I may not be the luckiest or most skillful person in the world, but no matter how bad things seem to go for me, I can always look back on this guy and instantly realize that things could certainly be worse. It's just too damn funny, especially the fact that he tried to play it off like he was 'helping'

Seriously, you can't make up comedy that good, it just has to happen.

:)

I was just reading a semi-disturbing article on Wired about the new royalty rates for internet webcasters. I had only partially paid attention earlier in the year when there was some buzz around the new legislation to enforce these new rates, but didn't think it would cut off the bigger players like Pandora.
While I'm not a Pandora user, I do use a similar program that gives me recommendations for new music based on what I'm listening to, and I have found some OUTSTANDING bands that I would not have heard before (presumably). I hope that this gets worked out, because I've all but given up on regular radio. Sure, it's great if you want to hear classic songs or like mostly pop music, but if you have more wide-ranging musical tastes, regular radio doesn't offer much these days, in my opinion.

Check out the Wired story here.

I don't think my kids are nearly old enough to enjoy this yet, but I hope that they still have this kind of thing going on in a couple of years, because that would be the perfect time for the family to take a big, nerdy vacation together.

I'm constantly reading a lot of parenting articles - some of them I agree with, some of them...not so much. I ran across an old article I had bookmarked and finally got a chance to read through it last night. It's certainly an article that strikes a chord with me, mostly because it's focus is on helping you become a positive influence to your children so that they grow up to be confident and engaged in their own lives, which hopefully means that they will lead a happier, more productive existence.

Most of these tips are pretty general, but pretty much line up with how I want to raise my kids. I feel that my parents gave me a similar upbringing, which I am forever grateful for, and I hope that I can do a good enough job to pass on some of life's lessons to my children in a way that makes them better people. Here is a link to the article, and the site itself has some other great articles covering all facets of life and advice on how to live it better.

With the birth of our second son, my wife and I are re-discovering some of the items that made things easier on us. Since we're breaking out some of these things (or re-purchasing them), I thought I'd share some of the must-have items we've found. If you've recently had a baby and can't seem to hang on to your sanity, here is a list of things that helped us out the most.

Happiest Baby on the Block (DVD) - While the book is very useful, reading is the last thing on your mind when you've got a screaming kid that won't sleep or quiet down, no matter what you try. The DVD is a quick watch, and I swear some of the techniques saved our sanity on multiple occasions. While most of the techniques need some practice and minor adjustments, we're still using most of them with our second baby and things are much quieter around our house.

Miracle Blanket - One of the techniques mentioned in the Happiest Baby on the Block was swaddling. While I'm certainly not the most coordinated person on the planet, I'm also not a ham-handed buffoon that can't tie my own shoelaces. Guess what? I can't swaddle a baby worth a shit! Either that, or I only produce little Houdini-spawn who can get out of anything. This little blanket negates any skill or patience from the swaddling equation, and allows you to get your squirmy little bugger swaddled tightly. And they stay that way!

Amby Nest - My wife and I haven't even gotten the second crib out of the shipping box. Because we love our Amby Nest so much, we can't fathom putting the new baby in a crib until he outgrows it. I also like the fact that the footprint of the Amby Nest doesn't take up much more space than a bassinet, so we're able to keep the baby next to our bed, which is wonderful for my wife when it comes time for the 3am feedings.

Rock-a-Bye Baby CDs - When I say that these CDs saved my sanity, it's a huge understatement. With my first son, we had a routine of putting him to bed with soft music playing in the background while we rocked him to sleep. Having been a child-care worker for a few years, my wife swore by the Kenny Loggins CD Return to Pooh Corner. While I am tolerant of almost any kind of music, this CD drove me to the brink in about two weeks time 9I'm really surprised that I made it that long). I got the Pink Floyd version of this series of CDs, and putting my son to bed no longer made me break down in tears at the sheer madness of it all! If you're having a similar experience with any of your sleepy-time CDs, I highly suggest picking up one of these.

Iris Root - If you have a teething child, get one of these. By no means is this a miracle product that takes away all of their pain, but if your child is as fussy of a teether as my first son was, you'll need all the help you can get.

That's all for now. As I remember or think of new things, I'll be posting those things in part 2.

I ran across some great agricultural art done in Japan (I think) that reminds me of the crop circles you see on various websites and books on extra-terrestrial visitors. Check out the link below for all of the pictures.


Check out the other photos here!



Sorry - I can't help with the page translation, but man, those images sure look cool :)

My wife and I welcomed our second son into the world on July 1st, 2008. His name is Samuel Marcus, and both baby and mom are doing wonderful!