This week I'm taking a break from jotting down my sports comments for a few reasons. First and foremost I'm learning that 90% of the people who are reading this blog are women, and of those women 80% are here for the baby pictures and catching up purposes only. Since my sports thoughts tell you nothing about what we've been doing and typically includes no pictures then I am failing miserably with our key demographic. I have considered starting a separate sports blog, but most of those I've seen started only have one post that hasn't been updated in six months ( I'm staring right at you Jeff Cooper!) and it's most likely that few of our current readers ( Again mostly women) would click over to check it out. At least here I have a disinterested, but a captive audience.
My second reason for not going with sports talk this week is that my bracket is utter garbage and I'm a little bitter. FYI Carrie's bracket is better than mine once again...this will make three straight years... I don't want to talk about it. Needless to say I can already feel the smug, satisfied little smile that all you women who read my last post have. The lesson as always is don't mess with Karma, even on the Internet.
So since my bracket failures will ultimately result in the loss of my man card I decide to go all in this week and give you a breakdown of American Idol. So here's my thoughts in the order in which they are going home.
9. Syesha - She is American Idol's version of vanilla ice cream. You get someone like Syesha every year, looks like she fell out of a GAP ad, sings diva music ( Ugh.) , and is generally plain and uninteresting. Top that off with the fact the Carrie and I are SO sick of the type of music she sings ( last year I think they had 9 Syeshas on the women's side...I detest years where the only decent girls sing Diva/Soul music and they have several of them) and she has to go.
8. Kristy Lee Cook - Saved by the fact that it's country week this week and the only country singer in the competition isn't going to go home on country week..It's unamerican. Speaking of which, I completely agreed with Simon that she made the smartest music choice in the history of the show last week. It's like she read all the papers and said to herself ,"Let's see them just try to vote me off when I'm singing God Bless the USA." Still, she's not the greatest performer and 8 is a good spot for her.
7. Ramielle - I really wish she would be next to go, but apparently she's really popular with Filipinos and they vote en mass for her. I'm glad she has a fanbase and they enjoy her music, but now I have really great idea why Filipino music never makes it big over here. She can leave at anytime and that would me okay with me.
6. Michael Johns - He's been getting better. I have nothing nice to say here because of my steadfast belief that he's been pushed on the audience as "great" when he's average as best. That and I keep thinking of the "Take Home Chef" whenever I watch him ( An amazing show by the way. This single Aussie guy goes to the supermarket and finds the best looking woman in the place and offers to buy her groceries and cook dinner for her and her "significant other". He then spends all day cooking with her at her place and surprises the man of the house with a camera crew at the front door when he gets home, before letting him know that he was just there to cook dinner. I don't know about anyone else, but no dinner in the world makes up for the heart attack I would have by being met at my door at the end of the day by an Aussie soap opera star, my wife, and a camera crew. Just me I guess.)
5. Carly Smithson - I think she's better than this but I'm sure that America collectively hates the fact she's already had a record deal and couldn't cut it. A little unfair if you ask me, but people like what they like. She's been great a few times and I generally look forward to her performances. Nothing interesting to say here because Carly does nothing interesting but sing well. For me she's like a female Michael Johns...only if I liked Michael John's singing.
4. Jason Castro - My favorite quote of the year - " I guess if I'm going to do this I should put some more time into it." Really Jason? You do realize you're in the top ten of American Idol and now you're pretty much forced to record and perform music for the next 6-8 months? Yeah, I'd think that If all you had to do from week to week was pick and perform one friggin song you would want to put some time into it. Here's a hint, if you want America to stop thinking you're a stoner then stop doing and saying stoner things every time you're on the air. That said I love this guys sound. He's mellow and different and very interesting week to week. It's also nice to have someone that isn't so polished on the show, just to make you feel for a split second like it's a amateur competition. Right before you remember it's American Idol.
3. Brooke White - The first of our two Mormons this year. I am so biased on this one that I probably shouldn't say anything. However, I do not believe that it's a coincidence that her worst week was the week she wore the shorter yellow dress without sleeves...just saying. She has a naturally calming voice and if the next two weren't going to be enormous music stars she could win the whole thing.
