The Cup Runneth Over Edition

It's World Cup time again and I've been watching lots of soccer since it's pretty much the only thing on television during the day. I'm not a big soccer fan, but I do pay attention during the World Cup because it's a special event and it means I only have to put up with soccer every four years! As most people know I'm a sports fan (or as my wife calls it 'sports guy' which in her language means 'that's all he watches 24/7..blah blah blah' (it's when she starts talking crazy like that all I hear is 'blah blah blah'). I don't, for the record, only watch sports...I play them too! But seriously, I do watch other things like news and 24 and...um...well I watch news and 24 anyway. She had the audacity last night to ask if she was more important to me than the Stanley Cup Finals. What a ridiculous question. I was SO offended that I refused to answer that question. Also because even though I'm in Canada, I'm still an American and I believe I have a 5th amendment right to refrain from self-incrimination. Why *do* women ask questions like that anyway? "How do I look in these pants? What color should I paint my nails? Do these curtains make the living room look too modern?" Huh?!? Can't you see the game is on? They're pants, I don't care what color your nails are, and we have curtains?? Then she looks at me like I'm stupid. Oh yeah? Well I can get aesthetic too you know? Like um...Aren't those pants Tiger is wearing nice? Why does the Australian World Cup team wear yellow and green uniforms when their flag is blue, red and white? Doesn't the Green Monster make Fenway Park look too retro? See! Take that, Martha Stewart! Anyway, where was I? Oh yes the World Cup. There's some stuff about soccer that just bugs me. For one thing its like 90 percent running and 5 percent kicking. The other 5 percent is acting. Two guys bump into each other and they proceed to roll around on the ground like their pancreas has just burst into flames! Then they're carted off the field on a stretcher as if they're battlefield casualties, only to immediately hop up and do several cartwheels, backflips, and the macarena. Now I'm no doctor, but I'm fairly certain you can't do all that after suffering from an exploding pancreas. Besides, everyone knows they're just faking it. I say, if a player falls on the ground and pretends to be hurt...the other team should just start kicking him. That would sure reduce the wasted time of guys faking injuries wouldn't it? Plus it's what half the fans are going to do to each other after the game in the parking lot anyway. Plus you can't use your hands in soccer. No hands! That's not athleticism. After all it's called 'hand-eye coordination' not 'foot-eye' coordination. I mean your standard dachshund can kick a ball...they just don't know to aim it at a net and get paid for it. Then there are the soccer fans. I don't know about you, but I get just a little antsy when 70,000 frenzied Germans get together in a stadium...so just think how Poland feels. And what's with players scoring a goal and immediately disrobing?? Not that I'd mind it too much in women's soccer but still...can you see this happening in Hockey? First it would take them like 20 minutes just to get all the pads and stuff off...not to mention the inevitable frost bite- and there are just some places you don't want to be frostbit. As an aside...isn't it unfair that Germany and Italy have to play individually, but Trinidad and Tobago get to play together?? That's two on one!!!! Don't get me wrong I've got nothing against, uh...Trinidadians and Tobogganers (??) but I'm all about equality. And don't even get me started on the World Cup trophy...I mean it's not even a CUP!!!! You can't call it a cup if you can't drink beer out of it. You'd think since the Germans are hosting the darn thing they'd make sure you can drink beer out of it. Well anyway...I'm watching a lot of soccer. That was my main point. We had a lovely weekend for the most part for Shelley's birthday. Friday night when came home from work all three of us went out for dinner. Gracie was such a good girl at the restaurant (much better than her parents who spilled a glass of ice water all over the table...really she shouldn't take us anywhere). We gave Shell her present from Gracie which was 2 nice 8x10s that she can pick for framing, one for work and one for home. Early Saturday we went to get the rest of her presents. Every year I get Shell whatever she wants for her gardening. This year's theme was shrubs, because we finally are starting to get the front landscaping done with the new porch etc. So off we went to Canadian Tire to load up on shrubs. She got some cedar pines, some other type of bushy things, a beautiful french lilac tree, and a virginia creeper (natch!) and some assorted annuals to give it a bit more color. It took the better part of the afternoon digging and digging and planting and planting (including my first ever experience with sheep manure) After we cleaned up a bit we went to Shell's parents' house for dinner. Shelley's dad is on his yearly fishing trip so Mom is alone. Shell's brother Greg joined us and they had grilled salmon while I had one of the best tasting steaks ever...mmmm....cow.... Shell got a lovely handbag from her mom which she absolutely loved and even Gracie got a prezzie...an awesome lady bug dinner set. We dragged ourselves home pretty late, Shell with a weeeee bit of a wine buzz, and collapsed after a very long day. My father-in-law went on his yearly fishing trip and sent me some great photos. This is how life is supposed to be I think. Though I'm not a big fishing guy, it does look like they had a lot of fun. Today Ginny Grace is 9 months old. Whoa. Where'd the nine months go? From the photo shoot for the pictures for Shelley's birthday present from Gracie... Pretending to be a pirate as she awaits her grog from the galley... Making the silliest face at bath time... Practicing for her role as Frodo in the house production of Lord of the Rings...Dixie will be playing Treebeard, just for the record... Getting ready to go for dinner with Mommy and Daddy... Playing in the yard... Practicing walking... Oh the carnage... All the standing...scary scary standing... This picture makes me weep...she look so much like her mommy... awww...laying on Daddy... Hermey wants to be a dentist... Well that's all for now. Until next week.. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!! Cheers

