What a Difference One Year Makes

The Story of Us

A little over one year and twelve hours ago, we were speeding to the hospital going the wrong way along a one way street. In front of Police Station, no less. What followed was a whirlwind of wonderful insanity.

The whole event occurred in far less time than we had imagined, which was both a blessing and not so blessed.

Looking back now, it seems like that was a lifetime ago. Cliché? Perhaps. But it certainly is true. While a lot has remained constant, there have been an equal number of changes.

There is an unwritten law that people who are expecting children have to be told that it’s going to be a horrible experience full of sleepless nights and grated nerves. While this may be partially true, there are far more moments of pure bliss and wonder (lack of sleep may be a catalyst for this, though).

This year has been a busy one. What with Baby J, fixing up the house, grading for Black Belt, four weddings, breathing was forgotten at times. But we made it, and mostly intact!

My status in most circles of friends has changed, leading to changes in the way that people interact with me. The change was not unexpected. The interactions? Well, let’s just say that anyone who is planning on raising kids should be aware that there can be a stigma associated with being a parent.

Funny, that.

Scheduling things has also become a challenge, what with nap schedules and feedings and so on. It was bad enough before, as we tend to book things far in advance because that’s what we do. Now there are a few extra variables to consider. This doesn’t always help when it comes to last minute changes.

In any case, whatever disappointments have hit me from the outside world tend to be pushed out by the awesome light that is my family. In some ways, there is a new distance between us. Where there was once two, there is now three. And that third one is a pretty demanding one!

But then, in some ways we are also much closer. I have watched Mrs. J wear the hat labeled Mom with more finesse and style than she gives herself credit for.

Our little monkey is not short on love from either of us.

And she’s an awesome, ass-kicking little shrimp who takes my breath away every time I look at her. She’s a little dancing, singing, talking dynamo who gives me an extra big reason to smile anytime I think about her.

So yeah, there have been some ticks in the negative column. But the ticks in the positive column are so numerous that you can’t see the white of the paper anymore.

One of my new favourite phrases is Hi Dada!

Happy Birthday Kiddo! Who knew that the best present today would be the one that you gave to us?

The Things I Think About

Cool or Uncool?

This thought seems to resurface every once in a while, bubbling to the front of my brain. I don’t remember quite when it started. Maybe in early high school. Regardless, I think it’s awesome, and I wish that I could actually do this one day.

Wouldn’t it be cool to be invulnerable to physical injury? Not just you, but a group of friends.

Additionally, wouldn’t it be cool to just have an all-out brawl in a junkyard with that in mind?

Even better? An all out brawl, with physical invulnerability, in a public place like the Financial District downtown, or the West Edmonton Mall.

That would be so awesome.

It’s thoughts like these that get my name removed from the nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I Said No, No, No!

Apropos

Before I get to the one line that will either make you laugh or make you angry, I just wanted to say something.

I like Amy Winehouse’s music. I don’t like Amy Winehouse’s behaviour.

We live in a society that has to constantly pat itself on the back for things that already have succeeded beyond measure. We reward the wrong things.

That being said…

Am I the only one who gets a kick out of the fact that Amy Winehouse won five Grammys?

I wonder if they’re up her nose yet?

For the Librarians: The Do-Wii Decimal System

The Good

My friend Rebecca came over yesterday for dinner and some Wii-ing.

I met her through Dave’s blog, in the comments section. She was in town a while ago for a convention and we went for coffee.

I suggested she come over for dinner and so that’s what we did.

After dinner we played some Wii games.

Needless to say, my ass was handed to me on a silver platter in Wii Tennis.

The Bad and Ugly

I used to give spare change to homeless people.

That is, until I gave one a generous sum and then saw him walking into an LCBO later that day.

Do you think it’s wrong of me not to give spare change out anymore?

Energy Stamp

All the Energy You Want, Now With Less Feline Retinal Degredation!

The other day I was standing in one of our Subway stations, looking at some of the new posters on the wall across the tracks touting a new energy drink.

Energy drinks always make me laugh because they don’t really work for me. Certainly things like Gatorade and Powerade help restore electrolyte balance, which is great after a strenuous, sweaty workout.

But for the most part, energy drinks just make me want to pee a lot.

I haven’t actually tried the product in these recent ads. I doubt I will, as I have better things to drink (like beer).

If I really want to know how good it is, though, I’ll just ask my cats.

I have a feeling that there are eyebrows being raised at the previous line.

One of the ingredients displayed across the top of the can (proudly, I would assume) is Taurine.

The discovery and isolation of this “amino acid” is documented here, and although the source for energy drinks is not the typical one, it may still make you think about what you’re drinking.

Taurine is an important ingredient in cat food, as it prevents central retinal degredation.

The value of Taurine in energy drinks as an “energy giver” is in question. Studies have shown, though, that it may have a hand in reducing muscle fatigue.

Either way, though, I will probably not bother with it, as my eyes are decidedly not feline.

This Article Has Been Deemed 100% Awesome by Me

Another advertisement-related blurb.

Are people really so gullible as to believe that a product endorsed by it’s own manufacturer is actually better than one that is not?

Certainly all maunfacturers endorse their products. Why wouldn’t they?

But you have to laugh when you see things like Product X proudly bears the Product X seal of approval, or Product Y has been proclaimed excellent by the makers of Product Y.

We should all walk around talking about how awesome we are and see how long it takes for someone to smack us in the mouth for being idiots.