New Beginnings

Anyone that reads Wandering Thoughts probably knows that our daughter, Abbi was born on Wednesday.  It still amazes me how spectacular the whole experience is and has been.  We’re all adjusting quite well and survived our first night at home.

The main purpose of this post is to let you know that the frequency of posts on Wandering Thoughts will be less.  I know, you’re thinking “Of course it will, they have a baby”.  That’s only partly the reason.  The biggest reason is that you are reading the words of the newest Times Union reader/contributor blogger where I will share my experiences as a new dad.  It’s completely volunteer and I can post on any topic at any time.  Emiley calls it ‘my new hobby’ and is very supportive.  The process with the TU took a little while but everything came together within 48 hours of Abbi’s arrival…coincidence?  I don’t think so.

So, what are you waiting for?  Check me out and leave comments at http://blog.timesunion.com/jason.  You can follow the same way you follow here.  There is a ‘subscribe’ link on the upper right of the page.

Don’t delete your subscription to this blog.  It’s likely there will be occasional posts on non-new-dad topics.

Let’s Go Buf…

It’s tough being a Buffalo Bills fan.  I can still remember being in high school, being glued to the television only to be disappointed by the “Wide Right” field goal attempt.  I remember immediately turning off the television and calling it a night.  But, growing up in western NY, it’s hard to follow football and not root for the Bills.

Since then, even with 3 more consecutive Superbowl appearances, being a fan has been difficult.  There have been several years of non-playoff seasons, quarterbacks that are atrocious at best, questionable coaching decisions, and overall disappointment.

Speaking of quarterbacks, I was 100% convinced that this season will be similar to the recent past when watching the week 2 game vs. the Packers.  The television commentators were discussing Trent Edwards.  They were not discussing his passing ability, his play calling saavy, or how badly he scrambles in the pocket.  Instead, they could only talk about Edwards’ Justin Beiber-like haircut.  A sure sign of a 3 and 13 season.

It’s probably only a matter of time until the Bills won’t even make the TV listings for the upstate NY NFL market.  Better ratings will come from us being forced to watch a  Kansas City vs Arizona game.

Another disappointing season or not, I will always be a Bills fan; for now, a ‘quickly check the box score on Monday morning’ Bills fan.

Time to vote…again.

This has nothing to do with the elections that will be held in November.  Last week, I posted The Puzzle is Done which concluded with a poll asking when you thought Baby Purvis would arrive.

Well, the due date is here and even though it’s fairly early, there are no signs of arrival.  We are getting all sorts of advice: “try eating spicy food”, “have sex”,”drink a gallon of caster oil”, “walk like you’re on the moon”.  Wait.  How do you walk like you’re on the moon?  Anyways, when we asked the Dr. about these things she had, what seemed to me, a very reasonable response  “If those things worked, nobody would go over their due date.  They just pass the time.”

Since we don’t have caster oil in the house and everyone seemed to enjoy last week’s poll, let’s ‘pass time’ and do it again.  This time, there are two separate questions.

And since we do not know if it will be a boy or girl, it will be interesting to see what all of you think.

If I hadn’t heard it at the OBGYN office

Like anything else, pregnancy has its own vernacular and jargon.  My mind is simple.  If I hear a word and don’t know what it means, my brain automatically relates it to either sports, music, or food.

Many of the terms that I initially encountered throughout my wife’s pregnancy were new to me and my mind quickly went to work.

If I hadn’t heard it at the OBGYN office….:

When I heard Braxton-Hicks I thought a new parody-type band had been formed; the Weird Al of country music.

I fully expected sports reporters to be broadcasting/tweeting “The Mets announce their new mid-season manager, Billy Rubin (bilirubin).  Boy, was I surprised when ESPN didn’t seem to know anything about it.

Waiter: Can I interest you in dessert this evening?                                                                Me: Yes, I’d like to try the fontanelle, no whipped cream and decaf coffee, please.  Thank you.

Me: Did you see that Mucous Plug is headlining at Valentines?                                               Friend: Yeah, and Colostrum is opening for them! (what did I just do?)

Lastly, I can imagine a new TU Table Hopping (Sorry Steve) post reading “Check out the region’s newest restaurant, Meconium.  It’s easily identifiable by the ‘greenish’ colored awning.

If you missed it, my mind is simple.  Now, who’s ready to eat?!

The puzzle is done!

Picture from collinsphotographyofgoliad.com

Some months ago, Emiley decided to start a puzzle.  She would work on it every so often.  Meanwhile, the end of our dining room table had stray pieces waiting for their place among the other angular counterparts.  Dinner guests had to scrunch with us at the other end.

Somewhere around 9 months into pregnancy, Emiley said “When the puzzle is done, the baby can come.”  This evening when we got home from work, we sat at the table and we finished it, with Emiley inserting the final piece.  Let’s hope E is right and the baby now comes because she’s pretty uncomfortable.

When do you think that Baby Purvis will make his/her appearance to this world?

Too many events?

As everyone, including myself, was remembering the events of 9 years ago, where they were, those that were lost, and those that worked and volunteered on that day, there were a bunch of other events going on.

The Town of Bethlehem had a bike expo where they had helmet fittings, skills training, and a bicycle rodeo. Also, the Bethlehem PD auctioned (and ‘auctioned’ is used loosely) off a bunch of bikes that had been abandoned or confiscated.  Proceeds went to the the DARE program.  I was able to get a replacement for Emiley’s stolen bike for $10.  It needs some work and TLC but the frame alone is worth $10.