2. David Cook- I want him to win. He's a rock star and ready to record right now. He's better at this point in the game and Daughtry was at the same stage two years ago. His song choices are always interesting and usually very well executed. I don't think he's smug at all, just a rock star trying to pull off the persona. There's a chance that his act could get old between now and the finale, but he's the one I look forward to listening to every week. His only weakness is that the American Idol crowd isn't his ultimate fanbase. I'm not sure a rock singer can win the whole thing...but I know who can.
1. David Archuleta - Donny Osmond reborn. A Disney Channel star without the Disney Channel. His biggest obstacle at this point is himself. I have this sinking feeling that David A. feels that his music will not only sell records, but cure world hunger, end poverty, and eventually lead to world peace. I'm sure the he sees himself as a mix of both Bill and Ted only without the guitars and the great catchphrase .( However in about two weeks I'm expecting him to bust out with a "Be Excellent to Each Other" on stage and claim the catchphrase for his own) This can be the only explanation for the fact the he feels it necessary to perform a "song with a message" every other week. I'm glad these songs have personal meaning for him, but they are seldom good and are really hurting his chances at winning, especially when David Cook is so good week to week. I think if someone sits down with Archie and lets him know that he'll have plenty of time to solve the worlds problems and be the UN Ambassador to some impoverished African nation after he wins then he should be okay. For now he need to stick to singing popular music and just be content with being the winner of American Idol.
That's all for now. Cami is scooting all over the place and I'm sure we'll be crawling in no time. Between solid foods and all this moving around that girl growing up fast and melting all kinds of hearts. Until later.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
How's your Bracket?
Just a quick four thoughts on the NCAA Tournament over the weekend. Originally I was going to do five thoughts but I just finished reading the new Bill Simmons article on ESPN.com in which he gave his five thoughts on the same subject. Since I've been trying very hard these days to rip off Bill Simmons in only 50% ( Down from 80%) of my sports related conversations and postings I decided to cut my thoughts down to four in the hope that no one would notice that I'm doing the same subject at the same time...unless I went out of my way to point it out..and even if I thought of this idea for a blog post waaaay before I read the article....oh well, here's what's on my mind.
1. Texas A&M nearly single handedly ruined my whole weekend. As we previously blogged I came into their first round game against BYU knowing that the Aggies were probably going to win. I understood and accepted that as I was filling out BYU on all ten of my brackets. I stuck with my team, I took the beating I knew was coming, I moved on. Then as if ending my Alma Matter's season wasn't enough A&M took it upon themselves to nearly destroy my brackets by coming within an eyelash and a few bad calls of beating UCLA. I have UCLA winning the whole shooting match in every bracket. Thank Christmas they didn't pull off the upset this weekend and send me to my third straight year of losing to Carrie in the bracket contest.
The funny thing about all this is that I actually like Texas A&M. I had a great time on campus in September watching a football game at Kyle Field. The campus has a great feel and they have some unique traditions. ( Like 10,000 unique traditions. You can't attend a home sporting event in College Station without a guide or a manual.) I usually want to see their teams win, but this weekend they just made me angry and gave me a heart attack.
2. If I have to tell the truth I think Kansas is the best team in the country right now. However KU presents a special problem when it comes to picking a bracket winner. There is no way in the world you are going to win a bracket pool in the state of Kansas by picking the Jayhawks to win it all. Let's say by some happy twist of fate you're right and KU is the national champion after two decades of waiting. Now you are one of 100 people in your pool who have the national champion right. So it's completely up to the points you scored in the early rounds, and that's more of a lucky guess then anything.
So I figure that if KU wins I have no chance of winning any local contests anyway, I might as well pick the team I like second best and roll the dice ( This year it's UCLA). It's a sound strategy that I hope will pay off, or will land me in dead last.
3. Speaking of UCLA, I actually like them better after watching them play a pretty bad weekend of basketball. Against A&M they couldn't shoot for beans and they still managed to beat a decent squad on the strength of their defense alone. Kevin Love had 7 blocks despite the fact he reminds me of the guy with six kids who occasionally shows up for ward basketball games and complains about how out of shape he is, right down to the bad back and slight waddle he has when he's running up and down the court. I guess that's why I really enjoy cheering for Love, even though he is an exceptional athlete and a top 5 player in the country he always looks like an average joe that's having one heck of a lucky game.
