Yes, men can suffer Postpartum – Wikipedia told me so! – but no, I’m not suffering from depression following Laura giving birth to our first child. If everything goes according to our plan of attack, that’s a good 5 years off. Planning a wedding is work enough!
I am a little bit blue about the end of the celebration of somebody else’s child, though. I’ve decided to coin my own term for this sadness – Christmas Postpartum.
As a dragged my sorry behind into work today, yawning all the way, I couldn’t help but feel that same nagging woe I feel about this time every year. The presents have been unwrapped, the hugs have been shared, the good times have been had, and the vacation and holiday time has been used.
To be honest, it’s not even the presents that I look forward to the most. I’d much rather give presents than receive them. For me, it’s the time spent with family and friends who are always in great spirits. After spending four days in Florida with my family, and five days in Evansville with Laura’s family, I’ve grown accustomed to being around loved ones all day, and a schedule that involves little-to-no stress.
I’m not ready to give in to Christmas Postpartum just quite yet, though! With a New Years party that will bring together a bunch of friends coming up, and my parents coming down for a long weekend visit, there is still plenty to look forward to. And, I just finished reading Michael Phelps’s book, which has me motivated to get to the gym more than just once or twice a week. Four-to-six pack abs… here I come!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The best thing about this time of year (besides Christmas)
As far as I’m concerned, the 2008-09 college basketball season is off to a fantastic start. I have a major penchant for Butler basketball, and nothing makes me happier than an 8-0 start from a team that features three freshman, a sophomore and a junior in the starting lineup. OK, maybe the 2006-07 season that included a Preseason NIT Tournament championship and a Sweet Sixteen appearance takes the cake, but I’m living in the present.
My allegiance to the Dawgs is obviously a result of attending Butler but it’s more than just that. Ever since the first game I attended at Hinkle Fieldhouse as senior in high school, watching them play has been a special experience. Some of my favorite memories from Butler include waking up on game-day Saturdays to trudge down to Hinkle with a bunch of my fraternity brothers and cheer on the team from the student section.
Everyone has a different definition of quality basketball. Some people love to watch major programs with NBA shoe-ins and find Butler games to be boring, but to me watching Butler is where it’s at. I love their style of play, and the incredible level of unselfishness they show. Every player has a crucial role, its not uncommon to have four-plus players score double digits, and leading scorer is a title that’s passed around freely.
I don’t think anyone could accuse any Butler player in recent history of being selfish. The closest the team has come to a star in recent history was last year’s starting point guard, Mike Green. He was invited to NBA tryouts and strongly considered by the Cleveland Cavaliers before going to play overseas, but he was never selfish. He knew when to distribute the ball and when to shoot, and played perfectly into Butler’s system.
The best part is although the Dawgs are not anything like the major programs, they have proven time-and-time-again they can not only hang with the big guys, they can beat them. Butler’s record against major programs is really pretty unbelievable and its success in the NCAA tournament has been nothing short of amazing. I’ll never forget them giving the back-to-back National Champion Florida Gators a run for their money in the Sweet Sixteen. Butler played them closer than any other team that year.
This year’s team is the youngest squad Butler has had in a long time, and Saturday they will be put to the test. Playing perennial MVC powers Drake and Bradley on their home courts, and a Big 10 team (albeit, a lower-end one) was just the warm-up. Now they will face former Butler Coach Thad Matta and his No. 21 Buckeyes on their home court. It will be a test unlike any of Butler’s three starting freshman have faced. The Buckeyes will have superior size, strength and talent, but one thing they won’t have is the moxie Butler has become renowned for.
I just hope the Dawgs remember to bring their sling! (No pun intended in regards to Ohio State's 7-foot freshman center)
My allegiance to the Dawgs is obviously a result of attending Butler but it’s more than just that. Ever since the first game I attended at Hinkle Fieldhouse as senior in high school, watching them play has been a special experience. Some of my favorite memories from Butler include waking up on game-day Saturdays to trudge down to Hinkle with a bunch of my fraternity brothers and cheer on the team from the student section.
Everyone has a different definition of quality basketball. Some people love to watch major programs with NBA shoe-ins and find Butler games to be boring, but to me watching Butler is where it’s at. I love their style of play, and the incredible level of unselfishness they show. Every player has a crucial role, its not uncommon to have four-plus players score double digits, and leading scorer is a title that’s passed around freely.
