an original member of that band. Indeed, I meant Ross Valory, who founded the band with Neil Schon. Oops. I thought everything on the internet was true ;)

It was wonderful having my grandmother in town this weekend. She did a great job of spoiling Alex, and he has been fussy all day. He misses his time with her in the rocking chair!

Alex is going to be baptized this Sunday at Montgomery Bell State Park near Dickson. Our church was founded there, so it is a special place for us. It will be great.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

A Sure Sign of the Apocolypse

I never thought I would see the day that my son was dressed in a Braves outfit. I was glad that they waited until I was gone to do this...LOL.

This is more like it. When we bought this a couple of months ago, the dodgers were in first place. Maybe he will give them some mojo.

My grandmother came to town this weekend with the sole intention of spoiling Alex. She is doing a fine job so far...LOL.

Alex had a rough time at the doctor's office Monday, and has not felt too well since. After sleeping abou 40 of the last 48 hours, he has some serious bed-head. The crusties on his face indicate a sloppy feeding, too. LOL.

Sunday was Alex's 3-month birthday! May 19 seems like yesterday...

Yesterday, he saw the pediatrician, and checked out fine. He is now in the 20th percentile for weight, and 25th percentile for length. Last month, he was around the 10th percentile for both. So, he is improving every day. That's good. He got a couple of shots, so he has been a little grumpy. Not nearly as bad as last month, though, when he got 5 shots.

My grandmother is coming to visit this weekend. Alex told me yesterday that he is very excited about being rocked by his great-granny. He will have a lot fun, for sure.

Michelle and I continue to look at houses. One might be surprised at how difficult it is to find the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood, which is located in the perfect part of town. So, we continue to search.

I found a drummer for my band, now we just need a singer. It will be later in the fall before any of us can work on anything together, so we are not really in a hurry. I am reminded that in the late 70's, Steve Perry was a singer without a band, while Neil Schon and Ross Valory had a band without a singer. Perry and the band both had the same manager, so Perry was brought into the band, which was called Journey. As I remember, they had a decent ballad or two...LOL.

Classes start for Michelle and I one week from today. I suppose I am ready, although I have one more book I'd like to read before summer is over. I highly doubt if I will get to it, though. Oh well. I am taking Christian Ethics, Christian Ministry, and the Acts of the Apostles. My Acts class is taught by my New Testament professor from last semester, who was one of my favorite. All three classes should be exciting, and I think it will be a great semester.

Football is ramping up, as scrimmage games have given way to jamborees. The regular season is fast approaching. I suppose I am now officially a Head Linesman. In years past, I have worked about equally as a Line Judge and a Head Linesman, but this year I am a Head Linesman in every game on my schedule. The schedule is fluid, and is subject to change, but it's interesting to note nonetheless. If you happen to be watching a football game on TV, the Head Linesman is the guy who stands at the line of scrimmage, on the far side of the field from the pressbox (this is almost always the visiting team's side). His primary responsibility is to be in charge of the chain crew. The Line Judge is the guy on the line of scrimmage on the near side, which is almost always the home team's side. The Line Judge has to run a lot more, because he is expected to spot the ball much more frequently, but the Head Linesman has more of headache trying to keep the chain crew straight. It's a bit of a promotion to be a Head Linesman, so I am OK with it. I just need to replace all my t-shirts that say, "Line Judge"...LOL.

Jaime Davis-Shockley, and old friend from Clarksville, has moved to Memphis. She is studying at the UT Pharmacy School here. Michelle and I are going to hook up with her soon to show her the sights. That will be fun.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

alex in his safari suit

BATH TIME!

I started assembling my Lego Batmobile tonight. After step two of about 719, I decided to take a break. Now, it's back to work.

I did not realize that so many people read this blog. Since I announced that I was considering terminating it, I have gotten numerous requests to keep it going. Probably the funniest request was by a person who, instead of contacting me directly, went through an intermediary. That's funny. Anyway, I will try to keep it going. Maybe my desire to write will return soon.

On Saturday, I attended the Alumni Association's Vision Forum. It was as fun as all-day meetings can get, I suppose. I learned a lot about what directions the Association is moving in, and I was asked to be on the Board of Directors of the College of Arts and Sciences chapter. Since I went to the Forum with the desire to find a way to help, I was glad to accept. My exact role is TBA.

