So instead, the cutter gets death by a thousand cuts...

CNN.com - Bush: Democrats the 'party of cut-and-run' - Sep 28, 2006: "President Bush counterpunched at Democrats on Thursday, saying their criticism of the war in Iraq has turned their party into one of 'cut-and-run' obstructionists."

I'll never understand this way of thinking. First of all, I'm pretty much against labelling an entire party in any way. Secondly, why does it become all about 'cut and run' if you're simply wondering about specific goals and timeframes? If we just stay there while little insurgent attacks keep happening against our troops until enough is enough and *everybody* thinks we should leave, isn't that just 'death by a thousand cuts'?

September Showers

We had our baby shower this past Sunday. It was at the same place as our wedding shower. When we got there the room was hot so I went back home and got a fan so Court wouldn't be too warm. Unfortunately, the fact that I wore a Bears jersey under my shirt made me constantly sweat the whole day. Oh well, at least they won.

We got a ton of stuff. Today we'll be going to get our baby furniture. Amazon points, baby!

The shower was nice. The whole thing is really not my deal. I'm uncomfortable with being (near to, anyways, since Court is the real center) the center of attention with these types of things. Add in all the baby stuff on top of that. I wonder why we need so many of these baby outfits considering sometimes it seems we do laundry so often I wear the same 3 pairs of socks every week. There seems to be some type of device for every baby scenario, and I'm sure the stuff we have barely scratches the surface. It's amazing.

I got to see my Godson, which was nice. Pretty soon there will be a lot of babies/children around with our kid, my Nephew, and my Godson. I've said before that I am not much good around babies since it seems they are just really fragile and holding one is just an excercise in making sure you don't drop it. I can't wait for them to get older.

My BIL tells me that once our baby comes I'll really start to understand it all. I'm sure he's right but I can't stop thinking about what my Dad thought/felt when it came to me (and my sister) and how things ended up working out as they have. I already know I've done things I can't imagine my Dad would ever do (registering for a baby shower, I don't think so) but what's that mean, really? The true test is being a real *team* with your wife (or husband) and facing things together...a case where my dad (seemingly) made things worse rather than better.

I find myself looking forward to our kid really coming into his/her own rather than just being something that's passed around like the most fragile thing ever.

The day has arrived

huzzah!

So very ready for some football

Being a Cub fan, I've only been ready for the first Bears game of the year for about 4 months. Being that they tore the hell out of Fav-ray and the Packers, the wait was worth it. It's my first full-year back in IL so my BIL came by and (in what will become a back and forth tradition) he came over and we watched the game. My SIL and MIL came by with my nephew (who has gotten a lot bigger this past week, I swear) and then the girls left to go shoppig or whatever. We ate a bunch of junk and watch Rex the Beast and the Bears D destroy Green Bay.

It'd be sad to watch Favre these days, if he hadn't spent so much time kicking our asses. He should never have come back. For the first time ever he was looking like he didn't even care. He sucks.

Our Five-Year Mission

My thoughts and remembrances of 9/11 have been stated here before, so I'll save the recanting of it all here. I find that five years has passed pretty quickly. In that time, we have invaded Afghanistan and Iraq and in my opinion squandered some of the international goodwill that was felt for us in the aftermath of the events of 9/11/2001.

Though the jury is still out on Iraq, it seems to be a quagmire of sorts. For Afghanistan (and the destruction of the Government which support Al-Qaeda) it would seem that we were successful. I am not sure whether the absence of any sort of 9/11-type attack against this country since then is proof of the righteousness of our actions or simply coincidental.

but was I ever?

I must not be net hip anymore, because I have no clue why somebody I don't even know wants to add me as a myspace friend.

Movie ticket stubs currently in my wallet

• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest


• Clerks 2


• Superman Returns (IMAX)


• Superman Returns (opening night in TX)

priming the pump

We had a nice weekend. My BIL and SIL are moving to Bloomingdale from Naperville, so we are happy about that. It's a lot closer to us (probably 20 minutes closer) and this way we'll see them more often.

Court spent yesterday watching their baby son (our nephew) while the rest of us shuttled a few things to the new house. I think it was good for Court as we are not too far away ourselves from having a little one around. Personally, I am not much of a baby-holder but I think they are amazing. I think this little chair they have now (Braiden has one too, and we registered for one) is the neatest thing beacuse the baby just kind of sits in it (once he can hold his head up) and looks like a little person with his chair.

I'm exited about our little one, but I will be very happy when he (or she) hits 4 or 5 or so and starts running around like a maniac. I've told Court many times that I'll take over the reigns at that point. :)

His beard has a beard

Depending on what we are doing I usually don't shave on weekends...or at least on Saturday. Sometimes on a Friday (if it doesn't look too bad) I won't shave...I guess because it's 'casual day'. I didn't shave this past Friday. This past weekend I'd planned on seeing family on Sunday so I was going to shave. Problem was, I didn't feel well so this fell through. On Monday I worked from home so I didn't shave. Consequently, on Tuesday morning I pretty much looked like a homeless man.

Yes, this is a strange post, but it's all I have time for now.

Proud to be...

You Are 73% American

Most times you are proud to be an American. Though sometimes the good ole US of A makes you cringe Still, you know there's no place better suited to be your home. You love your freedom and no one's going to take it away from you!