I don’t think anyone could accuse any Butler player in recent history of being selfish. The closest the team has come to a star in recent history was last year’s starting point guard, Mike Green. He was invited to NBA tryouts and strongly considered by the Cleveland Cavaliers before going to play overseas, but he was never selfish. He knew when to distribute the ball and when to shoot, and played perfectly into Butler’s system.
The best part is although the Dawgs are not anything like the major programs, they have proven time-and-time-again they can not only hang with the big guys, they can beat them. Butler’s record against major programs is really pretty unbelievable and its success in the NCAA tournament has been nothing short of amazing. I’ll never forget them giving the back-to-back National Champion Florida Gators a run for their money in the Sweet Sixteen. Butler played them closer than any other team that year.
This year’s team is the youngest squad Butler has had in a long time, and Saturday they will be put to the test. Playing perennial MVC powers Drake and Bradley on their home courts, and a Big 10 team (albeit, a lower-end one) was just the warm-up. Now they will face former Butler Coach Thad Matta and his No. 21 Buckeyes on their home court. It will be a test unlike any of Butler’s three starting freshman have faced. The Buckeyes will have superior size, strength and talent, but one thing they won’t have is the moxie Butler has become renowned for.
I just hope the Dawgs remember to bring their sling! (No pun intended in regards to Ohio State's 7-foot freshman center)
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Musing gets me nowhere, except tired
I went “home” this past weekend to spend Thanksgiving with my parents. I don’t get back to Wisconsin very often these days – it had been almost a year since I was last there – but when I do make the trip there are a couple items always on my agenda. One includes a stop by the cemetery to see a friend.
Every time I look down at her grave, I’m literally floored by how long it’s been since she passed away. It’s now been 3 ½ years, but no matter how much time goes by it feels like it was just yesterday when I’m standing there. There’s a picture of her on the headstone, and it always makes me sad to see how young she died. Every year I look older, but the picture remains the same.
Thinking about it today I started to wonder something. There are 6.7 billion people alive right now, more than 55 million die every year, more than 155,000 die every day (CIA Factbook), there are billions that have come before us, and surely billions to come after us. Given all of that information, and knowing everything we know about will be gone some day, our lives seem kind of inconsequential – but are they? Knowing all of that, why does the death of just one person make me feel so sad?
This led me into thinking about what our purpose is, given how minuscule any one person is in the grand scheme of things. I don’t know, and won’t even try to guess in this post, it’s just something I give thought to from time to time. I tend define my life by my relationships with friends and family, and that gives me purpose, so I guess that’s why I feel sadness standing over my friend’s grave.
I think I posed more questions here than anything, but this whole post is pretty inconsequential in the grand scheme of things so I guess it’s ok! haha
Here’s a poem I was inspired to write about this time three years ago while thinking about friends and family who had passed away:
As the snow falls towards its destination
Littering the ground in a chaos of
Pristine white serenity
And trees flicker and glow
Bringing illumination to the contiguous dark
Enclosed by windows patterned in frost
As the presents and stockings
Induce vivid memories of years past
And invoke anticipation of what’s to come
A certain, unmistakable content fills us
With all of the feelings of a season filled with family and friends
Laughter and joy
Warmth and caring
And reminiscences of those
Who are with us always
In our memories of them that will never fade
Every time I look down at her grave, I’m literally floored by how long it’s been since she passed away. It’s now been 3 ½ years, but no matter how much time goes by it feels like it was just yesterday when I’m standing there. There’s a picture of her on the headstone, and it always makes me sad to see how young she died. Every year I look older, but the picture remains the same.
Thinking about it today I started to wonder something. There are 6.7 billion people alive right now, more than 55 million die every year, more than 155,000 die every day (CIA Factbook), there are billions that have come before us, and surely billions to come after us. Given all of that information, and knowing everything we know about will be gone some day, our lives seem kind of inconsequential – but are they? Knowing all of that, why does the death of just one person make me feel so sad?
This led me into thinking about what our purpose is, given how minuscule any one person is in the grand scheme of things. I don’t know, and won’t even try to guess in this post, it’s just something I give thought to from time to time. I tend define my life by my relationships with friends and family, and that gives me purpose, so I guess that’s why I feel sadness standing over my friend’s grave.
