Back in the Saddle

After last year's emotionally devastating death of our son (he was stillborn), my wife is expecting again. How could that be, and so soon after we were told we could start again? To have her inform me earlier this month on the basis of a cheap-y home pregnancy kit... it just didn't seem possible. I was a little skeptical, but hoped that it was true. I'd expected it to take a couple more months (at least), but within a week or two, it happened. (I've still got it!)

We had our first doctor visit today (well, yesterday if you want to be picky about it), which included an ultrasound. They've installed new color monitors at the hospital since we were there for the last ultrasound, and you can see the heartbeat in vivid red and blues, which helped us visualize what we were seeing. We are only 8 weeks along, so we have a LONG way to go, but we've got our fingers crossed and are hoping for a better outcome this time around.

Wish us luck.

The Big O

Sitting here watching Obama's address to Congress. I had been listening on NPR, but it just wasn't the same without the visuals.

Man, he sure seems popular. One standing O after another; I've never seen anything like it. The transparency this government needs is something that he's acknowledged, and it doesn't seem to be lip service. He is a communicator in every sense of the word, and it's such a refreshing change from the puppet we just lost.

I was talking with a friend the other day, and it's obvious that there is going to be some pain associated with getting this country back on track but, more than any other politician I've ever seen before, he seems to be the best one to get us moving in the right direction.

Back to the show...

This Is Your Life: Stephen Fowler

It's probably pretty easy to jump on the anti-Stephen Fowler bandwagon these days. Hell, I didn't even know a controversy was brewing until last night, when I ran across a MSN story on the dust up. Following up with some of the information contained in the story, I came across a few other links and did a little watching. Wow! What an ass; not because he's British, but because he's a boorishly rude host.

I don't think there's a single family participating in Wife Swap that doesn't have a good idea how the format works: The wives of families of differing backgrounds/viewpoints, trade places for two weeks. During the first week, the guest-wife must abide by their host family's rules; the following week, the guest-wives institute rules their host family must follow. At the end of the two weeks, spouses are reunited, and the heads of both families sit down to discuss their experiences. Results are filmed and juxtaposed; hilarity ensues.

We all know that if the two swapping families had more in common with each other, there'd be no conflict, and therefore, no reason to watch the show. I get that, I suspect the participating families get that. That said, to have an opinion about a country, its culture, or its people is one thing, but to be so blatantly rude to a guest in your own home, is simply unforgiveable. Actually, put into the proper context, this is not so much a clash of UK vs. US cultures, but more a clash of socio-economic cultures. The British moron could just as easily have been American, looking down his "superior" nose at anyone else from the US whom he considered to be his intellectual inferior. When all else fails, follow The Golden Rule.

Sure, now that the story is out and he's been exposed for the cad he really is, Mr. Fowler has offered up an apology on his wife's website. No, he didn't have to apologize, but he did, though it's probably a day late and a dollar short. Like all things Internet, once it's out there, it's out there for good, and there's nothing that can be done to "take it back". Sadly, the chickens have come home to roost in ways I don't think he could have envisioned. Unfortunately, despite his claims of intellectual superiority, his wife and kids have to pay a price for his stupidity. Judge not, lest ye be judged...


MSN Story:
http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=353458&affid=100055

Fairly self-explanatory
http://blog.stephenfowlersucks.com/

ABC's Wife Swap site:
http://abc.go.com/primetime/wifeswap/index?pn=recap#t=129325

YouTube presentation of Wife Swap:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGvngvON_qQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTstsEzi3Sk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZr5G_Od3h0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1haNu0uFLs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16dunc0Hvyg

ABC News Report:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhykAAg86bs

Now, as much of a condescending prick as Mr. Fowler was, the folks from the Midwest really were pretty ignorant, and seemed rather proud of the fact; or at least not bothered by it. It was painful watching the mother read the welcome letter at the opening of the show. There wasn't a single word in it that should have given her trouble, yet she struggled to get through it. Sad.

Shock the Monkey

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29279834

A recent story came out about a pet chimpanzee that attacked a friend of the woman who owned the monkey.  I didn’t think too much about it, I mean, how much damage can a chimp inflict?  If a chimp thought he could take me, he’d have a serious ass-whooping coming to him.

