Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like Downton Abbey. Julie and I have always tried to have a TV show that we both enjoy. Our relationship originated around LOST and we’re currently wrapped up with Revenge. But now we’ve got a new show: Downton Abbey. Julie suggested this show during some lazy time on our vacation last week. I knew the show had a lot of fans but I really didn’t think I would like it. The show doesn’t feature a topic that I would normally enjoy but the writers and actors do a really good job of pulling you in. Season 1 was great and we’ll start Season 2 soon.

Sidenote: The Downton Abbey theme is actually a remixed version of the X Files theme.

Downton Abbey Theme:

X Files Theme:

This week, I love going on vacation. Our first family vacation was so much fun! Our little alarm clock didn’t allow us to catch any extra Z’s but the time away was much appreciated. It was just nice to be somewhere different. I think Graham liked the change of scenery too. Julie’s coworker was nice enough to allow us to stay a few days in his family’s home on the lake in Pell City, complete with a swimming pool. I was worried that the pool water might be too chilly but Graham loved it. I think next summer will be a lot of fun with him in the water! We were so glad to spend some fun time together out of town and I think I found my new favorite spot in Alabama!

This week, I don’t like politics mixing with my entertainment. I have been so disappointed to have to unfollow some of my favorite actors and comedians on Twitter because of their liberal views. It’s happened so much lately that it seems in order to be a popular entertainer, one must showcase his or her allegiance to the Democrats with a vile Tweet about Mitt Romney. People like Seth Myers and Patton Oswalt…I don’t didn't follow you on Twitter because of your political views, OK? Why do more of these talented entertainers lean to the left and what makes them feel that they have to be so in-your-face about it anyway?  Apparently, there are NO entertainers out there that will be voting Republican this year either. Mark Cuban tweeted it best:

I'm amazed how far left politically the twitterverse is.It's just a matter of time before Fox News includes it as part of mainstream media
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) September 24, 2012

Graham - 8 Months

I almost let this one slip by, but if I don't document these things now there is no way I will ever remember them...and I want to be able to look back and remember what these days entailed.  This is no secret, but Graham is an eating machine.. he eats baby food 3 times a day and takes 5 bottles.  So far he has eaten everything we have given him.  He has certain foods that he likes more than others, but for the most part he will eat anything you give him.  This month we started giving him Gerber Puffs (basically cereal), and he loves them.  I can't tell if he really likes the taste or just the fact that he gets to feed himself.  Regardless he gets a few after each meal, and he thinks he is big stuff!

His language continues to develop, but still consists of mainly bababa's and dadada's.  I get an occasional ma but those are few and far between.

No signs of crawling yet, but the boy can pivot and roll most anywhere he wants to go.  It is amazing how fast that little bugger is!  No major injuries yet..a few close calls, but thankfully we have managed to avoid any accidents so far.  We haven't baby proofed the house yet...I think in am in denial.  How can we already be at the point of baby gates, outlet plugs and cabinet locks?

He has a sweet temperament and is generally a happy boy.  He loves to go shopping and ride in the cart.  He talks up a storm and loves all the attention he gets from the strangers who all want to stop and talk to him.

Here is what his typical schedule looks like:

6:00 Wake Up
6:30 Bottle (6 oz)
8:00 Breakfast (cereal/oatmeal and fruit)
8:45 Nap (usually for 1 1/2 - 2 hours)
11:00 Bottle (6 oz)
12:00 Lunch (fruit, vegetable and puffs)
1:00 Nap
3:00 Bottle (6 oz)
5:00 Dinner (meat, vegetable, fruit and puffs)
6:15 Bath
6:30 Bottle and Bed
9:45 Dream Feed

A few outtakes from our photo shoot:

Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like adding to my golf conquest. I have a goal to play golf in every state. I added to my conquest when I got to play golf in Missouri last week when Julie and I visited our friends in St. Louis. We played at the Spirit at Landings Golf Course, which was adjacent to a private airport. Although I didn’t play well, the course reminded me of why I enjoy pursuing this goal. The grasses used on this course were nothing like you would find on Birmingham area courses. This photo shows how green the course was, even though St. Louis has not received very much rain this summer. Five states down, 45 more to go.