I think I posed more questions here than anything, but this whole post is pretty inconsequential in the grand scheme of things so I guess it’s ok! haha
Here’s a poem I was inspired to write about this time three years ago while thinking about friends and family who had passed away:
As the snow falls towards its destination
Littering the ground in a chaos of
Pristine white serenity
And trees flicker and glow
Bringing illumination to the contiguous dark
Enclosed by windows patterned in frost
As the presents and stockings
Induce vivid memories of years past
And invoke anticipation of what’s to come
A certain, unmistakable content fills us
With all of the feelings of a season filled with family and friends
Laughter and joy
Warmth and caring
And reminiscences of those
Who are with us always
In our memories of them that will never fade
Monday, November 24, 2008
A moment to give my thanks, and hopes
Thanksgiving, as the name suggests, is a time when we are supposed to give thanks for all of the great things in our lives. I can distinctly remember this time in grade school. We would all gather and everyone would be required to name one thing they are thankful for. The room would inevitably be filled with repeated statements of thanks for family and friends, and maybe a new toy.
Sadly, I don’t think I’ve taken any significant amount of time around this holiday to think what I’m thankful for since those exercises when I was a little kid. So, what am I truly thankful for? It’s easy to say family and friends, but what else am I thankful for?
Well, I’m thankful I’m not a turkey. More than 46 million of them were consumed during Thanksgiving in 2007 -- that’s a lot of meat! I’m thankful I’m not the family dog circa Thanksgiving 2004, when he was caught nose-deep in the Turkey my dad put on the floor without thinking. We laugh about it now, but boy did he get it right afterwards. Although… he may have thought it was worth it! I’m thankful President Lincoln made the final day in November a national day of thanks giving, and Congress made it a national holiday in 1941. Thanks for laying the groundwork for my upcoming long weekend, Lincoln!
I’m thankful for the spread of food my mom will put out, and that I don’t have to eat what was on the menu at the original Thanksgiving back in 1621. Here’s what their taste buds were treated to, according to the History Channel’s website: cod, eel, clams, lobster, turkey, goose, duck, crane, swan, partridge, eagles, venison, seal, wheat flour, Indian corn, pumpkin, peas, beans, onion, lettuce, radishes, carrots, plums, grapes, walnuts, chestnuts, acorns, olive oil, liverwort, leeks, dried currants and parsnips.
A lot of that actually sounds pretty good, but a few things stuck out to me. Crane: I’ve never had crane, but there’s a blue heron that fishes in the water behind my house --perhaps it wants to join the spread. Eagle: can’t say I’ve ever had eagle, but the Baltimore Ravens had themselves a little pre-Thanksgiving Eagle last night! Seal: I’ll let the sharks have the seal, they are too fun to watch at the zoo to eat. And liverwort... what in the world is liverwort??
All jokes aside, there are a lot of people in the world who have little-to-nothing to be thankful for. And, a lot of people who are thankful for things we take for granted like fresh drinking water, food, medicine, shelter, clothing, etc… Like millions of others, I tuned in to “24 Redemption” last night to watch superhero, err, Special Agent Bauer foil the bad guys yet again. Beyond all the cheesy action and the whispering, then yelling, then whispering again of Bauer, there was a poignant message about the unthinkable struggles people in other countries face. It made me realize that I get down about some of the most ridiculous things sometimes. Compared to most of the world, I live a powder-puff life, and I need to stop and think about that when I’m upset because of something trivial.
So, I’m thankful for the incredible life I’ve been afforded, and hopeful that someday everyone will be given an equitable chance at a good life. Yes, I know, I’m the perpetual optimistic hoping for way too much, but you can’t stop me!
Sadly, I don’t think I’ve taken any significant amount of time around this holiday to think what I’m thankful for since those exercises when I was a little kid. So, what am I truly thankful for? It’s easy to say family and friends, but what else am I thankful for?
Well, I’m thankful I’m not a turkey. More than 46 million of them were consumed during Thanksgiving in 2007 -- that’s a lot of meat! I’m thankful I’m not the family dog circa Thanksgiving 2004, when he was caught nose-deep in the Turkey my dad put on the floor without thinking. We laugh about it now, but boy did he get it right afterwards. Although… he may have thought it was worth it! I’m thankful President Lincoln made the final day in November a national day of thanks giving, and Congress made it a national holiday in 1941. Thanks for laying the groundwork for my upcoming long weekend, Lincoln!
I’m thankful for the spread of food my mom will put out, and that I don’t have to eat what was on the menu at the original Thanksgiving back in 1621. Here’s what their taste buds were treated to, according to the History Channel’s website: cod, eel, clams, lobster, turkey, goose, duck, crane, swan, partridge, eagles, venison, seal, wheat flour, Indian corn, pumpkin, peas, beans, onion, lettuce, radishes, carrots, plums, grapes, walnuts, chestnuts, acorns, olive oil, liverwort, leeks, dried currants and parsnips.
