morning gruel

between showers

Aahva is now five months old. So that means I haven't actively blogged in, well, five months.

But that's not the only thing I haven't been doing. Other things that have fallen by the wayside include baking, showering every day, working forty hour weeks, and sending out thank you cards for the baby gifts.

While I certainly enjoy showering and baking, not getting the chance to do these things every day is not a tragedy. And thank you cards? Well, anyone who knows me is aware that I rarely send cards of any sort -- but I am no less appreciative of your thoughtful gift.

Work? As you know, we sold our store at the beginning of the year. So what have you been doing with yourself, you might ask. For anyone who may be concerned, I do indeed have a job. A good job. A job I really, really like. And although it does not yet amount to forty hour weeks, the upside is that I get to spend lots of time with my awesome family!

It's true that my life has changed in the last five months. A lot. But only for the better. I am making more art, playing more music, and simply enjoying life more than I can express. And I have these two wonderful people to share it all with.

You may be hearing from me more often. We'll see if I can fit you in between showers...

the parent trap

My parents came to visit this week.

As I've grown older, I've come to the same realization that so many other men have come to: I'm like my Dad. I mean, I'm not exactly like him: I'm taller and less gray, but time could certainly take care of that. And while many people are terrified by the thought of being like their parent, the good news for me is that I like my Dad.

There are so many things that I've learned from him over the years -- things that have really helped me to survive -- the most important thing possibly being to never take anything too seriously. Given the option between laughter and any other response to adversity, laughter is the best option.

I feel like I should be ending on a joke...

greetings from sickville

If this were a postcard, the front would have a symbolic representation of rotating illness -- possibly a 'recycle' symbol with a virus in the middle and baby, mama, and daddy in between the arrows...

The flip-side would say:

Wish we hadn't come to Sickville, the name should have tipped us off but we thought it was ironic. We are all happy despite being sick and are looking forward to seeing you when we return to Socialtown in Normalland soon. We will tell you about our trip but will not be bringing any souvenirs... Well, maybe a snow globe.

the hottest hot

Morgaine and I spent a night in Whistler this week. She was shooting a wedding and I went along as the nanny.

To make our trip more enjoyable, I decided to invest in commuter mugs. I imagined us sipping tea and eating freshly baked scones as we drove along the Sea-to-Sky Highway. It's good to own a commuter mug -- I always cringe when I stop for a cup of tea on the go and end up with yet another paper cup.

As it is with so many other consumer products, I discovered that if I spent a few extra dollars on our commuter mugs, I could get those of superior quality. So I bought us a couple of stainless steel Thermos brand mugs. The selling point? Thermax. I don't know exactly what it is but it was touted on the label to promote the 'coldest cold' and the 'hottest hot'. Good idea, no?

No. The presence of Thermax does not make for a better commuter mug. Quite the opposite. Half way to Whistler, I took a sip of tea and burned my tongue. In fact, my tea wasn't a realistic drinking temperature until we arrived at our hotel.

It's not a commuter mug, it's a drink-it-when-you-get-there mug.

expanding man

Hello My Darling Readers...

It's been too long. I think it's pretty obvious what I've been doing, but just to clarify: I've been quite busy parenting. And as if that isn't enough, I have also been up to a whole bunch of other stuff that I'll cover in future posts. For now, let me tell you this...

I always thought that it was a cliche when parents would tell me that having a child changes your life. I mean, of course it changes your life, but they would say it like some great secret was finally revealed or something.

And then I discovered that they were right. Okay, it's not exactly like some great secret has been revealed -- I don't have any more answers than I had three months ago. But having a baby has allowed for expansion where I didn't know I had room to grow. And every time my son smiles at me, my heart expands more and more to the point where I think it can fit the whole world.

And you're all there too...

day 10

Aahva's tenth day with us looks something like this...