The Occasional Solipsist

The end of the year is coming up crazy fast now. Superwife and I are preparing for our annual pilgrimage up north to her parents' place in Callander. I'm looking forward to the drinking, likely watching the Packers get hammered in the company of a Steelers fan, the hella good food her Mom makes, and just hanging out with my surrogate fam.

I might try to look up a few old chums while I'm up there too. No excuse not to this time.

Now I'm not one for new year's resolutions or anything. Never have been. When there is something I want to change about myself, I just do it. Some examples: quitting smoking (cold turkey does work if you arm yourself with willpower), joining a gym (ok, bad example), the usual suspects. That being said however, I have decided to put an end to the craziness that has been my hair for the last few months. And since its the end of the year, the cutting of the locks could seem like a resolution type decision.

Superwife asked me to grow it out and I haven't got a cut in like 6 months. And insofar as I know that the vagaries of old age will likely make it so that my hair will never be this thick or long ever again, I have to get it cut off. I looked like a punk with long shaggy hair in Shulman's OAC class, and I look like one now. The only difference is I was a punk back then.

Besides, I don't think I want to look like a burned out hippie in pictures my kid will want to see of what I looked like when he/she was born.

Is it a sad day when I sit down to write an end of year type entry and end up with nothing more to talk about than my need to visit my barber?

If I can't think of anything more exciting to define the past year when we get back from our trip, I'll be creative and make some better stuff up.

Labels: everything else

So when's the last time you took the commercial's advice and had breakfast for dinner?

It was crazy windy tonight, snowing a little, basically a really shitty night. But we are still getting work done on our kitchen so we had to flip the coin again for either fast food or dinner out. So we went out.

We went to The Golden Griddle tonight and we were the only people in the restaurant, save for the staff. It was actually kinda cool; most of the lights were out and after we made sure they were open, it was like having our own private diner.

We talked about the baby, our future. And for a time it was like there was no one else in the world but us. I love that we are still like that, after all these years.

And eating breakfast out anywhere always makes me think of Cooley. All the times he and I would go seek out some scummy dive just because they served breakfast at weird hours. Its nice that these spontaneous remembrances of him still pop into my head.

I'm still totally jazzed about our visit to the doctor the other day. We are going for our first ultrasound on Saturday. The doctor thinks we're farther along than we originally thought, which sucks in a way because we're not likely to be able to pin down the date we got pregnant (not that any kid will want to hear that story). He also said that we are likely to be able to determine the sex of the baby from the ultrasound, if we want to know.

I think we're sticking with the idea of not knowing unless we accidentally find out. I don't care one way or the other. I'm just hopeful for a healthy baby.

Just thought I'd share a few random thoughts currently coming from the weird goo that occupies my skull cavity.

And I needed an excuse to feel justified for playing with my camera phone again. :]

Labels: superwife

"All of life can be broken down into moments of transition or moments of revelation. This had the feeling of both."

Superwife and I went to see the OBGYN today. And that's where I heard the heartbeat of my unborn child for the first time. Un. Believable.

As completely unprepared for the experience as I was, I tried to make myself as aware of what was going on so that I'd remember it later. And I hope I do for the rest of my life:

• The look on Superwife's face as we got to share that moment together.
• The realization that my own heart had stopped for an instant when I realized what the sound actually was.
• Feeling an enormity of raw emotion sweep across me.
  

Very powerful experience.

And just think, I'm like this now and I haven't even met the kid yet.

Labels: Babylon 5, superwife

So I went to a LAN party last night at a friend's place, and had a really great time. The friend was a guy I used to work with at business name removed whom I hadn't seen in a few months. Worked with his brother there too; he was also in attendance last night, along with a couple of other guys.

The game was Unreal Tournament 2003, and if you can't tell by the shitty picture my camera phone took (not you'll note, the shitty pic I took with my camera phone - subtle difference), I won at least one round. In fact I think it was three, but nobody but me was counting. There were a few grumblings from the gallery, something about how I shouldn't have practiced first. But that was mostly Parksy and nobody listens to him anyway. :]

Anyway, it was fun because it was nice to hang out with a group of fellow geeks. Both the brothers are pretty hard core computer guys; one is an IT Manager and the other does tech support for the MTO. Nice to be in geek country again.

I mean, we didn't get into debating the fine points of TNG vs B5 or anything, but you can only expect so much.

And here's an update on how my working out is going: I am in seriously shitty shape. I was walked through my three day split routine by a trainer at the gym on Friday. And my quads still hurt. Smartass that I am, I told the guy that my legs should be in great shape from all the walking that we do with Maya (our Husky). So masochist that my trainer is, he piled on the weight and now I can barely walk. Serves me right I guess.

And Superwife and I are going to see the OBGYN for the first time tomorrow morning. I am so stoked for that. I want be a part of everything as much as Superwife will let me, and so far she's been great.

She is just barely starting to show (we are at just over 9 weeks as of Friday). She looks like she's got a very small pot belly starting. Funny that we got so excited about that when we noticed. She's having me take pics of her belly as we go through the whole process so we can see how it's going over time.

Yeah I know, you'd think we were the only couple to ever get pregnant. But to us, we are, so its ok.

Labels: gaming

Yeah, so sometimes I guess I really don't have a lot to say, but feel like talking/blogging anyways, if for nothing else than to stretch the sadly underused writing muscles.

So here we are.

I started working out at my gym today. Finally.

I have been waiting for my new gym in St. Catharines to open up for a few months now. Waiting because I paid for my membership before listening to the folks over at the local rumour mill say that it was likely a scam.

Nice to see that 'they' were wrong.

Hmm, what else?

We're almost ready for Christmas around the house. Or at least as ready as we'll be this year. All the presents are bought (except for a few I have left to buy for Superwife), and what passes for decorations are hung up. I say that because we've been waiting for our new kitchen to be installed and have done nothing at all to the inside because of the mess that we know is coming.

Superwife's pregnancy is coming along nicely, or so it appears from my position in the front row of the cheap seats. I am fairly oblivious when it comes to these things, this being our first child.

Maybe Taylor's right. Maybe being oblivious is the better state to be in. Or was it being ignorant. Same thing, I suppose.

Anywho, we get to go see a doctor next week, and hopefully get to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. I am so stoked for that. Stoked for the whole thing, in fact. Fatherhood, I mean.

Guess I figure I haven't been so successful at some of the things I've done in my life, but I know that being a father is something I'll be good at. Could it be from the huge railcar of baggage I cart around with me from my own childhood? Maybe.

But if that baggage comes in handy when helping me decide what NOT to do when it comes to any parental situation, well then I guess the fucking thing will have paid for itself, eh?

Hope so, cause its been a bit of a pain to lug around all these years.