A lot of that actually sounds pretty good, but a few things stuck out to me. Crane: I’ve never had crane, but there’s a blue heron that fishes in the water behind my house --perhaps it wants to join the spread. Eagle: can’t say I’ve ever had eagle, but the Baltimore Ravens had themselves a little pre-Thanksgiving Eagle last night! Seal: I’ll let the sharks have the seal, they are too fun to watch at the zoo to eat. And liverwort... what in the world is liverwort??
All jokes aside, there are a lot of people in the world who have little-to-nothing to be thankful for. And, a lot of people who are thankful for things we take for granted like fresh drinking water, food, medicine, shelter, clothing, etc… Like millions of others, I tuned in to “24 Redemption” last night to watch superhero, err, Special Agent Bauer foil the bad guys yet again. Beyond all the cheesy action and the whispering, then yelling, then whispering again of Bauer, there was a poignant message about the unthinkable struggles people in other countries face. It made me realize that I get down about some of the most ridiculous things sometimes. Compared to most of the world, I live a powder-puff life, and I need to stop and think about that when I’m upset because of something trivial.
So, I’m thankful for the incredible life I’ve been afforded, and hopeful that someday everyone will be given an equitable chance at a good life. Yes, I know, I’m the perpetual optimistic hoping for way too much, but you can’t stop me!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Friends, a man's best friend
Friends come in all different forms. There are fleeting friends, circumstantial friends, friends from certain periods in life (i.e. high school, college, etc...), work friends, friends of friends… I think you get the point. And, for those of us who are lucky enough to have them, there are the coveted lifelong friends.
Friendships play a crucial role in our everyday lives, yet sometimes it seems like it’s easier to neglect them than nurture them. It’s incredibly easy to take friends for granted, especially ones you’ve had extended period of time because you just don’t think about how important they are on a day-to-day basis.
I’m grateful for the many great friends I have, but even I fall into the trap from time to time. I’ve been reminded of what great friends I have recently, and how little I would have without them, which inspired me to write this blog.
For a long time I thought the title “best friend” could only be bestowed on one person, and for a long time I only had one best friend. This is a guy I’ve literally known as far back as I can remember. We’ve been though every stage of our lives together, from the first sleep overs of grade school and the realization that girls aren’t disgusting during middle school, to the greatness of freedom in college and “the man’s got me down” blues of the working world. He’s now in graduate school at Harvard so I don’t get to see him as much as I used to, but what’s great about our friendship is our ability to pick up where we left off, no matter how long it’s been. A best friend is a great thing and there’s no doubt in my mind he will remain my best friend as long as we’re above ground.
What’s even better, I’ve come to realize over the past couple of years that I can have two best friends. They are in very different categories, but I place equal emphasis on each. My other best friend is my soon-to-be wife. She shares many of the same qualities, such as unabashed honesty, willingness to do anything, etc… and there is no doubt in my mind that we will always be there for each other. I wouldn’t have put a ring on her finger if I thought otherwise, even just a little.
Can family be considered friends? I consider my family to be friends… they certainly have all the symptoms of being friends – loyalty, honesty, etc… My brother and I are almost exact opposites, which makes us fantastic counterpoints to each other and great friends. My dad calls his father his best friend and sincerely means it. Even at 60 years old he looks to his father with admiration, and I look at both of them the same way.
Those are just a few examples, but friends do so many great things for me every day, such as opening up doors to new opportunities, being with me in life’s best and worst moments and making me laugh on a daily basis. All I can hope is that they feel I do the same for them.
Friendships play a crucial role in our everyday lives, yet sometimes it seems like it’s easier to neglect them than nurture them. It’s incredibly easy to take friends for granted, especially ones you’ve had extended period of time because you just don’t think about how important they are on a day-to-day basis.
I’m grateful for the many great friends I have, but even I fall into the trap from time to time. I’ve been reminded of what great friends I have recently, and how little I would have without them, which inspired me to write this blog.
For a long time I thought the title “best friend” could only be bestowed on one person, and for a long time I only had one best friend. This is a guy I’ve literally known as far back as I can remember. We’ve been though every stage of our lives together, from the first sleep overs of grade school and the realization that girls aren’t disgusting during middle school, to the greatness of freedom in college and “the man’s got me down” blues of the working world. He’s now in graduate school at Harvard so I don’t get to see him as much as I used to, but what’s great about our friendship is our ability to pick up where we left off, no matter how long it’s been. A best friend is a great thing and there’s no doubt in my mind he will remain my best friend as long as we’re above ground.