This week, I love happy flying Graham. We flew to our destination on the before-mentioned trip to St. Louis. I wasn’t sure how well Graham would behave on his maiden flight. I really didn’t want Julie and me to be “that couple” with the screaming kid on the flight. Much to my delight, Graham did GREAT! He stayed awake and played quietly during the flight to St. Louis. Many of our fellow passengers expressed their appreciation for Graham’s behavior (and my fatherly skills) with comments like “Great baby!” and “I didn’t even realize a baby was on the plane”. It worked out even better on the way home as Graham slept the entire flight. I know future trips won’t always be this peaceful but I must say that I’m super proud of my little pilot!

 

This week, I don’t like airports. I’m not a very experienced flyer. Flying is an unnatural act and one I do not enjoy. I loved arriving in St. Louis in just over 1 hour as opposed to an 8 hour car ride but I’d rather skip the whole dog-and-pony show at the airport. There’s something about being in an airport that makes my anxiety level go through the roof. Thank goodness I am married to my hard-charging wife. Julie was a real leader and got us through all of the twists and turns in Birmingham and St. Louis. I would have been totally lost if I was by myself. If only I could be more “chill” like Graham.

Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like being rewarded for surveys. Companies are always interested in our feedback, aren’t they? If you’re like me, you’re constantly being invited to participate in a survey by following a code at the bottom of a receipt, found in an email or posted on a website. Survey invitations these days contain messages about big cash prizes followed by a plethora of fine-print legalese that probably releases the surveyor from having to pay. Ugh…and the questions are so boring. Imagine my surprise when I was recently asked to provide my input on luxury cars. I participated with the survey with a mentality of ‘a boy can dream, can’t he?’ This made the process more enjoyable. It turned out that the survey was specifically about Cadillac and for my effort, I was given a $5 credit to a host of charities and retailers – right there on the spot. Getting a $5 credit to Amazon right then and there meant a lot more than being eligible for a $1,000 monthly drawing.

This week, I love the thought of being a Minimalist. Our 7-month old son, Graham, has a swing, activity mat and several ‘toys’ that occupy space in our living room. What will it be like when he’s older? As I pondered these material needs that are sure to grow, adopting the Minimalist lifestyle doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. But I don’t think my wife would allow our family to rid ourselves of all unneeded possessions. Despite these 28 great reasons to become a minimalist, I would probably miss our television during football season.

This week, I don’t like my bad (phone) luck. I’ve been having some bad luck with my phone and each issue has contributed to another problem. It all started a few weeks ago when I was trying to do a good thing and clean my phone’s case. I removed the phone from my case and began to wash the case in warm soapy water. But the water got too hot and I melted the adhesive that held the case’s backing in place. The damage wasn’t repairable so I chunked the case in the garbage and vowed to order a replacement. Well, that vow went unmet for a few weeks. I had actually forgotten about that vow until one morning when I bent over to pick up my paper out of the driveway. My phone slid out of my shirt pocket and did an impressive dance on the concrete. One corner of my screen was completely shattered and there was a nice crack running the entire length of the phone, but everything still worked. Julie knew how badly I felt and my sweet wife found a nearby store that specializes in screen repairs. The screen was replaced and the phone looks as good as new. I’ve even got a new case. I’m not sure that my problems are over though. Since the repair has been made, my phone’s ability to carry a signal while in my house has dropped to almost nothing. It’s about as good as it ever was in my office building and other parts of town so I’m hoping that it’s just an issue with the cell tower closest to our house.

UPDATE: I took my phone back to the place that repaired the screen and explained the issue with the poor reception.  Behind closed doors and in less than five minutes, a full signal had been restored.  They said they failed to connect a wire to the antenna properly when replacing the screen.  Everything is back to normal!