The June Swoon Edition

My blogging server has been uncooperative today but nonetheless I've tried to get this posted on time. Friday is my wife's birthday! I could probably spend the better part of a few years writing down all the things about her that make her special, but then you'd get bored, she'd get embarrassed and I'd get carpal tunnel. Suffice to say she's the best thing that ever happened to me by a long shot. She's the best wife a man could ask for, and I'd be lost without her. She's a great mom to Gracie, a dedicated worker at her job as well. But more important that all of that- she's just the most decent human being I've ever known. She's caring, kind, and thoughtful and always considers what she can do to make the world better for others. Sometimes her optimism shames my cynical side. It might be corny to say, but she does indeed complete me. When I met her I felt like I had known her forever. She has the courage to call me on all my stupidity, but also the love to forgive me for it. I know often I disappoint her, fail her, annoy her and yet she's still here, giving me more and more as if to say 'you're not getting rid of me that easy, I'm here for the duration'. She is then, ultimately, my best friend and she's gorgeous on top of all that. Happy Birthday, my love. Last weekend, Shell and her Dad installed our new porch that they had built a few weeks ago and brought to the house in pieces to be assembled. It looks great (as you can see in pictures below). The place is really starting to look nice and feel comfortable. There's still much to do, but the list that we compiled when we first bought the place of all the renovations and additions has at least dwindled to a reasonable size now. And it's a good thing too because suddenly Ginny Grace has decided this is the perfect moment to make herself Super Mobile Baby! She finally figured out the crawling thing and is racing around the house at breakneck (eep) speeds. She's climbing up on stuff, trying to stand and walk and surf. It has seemingly lowered her frustration level since she can now get to where she wants to go, but of course has seemingly heightened our frustration (and fear) level since she can now get to where she wants to go- which, as is the case with all babies, is EXACTLY where she doesn't belong. For us so far it has been under the kitchen table and directly at the dog food bowls. Speaking of Butch and Sundance (Dixie and Willow), Dixie has become obsessed with her summertime game of terrorize the chipmunks. This means she spends the better part of the days glowering at the ground in the backyard, eyes fixed on the spots in the corners where the little chippies hide. Then at some point, I assume they send one of their braver munks out on a suicide-diversion mission and a black streak tears through the yard along the fence-line as Dixie chases it so the other chipmunks can race out for food and smokes I suppose. Dixie has so far this year made no kills…but she continues her targeted surveillance activities until we ply her back inside with promises of cheese and a car ride. I'm reading a collection of essays in a book caled "The New Killing Fields: Massace and the Politics of Intervention" which obviously is not a happy book. But it is interesting especially as it was written in the intervening period between the launch of the Afghan war and the invasion of Iraq. It takes case studies of Cambodia, Rwanda, East Timor and a few others to argue for, what I would call but perhaps not the authors, "pre-emptive intervention". There's much to disagree with no matter which way you lean politically, and much with which you might ultimately agree. What the book does do at its most fundamental though is highlight the complexity, sometimes the paradox, or use of force to end brutal dictatorships and ultimately stop (or hopefully prevent) eventual genocide. Also I'm reading "Nothing Like It In The World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad" by Stephen Ambrose and am finishing my third reading of Joseph Ellis' "Founding Brothers" which I needed to read again after reading McCullough's "1776" There's so much I want to read this summer. I have a stack of books on my desk that I'll slowly plow through I'm sure. I have made Ginny Grace's blog public now too. I've been keeping it since we had the ultrasound that told us we were having a girl. Since we knew what we were naming her I set it up and it's just got little short posts from her point of view and a photo. Some of the pictures may have been posted elsewhere, but occasionally there are a few you've never seen, so if you want to take a look just visit Say Goodnight Gracie. You can also leave her a message if you wish, all of which we will save for her for when she's older. Also she has her own email address gracie@stamant.org where we save emails from friends and family for her as well. I trust that one day she'll look back at all the stuff we've saved and be grateful and know how much she was loved. For now though it's time for some photos: Nap time... Waking up from nap time and being a happy girl... Pretty in pink... such a cute outfit... surrounded by her box of toys... making friends with the baby in the mirror... getting ready to go for a trip to the mall... back home and in her favourite chair... peeking around the corner with her evil little grin... she had just been 'buzzed' by Willow's tail...she thinks it's hysterical... clapping for Dixie and Willow who were wrestling at the time…also notice the extended pinky in the left hand?? The hand of a musician!! She thinks it's the coolest thing that she can crawl now... Deep asleep with her favourite monkey... This is how she wakes up in her crib now...standing at the prison bars... Well that's all for now. Until next week... Cheers.