Last Friday, I worked a scrimmage game between Memphis University School and White Station. MUS is probably the best private school team in the area, and White Station is probably the best city school team. So, it was fun to work. Plus, since a bunch of officials showed up, we rotated in and out, and I only had to work about half the game. And, it cooled off considerably, so it was not too bad.

Several weeks ago, I was shocked and saddened to learn that my friend and fellow official Andy Cooper had apparently killed his ex-wife. I was shaken up pretty bad for a couple of weeks, and I still do not know what to think. All of this violence that has come into my life is throwing me for a loop. I just do not know how to handle it. I sent and email to Andy's brother, letting him know that I was praying for everyone involved. He sent me a nice response, and I appreciated that.

I think my lack of posting was due in some part to the violence that has come into my life this summer. I have just been numb a lot, and did not feel like putting anything down on paper (well, that is how it was done in the old days, anyway.) Idunno.

A family with 3 kids has moved in two doors down from us, and the kids have started coming to church with me. They are all great kids, and have been a ray of sunshine in our lives. They just moved here from Arkansas, and they seem to be getting settled in. They befriended another kid who lives nearby, and she came with us this morning. So, I carried 4 kids, one a complete stranger, to church...LOL. It was hilarious.

I was looking at Memphis' basketball schedule for the upcoming season, and I noticed that we play Austin Peay in November. We have got to make that game; it will be fun. Coach Calipari spoke at the Vision Forum, and it was like Elvis had walked into the building. He got a standing ovation at 8:30 on a Saturday morning, and I suppose that would be difficult to do. Consecutive Elite 8 appearances, and a preseason #1 ranking, will do that. I had never heard him speak before, and he was really funny.

I ran into Nathan Wheeler tonight; it was great to see him. We took our youth groups to the same place, without knowing we'd each be there. That was funny. He seems to be doing really well. I think this may be his last semester of seminary, or maybe he has one more. He's real close, either way.

I am proud that even with all the hubub of Alex's birth, I was able to read two books this summer. The first was called, "Sleeping Where I Fall", an autobiography by Peter Coyote. There are scant few people with whom I would trade lives, and I am not sure he is quite one of them, but he has led one of the most interesting lives I have ever read about, nonetheless. Truly amazing.

The other book I read was not quite so fun. It is called "The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter", by Peter Singer and Jim Mason. Singer is my favorite contemporary philosopher, and a Utilitarian. In their book, they examine the ethics of factory farming and eating food from factory farms. I have believed for quite some time that if people really knew what happens in factory farming, there would be mass protests and a lot of changes would be made. Same goes for executions. People would be appalled, I think.

I bought another book recently, "Wisdom of Our Fathers", by Tim Russert. I am going to try to read it before school starts, which is August 28. I am excited about the upcoming semester. It should be a great one.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

I was not aware that there was more than one line to be on.

Last Wednesday was my birthday, and the ladies in the office surprised me with cake and ice cream. Michelle had surprised me the previous Sunday night by showing up at youth group with cake. So, I got to celebrate twice! Cool!

Last Monday was also our 2nd anniversary. It seems crazy to think about how many ways things have changed in the past two years. I got married, graduated from college, started seminary, and saw the birth of my son. Wow!

Peace...

For the few of you that may still check this blog, you will have noticed that it has been a long time since I have posted anything other than the occasional photograph. Things are just so insanely busy around the house that on the rare occasion that I bring my laptop home from work, I hardly ever turn it on. I feel a little guilty about blogging at work, since that is not what I am paid to do, so I have had a difficult time figuring out what I want to do. I have been considering abandoning the blog altogether; I just do not know right now. The funny thing is that I constantly find myself in interesting situations thinking, "I should post about this." I just never do.

My sister is making an offer on a house today! I hope she gets it for the price she wants. Michelle and I are looking for a house here in the Memphis area, and we are having problems similar to Jessica's in that we cannot find the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood that is perfectly convienient to where we need to be. Wish us luck. Since the first day we moved to memphis, we have flip-flopped on whether to stay long-term. At this point, we are thinking of staying at least semi-long-term.

