He's A Boy!

We found out today at the doctor's that he's a boy! We knew it! We both are excited, of course.

He "looked" at us a few times, and the image was very skeletal, so I had the theme from "Pirates of the Caribbean" going through my head. Not really, but Amy thought that it was funny. At one point, he stretched his fingers out, almost as if he was waving.

U2

Amy and I just went and saw "U2 3D" at the IMAX Theatre with our friends Dwight and Tracy. It is pretty much undisputable that U2 has established itself as the greatest rock band in the world. They just keep getting better and better, and for a band that's been around since the late 1970's, that's saying a lot. Seeing this show reminded me of seeing the Popmart tour at RFK in Washington DC in '96 or so. This concert, shot in Buenos Aires, was in a stadium similar in size to RFK. In 3D, it seemed as though Bono was reaching through the screen to you. I certainly enjoyed renditions of their hits, including a chilling version of "With Or Without You" and "Yahweh". I highly recommend seeing this show if you have even the slightest interest in U2.

Colts, You Have To Want It...

The Colts suffered a disappointing loss for their last game played in the Hoosier Dome (sorry, I still can't call it by its current name). You can't win if your defense doesn't decide to show up and put pressure on an average QB like Rivers.

Admittedly, I was nervous in the last Colts game, when they got beat by the Titans. You have to establish some momentum going into the playoffs. You still have to play. And no, Cleveland fans, Indy didn't mess up your plans, you have to win to get into the playoffs - don't rely on other teams to lose. YOU are in charge of your playoff destiny. 13-3 in the regular season was a miracle in itself, as the Colts played some games with as few as 17 offensive players due to injuries.

All in all, the Colts season this year was a typical one for the past few years, getting more than 12 wins is very difficult to do in the NFL.

Kudos to the "other Manning" and the Giants' win over the Cowboys. The Giants defense was in Romo's face all day. And, that blonde girl wasn't there today, so there should be no excuses.

Fox Sports had a "stellar" crew in the booth as usual - Troy Aikman and Joe Buck (the only microphone he should be speaking into is a drive through mike at White Castle). Their announcing booth was conveniently placed above Troy Aikman's name in the Cowboy's ring of honor. Give me a break - so much for the "neutrality" in the booth. Oh, a little lesson in Football 101 for Buck - when a flag is thrown right at the beginning of a play, someone is offsides and the refs don't blow the play dead, it's typically on the defense and is otherwise known as a "free play". Apparently you don't know that, because it's not on your cue cards.

The Colts will be back next year - Go Colts!!!

Short Remodel Update

Compare these pictures to the 2 below. Color is on the walls, crown is up. Basically all is done with the exception of the floor, which will go in a bit later. The City of Phoenix is also done with their inspections. Note cats in the windowsills. They think they can do something about the birds in the grapefruit tree in the back yard, but truly all they're capable of is drooling over the thought of catching one. Besides, it might require exercise on their part.

Beginning Of The Year Musings

Sometimes I'm asked if I ever set new year resolutions. The answer is "yes", and usually that is followed up by the question of whether or not I keep them. The answer is "yes, most of them". I will not post all of my resolutions, but I will post a few - not in any order of importance or priority.

I resolve to pay less attention to the news.

I resolve to be in better shape by hiking up North Mountain (near our home) more.

I resolve to be a better husband and an adequate father.

I resolve to finish up the remodel on our house by mid-2008.

On another front, there is not really any new baby news other than everything seems normal, which is great news. We thought that we would have another "picture", but didn't end up getting another ultrasound. I believe there's one scheduled a couple of weeks from now.

We accomplished a lot on our remodel over the break. We are pleased with that. Pictures will be posted later.

The price of hops have gone up to the point where it's predicted that many microbreweries will go under. We'll wait and see. It might cost Dwight and I a little more with our homebrewing, but I will be selling carbon offsets to anybody who's interested to help defray our increased cost. Whoever buys a carbon offset will get a certificate from me and photographic proof of me riding my bike to Dwight and Tracy's house the next time we make beer. Of course, during the bike ride, I'll only breathe half as much to limit my CO2 emissions.

The Colts play San Diego for their first playoff game this season. The NFL Network puzzles me. They play college football games. Bryant Gumball is employed by them. And, they apparently hate the Colts and discount them all the time.

Over the break, Amy and I went to the Insight Bowl and watched IU get beat by OSU. But, all in all, the game was fun. We also went to a Suns vs. Seattle game. That was pretty fun - it's refreshing to see a team not act like a bunch of spoiled brats.