So here we are three short days from D-Day. While I am super excited to have a son, someone to carry the Morris and Jacobson lines further into history, I gotta admit I am terrified as well. I can barely take care of the wife and myself, how on Earth will I take care of Tommy as well. Everyone says I will be a good father, but can anyone really know. Certainly I had a great example, but how will I apply those lessons to shaping this little life. Tommy will spend his first several years thinking his dad -and mom hopefully- are some sort of superhuman beings, lofty expectations, no.
Every time I think of my son I think of all these great and wonderful things I hope he will accomplish, but the flip side... I guess Robin Williams said it best in his Night at the Met album/stand up special. "You have this dream of him standing at a podium and saying I would like to thank the Nobel Academy, but you have another dream where he is saying 'do you want fries with that.'"
On a completely impractical and totally useless tangent, how on earth do I help Tommy pick out the proper teams to root for. I mean as a 49er fan from the days of Montana-Rice to the days of Smith-Gore, how do I teach Tommy to root for the scarlet and gold and not fall into his mother's sway and become a Vikings fan. On a more frightening note what if he fails to listen to any good logic from either side of the family and becomes a Seahawks fan or something. And that's just pro football I don't know what I will do if the kid doesn't like Notre Dame. I would probably tolerate a little sports bigamy in terms of collegiate athletics because let's face I root for no less than three NCAA teams actively.
Here's hoping if nothing else Tommy has his dad's sense of excited participation in sports, may he not suffer from his father's lackluster participation, however.
Ultimately I guess I really just hope Tommy and I have a relationship resembling the one I have with my dad. We have always been best buds, really, hunting partners, video game opponents, friends. I am sure every expectant father suffers from the same can I do this sort of fears I am feeling right now, it is just absolutely terrifying to think that any day now, I will literally have a mouth to feed and a human being to care for that is totally dependent on his mother and I.
The beautiful wife I don't worry about she was born to be a mother and besides Lord knows in the 22 months of our wedded bliss I have given her lots of practice.
Every time I put my hand on my wife's belly and feel my little bruiser kicking and bouncing up a storm in there I feel simultaneously overjoyed and scared, but I gotta admit it is one of the best feelings I have ever had in my life.
Here's to you Thomas Christopher. Feel free to come out and enjoy the world now, big boy.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Thoughts on a tragedy
"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." Amendment II US Constitution.
"An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life," Robert A. Heinlein.
After the shootings at Virginia Tech yesterday I started thinking, what might have happened had a student other than Cho Seung Hui had a gun.
Earlier this year the Virginia General Assembly failed to act on House Bill 1572. The citizens of Virginia are permitted to carry concealed weapons if they get a proper permit from the state government --- unless you are on a college campus. This bill would have allowed college students and employees to carry handguns on campus --- with appropriate permits, of course. It died in subcommittee. (Source: Neal Boortz)
If that bill had passed and if a student had been strapped yesterday morning, perhaps the devastating attack would have been stopped much earlier. Ordinarily even though I am a staunch gun advocate I wouldn't be quite so eagerly espousing such measures. However I can't believe the tragedy wouldn't have been dramatically lessened if the students at Va. Tech weren't just sitting ducks.
I posted the quote from Heinlein at the beginning of the blog because I feel like it perfectly illustrates my greater point. Anti-gun types all wail and moan about gun advocates wishing for a return to the "Wild West" well a little research into the supposed Wild West would show a demonstrably lower crime rate than in most major US Cities.
The Second Amendment Foundation notes that firearms are used defensively an estimated 2.5 million times every year, four times more than criminal uses. This represents some 2,575 lives protected and saved for every life lost to a gun. According to the national Safety Council, the loss of life to accidental firearm death is at its lowest point since records were begun nearly a hundred years ago. (Alan Caruba).
Maybe I am just getting cranky in my old age or impending fatherhood, but it seems to me that an armed citizenry could have prevented or lessened the tragic events of yesterday.
"An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life," Robert A. Heinlein.