I am in the very early stages of forming a band. I have a violinist, flute/piccolo player, a clarinet player, my fledgling guitar, and possibly a drummer. We are looking for a singer or two. The band's name is "The Flying Lysosomes". It should be a lot of fun.

Alex weighed in the other day at 8 lbs., 7 oz. He is growing like crazy, mainly because he never stops eating...LOL. He is learning to hold his head up, and can smile and frown when either is appropriate. He is truly a blessing.

Football scrimmages have started, and the regular season is not too far away. My varsity schedule is coming in piece-by piece, and it is looking good. I am expecting to have a great season. I missed most of baseball this year, so it has been nice to be back on the field again. Although, the pre-season is also called the the "free-season" since we do not get paid for scrimmages. The worst thing in the world is to be working for free, and having some idiot coach screaming in my ear. Fortunatley, most coaches leave us alone in the scrimmages, since they are more worried about coaching their players than the officials...LOL. I did have one idiot screamer-type coach last week that made for a miserable day, especially since it was almost 100 degrees outside. And it was on a Saturday. Anyway, no big deal. I have a scrimmage this Friday night, and it should be a lot better.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Future Mac User

you can't read the sign, but it says "all you can eat nuggets on wednesday nights." They must not have known I live in the neighborhood. This could be dangerous for them...lol.

I got a text message about 10 PM last night from Mike Clark, saying that former Northwest High basketball coach Willard Ross had been shot and killed earlier in the day. I went to the Leaf-Chronicle's webpage, read the horrific news, and tried all night to process it. I called a few people whom I thought would be interested, but, due to the late hour, didn't talk long to anyone.

Coach Ross was my favorite teacher in high school, and I am just sick about this. I was unable to get any sleep last night, and have not really done anything at work today. I am just sick. I want to puke.

For those who have seen the movie "Forrest Gump", think back to the scene where Forrest gets on the bus for the first time, and all the kids say things like, "seat's taken", "can't sit here", and the like. Then Jenny says that he can ride with her if he'd like. Coach Ross let me ride with him, no questions asked.

I remember that my bus would get to school about 6:50 each morning, and since the first class didn't start until 7:30, I would go to Coach Ross' office and hang out. We would read the paper and talk about the news and our beloved Celtics. We would look over the box scores of the previous days' baseball games, and talk about who was hot and who was not. Good times, indeed. His office was a safe place for me, a place I could go and never be ridiculed or made fun of. He took me for who I was, and for that I will always be grateful.

I understand he had just retired last year, and it sickens me that he was cheated out of the opportunity to spend his golden years with his grand kids. It sickens me that he and his wife were cheated out of the opportunity to spend those years with each other. It's just not fair.

In philosophy, the word "evil" is usually defined as "innocent suffering". Those who deny the existence of God often point to the presence of evil in the world as proof of the lack of a God. This is something that I have difficulty explaining away. The standard "everything happens for a reason" is woefully inadequate.

I never knew Coach Ross to say a cross word about anyone. I remember that he always called everyone by their last name, except for seniors, who he addressed by their first names. I guess he figured if you'd made it that far, you deserved a little respect. i remember that he gave me some tips on becoming a better umpire, and that I was grateful. I don't know that he ever umpired himself, but he had coached the girls' softball team, and probably knew what he liked and didn't like in an umpire. I remember that he asked me once to umpire the softball team's inter squad game. I remember that he paid me, and that he gave me a ride home afterward. I have never known any other coach to go out his way to help an umpire like that.

I remember that during the winter, when the P.E. class would stay inside, each person was assigned to a group, and each group would rotate among basketball, ping pong, badminton, other activities. I remember that since I excelled at ping pong, and was horrible at basketball, he would look the other way when I would stay at the ping pong station instead of moving to basketball. I remember appreciating that a great deal.

The man was quality, and he will be sorely missed.

Peace...

On the Mindless Menace of Violence

The following is the text of a speech, entitled "On the Mindless Menace of Violence", given by Robert F. Kennedy at the City Club of Cleveland, April 5, 1968.

This is a time of shame and sorrow. It is not a day for politics. I have saved this one opportunity, my only event of today, to speak briefly to you about the mindless menace of violence in America which again stains our land and every one of our lives.

