Subject to Change

Have you ever listened to a song for the um-teenth time and suddenly heard the lyrics for the first time?

“Don’t give me no lip. I’ve got enough of my own.” – Aerosmith, Falling In Love

I haven’t blogged about Cole as much as I expected to. I guess we’re just too busy enjoying his company. Last weekend we took him camping again, and of course he loved it! So did the dog. Cole has also been to the zoo twice this week. I can’t wait until he’s walking and talking, so I can teach him things when we go places. He seems so interested in everything already.

Anyway, I was reminded again last night that I need to share a special moment. Putting Cole to bed is one of my favorite parts of the day. He goes to sleep on his own without much of a fuss. The best part, though, is when I get to carry him upstairs to his crib. I’ll even fight Kelly for this task.

When I pick Cole up from his Pack & Play he cuddles up to me on my shoulder and lets me carry him to bed. He’s been doing that since he was three months old and we started putting him in his crib at night. When he’s breathing on my neck I remember being in his place and feeling so secure as my dad carried me to bed. I still smile almost every time.

I think the Japanese have officially jumped the shark.

H/T: Atomic Trousers

… your neighbors have the lot line surveyed, to avoid mowing that extra inch.

H/T: Stepping Right Up!

Need an easy way to offset your carbon footprint? Eat moose.

A grown moose belches out methane gas equivalent to 2,100 kilograms (4,630 pounds) of carbon dioxide a year, contributing to global warming, Norwegian researchers said Wednesday.

That is more than twice the amount of CO2 emitted on a round-trip flight across the Atlantic Ocean from Oslo to the Chilean capital Santiago, according to Scandinavian Airlines.

So, your hunting trip to Norway also helps to fight global warming!

I’m watching Blue Planet on the Discovery Channel. They showed the fish and crabs that live on volcanic vents, where the water temperature is 700 degrees. A thought occurred to me:

How do you cook an animal that can survive in 700 degree water?

In case you didn’t know, Nicole Devin will be filling in on The Mix next week.

The one time I heard her go solo on The Early Spin I thought she handled herself quite well. I’ll be tuning in to see how she does on the FM dial.

Good luck, Nicole!

I wonder what it would take to achieve rockstar status in the engineering/consulting world.

That would be pretty friggin’ cool…

… was me clearing out my feed reader. I haven’t been doing much blog reading in the past few days. I’m actually surprised that I’m able to get anything done. There are so many things on my plate right now:

I’m managing a handful of projects at work. All of the work is priority “yes,” so I’ve been able to get some much needed overtime.

On Tuesday nights, I’m taking classes for the PE Exam. I’ve also got to find time to study for it on my own, and haven’t been because there hasn’t been a quiet moment at home yet.

Projects around the house are picking up. My dad and I just installed the drywall ceiling in Cole’s playroom. This is a project that we’ve been putting off since we tore the old ceiling out and found out what it was hiding. I’ve also got some plumbing issues to deal with. Those have been avoided for almost two years, too. And did I mention that my weeds look like trees again? I finally broke down and bought a weed whacker with some balls. I can’t wait to fire that up and freak out the neighbors.

Cole is teething, big time! He’s busted out two teeth in the past week, and there’s a third peeking through. We’re so lucky with him, I swear. Even though he’s miserable and fussy, he’s really handling it well. He still sleeps all night and he goes through phases during the day. He still wants to play and be happy. He doesn’t seem to be letting the pain get to him most of the time.

Oh, and I’ve been playing Diplomacy with Jay and Grumps over email. Occasionally this takes a bit of my time, but we’re playing on a flexible schedule. The game is starting to get interesting because we’re stepping all over each other now. We’d love to get some more players, because that’s what makes it fun. Email me if you’re interested.

Army suicide rates are the highest the’ve been in 26 years. Could it be that our soldiers are tired of hearing liberals calling them murders? Might that wear on a person’s mind after a while?

Failed personal relationships, legal and financial problems and the stress of their jobs were factors motivating the soldiers to commit suicide, according to the report.

And, frustration with feeling like half the country that sent them to Iraq wants them to fail their mission.

And, frustration from knowing that they’re fighting terrorism and liberating the oppressed while congress debates a withdrawal timetable.

And, frustration over being stuck in a war zone with terrorists while the president begs to send a measly 20,000 additional troops to help shore up our position.

Oh, and one more thing:

Firearms were the most common method of suicide. Those who attempted suicide but didn’t succeed tended more often to take overdoses and cut themselves.

I hear-by volunteer to conduct the study as to why firearms are the preferred vehicle for army suicide. My fee is $20 million and I’ll have the report finished in an hour. I’ll even submit it electronically to save trees.