My smugness quickly evaporated when I read the story above.  Not only does the chimp weigh 200 pounds, but I understand they can be quite strong, especially when enraged.  Maybe I wouldn’t fare as well as I initially thought. 

I kept reading and in doing so, I came across a description of the woman’s injuries:  “The woman lost both eyes, her nose and part of her jawbone in the attack.”

Holy shit.  It was so bad that when the cops arrived, one of them thought the victim was a man.  Who could blame him? 

“After police arrived, one officer radioed back: ‘There's a man down. He doesn't look good,’ he says, referring to the disfigured Nash. ‘We've got to get this guy out of here. He's got no face.’”

OK, this story is all I need to know that I don’t want to be around any monkey, period.

New World Record: 72 non-stop hours of TV watching

http://www.komonews.com/news/offbeat/39286977.html

By Associated Press STOCKHOLM (AP) — Suresh Joachim has broken his own Guinness world record for nonstop broadcast-television watching, clocking 72 hours in the Swedish capital."I feel fine, I drank between 25 and 30 cups of coffee," Joachim said Sunday.His previous record was 69 hours, 48 minutes, set in 2005.Joachim, a Sri Lanka native who lives in Toronto, watched three seasons of the drama series "24" featuring Kiefer Sutherland, said Swedish TV4 spokeswoman Janina Witkowski.
_______________________________________________

Wow! I have a new hero. Not only for accomplishing such a magnificent feat, but for doing so in an event I can actually compete. Not only compete, but dominate. 72 hours? Man, I'm just getting warmed up at that mark. Well, OK, not really, but attempting to break that record sounds like a lot of fun. I've always wanted to stay awake for as long as it took to start hallucinating; might as well do it while watching TV. Talk about combining the best of both worlds. Life is good...

Places to Visit

The latest The Territory Ahead catalog came in the other day. On the cover, bathed in a warm, yellow light, is the most amazing picture of the Acropolis I've seen.

I Google'd to find some more pictures and to get more information about the Acropolis and, according to one caption, the cover photo shows some of the Caryatid statues at Erechteion.

There is another picture within the catalog that shows some of the most ornately carved columns, and I love looking at pictures of ancient architecture. I'm always amazed at how advanced the "ancient" cultures were.

Anyway, that got me to thinking of all the places I want to visit before my toes are found pointing up that final time.

Let's make a list and knock off as many of them as possible, shall we? This list is in no particular order, and will be appended to as time permits and as I discover potential points of interest.

• New Zealand
• Greece
• Spain
• Thailand
• Australia
• Cambodia (Ankor Wat)
• Mexico (Yucatan)

Queen Anne High School

This beautiful school, located atop Queen Anne, in Seattle, Washington, opened in September 1909, and closed at the end of 1981 school year. It was converted into condos in the late 1990s.

• Seattle School District: Queen Anne High School
• Queen Anne High School Alumni Association
• Queen Anne High Wikipedia entry

So, long story short, I started collecting Queen Anne High School yearbooks (KUAY). Of the 72 available editions, I own the following:
1914
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1928
1929
1931
1932
1933
1934 (25th Anniversary)
1937 (Hank Ketcham, Class of '37)
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944 (two, because on(c)e is never enough)
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1954
1955
1957
1959 (50th Anniversary)
1960
1962
1963
1964
1965
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1974 (Kathi Goertzen, Class of '76)
1981 (last year!)

Why do I love this school so much? Hard to say, really, considering I didn't go there. I have no feelings toward my own high school, so the appeal of this one is hard to explain. I love the architecture of the building itself. It's absolutely stunning, and sits atop Queen Anne hill, overlooking the city and Elliott Bay.

Given our proximity to the school, there are a number of alumni living in the area I can talk with, and I have been allowed to look through some of the yearbooks our neighbors own. My hope is to someday have a complete collection, but I think that will be a pretty tough goal to accomplish. Well, I have the rest of my life to try.

I can only think of one more high school in Washington state that has a better building and view: Stadium High School, in Tacoma, Washington. The school was the site of the movie, 10 Things I Hate About You and, in my opinion, looks like an ivy-league college. They truly don't make them like that anymore.

Just found out L. Ron Hubbard spent some time there in the late '20s...  Blech!