It is not the concern of any one race. The victims of the violence are black and white, rich and poor, young and old, famous and unknown. They are, most important of all, human beings whom other human beings loved and needed. No one - no matter where he lives or what he does - can be certain who will suffer from some senseless act of bloodshed. And yet it goes on and on and on in this country of ours.

Why? What has violence ever accomplished? What has it ever created? No martyr's cause has ever been stilled by an assassin's bullet.

No wrongs have ever been righted by riots and civil disorders. A sniper is only a coward, not a hero; and an uncontrolled, uncontrollable mob is only the voice of madness, not the voice of reason.

Whenever any American's life is taken by another American unnecessarily - whether it is done in the name of the law or in the defiance of the law, by one man or a gang, in cold blood or in passion, in an attack of violence or in response to violence - whenever we tear at the fabric of the life which another man has painfully and clumsily woven for himself and his children, the whole nation is degraded.

"Among free men," said Abraham Lincoln, "there can be no successful appeal from the ballot to the bullet; and those who take such appeal are sure to lose their cause and pay the costs."

Yet we seemingly tolerate a rising level of violence that ignores our common humanity and our claims to civilization alike. We calmly accept newspaper reports of civilian slaughter in far-off lands. We glorify killing on movie and television screens and call it entertainment. We make it easy for men of all shades of sanity to acquire whatever weapons and ammunition they desire.

Too often we honor swagger and bluster and wielders of force; too often we excuse those who are willing to build their own lives on the shattered dreams of others. Some Americans who preach non-violence abroad fail to practice it here at home. Some who accuse others of inciting riots have by their own conduct invited them.

Some look for scapegoats, others look for conspiracies, but this much is clear: violence breeds violence, repression brings retaliation, and only a cleansing of our whole society can remove this sickness from our soul.

For there is another kind of violence, slower but just as deadly destructive as the shot or the bomb in the night. This is the violence of institutions; indifference and inaction and slow decay. This is the violence that afflicts the poor, that poisons relations between men because their skin has different colors. This is the slow destruction of a child by hunger, and schools without books and homes without heat in the winter.

This is the breaking of a man's spirit by denying him the chance to stand as a father and as a man among other men. And this too afflicts us all.

I have not come here to propose a set of specific remedies nor is there a single set. For a broad and adequate outline we know what must be done. When you teach a man to hate and fear his brother, when you teach that he is a lesser man because of his color or his beliefs or the policies he pursues, when you teach that those who differ from you threaten your freedom or your job or your family, then you also learn to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies, to be met not with cooperation but with conquest; to be subjugated and mastered.

We learn, at the last, to look at our brothers as aliens, men with whom we share a city, but not a community; men bound to us in common dwelling, but not in common effort. We learn to share only a common fear, only a common desire to retreat from each other, only a common impulse to meet disagreement with force. For all this, there are no final answers.

Yet we know what we must do. It is to achieve true justice among our fellow citizens. The question is not what programs we should seek to enact. The question is whether we can find in our own midst and in our own hearts that leadership of humane purpose that will recognize the terrible truths of our existence.

We must admit the vanity of our false distinctions among men and learn to find our own advancement in the search for the advancement of others. We must admit in ourselves that our own children's future cannot be built on the misfortunes of others. We must recognize that this short life can neither be ennobled or enriched by hatred or revenge.

Our lives on this planet are too short and the work to be done too great to let this spirit flourish any longer in our land. Of course we cannot vanquish it with a program, nor with a resolution.

But we can perhaps remember, if only for a time, that those who live with us are our brothers, that they share with us the same short moment of life; that they seek, as do we, nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and in happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can.

Surely, this bond of common faith, this bond of common goal, can begin to teach us something. Surely, we can learn, at least, to look at those around us as fellow men, and surely we can begin to work a little harder to bind up the wounds among us and to become in our own hearts brothers and countrymen once again.

Alex is 1 month old today. He has already grown and changed so much, it is incredible. He looks more like Michelle now than when he was first born. He still has his red hair like me, though :)

I had some family passing through town on Saturday. My grandparents, and my ubcle Don and aunt Lana Jo were on their way to Hot Springs, Arkansas, and stopped for a while to visit. Alex enjoyed being held by his great-granny.

