NPR moment

Ahh...food for thought. All the years of arguing with parents about sleeping arrangements. Or being scared that Skip was going to come tearing into the room with a shotgun....

Those uncomfortable tendencies are left behind us now we both wear a ring on our left hand. Though the fear still exists. Take, for instance, our holiday at home last year:

Hope, to Seth as she climbs into bed with him at her family farm in Norridgewock, "Seth, why are you still fully dressed?"

Seth, to Hope...deadpan, "If your Dad comes into this room and finds me sleeping with you, it makes for a faster and warmer escape through the snowy fields."

Hope, surprised, "But we are married now!"

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Today on NPR, they had a call in show about sleeping arrangements for the holidays. Nephews getting kicked out of the room, dating couples not being allowed to share a room...you know the story.

I remember those days!

And it dawns on me that the fuss and frustration I created at my family's house will "soon" be transferred to me when Emi comes home with her significant other.

I want to be the parent that is ok with his daughter becoming sexually active when she is older (I say this as I reach for the shotgun...) but I'm afraid of becoming the parent who will never be able to handle his baby having anything to do with...shh...s...e...x....

It's funny how the Advent of parenthood changes your perspective across such a broad spectrum of topics. The prospect of travelling changes massively. Be it a simple trip into the mountains to see friends (it's snowing, it's not worth the risk of getting hit with Emi on board) to travelling home and trying to figure out what to pack. Or even how to diaper her for the days we are home (we use cloth but Hope thinks we will be better off using disposables while we are back in Maine).

Parental decisions. And then, someday down the road, we are going to get saddled with, "Dad, I'm bringing XXX home from school for Thanksgiving. Can XXX and I share my room?"

And my answer? "Sure Emi. As long as XXX understands that the trundle bed is comfortable and that I will be camped out on the floor with my shotgun between the two of you."

Deep breaths.

I'm a Dad now....

Amendment 51

I had another NPR moment this morning listening to NPR's Colorado Matters. They were discussing Amendment 51 and whether or not Colorado should increase sales tax another percent to help pay for the developmentally disabled.

But I am not here to argue the merits of such a proposal. I'm still not sure where I stand on this matter...it seems that Colorado should be able to find some extra funding inside our current tax dollars to help handle this initiative. Then again, a couple extra cents on a sale would be a small price to pay to help families and individuals in this situation. Socialism anyone?

No, this is about Douglas Bruce who was interviewed and argues against this increase. Keep in mind that Mr. Bruce serves as a State Representative here in Colorado. A self proclaimed Ronald Reagan Republican.

Mr. Bruce had the gall to compare using tax dollars like this to George Orwell's 1984. WHAT? Mr. Bruce, have you ever read 1984? Do you have even the slightest notion as to the premise of 1984? Have you been waiting years to be able to throw "this is like 1984" into an argument?

This is a situation where the government is being upfront about a tax increase. They are telling us specifically where and why these dollars will be allocated. This is to help a group of our citizens cope with the additional stress of caring for children/adults who are unable to fully fend for themselves.

Wow. I'd say Douglas Bruce was the last person the anti-tax movement should have offered up to make an argument against Amendment 51.

That said, I'm still not sure how I will vote.

Thanks Mom

This truly is a sincere thank you, Mom.

I was driving home tonight, from the rink of course, and I was listening to the BBC's coverage of the Republican National Convention. And I was thinking about how all of McCain's speeches lacked in substance, seemed very empty and were largely just him talking about...himself. He just sounds small when you listen to only his voice.

And I thought of all I heard during the DNC. The Clinton's pledging their very existence to Obama's canidacy. And how Obabama seems larger than life. And then I thought of this comic that I saw in Newsweek earlier tonight during dinner.

It brought a tear to my eye. I was simultaneously reminded of how we, as a family, celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King every year. Mom has always been fastidious in her yearly reminder to her sons to reflect on who MLK was, what he meant to our country and our society, what he had started but had been unable to finish.

Recent years have driven that home even more. NPR's yearly memorial to MLK have been fantastic. They have delved into MLK as a human, a man, a father, a friend. They have picked apart his words to prove that we are all his children, we are all part of his dream.

So with that, thank you Mom. MLK's dream lives on in all of us. His dream will be passed to your grandchildren as I expect you to pick up where you left off with us, celebrating his life every year.

And I hope and dream that a change will happen shortly. Imagine an African American man serving the highest post offered in the US. If only our dreams and reality are able to intertwine, the very fabric of our society will be rewoven again as we move forward. Our country can be such an amazing place....

NPR moment

Every now and then, I have one of those moments when I don't want to step out of the car because I fear I'm about to miss something really good.

I ran to King Sooper's this morning to pickup some Pillsbury Cinnamon rolls and OJ for breakfast. As I pulled into my parking space, CPR began playing a piece about a new musician from Scotland. Her name is Amy MacDonald and I sat in the car mesmerized as she played three of her songs.

I'll be getting a new CD soon...as soon as it is released here in the US.

In remembrance of Carson Spencer

I have lost a two friends over the years to suicide. I often think of both. One lives on as a player on my personal all-star hockey team. The other lives on as a phone number in my cell that I can't delete, it helps me think of a friend who I worked and hung out with many years ago.

I was blown away the other morning when I heard Carson's name on CPR as Hope and I were driving to the office. We were chatting and the radio was simply background noise; we were barely listening to it. Carson's sister was being interviewed by StoryCorps for the story on Carson and his death. Hearing his name out of the blue brought memories and tears to my eyes.

The link to the interview is here...the one on the upper right.

Carson played hockey with me on a team called the Flying Fortress. This was a great group of guys and I am happy to still count all of them as friends...several as close friends and brothers. Carson had a great smile and was a natural born storyteller. And he was fantastic at parties, both the ones he threw and the ones where we were both in attendance.

I remember a late night party at his house when were chipping balls from his backyard onto the green that was beyond his backyard. Ok...everyone else was chipping balls onto the green, I was shanking them left and right. I think one even hit the fence and came straight back at us. We laughed late into the night, watched/listened to a Steely Dan concert DVD and did our best not to wake their young child. It was a good night.

Carson, we all miss you.

The Personhood Initiative

I love my morning dose of NPR. I was actually yelling at my radio this morning during my drive to work. Mind you, this has nothing to do with the basis of the actual story but the fact that a person did not have the willingness to speak of her convictions.

Colorado Public Radio does a fantastic job of finding interesting stories, getting far more in depth and asking probing questions. This morning, CPR interviewed three young adults who are getting more involved in politics. They found a young Republican, Democrat and Independent.

The young Republican was a 20 year old woman named Kristi Burton. She is working on the "Personhood Initiative" which all Coloradoans will be voting on this year and claims to be the spokesperson for said initiative. They are working "To see that the Colorado state constitution is amended to include pre-born from the moment of fertilization as having their "personhood" clearly established, so that they may enjoy equal protection under the law."

It is fairly clear the inquiring mind that this is the first step toward making abortion illegal. But would she admit this? Not at all. However, the CPR interviewer had the chutzpa to continue pushing this point. Eventually, Kristi was willing to admit that she didn't like abortion much. And finally, after additional prodding, Kristi came out with the statement that it is truly a movement toward condemning abortion.

My political views aside, if this is what you are focused on, have the nerve to speak to your convictions. Don't dance around and try to avoid answering the question. If you don't like, believe in or appreciate abortion, just say so. I felt like I was listening to a candidate bobbing and weaving. What a senseless waste....

Now, should I get started on the tenets of The Personhood Initiative? Naw, it's too easy....