Good Times with Old Friends

So … It’s been a busy week.  Since I started the job at Yahoo! last week, I haven’t had a moment’s rest!  So far I’ve been out with friends practically every night.  Yes, I’ve missed all my bloggy friends, and I doubt it is going to be any different this week.

I’ve visited my cousin, visited my Jr. High School girlfriend, visited old friends from dance, visited my mother-in-law … But the best experience of the week:

First Day of the Rest of My Life ...

So ... started at Yahoo! today.  You know, you forget pretty quick how much every first day is the same.  The same boring paperwork.  The same administrative snafu's ...

But I got through it.

The best part of going to CA

Next week, I start my new job at Yahoo!  I'm going to be staying at my Mother In Law's house in Richmond while training at the Santa Clara and Sunnyvale campuses over the next two weeks.  I was going to fly down, but plans have changed, and I'm driving down with Adam.  I'm going to be doing lots of things while down there ... visiting family, hanging out with friends.

So ... what is the "Best Part" ... what's the best part of driving to CA?

Saying "YES!"

So, there's a lot of great "yes" stories over at Five-for-Ten!  There's stories of romance, of birh, of giving in.  As one of the few dad bloggers participating, I thought I'd do something different.  I thought I'd talk about why I said yes to blogging.

It's my birthday too, yeah!

For those not in the know, my son Adam was born the day before my 20th birthday.  That means that the day after his birthday ... is mine ;-)

I'm not going to make much of a blog post about my birthday ... I just couldn't resist the titles.  Instead, you get a (mostly) Wordless Wednesday!

They say it's your birthday!

Ninteen years ago, I wasn't a father. Nonetheless, my son was born. I didn't know it when I met him, days after his birth, at a Square Dance convention but the baby I played with, who'se fists bunched around my fingers, would all too soon be someone I claimed as my own.

SAK

Today is the NSFW post, and if you're easily turned off by visions of middle-aged, overweight, tired adults still trying to get it up ... read no further.

Because today's Five-for-Ten topic is ... Lust ... the SAK title would be ... Sex After Kids ...

Role Models

Been struggling with Five-for-Ten's topic of the day since ... well ... since I read it when I started.  Courage was an easy topic.  Happiness fell into my lap.  I'm a man, so Lust should be just plain fun.  Yes ... whatever.  But Memory?  What do I want to talk about?  I've related cute stories of my past in my blog before, but that's "a memory", not "memory" ... what could I possibly say about "memory" ...

I've been texting those closest to me, and mom just texted me back "well, there was a book called I remember mama.  arent I interesting enough?" ... I LOL'd, but it did it ... I started thinking ...  If I were to look back at what shaped me, who would I write about?

Children's Day at the Coast

Episcopal Diocese of Oregon

Children's Day at the Coast

St. Luke's by-the-Sea

Photography by:

Doug Young, Christina Young, and Rev. Susan Church

(clicky for bigger version)

          
         aka: goofdad

The Pursuit

I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there?
             -- Christopher Gardner, The Pursuit of Happyness

It's interesting how, when you're given a topic, the fates conspire to send you messages based on that topic.  One of those messages arrived from a fellow scout leader last night...

Dragonfly

As I said here, Julian was asked to participate in the school art competition.  He's finally done with his dragonfly, and I thought I'd share some pictures:

Defining Courage

Something close to 15 years ago, I sat and watched a movie called Angus.  It was a nice commentary on the whole High School experience, but one quote struck me hard, and has been with me ever since:

Grandpa: Superman isn't brave.
Angus: Did you take your pills this morning?
Grandpa: HeHe. You don't understand. He's smart, handsome, even decent. But he's not brave. No, listen to me. Superman is indestructible, and you can't be brave if you're indestructible. It's people like you and your mother. People who are different, and can be crushed and know it. Yet they keep on going out there every time.

This was the first time I had heard this concept.  I now quote that at my Scout group every year.  I explain to them that Courage and Bravery mean doing what you think is right, even when there's a very real possibility it's going to hurt.  If you can't get hurt, you can't be brave.  Your acts, as Grandpa says, may be good and decent ... but not courageous.

Well, last week it hurt.

The Talk

About two weeks ago, The Well Read Hostess posted a blog entry that ended with the following paragraph:

My son is 8. The questions he asks about life's many mysteries especially those that involve body parts and babies are looping in ever tighter circles around the BIG QUESTIONS. I've always said I'm going to be totally straightforward, no euphemisms, no weird or cute terminology. But oy. Sometimes this stuff is way harder than 3 a.m. feedings, chafed nipples, and projectile baby poop.

It reminded me of a story that I've been meaning to blog about ever since.  Unfortunately, other things got in the way, but the story has been kicking around my brain dying to come out, so here it is.  For those of you "in the know" ... sorry, yeah, you've heard it before a time or ten ;-)

Live in the sunshine

"Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air ..."
                           -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Just before I went to CA, I was notified by one of my favorite bloggers, Juggling Eric, that I had received the Sunshine Award for my blog!

The Sunshine Award: The Sunshine Blog Award is awarded to bloggers

whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blog world.