The morning of my first Father's Day as a father was spent at the E.R. We were worried that Alex was not eating enough, since he had been taking about 70-80 cc's at the hospital and had dropped down to only about 25 cc's at home. Turns out it was "user error" on the part of the parents. Every time he would make a sound, we would jump on him with a bottle. As a result, we were not giving him enough time to get hungry, so he would not eat much. After some instruction from the doctors and nurses, we now have him on a 4-hour eating schedule. We also have become better at burping him, which allows him to eat more. So, he is doing really well now. Growing like a weed.

Alex and I enjoyed watching the U.S. Open this weekend. I heard him say, "Tiger good, Mickelson bad." He is maturing so quickly, it's almost unbelievable ;).

Michelle's mom (henceforth, "Grammy") has been here since Sunday afternoon, and has been a godsend. She has helped out so much, it is crazy. Unfortunately, she has to leave tomorrow. Something about her son getting married in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, we will be able to make it to the wedding. I am not sure if Alex is up for traveling.

We had a appointment at the pediatrician yesterday, and after that we took Alex by the church where I work. The ladies in the office have been wanting to see him, and they were overjoyed while he visited. The volunteer who worked today was a little jealous...LOL.

My parents are coming to visit Thursday. It will be nice to see them again. My dad tried to act like they were coming to visit us, but I told him I realize that Alex is the star of the show now...LOL.

My brother Tim called me Sunday night to wish me a happy Father's day. We had a great conversation, and he gave me some good advice. My friend Mike Clark, who has four kids, has experienced several Father's Days, and is a great father to his kids. Both those guys inspire me.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Alex's first night at home was miserable for everyone, especially himself. Not long after he got home, we fed him, and it went downhill from there. He got some really bad gas, and struggled all night to get rid of it. And I mean all night. At 4:00 AM, we were ready to take him to the ER, but we held off, Thankfully, he started to fell a little better, so at 4:30, having given up on sleep, I went down the street to get the papers. When I got back, we gave him another dose of his medicine, and shortly after that, he was able to eat a little. After eating, he slept a little, and Michelle and I tried to get some sleep as well.

Michelle made coffee, and I made breakfast. We inhaled our food while he slept, then I took a shower. Michelle is doing the same now, and Alex is sleeping. Wow. These past 12 hours have flown by at 150 MPH. I hope things slow down soon.

I pre-mixed several bottles of formula, so he is ready to go when he wakes up.

I have some family who will be passing through Memphis tomorrow on their way to Hot Springs Arkansas, and they are planning on stopping by. Michelle parents are coming into town Sunday afternoon, and my parents are coming one day next week. It will be fun to see everyone. I know they are all excited to see Alex.

By the way, Alex told me yesterday, "Tiger Woods good, Phil Mickelson bad." I told him we would have fun watching the US Open all weekend. I remember that Norm Brumblay's first son was born on Super Bowl Sunday, and the first thing they did together was watch the game. That's sweet.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Alex is Home!

We are super-excited to finally have Alex at home. We went to the hospital at 8:00, and we were out the door in about 45 minutes or so. Everything went really smooth, so that was good.

We gave him a bath, a new diaper, some dinner from mama, and now he is ready for bed. So are we. LOL.

Peace...

And Then There Were Three...

Oh my goodness. Oh wow. Whew. Hmm...

Tonight, finally, I truly become a father. Alex finishes his antibiotic at 7:30 tonight, and then he is coming home. Yay! Don't even ask me if I am in freak-out mode. No longer is the hospital responsible for his care, but we are. Michelle and I are both, at the same time, euphoric and mortified. LOL.

We talked last night, and came to the conclusion that if OUR parents can do it, we can do it, too. LOL.

Every hour last night, I would mention to Michelle that in one less hour, Alex would be at home. We tried to relax by watching a movie, and it helped some, but we were still freaking out.

We'd like to say thanks to everyone for their support. Thanks so much.

Peace,

Chris

This morning, I saw where Lebron James' girlfriend is due to give birth one day next week, a day that James' team has a game scheduled. He said emphatically that if the baby does come on a game day, he would not attend the birth, and instead would play in the game. I have also recently heard Jeff Gordon say that if he needs to miss a race to attend the birth of his upcoming child, he would do so. Tiger Woods' wife is due to give birth during the British Open next month, and he has said he would skip it in order to be there for the birth.

