I can vouch for her. Anna's ready. That last picture has less of an ethereal glow than the others for a reason: there's a bowling ball in her stomach (named Elena).
And so, in these last weeks / days / hours, we're sitting on pins and needles... not because we're restless and don't know what to do, not because we're afraid of the world of responsibilities awaiting us, but because we want to see our baby!
Here's one thing that isn't immediately evident to prospective parents: your baby is kicking and moving from around month 4 or 5 through the final stages. There's no magical unveiling of some total mystery of life - this little human has been knocking on your door the whole time. [At least, this is how I've viewed it] It's like Elena's already here, but she's hiding in my wife's belly and both of us desperately want her out.
Some of the other things I'm noticing these final days
I feel with the impending "Father act" I have to play, it's high time I tone down my wild ways (all three of them) and start acting more serious and grumpy like a real dad. You know - tuck in my shirt, grow some facial hair, gain a few (more) pounds, wear a blazer... stuff like that. I'm not clear on what I should do specifically, but I feel there's some kind of change I need to make to ascend to "fatherhood" level.
Another thing I'm noticing is the over abundance of people who absolutely love to cheerfully ask soon-to-be parents, "SO, are you ready?!"
Any response to this type of question elicits the same reaction: insipid laughter and the occasional "Yeah, I can see it from that look on your face! Ha!!" There doesn't have to be a "look" on your face - they'll find one regardless.
It's as if you are supposed to respond, "Holy CRAP NO! I really should have been preparing these last nine months, but SOMEHOW my wife and I totally forgot she was pregnant!! Man! I wish you had asked me that sooner!!"
Some clerical business
For anyone who was aware of it, I've been updating a site called StraightSpin.com on the side. The idea was originally to vent any news and politics related matters on a separate site, kinda like getting up from one room to fart in another.
Well, I'm thoroughly sick of politics and news-like blogging for a variety of reasons. Chief among them is the BLOGOSPHERE.
OK, so this is technically blogging, right? I mean, no newspaper in their right mind would pay me to write crap like this, but here I am, jotting it down for anyone with a 2400 baud modem to see, right? That's technically "blogging".
But, in the realm of news and politics, there are legions of would-be pundits who spend large portions of their livelihoods ranting about the government and posting grade-D superimposed video clips of Bush speeches from YouTube.com (for example). Some are eloquent, but most basically regurgitate catch phrases from popular, lobotomized pundits. And they're all part of the BLOGOSPHERE.
During the recent midterm election "madness", CNN aired a live segment from a room of bloggers standing by, furiously writing their own little spins on the days events. The image of these odd men and women typing away, hoping to cup a feel of the punditry shrine and have their clever opinions valued by someone was a deeply disturbing scene to me. I think most of all, it frightens me that the BLOGOSPHERE has been inching toward become a recognized part of the news media, and CNN was confirming it by filming them.
So, for fear of being associated with some psuedo-journalist who gets his data from Ann Coulter books and independent films, StraightSpin is no more. The last thing the world needs is more viewpoints on world issues that already receive a scarce amount of respectful handling in today's new media.
Of course, the dick and fart jokes will continue here at GK.com, where all my data comes from The Onion, Calvert DeForest and my diseased head.
For anyone who was aware of it, I've been updating a site called