Still, any team can win when the shots are falling and everything is going right. UCLA is showing the ability to win when things aren't clicking by playing good defense and making plays when they have to. I think that wins championships and they leaves me feeling really good about my pick.
4. As of this moment I have a 2 point lead on Carrie in the bracket contest and it looks like the long night of darkness might finally be over. Carrie hates this. We watched a few games together and every time it seemed that a team I picked would beat a team she picked in the last seconds ( Thank you San Diego and Stanford!!). I think she lost 4 games to me by a total of 8 points. She got a little angry at me for jumping around and celebrating each time her team would lose. Still, I feel an angry wife is a small price to pay for the return of the confidence and manliness I will feel when I retake my rightful place as the family bracket expert.
1. Texas A&M nearly single handedly ruined my whole weekend. As we previously blogged I came into their first round game against BYU knowing that the Aggies were probably going to win. I understood and accepted that as I was filling out BYU on all ten of my brackets. I stuck with my team, I took the beating I knew was coming, I moved on. Then as if ending my Alma Matter's season wasn't enough A&M took it upon themselves to nearly destroy my brackets by coming within an eyelash and a few bad calls of beating UCLA. I have UCLA winning the whole shooting match in every bracket. Thank Christmas they didn't pull off the upset this weekend and send me to my third straight year of losing to Carrie in the bracket contest.
The funny thing about all this is that I actually like Texas A&M. I had a great time on campus in September watching a football game at Kyle Field. The campus has a great feel and they have some unique traditions. ( Like 10,000 unique traditions. You can't attend a home sporting event in College Station without a guide or a manual.) I usually want to see their teams win, but this weekend they just made me angry and gave me a heart attack.
2. If I have to tell the truth I think Kansas is the best team in the country right now. However KU presents a special problem when it comes to picking a bracket winner. There is no way in the world you are going to win a bracket pool in the state of Kansas by picking the Jayhawks to win it all. Let's say by some happy twist of fate you're right and KU is the national champion after two decades of waiting. Now you are one of 100 people in your pool who have the national champion right. So it's completely up to the points you scored in the early rounds, and that's more of a lucky guess then anything.
So I figure that if KU wins I have no chance of winning any local contests anyway, I might as well pick the team I like second best and roll the dice ( This year it's UCLA). It's a sound strategy that I hope will pay off, or will land me in dead last.
3. Speaking of UCLA, I actually like them better after watching them play a pretty bad weekend of basketball. Against A&M they couldn't shoot for beans and they still managed to beat a decent squad on the strength of their defense alone. Kevin Love had 7 blocks despite the fact he reminds me of the guy with six kids who occasionally shows up for ward basketball games and complains about how out of shape he is, right down to the bad back and slight waddle he has when he's running up and down the court. I guess that's why I really enjoy cheering for Love, even though he is an exceptional athlete and a top 5 player in the country he always looks like an average joe that's having one heck of a lucky game.
Still, any team can win when the shots are falling and everything is going right. UCLA is showing the ability to win when things aren't clicking by playing good defense and making plays when they have to. I think that wins championships and they leaves me feeling really good about my pick.
4. As of this moment I have a 2 point lead on Carrie in the bracket contest and it looks like the long night of darkness might finally be over. Carrie hates this. We watched a few games together and every time it seemed that a team I picked would beat a team she picked in the last seconds ( Thank you San Diego and Stanford!!). I think she lost 4 games to me by a total of 8 points. She got a little angry at me for jumping around and celebrating each time her team would lose. Still, I feel an angry wife is a small price to pay for the return of the confidence and manliness I will feel when I retake my rightful place as the family bracket expert.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Cami's First Easter
The Easter Bunny has made his (hers? Its?) first delivery for Cameron Diggins. Sadly, Cameron will not be able to eat her Easter candy this year due to her just starting out on solid foods. Oh well, just looks like more for Mommy and Daddy. Enjoy Cami's Easter pictures.
Cami and Daddy make the same expressions! She was actually pretty quiet today at church and at Grandma and Grandpas. That makes everybody happy!