There was a time when athletes rarely took time off from their sports to attend the birth of their children. The prevailing attitude was that the game was more important than the family. Then, a hockey player's wife died while giving birth, with the hockey player on the road. Attitudes began to shift, and now it is common for athletes to miss games in order to witness the birth of their children. In this light, I am incredulous that James, or anyone else, would miss the birth of a child in order to play. That seems screwed up.

Here is a chart of the music I listened to last week.

Michelle snapped some new pictures this morning, so we hope you enjoy them.

It has been interesting to monitor Alex's neighbors in the NICU. When he was first admitted, his neighbor was a baby named Terrance. Terrance was also born on the 19th, and he was also premature. Alex stayed in that bed for a few days, then he moved across the room. His neighbor became Whitman, who was born 11 weeks early, and had already been there about 4 weeks. While we were neighbors with Whitman, we became friendly with his parents. When things settle down, I think we will try to go out to dinner with them. Whitman went home on Memorial day, so Alex waved goodbye...LOL. Then, Terrance was moved into the spot Whitman had vacated, and he stayed there several days. Today, Terrance was moved somewhere else, and a girl moved in. I do not know what her name is.

Michelle and I adopted an attitude on the first day that we would encourage all the parents of children in the NICU. It seems that we are all in the same boat, so Michelle and I root for the other kids to get to go home.

I attended an iMovie workshop today at the Apple store. iMovie is the application that allows a user to edit and manipulate home videos, and turn them into entertaining movies. I am working on the footage I shot of Alex's birth. I think it will turn out great.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

I promised a couple of people yesterday that I would update the blog, so I apologize for the delay.

So much has happened since I last posted, it's crazy. When I last posted, we had become very encouraged by Alex's feedings. He seemed to be taking the bottle very well, so we thought it would be a matter days before he could coem home. Alas, he backtracked quite a bit. He stopped taking the bottle at all, so the nurses had to reinsert his feeding tube and he got his nourishment like that for several days. He also developed a fever, so he back on an I.V. antibiotic. Needless to say, at that point, we had become very DIScouraged...LOL.

However, in the last couple of days, he has really started to take the bottle. In fact, he is taking full bottles several times a day now. And, he has gained quite a bit of weight in just the last two days. He is at 5 lbs., 2.5 oz. So, this is once again very encouraging! I visited him alone a few nights ago, and asked the nurse to give me her opinion on how long it would be until he could come home. She told me to expect around the original due date, June 28. Which sort of makes sense, since that was the due date. So, we are anxiously awaiting his arrival.

This past Saturday, Memphis played Austin Peay in baseball at Vanderbilt, as part of the first round of the national tournament. At the last minute that morning, I talked Michelle into making the road trip. We got started late, but we hit the road. When we got to Dickson, we were greeted by the mother of all thunderstorms. I remember Michelle commenting that she had no desire to sit in the rain watching a baseball game. I sort of laughed it off, saying that I thought the storm would pass south of Nashville. I hoped I sounded more confident than I really was.

We got to the game in the bottom of the third, only to find that all the tickets were sold out. With Vanderbilt being the #1 team in the nation for the bulk of the season, the local people were quite excited and had purchased most of the tickets. So, we found a scalper, who may have been the scariest looking dude either of us had ever met, and we negotiated a decent price for two ducats. About 5 minutes after we sat down, the aforementioned mother of all storms descended upon Hawkins field, the game was halted, and the crowd was quickly shuttled into the basketball gym. While there, we watched two Vandy basketball players shooting for about an hour. At that point, which was about 4:00, a Vandy official announed that the game would resume at 7:30 that night. Knowing that we could not be in Nashville all night, we proceeded to turn around and head home. We drove 3+ hours to Nashville, watched 5 minutes of baseball, an hour of basketball, ate at O'Charley's, then went home. That was absolutely insane. Oh well.

I downloaded the video podcast of the Steve Jobs-Bill Gates discussion that occured last week at the D5 conference. I listened to most of it today while driving around running errands. It was great to hear them tell some funny stories about the old days, and hearing them talk about the days ahead.

