April is a big month for birthdays in my family. April 11 has a double hit. And quite a hit it is. Both birthday babies are hitting milestones. (Did I say "hit" enough yet?) 
Jamie is a big one oh today. That's right… 10 years old! Double digits! A big happy birthday to you, Jamie!!! 
Mandy. How does it feel to be 40? Yes… four zero… forty. Closer to 50 than 20. Have a good one! From the look of this picture, it is driving you crazy. I know, I've been there a whole five days so far.
Archive for April, 2007
Happy Happy Birthday Birthday!!
Apr
11
2007
Don’t be mad Billy, you’re only 21
Apr
08
2007
Although I'd be just a little pissed if my mom made ME wear that bow tie on my birthday! Happy Birthday Dude! Enjoy!
Good Friday, Bad Friday
Apr
06
2007
Good Friday. April 6, 2007. 
According to Christian beliefs, Jesus was crucified today. Well, not exactly today, or even this day in history. There is no evidence in the Bible that suggests a specific day, but it is believed to have occurred in March or April, and there is evidence indicating that it happened the day before the Sabbath. Thus it must have been a Friday. Christians celebrate Good Friday on the Friday before Easter. Easter is a calculated date… the Sunday after the 14 day after the ecclesiastical full moon in March that occurs after March 21, or the vernal equinox. Don't ask me to explain further, because I fear that it would be far too complicated for you to understand, let alone for me to explain. One would think that this day would not be considered exactly "good". It is, in fact, the saddest day in the Christian faith, but it is called "good" to signify that Christ died to liberate humanity from sin. This "saddest" day of the year is a mere two days away from the day Christians believe to be the "happiest" day of the year. No, it's not Christmas… it's Easter. And of course it's the happiest day of the year because that's when the Easter bunny breaks into your house and leave chocolate eggs behind your plants and under the cushions on your couch. Oh, and also it's the day that Jesus rose from the dead. 
Oh… by the way. Today is my 40th birthday. Hence the post title including the text "Bad Friday". No, all that mumbo jumbo above was not really there to distract and bore you to the point where you would give up reading before you got here. Cuz here's where I bear my soul to the interwebby thing. As I approached this date, I always thought that it was just another day. Just another year. Just another number. I always thought it was a little silly to be concerned and fixated on this particular milestone like it was spelling the end of the world or something. Well, how ridiculous, right? Wrong. For some reason, approaching this day caused anxiety in my life that increased as this God-foresaken date got closer… and closer… and closer. And now, I'm 40. Forty. Quarante. XL (in Roman Numerals, which, conincidentally and equally depressing is my new clothing size). The sun rose this morning. The birds are singing. The world is still turning. My family still loves me. I still have my job, my health, my debts, my dog, my computer. Forty is not so bad after all. I think I might just survive this without having to buy a sportscar. Notice the candle on the cake. 7. My age today (40) subtract my age then (7) = 33. This is the age Jesus was when he was crucified. Coincidence? You tell me.
Some People Come Here to Sit and Think
Apr
03
2007
Bathrooms. Aren’t they wonderful places? Your own private haven – safe, cozy, warm. The one place in the house that you lock yourself away and nobody asks why. Further from that, they would rather not really know. You can take your time, read a magazine, do the latest Sudoku puzzle, ponder life’s mysteries. There’s usually all kinds of nice air freshener thingys, candles, sprays and soaps giving the place an inviting aroma of a wildflower-covered pasture. I do some of my best thinking in bathrooms. With the wonders of wireless technology, you never know… maybe someday I’ll write my blog posts from the comfort of my own ceramic throne. I could sit there with my laptop, wirelessly spewing logs and flushing out ideas.
Yup… that’s the ticket. That’s what I’ll do… you’ll see a great improvement in my blog going forward. I’ll compose there, in comfort, focused and totally from from distrac… whut? Hmm… when did I eat corn? … Oh well. Now, where was I?
Instructions For Life
Apr
03
2007
If you take the time to read this list, take the extra second or two that it would take to let it truly sink in. There are some valuable nuggets of inspiration here with droppings of reality plugged in.
- Take into account that great love and great achievements both involve great risk. Gee, Great.
- When you lose, don't lose the lesson. Just lose your temper.
- Follow the three R's. Respect for self, Respect for others, and Responsibility for your actions. They're GRRReat!
- Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. … but if you got what you wanted, you wouldn't need the stroke.
- Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly. Doesn't apply to this list.
- Don't let a little dispute ruin a great relationship. Make sure to let it escalate into a real doozy first.
- When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. Or hide it or blame it on someone else, whichever is easiest.
- Spend some time alone every day. Especially if you don't get what you want (see item number 4).
- Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values. Especially if your name is John Wayne Bobbit.
- Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. Especially if your wife asked the question.
- Live a good, honourable life. When you get old you can look back on it an enjoy it a second time. Unless you get hit by a bus.
- A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
- In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past. What if the dispute is about how the other person always brings up the past? I'm confused.
- Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality. Or get bitten by a vampire.
- Be gentle with the earth. Especially if you are bitten by a vampire and are immortal. It would suck to live in a world that you ruined.
- Once a year, go someplace you've never been. I suggest Transylvania if you want to achieve number 14.
- Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for one another exceeds your need for one another. Like toys and money. My love for them exceeds my need for them.
- Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it. Or who and how many you had to walk over to get it.
- Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon. Approach meals prepared under this premise with guarded caution.
You're welcome.
A Gift For All Occasions
Apr
02
2007
My wife has learned that when I go look at something more than once, I’m not really browsing.
A few years ago, I spent quite a bit of time taking my son around looking at motorcycles. I had just gotten my license a year earlier and was “just browsing”. Next thing you know, I show up with a brand new Yamaha V-Star 1100 Silverado. Well, I’ve been looking at computers recently so it was really no surprise to her when I hinted strongly that we buy that HP we saw at Costco. None at all. In fact, she was prepared.
“Honey, it’s been 6 years since we bought a new computer. My birthday’s coming up; it can be my birthday gift.”
“Well,” she said, “Happy Birthday, Happy Father’s Day, Happy Anniversary… Merry Christmas.”
I like my new computer. Thank you darling, you shouldn’t have.