How American Are You?

ESPN.com: Page 2 : A Sports Guy can dream ...

ESPN.com: Page 2 : A Sports Guy can dream ...: "My bosses won't allow me to say which six announcers I would deport to Eastern Europe, but here are their initials jumbled together backwards: WBMABCMJMTBJ."

Ok, can we unscramble this? I feel pretty safe with...

Joe Buck

Tim McCarver

John Madden Johnny Miller or (the HATED) Joe Morgan

Chris Berman

Al Michaels

But who is BW?

TV Nation

My plans for the upcoming fall schedule:

Monday -

8pm Heroes
9pm CSI Miami/Studio 60

Monday Night Football (live)

Tuesday -

7pm NCIS
8pm Veronica Mars

Wednesday -

7pm Bones/Jericho
8pm Lost
9pm CSI:NY/Kidnapped or The Nine

Thursday -

7-8pm Earl & the Office/Smallville
8pm CSI/Supernatural
9pm ER

Friday -

8pm Las Vegas
9pm Numb3rs
(also SG-1, SGA, and BSG)

6 random things about me

• I've never had a cavity.


• Stemming from an incident at DeVry, whenever I use a public bathroom I double (nay, triple) check that I'm going into the Men's room before I do so.


• I'm developing Monk-level OCD about some things. (swimming in communal water? no thanks!)


• My alarm goes off at 7am but I hit snooze 3 times.
  
• I have travelled almost entirely around the Earth. (as far east as Moscow, as far west as Beijing)

Strangely coincidental

Birthday Calculator: "You entered: 11/20/1977

Your date of conception was on or about 27 February 1977 which was a Sunday."

At least one person out there will find this kinda weird. oh, and gross.

Time to make some plans for the weekend?

Exploring 'Mars' should be easier with CW: "She'll meet some of her Chicago fans this weekend while signing autographs from 2 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Wizard World convention in Rosemont."

I hadn't planned on going...we'll see what happens.

No real justification.

China kills 50,000 dogs in campaign against rabies: "Dogs being walked were seized from their owners and beaten to death on the spot, the Shanghai Daily newspaper reported. Led by the county police chief, killing teams entered villages at night creating noise to get dogs barking, then beat the animals to death, the reports said."

This is absolutely horrible. Words just can't express.

X-Entertainment - The Sectaurs HYVE Playset, 1984.

X-Entertainment - The Sectaurs HYVE Playset, 1984.

Yes, I had this. Yes, it was awesome.

The Heat is On

Man, it is hotter than hell outside. It doesn't help that my browser keeps throwing up Heat Advisories for Wood Dale that stretch until 9:15pm tonight. 9:15PM?? Man. It staggers me that people actually go to the beach in the heat for their vacations. Crazy.

We saw Pirates 2 over the weekend. While the company was good, the movie was just 'eh'.

You don't tug on Superman's cape...

Been a busy last few weeks. All sorts of things going on around our house. Crazy.

Anyways, I thougth I would write up some thoughts I had about Superman Returns, seeing as how I've seen it three times. (theater, IMAX, drive-in)

I enjoyed the movie, but as many have said, no as much as I had hoped to. It's a tad too long...the ending drags on few minutes past the logical end point. I enjoyed the story, but there was one bit that I thought was a missed opportunity. Not to put too fine a point on it, but since Superman actually 'returns' after a 5-year absence, it seems to me he doesn't really consider what that actually 'cost' others, besides what it cost him in terms of Lois. How many people didn't get saved, etc? It was just a thought I had.

The action is amazing. There's a plane rescue sequence that beats the 'Kong fighting T-rex' scene as the most amazing thing I've ever seen on a movie screen. Superman flies seamlessly...there's even sonic booms at times.

Brandon Routh plays a great Superman and a bumbling Clark Kent...just as it should be. There's one point there two characters start thinking Clark might be Superman and he gives such a dorky reaction that it puts those thoughts out of their heads right away. I thought Routh did a fine job. Kevin Spacey is a good Luthor too...kind of a middle point between the Smallville Lex and the Gene Hackman comedic Lex. There's one point towards the end of the movie where Lex is coldly brutal towards Superman...and it elicited a pretty strong negative reaction from me. (which I guess is the point)

I thought Kate Bosworth was a little too young to play Lois...plus, having a 5-year-old kid to boot. She did a nice job acting the part though. I thought that the Lois from Smallville might have done a better job.

I enjoyed the little bits that referred to the original Richard Donner Superman film...like the Kryptonite being discovered in Adis Ababa, Glen Ford being Pa Kent, Kitty saying that it seemed like Lex had visited the Fortress of Solitude before.

Anyways...the movie was't the total smash hit I had thought it might be, but it's made decent money. There'll probably be a sequel. If so, I'll go see it.

Great Minds...

ESPN.com: Page 2 : Why I love the World Cup: "4. There's something fascinating about the underlying baggage in every game. My buddy Kurt e-mailed me last week, 'If you're a Nazi war criminal who escaped the Allied forces after WWII, who do you root for tomorrow: Germany, who propelled you to the top of their system, or Argentina, who took you in and helped hide your crimes against humanity?'"

I know I said I wouldn't be all about the links anymore, but I made this same joke last week while the game was being played while we were eating at the airport on Friday.