Cami posing next to Grandma Rowe's Lamb cake.
Cami with her first easter basket. She went right for the bunny.
Cami is looking a little overwhelmed with Easter.
Cami and the Easter bunny getting to be good friends.
Cami and Daddy make the same expressions! She was actually pretty quiet today at church and at Grandma and Grandpas. That makes everybody happy!
Cami posing next to Grandma Rowe's Lamb cake.
Cami with her first easter basket. She went right for the bunny.
Cami is looking a little overwhelmed with Easter.
Cami and the Easter bunny getting to be good friends.Saturday, March 22, 2008
Cami's First Foods
Cami just turned 4 months old this week and we celebrated with solid foods. Cuteness ensued. Enjoy the pictures of her meal and how happy she is with Daddy these days.
FYI: We know the Bumbo shouldn't be on the table, but we were right there the ENTIRE time, and are getting a high chair tonight.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Feeling Conflicted
About 8 months ago I bought a photo cube at Office Depot for one dollar. That's one of the benefits of working for Office Depot, you go in and out of the stores so much that you can quickly glace at all the clearance racks and grab the super great deals before anyone else notices. (In fact we got a really nice chair there for $12 this past month, but that's a story for another time...a time when I need to break some future akward silence by bragging about a chair deal I got several months back...boy is that going to be one uncomfortable silence.)
Anyway, Carrie finally got around to putting the thing together and It's a pretty nice toy. Basically it's a cube that has pictures of Cami at every angle, then you can open it up to reveal even more pictures of Cami. It's pretty fun and within minutes of it's completion the cube has already skyrocketed to the top of my Mom's Christmas/Birthday wishlist.
You may be asking yourself why the cube story matters. First off, you know you're dying to read these little "slice of life" stories that make blogs worth reading? Second, and most importantly the cube serves as a basis for my latest and greatest bad analogy.
See, the NCAA Tournament this year is like our photo cube. Look at it from the outside and you think you see the whole picture, but fiddle with it a little and you discover there is a whole lot more to the picture that you couldn't see of first glace. ( pause to savor that profound moment)
Each year I have certain rules I go by to fill out my bracket ( Always pick at least two #12 seeds to win, Never go with more than 6 upsets in the first round, always pick the team playing within 3 hours of campus to win, never pick a team that starts 5 white guys to advance more than one round unless their name is "Duke".) However, this year I hate my rules. Going by nothing but tried and true principles I have Texas beating UNC in the championship game. This is never going to happen. my gut doesn't even like Texas to get out of the sweet 16. I have no desire to cheer for Texas and I would be mildly depressed having to pull for them for three straight weeks.
This brings up another horrible bracket problem, When the team you naturally root for has no chance of advancing, so you pick against them in your bracket and then you have put yourself in the worst position a fan can get into. I call it Pete Rose Memorial Bet Against Your Team Syndrome (PRMBAYTS for short) , and it sucks. Let's say you support the BYU Cougars (just to pick a random team, just for kicks) and you just watched your team fritter away another Mountain West Tourniment. You've seen this all before, you know it's the first step in BYU having a nice first half in their NCAA game followed by a more athletic team wearing them down in the second half, their shooting gets ice-cold, then they manage to lose a game that was by all accounts winnable. There is no way on earth that this scenario doesn't play out on Thursday, however the joy of picking Texas A&M and getting a lousy extra point in your bracket does nothing to salve the pain of watching BYU get bounced in the first round and knowing it was coming the whole time. Still, you want that point because more than a BYU victory you need to prove your personal superiority in the 10 bracket pools that you participate in. Now, assume the impossible happens and BYU wins. You're extremely excited but you feel like a complete tool for not having them in your bracket. You can't celebrate with your boys because you don't believe in them, because you denied them ten times to one hundred different people on both paper and in cyberspace. You feel like garbage all because you sold your soul for a lousy point. That's no way to win a bracket contest...but constantly losing to your wife in the bracket contest is no way to go through life either.
I can't for sure say how I'm going to fill out this bracket. Considering I'm throwing out my entire playbook on how to do this and I'm obviously dealing with several personal issued connected to fanhood this could be a long process. However I am willing to go through the torture of these impossible choices because at the end of the rainbow is four solid days of basketball where I have a personal, emotional, and possible financial interest in every single one of those games. Highs and lows coming sometimes at the same time and a reason to cheer and get crazy which is worth a little bit of grief. It guess it's just all in how you look at it.