Jen C's photo

It was great to see the kids, parents, and volunteers having such a good time.  This was an excellent community event with give-a-ways, raffles, and bicycle inspections.  The one thing that was missing was the press; no sign of any media written or otherwise.  Why is this?  The Town put together a very positive event for the community and in my opinion it didn’t get the coverage it deserved.  Was it not advertised well enough?

Maybe it was because today was full of other events; too many events?  There were the first youth soccer games of the Fall throughout the region.  There were September 11th remembrance events including the Port of Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival, Saratoga remembrance events and those in several other municipalities.  The Valley Cats were preparing for game 1 of the NYPL Championship and the weather made it a great day for backyard BBQ-ing.

All of these events are important and deserve air time.  This includes the Bike Expo.  At a minimum,  I hope that I missed/didn’t recognize contributors of the TU’s Bethlehem blog and hope to read a post on the Bike Expo on Monday.

Did we as a society spread ourselves too thin today or was it just a typical September weekend day?

Endorse This

For the longest time, I thought the most annoying part of any election season was the combination of the TV ad spots and the scattering of signs on yards and at busy intersections.  Now, I seem to be more bothered by the seemingly insignificant endorsements.

What is an endorsement?  In my words, it’s a public declaration of support for a candidate running for elected office.   This is not to be confused by celebrity endorsement for the latest sports drink. The flimsy signs that we see on front lawns theoretically mean that the people that live there will vote for that particular candidate.  Makes sense.  The signs on the side of the road at intersections are arguably a decent name recognition tool for the candidates.

Everyday, there are new endorsements announced on Facebook, on Twitter, and in the newspapers.  I’m missing the point.  I guess that if a high profiled public official endorses a candidate, logic would say that those that support the official will also vote for the candidate.  Do people really make their decisions like this…by following what some other elected official thinks or says?

Some endorsements baffle me.  If a local newspaper gives their public support for a candidate and I happen to read that newspaper, am I expected by endorsement logic to then vote for that candidate?   What if I read two separate papers and they each endorse someone different?  Rudy Giuliani recently announced his support for a particular Senate candidate.  Because Rudy and I are both Yankee fans, am I expected to vote appropriately or immediately support the team in Bean Town?

Of course, my examples are over-simplistic but I think political endorsements have unfortunate meanings.  First, I think a public endorsement means additional funds going into campaign coffers.  Elections shouldn’t be decided by who has the most money.  Second, I don’t think that we as voters really pay attention to a candidate’s thoughts or platform.  It’s too much work to keep track of everyone; to prioritize our own beliefs/values and then balance them with where a candidate stands on a particular issue.  Yep, that’s just too difficult.  It’s much easier to sit back and complain that our elected officials are doing a bad job.

Know what I endorse?  I endorse people participating in their community and supporting their candidate of choice based on informed decisions.

Labor Day

Is it Happy Labor Day?  Merry Labor Day?  It just doesn’t seem to have the uumph of the other holidays.  When you walk into a store you don’t see the Labor Day display of greeting cards like the reds/pinks of V-Day or the ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, and black cats of Halloween.  In fact, I’ve never received or even seen a Labor Day card and I’ve never heard anyone say “I got your Labor Day card.  It was nice.”   Is Hallmark missing the boat?

In the US, Labor Day is always the first Monday in September (May 1st ‘May Day’ in socialist and communist countries) and was created to support the ‘social and economic achievements of American workers.’  Some say that Peter McGuire, the former leader of the Brotherhood of Carpenters was the founder of this non-greeting card giving holiday.  Others say it was Matthew McGuire, a machinist and member of the machinist union was the founder.  Talk about sibling rivalry!

The first Labor Day took place in 1882 in NYC at the request of the Central Labor Union.  The first legislation and governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances in 1885 and 1886.  Oregon was the first state to pass legislation in 1887 but ironically the first state bill was introduced in NY much earlier; it seems that even back then NY had trouble getting bills passed.

Labor Day has lost its original purpose as I think most holidays have.  Today, it’s more about a day away from the office and an opportunity to consume large amounts of nitrates (hotdogs) or go camping in the woods somewhere (where inevitably nitrates will be consumed).  It also provides 24 more hours to start the seasonal closing process of swimming pools.

As we celebrate “the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country”, I urge you pull out the construction paper and markers and create a Labor Day greeting card.  It’s sure to make someone smile….or laugh hysterically.

I leave you with Bonne Labor Day!    Oh, and take it easy on the nitrates.

Just Plain Funny 2

Rosscott Inc. continues to make me laugh and in turn question my own creativity.  Here are some of my recent favorites:

Commuting with Nature–make sure you check out the mouse over

Bad Combo–cyclists and motorists have to follow the rules of the road.  Excellent reasons for campaigns like Capital Coexist are needed

The guest comic Steve Napierski did this one and reminds me of one of my posts

And given the temperature out, this one is fitting for today

Keep up the good work guys!  I think a “The System” Calendar (professional office appropriate) is in order.  Maybe readers could vote on the comics that go with each month.

Choke

Remember a few weeks ago, I posted about my writing style?  No…well remind yourself here.

I recently completed “Choke” by Palahniuk and it was awesome.  I do think my writing style is similar in that the sentence structure is short and to the point, but I’m not sure my imagination ability to put my imagination into words even comes close.

Without completely giving away the book, it’s about a guy that copes with both his relationship with his mother and his addiction to sex.  I would highly recommend reading Choke if you’re okay with some graphic yet absolutely hilarious language.  If you’re easily offended, you may want to pass.