My poor, poor Syracuse Orange.

Ugh, what a week to be a Syracuse fan. ESPN has Syracuse on it's Bottom 10 list and virtually every major sports publication has them listed as last in the Big East football conference and one of the worst teams in the nation. Hope is the only thing the team appears to have in abundance this year. I did, however, find some inspiration, football or otherwise, when reading the coverage of the team by the Syracuse Post-Standard's Dave Rahme.

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
– Theodore Roosevelt, "Citizenship in a Republic," speech at the Sorbonne, Paris (April 23, 1910)

Words to live by. Go get 'em, Orange!

- kb

New Parent weekend.

ok, so we participated in a new parent orientation this past weekend. We're not new parents yet, hence the need to complete the weekend before we're issued a small human to take care of. ;)

So we go into this weekend with an open mind and lots of questions, and the class was very helpful. But that's not the point of this entry. A few observations about the weekend.

Preface: I am a clown. I crack jokes at inopportune times occasionally and generally make an ass out of myself when around friends. I have, over the years, generally learned to tone it down in public and around strangers.

1) We had a guy sitting in the back of the conference room during the day 1 presentation repeating as much as he could remember of the famous (infamous?) Bill Cosby pregnancy routine from his 1983 "Himself" concert. Oh yea. That's 23 years ago for those of you playing the Junior edition of Life. I was lucky enough on the 2nd day to be seated far away from this guy.

2) "Cosby" then interrogates the visiting physician during his presentation about hospital security. Look, I know you'll be concerned about your new kid. Yes, I've seen the episode of Law and Order where all the babies are being stolen. But when the physician tells you that everyone has to have a scannable ID to get through the multiple doors from the entrance to the nursery, the nurses log all employees and visitors, and every baby has an ankle alarm that locks the doors if one goes too far, why is it necessary to inquire "if they're sure"? Um. I think they're sure. The kid's safe.

3) Props to all moms out there. Us guys can help where possible, but you all rule.

4) I love the fact that they cover most of the "worst-case scenarios" that can happen before, during, and after the birthing process, then tell you that "oh, but we haven't seen one of these in years. Comforting.

5) I still can't wait for the whole thing. Nothing gets yer blood pumping like running out the door, hair on fire, bag in one hand, uncomfortable girl in the other... rumblin', stumblin' bumblin' on the way to the hospital... :)

ahhh... the Miracle of Life.

- kb

Real quick this week, totally busy.

Site of the week:

Deadspin.com

A great place for commentaty on the sports and entertainment world. They occasionally have breaking news, but mostly, it's just fun...

A busy weekend this one past, I'll try to blog about it and post a picture or two by the end of the week...

- kb

Thanks to all who posted about the car situation. I think we can wait it out. interestingly enough, the vehicle that my friends L and the Guru have been planning to buy forever, the Acura MDX, has gotten the best reviews out of almost any SUV. Consumer Reports Best Buy, 5-star crash rating. All the good stuff. It's a sweet ride, with most coming with navigation systems and plush accessories. It's also a crapload of money, so we'll need all the years out of our present cars to even afford a used one. It'll work out, tho.

This week's site:

Comingsoon.net

A great site for wasting time and checking out the movie industry's latest news about past, present, and upcoming movies.

l8r!

To buy or not to buy?

...that is the question. :) There is so much stuff in the works right now, it isn't even funny. SuperBoy's Big Day is only 45 days away. 45 days! You'll wait longer for ordering furniture! The NY Jets and Syracuse Orange will still have hope for their upcoming seasons! Boston will still think they can catch the Yankees for the A.L. East... wait. That last one's just crazy talk.

Along with all of the baby stuff, I've been thinking about the vehicle situation. My friends and family all tell me that baby brings a whole new level of stuff that has to be taken everywhere. So what comes next? I can't stand driving a mini-van and I'm trying to convince SuperGirl that it's my car that needs to be traded in. It's a higher payment, gets worse gas mileage, and is worth a little bit more than hers. I also have 1/2 the commute she does, mitigating the cost of a more gas-intensive vehicle.

So what do we go with? Consumer Reports is confusing at best. They commend and bash every model. The auto web sites are all pimped by the automotive industry... chevy tahoe/ gmc yukon? toyota sequoia? nissan pathfinder?

The only thing I know for sure is we'll never get a Ford SUV...

- kb

Site of the week...

Sorry, belated post, thanks L for reminding me...

The important resource for all things gossipy in the DC area and the world, at least to DC101's Elliot and his team of misfits...

Elliot in the Morning Online

Make sure you check out his sidekick Diane's section, Diane's Dirt of the Day.

Nothing else new to report. Just keep on keepin' on...

- kb