Anyway, Carrie finally got around to putting the thing together and It's a pretty nice toy. Basically it's a cube that has pictures of Cami at every angle, then you can open it up to reveal even more pictures of Cami. It's pretty fun and within minutes of it's completion the cube has already skyrocketed to the top of my Mom's Christmas/Birthday wishlist.
You may be asking yourself why the cube story matters. First off, you know you're dying to read these little "slice of life" stories that make blogs worth reading? Second, and most importantly the cube serves as a basis for my latest and greatest bad analogy.
See, the NCAA Tournament this year is like our photo cube. Look at it from the outside and you think you see the whole picture, but fiddle with it a little and you discover there is a whole lot more to the picture that you couldn't see of first glace. ( pause to savor that profound moment)
Each year I have certain rules I go by to fill out my bracket ( Always pick at least two #12 seeds to win, Never go with more than 6 upsets in the first round, always pick the team playing within 3 hours of campus to win, never pick a team that starts 5 white guys to advance more than one round unless their name is "Duke".) However, this year I hate my rules. Going by nothing but tried and true principles I have Texas beating UNC in the championship game. This is never going to happen. my gut doesn't even like Texas to get out of the sweet 16. I have no desire to cheer for Texas and I would be mildly depressed having to pull for them for three straight weeks.
This brings up another horrible bracket problem, When the team you naturally root for has no chance of advancing, so you pick against them in your bracket and then you have put yourself in the worst position a fan can get into. I call it Pete Rose Memorial Bet Against Your Team Syndrome (PRMBAYTS for short) , and it sucks. Let's say you support the BYU Cougars (just to pick a random team, just for kicks) and you just watched your team fritter away another Mountain West Tourniment. You've seen this all before, you know it's the first step in BYU having a nice first half in their NCAA game followed by a more athletic team wearing them down in the second half, their shooting gets ice-cold, then they manage to lose a game that was by all accounts winnable. There is no way on earth that this scenario doesn't play out on Thursday, however the joy of picking Texas A&M and getting a lousy extra point in your bracket does nothing to salve the pain of watching BYU get bounced in the first round and knowing it was coming the whole time. Still, you want that point because more than a BYU victory you need to prove your personal superiority in the 10 bracket pools that you participate in. Now, assume the impossible happens and BYU wins. You're extremely excited but you feel like a complete tool for not having them in your bracket. You can't celebrate with your boys because you don't believe in them, because you denied them ten times to one hundred different people on both paper and in cyberspace. You feel like garbage all because you sold your soul for a lousy point. That's no way to win a bracket contest...but constantly losing to your wife in the bracket contest is no way to go through life either.
I can't for sure say how I'm going to fill out this bracket. Considering I'm throwing out my entire playbook on how to do this and I'm obviously dealing with several personal issued connected to fanhood this could be a long process. However I am willing to go through the torture of these impossible choices because at the end of the rainbow is four solid days of basketball where I have a personal, emotional, and possible financial interest in every single one of those games. Highs and lows coming sometimes at the same time and a reason to cheer and get crazy which is worth a little bit of grief. It guess it's just all in how you look at it.
Friday, March 14, 2008
New Baby Photos!
A Quick update for those who need a baby photo fix.
Here's one of Cami figuring out her blocks. This one's a thinker.
Here's Cami playing with her Cousin Reece. Reece is the youngest of the four Cooper kids and I think she was really enjoying having someone smaller to pick on. Poor Cami!!!
Here's a cute baby with a cute mommy. Yes, Carrie is sporting a new haircut for those interested..OWW OWWW! :)
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Ode to Awesome Stuff
No pictures again ( Bummer!), However I was thinking about three things that have made my life better this week and I wanted to share them. It's just like Oprah's favorites show, only there are around 4 of you who read this blog, and you're not getting anything for free, and It's nothing like that show at all....so moving forward.
1. Spices, specifically Penzeys Spices - They say the variety is the spice of life, which is completely untrue. Spices are the spice of life and they are so good such a good job that they do not ever need to be replaced by something as mundane as variety.