I am preaching Sunday at CrossRoads, so I have been working this week on a sermon. It is coming along pretty well. I hope it is coherent. The youth group is having a lock-in at the church on Friday night. That should be lots of fun.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

We have been greatly encouraged by Alex's feedings of late. Yesterday, he took 15 ml from a bottle, which was the first time he took that much without any trouble. Today, he took a full bottle (40 ml) three seperate times! That is on top of what Michelle is giving him. When he shows that he can take a full bottle consistently for about 48 hrs., he can come home. So, we are anticipating him coming home soon; maybe by the end of the week!

I am in the process of taking some of the video of the birth, and making it into a movie. Once I do that, I will put it on YouTube for all to see.

I am going back to work tomorrow. Although it will be nice to get back into the swing of things, it will be strange not seeing Alex during the day.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Look closely and see if you can tell the similarity between the two different guitars pictured below.

We visited Alex twice today. This morning, heart rate slowed down momentarily, then resumed back to normal. We had been told that Alex does this several times a day, but this was the first time it had happened while we were there. So, naturally, we freaked. We know it's nothing to worry about. It usually happens while he is feeding, due to some reflux.

Tonight, he took Michelle's breast for the first time. We saw this as a major step forward for him. Not only did he take it, but he took it like an old veteran. He also took the pacifier for the first time. So, obviously, we were majorly excited! I also got to do "kangaroo care" for over an hour. This is where he lies on my bare chest, skin on skin. The purpose of this is that it puts him in a deep sleep, which helps with brain development and growth. That will help him put on weight.

I had another guitar lesson today, which was a lot of fun. I had not touched any of my guitars in the past week, so it was great to play again. I started learning Tom Petty's "Free Falling", and "Learning to Fly".

I plan on going back to work for a few hours tomorrow. It will be nice to get back into the swing of things.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

We went to visit Alex this morning, and it was great to hold him. In fact, I fell asleep while holding him. So, Michelle snapped a picture for proof. I anticipate taking many quick naps in the coming days.

He has yet to take a bottle, so he continues to be fed through a tube. When he learns to take a bottle, he should be able to come home. That will be great.

We have some friends from church who are planning to visit tonight, so that will be fun.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Alex Michael Winn (b. 19 May, 2007)

At 10:03 P.M. Saturday night, Alex Michael Winn made his debut in this world. When Michelle was admitted to the hospital Thursday afternoon, the doctors did not know exactly how long they could keep him inside her, but they knew it would not be long. So, we felt good that he stayed as long as he did. Michelle's blodd pressure spiked once more Saturday night, so it was time for him to come out. Her BP immediately dropped to a more normal level.

We were gald to learn that all his bodily functions are working properly, although he ad some fluid in his lungs. For this, he was taken to the NICU, where he still is. The fluid is gone, but he has not yet learned to suck and swallow in rythm, so he is being fed through an IV. He will stay in the NICU until he learns this, which may be as little as a week, or as many as a few weeks. Apparently, when a baby is in the womb, it learns this sort of at the very end, and since he came 6 weeks early, he has not learned yet. But, he will. Otherwise, he is fine. Mama is doing fine, too. Dad is in freak-out mode.

It was great that so many people were able to come into town over the weekend. After everyone left last night, Michelle needed a nap, and I needed some fresh air, so while she slept, I went to a bar for a beer. I showed everyone Alex' pictures, and everyone said he was cute.

We visited Alex in the NICU this morning, and we each got to hold him. That was great. Afterward, Michelle decided to take a nap, and I came home to have some lunch and to take care of some stuff. When I got here, the house was obviously empty, and I got kind of sad. The insanity of everyone visiting was tiring but fun, and I realized I missed it. In a few minutes, I am going to run some errands, then head back to the hospital.

We really appreciate the calls, visits, and well-wishes. Thanks so much.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Michelle was admitted to the hospital yesterday afternooon with extremely high blodd pressure. They cannot give her any medication for the blood pressure, so if it does not go down on its own, the baby will need to come out within the next couple of days. This is the scenario that the doctor anticipates.

Since we are at 33 weeks, 5 days (which is a little early), they have given the baby two steroid injections to promote the growth of his lungs. Each shot is equal to about 1 week of growth, so the idea is to get his lungs to the 36-week mark.

The phone number to the hospital room 901-516-6713. Feel free to call if you would like.

The doctor has said that she anticipates the baby coming within the next couple of days, so please keep us in your prayers.

Peace...