After the shootings at Virginia Tech yesterday I started thinking, what might have happened had a student other than Cho Seung Hui had a gun.
Earlier this year the Virginia General Assembly failed to act on House Bill 1572. The citizens of Virginia are permitted to carry concealed weapons if they get a proper permit from the state government --- unless you are on a college campus. This bill would have allowed college students and employees to carry handguns on campus --- with appropriate permits, of course. It died in subcommittee. (Source: Neal Boortz)
If that bill had passed and if a student had been strapped yesterday morning, perhaps the devastating attack would have been stopped much earlier. Ordinarily even though I am a staunch gun advocate I wouldn't be quite so eagerly espousing such measures. However I can't believe the tragedy wouldn't have been dramatically lessened if the students at Va. Tech weren't just sitting ducks.
I posted the quote from Heinlein at the beginning of the blog because I feel like it perfectly illustrates my greater point. Anti-gun types all wail and moan about gun advocates wishing for a return to the "Wild West" well a little research into the supposed Wild West would show a demonstrably lower crime rate than in most major US Cities.
The Second Amendment Foundation notes that firearms are used defensively an estimated 2.5 million times every year, four times more than criminal uses. This represents some 2,575 lives protected and saved for every life lost to a gun. According to the national Safety Council, the loss of life to accidental firearm death is at its lowest point since records were begun nearly a hundred years ago. (Alan Caruba).
Maybe I am just getting cranky in my old age or impending fatherhood, but it seems to me that an armed citizenry could have prevented or lessened the tragic events of yesterday.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
One Game Winning Streak?
Is it just me or has anyone else noticed a proliferation of people proclaiming that teams have a "one game winning streak." Anchors on the World Wide Leader have a tendency to break that one out.
Now I am no grammar genius, but you can't have a one anything streak. One of anything is an anomaly, a building block to a streak, a lot of things, but no streak. If Merriam Webster is to be believed a streak requires a consecutive series.
Now I am no grammar genius, but you can't have a one anything streak. One of anything is an anomaly, a building block to a streak, a lot of things, but no streak. If Merriam Webster is to be believed a streak requires a consecutive series.
Hello
If you are reading this you found my little corner of the interweb universe. If you continue to read beyond this you must be a fan of what you read so far. Basically I wanted a place where I could capture my thoughts on anything that strikes my fancy.
By way of introduction, I was born in New Mexico and spent the great majority of my life there. Minus a two and a half year sojourn to California in my later single digit years. Since becoming a grown up my wife and I have managed to live in Oregon and now Idaho.
My sports ramblings will likely center around my favorite teams, the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Braves, New Mexico State Aggies, Notre Dame, Oregon. Generally I love football and baseball. Basketball is great in March and June (careful perusal of a calendar will reveal that to be the NCAA tournament and NBA finals.)
I love to hunt and fish so there may be some discussion of that here as well.
Personally I am entering a fantastic stage in my life, my wife and I are expecting our first child in July. That is super exciting and will likely figure into some postings on here as well. As will I am sure the ongoing discussions we have regarding our impending progeny's religious upbringing.
Welcome to the blog and I look forward to getting to know my readers, assuming I develop any.
By way of introduction, I was born in New Mexico and spent the great majority of my life there. Minus a two and a half year sojourn to California in my later single digit years. Since becoming a grown up my wife and I have managed to live in Oregon and now Idaho.
My sports ramblings will likely center around my favorite teams, the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Braves, New Mexico State Aggies, Notre Dame, Oregon. Generally I love football and baseball. Basketball is great in March and June (careful perusal of a calendar will reveal that to be the NCAA tournament and NBA finals.)
I love to hunt and fish so there may be some discussion of that here as well.
Personally I am entering a fantastic stage in my life, my wife and I are expecting our first child in July. That is super exciting and will likely figure into some postings on here as well. As will I am sure the ongoing discussions we have regarding our impending progeny's religious upbringing.
Welcome to the blog and I look forward to getting to know my readers, assuming I develop any.
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