If you are just a salt and pepper man ( or woman) then you are completely missing the boat. About a month ago I stopped in at Penzey's spice shop and picked up all kinds of goodies like Pizza Spice, Greek Seasoning, and Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle. Basically I had some Birthday money to burn and if it smelled good and sounded exotic I took a small can home. The results have been outstanding. Normal meals, even sandwiches had a new special zip that has been making meals even better. To see what I mean visits Penzeys online shop and get some of the aforementioned Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle. Mix it in with some regular ground beef, ball it up and in one step you have some seriously good meatballs. Take it a step further and throw in some chopped cilantro and make it into burger patties. Then grill those bad boys and use put them between two four tortillas that already have cheese melted on them, add your favorite mexican fix'ns for one tasty Quesadilla Burger.
The fun really never ends. If your dinner has been getting dull these days then I recommend going out and trying some new spices. you might like it, you might not, but you'll have fun experimenting and it will get you fired up to cook.
2. Skype and Web Phones - A few weeks back my parents came to visit and turned us to a Web phone and video conferencing application called Skype. It is the greatest thing since sliced bread. My dad and I went out and bought matching Web cams. ( I know, how cute....well I'll just have you know they are very high tech and manly Web cams so just BACK OFF!) . Since we set them up my phone calls home have been much more fun ( and much more free, which is great) My parents can see the baby any time they want and they can comment on my receeding hairline as we catch up for the week. In fact we recently found our friends Todd and Jen Cooper on Skype and it was nice to see them in Alabama and watch their dog do a few pretty impressive tricks. Skype is free so there is no excuse not to have it, so if you have a Web came let us know and we'll get in touch. I'm having way too much fun with this thing.
3. Flylady - I will admit I know next to nothing about this one. Carrie got it from here sister and from what I can tell it is basically some form of housewife bootcamp used to get your house in shape and boost your self esteem. All I know is that our house is now regularly clean and and Life is just that much more pleasant. Guys, set your homepage to http://www.flylady.net/ , see if your wife gets the hint and watch it work. You'll thank me later.
Again, it's late and that's all I got. Later Friends,
1. Spices, specifically Penzeys Spices - They say the variety is the spice of life, which is completely untrue. Spices are the spice of life and they are so good such a good job that they do not ever need to be replaced by something as mundane as variety.
If you are just a salt and pepper man ( or woman) then you are completely missing the boat. About a month ago I stopped in at Penzey's spice shop and picked up all kinds of goodies like Pizza Spice, Greek Seasoning, and Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle. Basically I had some Birthday money to burn and if it smelled good and sounded exotic I took a small can home. The results have been outstanding. Normal meals, even sandwiches had a new special zip that has been making meals even better. To see what I mean visits Penzeys online shop and get some of the aforementioned Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle. Mix it in with some regular ground beef, ball it up and in one step you have some seriously good meatballs. Take it a step further and throw in some chopped cilantro and make it into burger patties. Then grill those bad boys and use put them between two four tortillas that already have cheese melted on them, add your favorite mexican fix'ns for one tasty Quesadilla Burger.
The fun really never ends. If your dinner has been getting dull these days then I recommend going out and trying some new spices. you might like it, you might not, but you'll have fun experimenting and it will get you fired up to cook.
2. Skype and Web Phones - A few weeks back my parents came to visit and turned us to a Web phone and video conferencing application called Skype. It is the greatest thing since sliced bread. My dad and I went out and bought matching Web cams. ( I know, how cute....well I'll just have you know they are very high tech and manly Web cams so just BACK OFF!) . Since we set them up my phone calls home have been much more fun ( and much more free, which is great) My parents can see the baby any time they want and they can comment on my receeding hairline as we catch up for the week. In fact we recently found our friends Todd and Jen Cooper on Skype and it was nice to see them in Alabama and watch their dog do a few pretty impressive tricks. Skype is free so there is no excuse not to have it, so if you have a Web came let us know and we'll get in touch. I'm having way too much fun with this thing.
