More, Well, You Know...

Just humor me a bit. Today's the first anniversary of this. What an incredible time. While I expected much of the setlist, what just knocked me out was the shear intensity and passion put into every song, lyric, and guitar riff that I was immediately hooked. The stage slides, mic stand flips, and start-stops of the late-in-the-set closers were all routine, but for the first time in a very long time, I remembered that rock and roll can not only be a religious experience, it can be FUN.

The nursery's getting set up. I put the cribe together, moved some furniture up in the room, unloaded little outfits and socks and hooded towels and diapers and yet still I don't know if I'll be prepared for when the little thing shows up. I'm emotionally set and ready to embrace the most incredible experience of my life, but I sure hope that I'm providing a good home for him or her.

On that note, I need help with names! Middle names for girls are hard to think of, especially when you don't want it to be the latest flavor of the month. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Watching the Olympics, I'm not sure exactly how to make of the Iranian judokon that refused to compete strictly because his opponent was an Israeli. I thought that the purpose of the games was to connect with other humans in a global event that erased geopolitical, religious, and racial barriers. What was done in the name of supporting one cause or group over the desire to compete in a humanitarian setting will put a further bad taste in peoples' mouths who already hold much of Iranian culture and value systems in contempt. While I know that sometimes my nation has done some pretty lame things and wrapped the Olympic flag around it, but that doesn't speak for my wish to see people be able to assemble for the purpose of uniting the human race and not splintering it. Shame on that athlete, regardless of his nationality and home country and shame on the culture that can not see individuals for the flesh and blood they are.