Well, maybe I'm a year off schedule but I again have the urge to self publish. No, no job change or 3 rd kid on the way. I just want to put down in words some things. Most will probably be connected to my current hobby/obsession of triathlons, so I guess the "soapbox" of this blog's title can represent the closest thing to a podium I'll be seeing.
5.17.2013
Running a little behind
Looking back, it seems I kick this thing back up every three years or so. Started in 2003, resumed in 2006 with apprehension of impending fatherhood, then again in 2009 as fatherhood 2.0 & big career move approached. I guess it speaks to my relative happiness and contentment that 2012 passed without a return of Steve the blogger.
5.01.2009
Copper mining and sulfuric acid plant, Copperhill], Tenn. (LOC)
Copper mining and sulfuric acid plant, Copperhill], Tenn. (LOC)
Originally uploaded by The Library of Congress.
8.04.2007
2.24.2007
12.15.2006
Wow
How often do you find yourself at an imminent life-changing event? I mean, I know right now, Friday, December 15, 2006, 3:12 AM, that there is a very very high likelihood that I could be a father before the day ends today.
My wife, who is 39 weeks pregnant, also happens to be an obstetrician herself. She is on this day working a 24-hour call. She called me at about 2:30 am, worried that her blood pressure was high. Apparently this is a strong indicator that she/they might need to induce her into labor tomorrow morning. Basically, it was a heads up call.
Now, my pituitary gland is working overdrive, I'm amped on adrenaline, and sleepy-groggy-confused has completely vanished. I've double checked our packed bags. I checked batteries on everything (camera, video camera, radio) and freed up the memory space on all the devices. The bags are lined up by the door, and I'm contemplating showering (at 3:15 am) and could probably be talked into sleeping with my clothes on.
Wow.
My wife, who is 39 weeks pregnant, also happens to be an obstetrician herself. She is on this day working a 24-hour call. She called me at about 2:30 am, worried that her blood pressure was high. Apparently this is a strong indicator that she/they might need to induce her into labor tomorrow morning. Basically, it was a heads up call.
Now, my pituitary gland is working overdrive, I'm amped on adrenaline, and sleepy-groggy-confused has completely vanished. I've double checked our packed bags. I checked batteries on everything (camera, video camera, radio) and freed up the memory space on all the devices. The bags are lined up by the door, and I'm contemplating showering (at 3:15 am) and could probably be talked into sleeping with my clothes on.
Wow.
9.26.2006
How to name a baby
I'd wager that your own name is a word you'll hear more often than any other in your life. It's one of the first things you learn to write, to read, to say; it's one of the first things you share with someone. I could go on indefinitely, but I think I've made my point.
So, I've got a son on the way. My wife and I are currently trying to decide on a name, and it's a maddening exercise. Hopefully, the name we choose will get a good 75-100 years of use, and be the object of all those verbs I mentioned earlier. Yet for all the consequences of this decision, there is no right or wrong answer. I can't analyze things, research names, and decide one name is "best." It's simply a matter of taste - and this is killing me! It's one thing to choose dinner, or a shirt, or even a car, relying on intuition - these'll last, what, a few hours to a few years? But a name?
I don't want a common name - who wants to share a name with so many that you perpetually have to add an initial to distinguish yourself? But a rare name is equally challenging - you're spelling or pronouncing it repeatedly, and you can never find the little souvenier license plates with your name. I'd like to use a family name, but that raises more questions. Is it OK to change spelling? And with every name, you've got to avoid having stupid initials or sharing a name with a particularly notorious historical figure. It goes without saying that we won't be putting Adolf Stephen on a birth certificate this December. I want a name that has some meaning, but I don't want it to be transparent.
So, I've tried to set up a framework for this, and of course have researched. We haven't bought any books, but the interweb has more than enough information. Google "baby names meaning" and I'm sure you'll find plenty of lists explaining what the names mean in Old Norse or Greek. The Social Security administration will give you rankings of how popular names have been and what the most popular are now. I've got one bookmark that even combines the two, and gives you fancy graphs. To top it off, there are scholarly/economic articles discussing the relationships between baby names and parental education, and so forth. It's overwhelming - maybe once I have a more-developed list of potential names, it would help, but it's useless while I'm in the brainstorming pahse.
So, if I cop out and name the kid after me, do I get to choose whether he's a junior or a II?
So, I've got a son on the way. My wife and I are currently trying to decide on a name, and it's a maddening exercise. Hopefully, the name we choose will get a good 75-100 years of use, and be the object of all those verbs I mentioned earlier. Yet for all the consequences of this decision, there is no right or wrong answer. I can't analyze things, research names, and decide one name is "best." It's simply a matter of taste - and this is killing me! It's one thing to choose dinner, or a shirt, or even a car, relying on intuition - these'll last, what, a few hours to a few years? But a name?
I don't want a common name - who wants to share a name with so many that you perpetually have to add an initial to distinguish yourself? But a rare name is equally challenging - you're spelling or pronouncing it repeatedly, and you can never find the little souvenier license plates with your name. I'd like to use a family name, but that raises more questions. Is it OK to change spelling? And with every name, you've got to avoid having stupid initials or sharing a name with a particularly notorious historical figure. It goes without saying that we won't be putting Adolf Stephen on a birth certificate this December. I want a name that has some meaning, but I don't want it to be transparent.
So, I've tried to set up a framework for this, and of course have researched. We haven't bought any books, but the interweb has more than enough information. Google "baby names meaning" and I'm sure you'll find plenty of lists explaining what the names mean in Old Norse or Greek. The Social Security administration will give you rankings of how popular names have been and what the most popular are now. I've got one bookmark that even combines the two, and gives you fancy graphs. To top it off, there are scholarly/economic articles discussing the relationships between baby names and parental education, and so forth. It's overwhelming - maybe once I have a more-developed list of potential names, it would help, but it's useless while I'm in the brainstorming pahse.
So, if I cop out and name the kid after me, do I get to choose whether he's a junior or a II?
9.23.2006
Time for a reinvention
Well, it's been nearly four months since I've posted anything, let alone anything of significance. What's happened... most of the first and all of the second trimester of my wife's pregnancy have passed, I've started a new [old] job. I'm sure y'all can see why I haven't found much in which to write.
However, I'm newly motivated to write. An evening scouring Myspace revealed a much greater number of old friends online, at least compared to my last survey of that scene. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones, but I've been feeling more nostalgic lately, more interested in cultivating old friendships. Therefore, I resolve to make a greater effort to this blog (I haven't exactly set the bar high, though.) So, if anyone comes looking, there may be something worth finding.
However, I'm newly motivated to write. An evening scouring Myspace revealed a much greater number of old friends online, at least compared to my last survey of that scene. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones, but I've been feeling more nostalgic lately, more interested in cultivating old friendships. Therefore, I resolve to make a greater effort to this blog (I haven't exactly set the bar high, though.) So, if anyone comes looking, there may be something worth finding.
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