3. Flylady - I will admit I know next to nothing about this one. Carrie got it from here sister and from what I can tell it is basically some form of housewife bootcamp used to get your house in shape and boost your self esteem. All I know is that our house is now regularly clean and and Life is just that much more pleasant. Guys, set your homepage to http://www.flylady.net/ , see if your wife gets the hint and watch it work. You'll thank me later.
Again, it's late and that's all I got. Later Friends,
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Some Random Thoughts
I just checked my car's odometer and I am a few miles away from logging 89,000 miles on my car in a just about 3 years. I guess that's just part of being a salesman, but driving so frequently gives me a lot of time to think. Usually I'll spend the time listening to sports talk radio , but lately I've been leaving the radio off and developing some pretty strong opinions. Since these ideas do me no good unspoken and I have already convinced myself I decided I should write a few of these down to see if I still agree with myself in a few months. So without any further ado, some random thoughts.
* I have always had a lot of fun watching American Idol, however this year I think they are trying to rig the show and it's getting me a littled T.O.ed. David Archuleta is going to win, I have no problems with this. However I think that the producers, the judges, and even Seacrest are spending an unusual amount of time telling me that the burger I'm seeing is really a Thanksgiving feast. Fact: Micheal Johns sucks. He is seldom in tune and he sounds like the lead singer of a million local bands. Why do the judges keep tossing out the complements when he is so average week after week. I feel like he is being forced down my throat and I don't like it one bit. On that note this is not " the most talented group ever" however, A.I. thinks that if they say it enough we will eventually believe it. Again, don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining.
Other than that I have no problems with the show, it's fun as always and I'm still having a good time with it.
* Since Mitt Romney dropped out I have been completely bored with the Presidental Race. Obama vs. Hillary does nothing for me because regardless of the outcome the DNC is going to force the two to run together in November. However, watching Obama has given me hope, but not in the way he would expect. Obama has proven to the whole world that if you are good public speaker you don't need experience, vision, or a sane plan for the future. You just need to get on stage, do your thing, get the ol' "Yes We Can!" chant going and you can do anyting you want. As someone who doesn't mind giving a speech or two I am thrilled. Not for our country, but for myself. I am now going to actively look for opportunities to speak to groups about subjects upon which I have very little knowledge or expereince. I think if I play my cards right I can be the governor, CEO, or dictator of a small country within a few years. If Barack can do it, then YES I CAN!
*If the NFL Draft is wrong then I don't wanna be right. I have already watched every televised hour of the combine and read nearly 100 online Mock Drafts.I am going into convulsions waiting for the Draft preview magazines to come out. I have a problem.
However, I also have a pretty good idea how this thing should go. First, the Giants pick last in the first round and should be able to get either Dan Connor or Keith Rivers to boost their Linebacking corps. However if they go CB or OL I would not be suprised. Regardless of what they do I know it will be the right thing, and thats why I love Jerry Reese. It's great knowing that your team is one of the top 5 smartest in the draft and they will find a way to reload.
On the oppositve end of the spectrum are the Cheifs and I can't shake the feeling they are going to screw this up. Jake Long is the obvious pick but he won't be there at 5, I think he goes 1 to the Dolphins or 2 to the Rams. Picking the next best OL is not a good idea because then they will reach for a need. Most scout have Ryan Clady rated as the next best at the position but my eyes tell me otherwise. I think that there are four other Tackles who are similar prospects and one of them will probably be available in the second round. Learn a lesson from the Giants, just draft the best talent regardless of the position he plays. Only use position as a tiebreaker when you have two even prospects. At this point the best thing that could happen to the Chiefs is Darren McFadden falling to them. It's no secret Dallas wants McFadden, they are just waiting until draft day to see how far he falls before offering their two first round picks and change for the top hog. The Chiefs would be much better served getting those two picks and selecting a tackle later in the first round and getting that bonus pick.
That's all for now, I've got a few more ideas still stewing but I'm sick of typing and need to get to bed. Later.
* I have always had a lot of fun watching American Idol, however this year I think they are trying to rig the show and it's getting me a littled T.O.ed. David Archuleta is going to win, I have no problems with this. However I think that the producers, the judges, and even Seacrest are spending an unusual amount of time telling me that the burger I'm seeing is really a Thanksgiving feast. Fact: Micheal Johns sucks. He is seldom in tune and he sounds like the lead singer of a million local bands. Why do the judges keep tossing out the complements when he is so average week after week. I feel like he is being forced down my throat and I don't like it one bit. On that note this is not " the most talented group ever" however, A.I. thinks that if they say it enough we will eventually believe it. Again, don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining.