What’s even better, I’ve come to realize over the past couple of years that I can have two best friends. They are in very different categories, but I place equal emphasis on each. My other best friend is my soon-to-be wife. She shares many of the same qualities, such as unabashed honesty, willingness to do anything, etc… and there is no doubt in my mind that we will always be there for each other. I wouldn’t have put a ring on her finger if I thought otherwise, even just a little.
Can family be considered friends? I consider my family to be friends… they certainly have all the symptoms of being friends – loyalty, honesty, etc… My brother and I are almost exact opposites, which makes us fantastic counterpoints to each other and great friends. My dad calls his father his best friend and sincerely means it. Even at 60 years old he looks to his father with admiration, and I look at both of them the same way.
Those are just a few examples, but friends do so many great things for me every day, such as opening up doors to new opportunities, being with me in life’s best and worst moments and making me laugh on a daily basis. All I can hope is that they feel I do the same for them.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
My thoughts on the election through the words of 2Pac
I've been considering starting a blog for some time. Not because I think anyone in their right mind will want to read my random streams of consciousness any more than the millions of other bloggers out there, but because I love to write. And, if it just so happens that even one person finds value in any of my blogs, then I will have overachieved in the standards I've set forth.
Ok, here goes my first blog! As I said before, I've been thinking about doing this for a while and what better time to start than the day after what may very well be the most important election of my lifetime? Now, I'm no political buff, as you will discern below, but these are the thoughts I have.
I accidentally fell asleep about 10:45 p.m. Obama had a clear lead, he was over 200 electoral points, and I was just waiting up to hear the speeches. When I woke up at 5:10 a.m. with the TV still on and heard he had won, I had the strangest thought. Out of the millions of things that could have run through my mind, I thought about the 2Pac song Changes. About 3/4 of the way through the song he says, "and although it seems heaven sent, we ain't ready to see a black president." That song was recorded 13 years ago and I can guarantee you that anybody who listened to it then never gave a second thought to that line, other than to agree with it. Thirteen years ago, the thought of a black president was pretty much inconceivable.
Thirteen years may seem like a long time, but it's really not. Not when you're talking about the kind of ideological and societal change we saw last night. I listened to the local hip hop station on my way into work today, and they talked how this makes all the simple-minded, hateful, racist people in America not matter anymore because America has spoken and showed how we truly feel. I couldn't agree more. 2Pac died 12 years ago, before Changes was ever even released, but if he were to suddenly come back today and see Barack Obama as President-elect, I be he'd be pretty surprised. As for me, I'm just glad. I think the right man won the race, and I can't wait for him to prove me right.
P.S. Some may think it's wierd for me to use 2Pac as my focus rather thank MLK Jr. or any other number of individuals, but, hey, these are just my thoughts as they come to me.
P.P.S. If you look up the song Changes on Wikipedia, it's already been updated to reflect Barack Obama's election, in reference to that line. The power of the World Wide Web!
Ok, here goes my first blog! As I said before, I've been thinking about doing this for a while and what better time to start than the day after what may very well be the most important election of my lifetime? Now, I'm no political buff, as you will discern below, but these are the thoughts I have.
I accidentally fell asleep about 10:45 p.m. Obama had a clear lead, he was over 200 electoral points, and I was just waiting up to hear the speeches. When I woke up at 5:10 a.m. with the TV still on and heard he had won, I had the strangest thought. Out of the millions of things that could have run through my mind, I thought about the 2Pac song Changes. About 3/4 of the way through the song he says, "and although it seems heaven sent, we ain't ready to see a black president." That song was recorded 13 years ago and I can guarantee you that anybody who listened to it then never gave a second thought to that line, other than to agree with it. Thirteen years ago, the thought of a black president was pretty much inconceivable.
Thirteen years may seem like a long time, but it's really not. Not when you're talking about the kind of ideological and societal change we saw last night. I listened to the local hip hop station on my way into work today, and they talked how this makes all the simple-minded, hateful, racist people in America not matter anymore because America has spoken and showed how we truly feel. I couldn't agree more. 2Pac died 12 years ago, before Changes was ever even released, but if he were to suddenly come back today and see Barack Obama as President-elect, I be he'd be pretty surprised. As for me, I'm just glad. I think the right man won the race, and I can't wait for him to prove me right.
P.S. Some may think it's wierd for me to use 2Pac as my focus rather thank MLK Jr. or any other number of individuals, but, hey, these are just my thoughts as they come to me.
P.P.S. If you look up the song Changes on Wikipedia, it's already been updated to reflect Barack Obama's election, in reference to that line. The power of the World Wide Web!
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