Other than that I have no problems with the show, it's fun as always and I'm still having a good time with it.
* Since Mitt Romney dropped out I have been completely bored with the Presidental Race. Obama vs. Hillary does nothing for me because regardless of the outcome the DNC is going to force the two to run together in November. However, watching Obama has given me hope, but not in the way he would expect. Obama has proven to the whole world that if you are good public speaker you don't need experience, vision, or a sane plan for the future. You just need to get on stage, do your thing, get the ol' "Yes We Can!" chant going and you can do anyting you want. As someone who doesn't mind giving a speech or two I am thrilled. Not for our country, but for myself. I am now going to actively look for opportunities to speak to groups about subjects upon which I have very little knowledge or expereince. I think if I play my cards right I can be the governor, CEO, or dictator of a small country within a few years. If Barack can do it, then YES I CAN!
*If the NFL Draft is wrong then I don't wanna be right. I have already watched every televised hour of the combine and read nearly 100 online Mock Drafts.I am going into convulsions waiting for the Draft preview magazines to come out. I have a problem.
However, I also have a pretty good idea how this thing should go. First, the Giants pick last in the first round and should be able to get either Dan Connor or Keith Rivers to boost their Linebacking corps. However if they go CB or OL I would not be suprised. Regardless of what they do I know it will be the right thing, and thats why I love Jerry Reese. It's great knowing that your team is one of the top 5 smartest in the draft and they will find a way to reload.
On the oppositve end of the spectrum are the Cheifs and I can't shake the feeling they are going to screw this up. Jake Long is the obvious pick but he won't be there at 5, I think he goes 1 to the Dolphins or 2 to the Rams. Picking the next best OL is not a good idea because then they will reach for a need. Most scout have Ryan Clady rated as the next best at the position but my eyes tell me otherwise. I think that there are four other Tackles who are similar prospects and one of them will probably be available in the second round. Learn a lesson from the Giants, just draft the best talent regardless of the position he plays. Only use position as a tiebreaker when you have two even prospects. At this point the best thing that could happen to the Chiefs is Darren McFadden falling to them. It's no secret Dallas wants McFadden, they are just waiting until draft day to see how far he falls before offering their two first round picks and change for the top hog. The Chiefs would be much better served getting those two picks and selecting a tackle later in the first round and getting that bonus pick.
That's all for now, I've got a few more ideas still stewing but I'm sick of typing and need to get to bed. Later.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Cami in Action
My mother mentioned that all of my pictures of Cami seem to be of her lying on her back, and generally of her face. I guess the photographer in me usually likes those images the best, because they are clean (free of toys, and yikes!, house clutter) and because she has such a cute face. However, Cami does like to do things other than smile for the camera (actually, it's hard to catch smiles sometimes because when I put up the camera, she gets this look of awe, or basically a blank stare). Below are some shots of Cami in action: (As for what Chris and I are up to, this is basically it as well :)).
This is Cami playing in her "jungle" gym. She is learning how to hit and grab the elephant rattle when lying on her back, and loves to use her feet to grab the toys as well.
Here is a profile shot of Cami. These soft blocks have been great for tummy time and I think they'll grow with her for a while too.
Cami loves being able to hold these rings above her head and trying to get them in her mouth. Daddy helped her get ahold of them this time, and she didn't seem to realize how to let go!
Cami loves being talked to, and will try to "talk" back. She also loves being sung to, and will sometimes laugh hysterically when she particularly likes the song - her laugh is kind of low though, so it's really funny.
Blue eyes
As I have mentioned to many of you, Chris once said he hoped all of our kids had his personality. I don't think he meant it as a compliment, but I've learned to forgive him! Well, he also hoped that our first baby would have his blue eyes too. I think Cami's eyes are shaped more like mine, but thus far they are very blue. Chris's Dad took these pictures when they were here, and I think they showcase those baby blue's pretty nicely.
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